If I asked you to give me an example of powerful copywriting what you say?

• Something that catches your attention immediately
• A headline which draws you in
• Simple to read copy with lots of headings

Hopefully your answer was something along those lines. Powerful copywriting is all of those things.

The problem is when some people try to write strong copy they get it all wrong. Bear with me and I’ll explain.

Shouting copy

A few days ago, I was writing some web copy for a client and my husband was working from home. He works for a German company and deals with a lot of customers located around Europe.

That particular day he was engaged on a phone call to one such customer. Instead of his usual voice, I heard a rather strained conversation being conducted in very slow, broken English.

He, like many of us, is guilty of adopting the technique of speaking very s-l-o-w-l-y and loudly when speaking to a non-native English speaker.

What does that have to do with copywriting? Well, it is something you also see in print in the mistaken belief it is getting your message across strongly.

The problem is, people try to replicate the ‘hard sell’ type of copy for their own websites, newsletters and emails. You know the kind of thing I mean – long copy, bright colours, bold text and lots of highlighting. Don’t get me wrong, that type of copy has its place and (believe it or not) works – but it isn’t a style that should be used for everything.

Building confidence

The problem with that type of text on your website, or in your newsletters, is that it doesn’t instil confidence.

Your words have to convince rather than your font size and colour.

Your copy has to resonate with and engage your reader so they are drawn into your copy. Then, by focusing on the benefits, you will convince them they have to have your product or service.

Don’t use brash and in-your-face sales techniques – chose your words carefully and:

• Create a strong headline
• Capture their attention immediately with benefits led copy
• Keep your font uniform and only change size for headings and sub headings
• Use only one colour for your font (preferably black or white)

Your copy will look professional and readable.

Would you want to look at a site full of colourful text of varying size? I doubt it, and neither would your readers. If you want to be taken seriously, make sure you approach your marketing materials in the same way.

Be professional, be clear and concentrate on your benefits.

What kind of success rate are you getting with your email marketing at the moment?

Pretty good or could do better?

Your electronic marketing strategy should be constantly evolving – test, test and test again until you create the optimum format and content strategy for your audience.

Just in case you’re looking for inspiration to inject some new life into your efforts, here are a few tips that might just help you improve your stats.

1. Mobile

More and more people are reading their emails from mobile devices so you must find out how your email looks.

Not only that but you have to make sure the recipient opens it on their phone so think about how you work out whether an email’s worth opening or not. You probably look at the sender’s name first and then the subject line. If it looks interesting you’ll open it, it not it gets consigned to the bin.

A great way of boosting your email’s chances of being opened is to add a line of text above your header – something like this:

Now when your email is received the recipient will see who it’s from, the subject line and the added text which reads Email marketing secrets revealed.

2. Subject line

This is the make or break. It has to be intriguing, promise your reader a great offer or breaking news – something that’s going to benefit them in some way.

But a strong subject line and a weak email body will see their enthusiasm wane and your email deleted. And if they’re disappointed by one they’re unlikely to open any more and may even unsubscribe.

The moral is, make sure you deliver what your subject line offers.

3. Long or short?

Many people argue that long copy always out performs short copy. But when it comes to an email, no one wants to be reading War and Peace.

The beauty of email means you can offer a tempting nugget of information and then add a link that will take the reader to a full article which is a great way of providing loads of information without boring the pants off everyone.

4. What next?

Once you’ve got them to open your email and read it…what next?

If you don’t have a strong call to action asking them to do something you’ve lost a great opportunity.

5. Check, check and re-check

Proofreading your email and checking all the links work before sending is vital.

Sending something out that’s full or errors and broken links won’t do you or your reputation any good. If you can, get someone else to check it for you before hitting send because once it’s gone, it’s gone.

These 5 simple tips will help you give your email marketing a boost in the arm.

Do you have any other tricks you use? Leave a comment and share your success stories (or horror stories).

Internet marketing is vitally important for your business.

Not convinced?

OK, utilising activities such as article marketing, social media, blogging and other content creation will have a dramatic effect on your business’ online visibility and exposure.

Just in case you are still sitting there shaking your head, take a look at a few facts and figures that were compiled earlier this year by Pingdom about internet usage, social media, email etc.

So if you’re ready, prepare to be blown away.

