Copywriting
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The Story: If your copy can’t cut through the clutter, you never be able to make the sale.
The Point: The reason the old formulae are less effective is: it’s harder to get people’s attention these days. Time to step up your game.
The Resource: Attention Age Doctrine
3 Keys To Grabbing Their Attention:
1. Change Their State.
2. Stop Their Inner Chatter.
3. Appeal To Their Greed, Lust, Or Moving-Away Values.
Click for the Podcast Audio:
Hemingway On Copywriting
The Story: Follow Ernest Hemingway’s Four Simple Rules to improve your copywriting (or any writing, for that matter).
The Point: The more effusive and melodious your prose, the greater the certitude you will obfuscate the concept you are laboriously attempting to elucidate; eschew obfuscation.
The Resource: The Elements of Style
Hemingway’s Rules:
1. Use short sentences.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
3. Use vigorous language.
4. Be positive, not negative.
Note: I have written about Papa’s rules in the past. This time I decided to do a little research before doing the podcast, and found different versions. So who is right? I don’t know. My favorite version, though is at Brian Clark’s Copyblogger site.
Myspace Or Yours? Marketing 101
The Story: One of copywriting’s oldest maxims points out one of marketer’s biggest failures.
The Point: It’s not your website. It’s theirs (if you want to succeed).
The Resource: YouTube
How To Make It About The User:
1. Know your users.
2. Know your users.
3. Know your users.
Click for the Podcast Audio:
Scarcity: Double-Edged Marketing Sword
The Story: Conveying sense of scarcity about your product can boost sales… or hurt them.
The Point: Carefully consider the message you’re sending when you employ scarcity in your marketing message.
The Resource: Influence, by Dr. Robert Cialdini
3 Mistakes To Avoid When Using The Scarcity Tactic:
1. Telling lies.
2. Not demonstrating the reason why there is scarcity.
3. Allowing readers to form negative conclusions about the scarcity.
Click for the Podcast Audio:
iPhone Marketing Lessons
The Story: Apple took what most considered a commodity - cellphones - and created a new category.
How did they do that?
The Point: We already know how to do what Apple did. We just don’t like to do it.
It takes imagination.
It takes guts.
It takes money.
The Resource: Apple
3 Ways To Use iPhone-style Marketing In Your Business:
1. Do what others do… in a way that is infinitely more cool.
2. Marry good function with oustanding form (packaging).
3. Fill the experience of doing business with you with pleasant little surprises.
Click for the Podcast Audio:
Tell Stories - Increase Sales
The Story: Telling stories that captivate and engage the reader increases your overall sales.
Stories are attention magnets.
The Point: Too many online marketers adhere to the “just the facts” approach — or worse, they engage in “hype”.
This costs these unfortunate marketers sales and profits.
Integrate a powerful story into your copy and test the results.
The Resource: All Marketers Are Liars, by Seth Godin
3 Ways To Use Stories In Your Marketing:
1. Attention grabbers that draw people into the copy.
2. Rapport builders that mirror your reader’s dominant emotion.
3. Proof elements that create mental images of your product working for the reader.
Click for the Podcast Audio:
Internet Marketing “Insider” Interview
Recently I was interviewed by one of my copywriting buddies.
His name is Ben Settle, and if you don’t know about Ben you should. He has one of the best copwriting blogs on the ‘net.
Anyway, the interview was supposed to be a one-hour interview. It ended up being well over 2 hours.
After listening to the finished product, I realized it was pretty darned good (Ben is a great interviewer).
Here’s some of what we covered in the interview:
- Why studying successful ads can actually hurt your copywriting!
Hype-Free Copywriting Made Simple
The Story: Most online copy is filled with hype that turns readers off.
The Point: Writing copy that sells without using hype is easy to do.
The Resource: The Copy Doctor
3 Ways To Eliminate Hype In Your Copy:
1. Talk about the reader’s pain.
2. Tell relevant stories.
3. Use detail, not description.
Click for the Podcast Audio:
3 Ways Audio Boosts Conversions
The Story: Audio has proven itself to be a “ninja weapon” for boosting conversions when used properly in your marketing.
The Point: Spend an hour adding audio to key parts of your website and watch conversions soar.
The Resource: AudioGenerator
3 Places to Use Audio For Better Conversions:
1. Squeeze Page
2. Sales Page (in the Guarantee!).
3. Order Page.
Click for the Podcast Audio:
Endless Testimonials On Autopilot
The Story: Most marketers struggle to get a large number of good testimonials they can use on their website.
The Point: A few simple steps can start an endless flow of testimonials you couldn’t shut off if you tried.
The Resource: Ray’s Automated Testimonial Machine
3 Ways To Get More Testimonials
1. Ask for them.
2. Set up an ATM (Automated Testimonial Machine).
3. Ask repeatedly (in your autoresponders).
Click for the Podcast Audio:
