Do you ever have anxiety over the success of a business project, meeting or goal? Because you are human, I am guessing your answer is undoubtedly yes. And although I am much better today at managing this type of anxiety than in years past, I must admit that I still do have a few sleepless nights from time to time.
Archive for August, 2008
Always Be Prepared
Thursday, August 28th, 2008If You Are Claiming To Be #1, Make Sure That You Really Are #1.
Monday, August 25th, 2008
How many times have you looked for something and read a claim that it was #1?
I see it all the time and often wonder how the company marketing the particular product or service, came to this conclusion. Do they really think that consumers are naïve enough to believe the claim just because it is written in an advertisement?
Today, more so than ever, consumers are skeptical and want to know the truth. If someone or something is being labeled as #1, there better be some evidence to support it. Otherwise, the consumer will view it as another tired old claim and very likely be turned away.
Kim T. Gordon recently had an article published on Entrepreneur.com, Word to the Wise, that describes this overused “word crime” as well as many others that should be avoided when writing marketing copy.
A few highlights from the article of words used in claims that are so overused they are almost meaningless:
• Solution. You better have one ready.
• Amazing. How many are really amazing?
• Quality. Is that relevant? Quality is an expectation not a benefit.
business claims
words over used in writing
copywriting and marketing
copywriting
Feel their pain – then write it and sell it.
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008We talk a lot about knowing your target market and feeling the pain its members feel.
But how do you go about this practically?
It’s not about what you have to advertise. That’s secondary. Your market is looking for a solution. You need to address those pain points and offer a solution.
A quick glance Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs gives you an insight into pain points.
* Food, shelter, clothing
* Safety, security, comfort
* Love (self, others, family)
* Esteem, recognition, status
* Independence, self realisation, accomplishment
Is It Working For You?
Saturday, August 16th, 2008Do you ever decide to stick with something that’s not working because you can’t stomach moving on from it?
It’s not easy (actually, it is downright difficult) to walk away from something, whether in business or even in your personal life, that is just not working. Sometimes we actually put MORE (effort, money, time) into it knowing full well that it is going nowhere fast.
Still Time, The Summer Speaker Series
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008Please join me!
I will be speaking in the first annual Summer Speaker Series featuring an amazing line-up of speakers including James Roche, Christina Merkley, Sheri McConnell, Alexis Neely, Allana Pratt, Lou Bortone, Viki Viertel, Lynn Scheurell, Kathie Thomas, Debbie LaChusa, Wendy Weiss, Terri Z, Donna Gunter, Diana Ennen and so, so, so many more.
Here’s the deal… Erin Blaskie is hosting the event and she’s featuring TWO speakers PER DAY for the entire month of August (not including weekends because really, who likes working weekends?)
You may be driving traffic away from your website
Monday, August 11th, 2008If you are a small business owner with a web presence, then trying to determine the most effective SEO (search engine optimization) techniques for your small business website is almost ALWAYS a top priority for you.
Whether SEO is something you outsource or do for yourself, it is never easy to understand all the formulas and algorithms that the many search engines use to rank our web pages. One definite to consider, search engines like Google and Yahoo! are probably the best dictionaries in the world as the have their entire index of the web to use for a source of comparison and correction. This goes for grammar and proper writing format as well.
What does this mean for you, the small business owner concerned about your SEO?
It means that you can avoid driving traffic away from your website. Web pages with incorrect spelling, grammar issues, run on sentences and long drawn out paragraphs will not be ranked well.
Search engines will not know what to do them as they won’t compare to the masses of web pages that are well written with correct spelling and grammar.
What’s a tagline and does yours make the grade (and the sale)?
Friday, August 8th, 2008A tagline may very well be the single most important ad you will write about your business.
Taglines are simple, memorable, succinct phrases or slogans, usually no more than seven words, that are associated with your business. Taglines tell the world what your business does, what you promise, what you provide and how you are different.