Email

Whether you use email as a marketing medium or simply as a method of communication, it is a vital part of your business. Just take a look at these stats:

• 107 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2010
• 294 billion – Average number of email messages per day
• 1.88 billion – The number of email users worldwide
• 480 million – New email users since the year before
• 89.1% – The share of emails that were spam
• 262 billion – The number of spam emails per day (assuming 89% are spam)
• 2.9 billion – The number of email accounts worldwide
• 25% – Share of email accounts that are corporate

Amazing eh? When you see those sorts of numbers you suddenly realise how reliant we have become on technology for our businesses and every day lives.

And that’s just the start.

Internet

This is the biggy – especially if you’re still unsure whether your business should be online or not. Bearing in mind there are 255 million websites (as at December 2010) with 21.4 million added in 2010 there is an enormous opportunity for online marketers.

Add in the following stats on internet usage and you’ll see why the internet is the place to be:

• 1.97 billion – Internet users worldwide (June 2010)
• 14% – Increase in Internet users since the previous year
• 825.1 million – Internet users in Asia
• 475.1 million – Internet users in Europe
• 266.2 million – Internet users in North America
• 204.7 million – Internet users in Latin America / Caribbean
• 110.9 million – Internet users in Africa
• 63.2 million – Internet users in the Middle East
• 21.3 million – Internet users in Oceania / Australia

When you view these figures as a potential market for your products and services you’d be mad not to be making the most of it.

But what about the new(ish) kid on the block? Well…

Social Media

Yup, social media is here to stay and is sure to morph into all sorts of new forms over the coming years.

It has opened up new lines of communication making it easier than ever for consumers to voice their opinions.

If you are one of the many people who still think social media is just a passing phase, take a look at this:

• 152 million – The number of blogs on the Internet (as tracked by BlogPulse)
• 25 billion – Number of sent tweets on Twitter in 2010
• 100 million – New accounts added on Twitter in 2010
• 175 million – People on Twitter as of September 2010
• 7.7 million – People following @ladygaga (Lady Gaga, Twitter’s most followed user)
• 600 million – People on Facebook at the end of 2010
• 250 million – New people on Facebook in 2010
• 30 billion – Pieces of content (links, notes, photos, etc.) shared on Facebook per month
• 70% – Share of Facebook’s user base located outside the United States
• 20 million – The number of Facebook apps installed each day

That doesn’t look like a passing fad to me.

If you want to grow your business exponentially, get on the internet and join in the social media conversation.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter, blogger and social media groupie

In the good old days customers would communicate with you via letter, phone or in person. Today things are very different. Now they can send you a tweet, post a comment on your blog or leave you a message on Facebook.

In the past if someone was unhappy with your service the ‘bad press’ was usually limited to a few of their friends and family (unless it was seriously bad service and the wrote to the Editor of your local paper). Now a single tweet or Facebook message could potentially be seen by millions.

Now, more than ever, you must have procedures in place to deal with social media communications. You have to think about how you will monitor them, how you will respond to both positive and negative comments and how you’ll interact with your audience.

Enhancing your online reputation is essential in todays transparent culture. Here are 3 easy things you can do to make sure your company holds its head up high and shines.

1. Thank you

Manners cost nothing and a simple ‘thank you’ can be a very powerful tool.

When a follower retweets you, leaves a comment on your blog or sends a referral to you, thank them. It doesn’t take a lot of effort and shows that you are listening and that you care about your customers. And in the eyes of your customers, that translates into the image of a company they want to do business with. 

But you don’t just have to keep an eye on your social media platforms. There are many other ways you can be talked about online so it’s important to monitor the internet to find out what’s being said. There are a number of tools out there such as Google Alerts which will email Google results based on your query or topic:

Or Social Mention which works in a similar way but searches social media channels:

Using these tools will help you keep track of what people are saying about you online so you can see how your brand is perceived and, as a customer service tool, enables you to solve issues quickly before they get out of hand.  

2. Blogging

Loads of people blog so that should tell you its a valuable tool to use within your business.

Not only does it allow you to own more of the web, it also is a great way to add value to your customer relationships because you can offer them tips and advice that will make their lives easier. Plus it will help position you as an expert in your field which is always good.

But the trick is to ensure you write stuff your readers want to learn about. If you are a building firm and blog about holidays, you’re not going to be adding value. But if you wrote about important issues in your trade, design ideas etc., you would create a connection with your readers and inspire them to make the most of their homes.

Take this blog for example, as a freelance copywriter I not only write about copywriting but also general marketing issues, social media, brochure copy etc., which are all topics business owners find useful. Therefore not only do I get traffic to my website, the people that come also find the experience useful.  

3. Focus on benefits

Whenever you write about your products or services, always focus on your customer; why they will benefit from it. By writing for them you are showing that you understand what’s important to them and want to help them achieve that.

Showing that kind of connection will identify you as a company that cares about its customers and not just its profits. And let’s face it, you tend to buy from people you like and trust. So if you come across as arrogant people aren’t going to buy from you.

When marketing your business it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in it and lose sight of what’s really important – your customers.

Make sure they are at the forefront of everything you do because without them you don’t have a business.  

Interact with them, thank them and go out of your way to make sure they are happy. Use social media to your advantage.

Yes, I know – if you could answer that, marketing your business would be a doddle. You’d be able to second guess precisely what they want, provide it for them and keep them happy forever.

That’s a nice dream but it will never be a reality.

The dilemma is that your products and services have to fit the needs of your customers – if they don’t, they won’t sell.

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is to believe that their customers want what they want.

Let’s think about that for a second. I enjoy going to the gym, watching F1 and going out to dinner. So does that mean all my clients and indeed my friends like those things too? Probably not.

Your customers aren’t like you

However you market your business – through social media, website, brochures, networking etc. – if you base your activities on your beliefs rather than what your customers want, you could be in trouble.

To make your business a success you have to do some serious leg work and that means researching your market.

You have to find out:

• What they want
• What they’re willing to pay
• Where they hang out (to find the optimum marketing avenue)

When thinking about your social media marketing strategy research is vital to work out where your customers are and what platform they use the most.

Common marketing mistakes

Let’s start by looking at B2B companies. It is often perceived that their customers don’t ‘hang out’ on social media platforms. Well if you think about, the vast majority of companies are using social media these days so, yes, they are there – you’ve just got to find them.

Do you use Facebook? If you do, when do you update your status? Many companies add stuff during the day but the problem is most fans won’t log in until the evening. So if you want to generate a buzz and get some participation going on your page, you must update when your fans are about.

One more think about using Facebook, if someone ‘likes’ your page that’s not the same as opting in for your marketing emails. If you start bombarding them with unsolicited emails you’re going to lose them as fans very quickly.

Research, research, research  

It doesn’t matter what business you are in – IT, retail, telecoms, copywriting etc., you have to research your market to make sure your products and services match the needs of your target audience.

Don’t use guesswork – ask them or survey them and find out what they really want. Only then will your marketing hit the spot every time.

Social media isn’t always an easy thing to get to grips with. It’s like any new thing – it takes a while to get the hang of it and a lot of practice. And understanding it is unlikely to happen over night; it will take time and patience.

Let’s face it, communicating via a computer, iPad or smartphone to a bunch of people you’ve probably never met before isn’t the most natural thing in the world.

If you were physically in a crowd you could stand out and be noticed by your looks, clothing or extravert personality. When chatting with online ‘friends’ standing out isn’t so easy but that’s what you need to do if you want to attract followers.

Get noticed in social media

When tweeting, Facebooking or chatting in forums you must let your personality shine through which is why it’s best not to farm out your social media activity.

But make sure it is the real you and not a persona you’re adopting purely to attract followers. You may think you can be anyone sat in front of your computer but what happens when you meet these people face to face? And you will – not all of them but some of them.

If when they do business with you or meet you, you come across as something completely different from what they were led to believe they’ll lose their trust in you – so be warned and be yourself. 

Companies on social media

A lot of companies get it all wrong. Don’t get me wrong, we all make mistakes when first starting out using something for the first time – but they miss the point about it being social.

Just because your are a company doesn’t mean you have to come across all corporate and starchy. Showing a bit of personality will endear your followers to you and show that you are a company that’s approachable and that cares about its customers. 

Whether you’re a sole trader, partnership or company, social media is a platform from which you can directly communicate with your customers. Injecting some personality into your communications will give a face to your business. It will show you are someone to do business with; someone who cares.

Social media can help every business given time. Just work out your strategy and, if you’re a larger business, your company social media policy and have fun.

Communicate, share and above all enjoy it – it is meant to be social media after all.

If you’re an online marketer you need traffic – and a lot of it.

Why?

Because your traffic is your customers and more customers means more money.

How do you actually get more traffic though? And, once you’ve started to get it, how do you convince them to buy from you?

There are various things you can do to encourage more people to your website and make it more visible in the search engine rankings. And no, that doesn’t mean plastering it in bright colours with loads of flashing images.

Here are 4 ways to help boost your traffic. Remember though, gaining more traffic isn’t going to happen over night. It is something that’s going to require commitment on your part.

1. Keywords

This is hardly going to be a surprise as keywords are vital when it comes to online marketing.

You are the person who knows your business best and your market. As such, you should have a fair idea of what they are likely to be searching for when they need your products or services. So by using those keywords, you’ll attract more of your target market.

Of course that doesn’t mean stuffing them in your web copy left right and centre. You must incorporate them sensitively within your SEO website content, articles and blogs. Oh yes, keywords aren’t just for your web copy. Everything you write and publish on the web has the potential to drive traffic so make sure you optimise all your opportunities.

The main thing to remember is to ensure your choice of keywords is correct and relevant to what you do. After all, loads of traffic is all well and good but not very useful if they are not looking for what you offer.

2. Adding video

Have you noticed how many companies are now using video marketing?

More and more people are watching videos online so it makes sense to give them what they want by adding one to your website or setting up your own YouTube channel (which can be linked to your website).

What should your video be on?

Well, you can make short videos that showcase your products, act as interactive ‘how to’ guides, case studies and even video testimonials. The possibilities are endless.

3. Picture galleries

When you walk into a physical shop you have the advantage of being able to see what you’re going to buy, you can touch it and even try it out.

But online marketing doesn’t allow you to do that – well, other than see it.

No one likes to buy something without seeing it first so make sure your website offers high quality images of your products (coupled with detailed descriptions) so they know exactly what they’ll be getting.

4. Regular contact with customers

Keeping in touch with your customers will open up sales opportunities and allow you to add value by giving advice and tips.

Whether you do that through newsletters or email marketing it gives you the ability to maintain regular contact with your customers and prospective customers.

These 4 ideas are simple to instigate but very effective and can make a huge difference to your traffic.

Your website needs traffic if it’s going to be effective. If you’ve invested heavily in your online presence it makes sense to ensure people see it.

But it not only has to attract visitors, it also has to convert them into buying customers. You can read more about conversion here.

Website copywriting is just one of the services I offer my clients. Creating copy that is effective is essential if you want your website visitor to become a paying customer.

Generating copy that is interesting, relevant and that sells isn’t as easy as it sounds and there are a number of factors that you must consider when creating your website copy.

In fact, these factors are equally relevant when writing copy for all your marketing materials such as brochures, case studies, newsletters, emails etc.

Even though you are writing about your products and services, it is your reader who must be at the forefront of your mind. Ask yourself:

• Who am I writing this for?
• What do I want to achieve through this copy?
• Why do I need to write the copy?

That’s a lot to think about so the easiest way to explain how to write effective website copy is to look at it from a journalist’s point of view:

Website copywriting for your customers

W-W-W-W-W-H

No, I haven’t gone mad. Let me explain a bit further.

Who

Think about who your product or service is going to help. If you can answer that you know who  your target market is. When you know that, you can establish the tone and voice you will use to convey your message (i.e. conversational, formal etc.)

What

This might sound a bit daft but think about what you’re writing and what it will mean to your customers. This thought process will help you identify the main benefits of your product or service – essential to help them reach a buying decision.

Where

Asking you to think about where your customer can get your product or service probably sounds stupid but you’d be amazed at how many websites omit this vital piece of information. If you copy does convert them into buyers but you don’t tell them how to get their hands on your product you’ll lose them.

Why

This one is all to do with the benefits again. Rather than just list them, relate them back to your customers life to illustrate how your product or service will help them. Whether it’s saving time, money or making them more glamorous, tell them directly as you should never assume they’ll instantly see the bigger picture.

How

This is the nitty gritty of your product. Make sure you explain how it works, how much it costs, where they can buy it, what the guarantee is, what the postage costs are etc. Make everything crystal clear so they don’t have to go looking for answers.

By taking all of those areas into consideration your website copy should address all your customers needs and questions.

Other than that, make sure:

• You keep it simple using simple language and no jargon
• Use a clear call to action so your reader knows what you want them to do
• Never make exaggerated claims – be honest
• Any offers you use must appeal to your market and you can make them extra beneficial by limiting the offer to a time period or number of customers

Writing your copy with your customer in mind will help you focus on what is really important. Make sure that information is at the beginning of your copy to get them hooked straightaway. Other information, such as features, can go further down to reinforce their decision to buy.

Keeping in touch with your customers will set you apart from your competition.

All too often businesses take your money and wave goodbye. But they’re missing a trick. Regular contact with your customers (and prospective customers) is vital because it keeps you in their mind when they’re in need of your products or services.

An effective way of doing that is by producing a monthly newsletter.

Newsletter content

Many businesses stumble at the first hurdle because they don’t know what to include.

Your newsletter can be used to convey great information, industry updates, special offers, announcements, helpful hints—anything that will add value to your customers.

Of course a newsletter isn’t a lot of use without anyone to send it to. The best way to develop your mailing list is to grow it organically—home grown will always bring in better results than a bought in list.

Here are 3 ways to ensure your newsletter works:

1. Opt-in

If you want someone to opt-in to your list you have to make it easy for them. If you hide the opt-in form deep within your website they’re not going to go looking for it.

Make sure your sign-up box is highly visible, preferably on every page and simple to complete.

Make sure you also make them aware of what you’ll be sending and how often and reassure them that you won’t share their details with anyone else.

2. Content

Your content shouldn’t be overly promotional and whatever you do, don’t jump in immediately with a sales pitch.

Start with a recommendation, article, or comment on industry news. Follow that up with a hint or tip that your customer will find useful. Once you’ve given them something for free you can then bring in your offer or a case study to promote your products/services.

If you’re still stumped and have no idea what to write why not enlist the help of a freelance copywriter to write the content for you.

3. Two way traffic

Make it easy for  your reader to interact with you through your newsletter.

After reading your news they may want to get in touch so don’t use a “no-reply” email address. Make it simple for them.

Always remember that your newsletter is about adding value to your relationship not selling. Be generous with your information as this will develop trust and with trust comes sales.

Regular communication with  your customers is a great way to keep them informed and to keep your name firmly etched in their minds.

One of the most effective ways of doing this is through email marketing. 

New subscribers will eagerly await your first email to land in their inbox. They will probably continue to welcome them until, one day, the honeymoon period is over.

You will begin to realise your emails aren’t being opened as often (or at all); your messages are now unloved, unopened and unwanted.

What do you do?

Panic?

Send flowers?

It’s time to take action.

Fighting email marketing list fatigue

1. Frequency

Are you still sending the same number of emails? When your subscribers opted-in, you would have made it clear how often they would hear from you. If you’re sending more it could be time to scale back a bit.

2. Stale content

Are you starting to cover the same old stuff?

Perhaps the layout and content is becoming too predictable? If so it’s time to inject some life into them.

3. Incoming!

Bombarding your customers with news and new offers will get wearing. If you have new products to announce stagger your emails so they don’t receive 4 or 5 from you within one month.

4. Subject line

These are never easy to write and although you may have been buzzing with great ideas initially there’s a chance they’re becoming mundane and ineffective. 

People will only open an email if the subject line catches their attention so perhaps it’s time to have a rethink about your subject line approach (or call in a copywriter to help you generate fresh and appealing content).

5. No one’s home

Email addresses change so if one of your recipients hasn’t engaged with your mailings (i.e. they haven’t opened it) for 6 months or more, send out a ‘reengagement’ email. This would be an email that asks them to take an action if they want to remain on your list.

If you don’t hear anything it’s safe to say that either:

• The email address is no longer active, or
• They no longer want to receive your emails

So it may be time to remove them from your list.

6. Spam

Spam filters may be stopping your emails getting through so make sure you test them.

To make sure your email marketing continues to be successful, regular list maintenance is essential to ensure that:

• Your readers are happy with their content
• All email addresses are active
• You are avoiding spam triggers
• Your subject lines are being effective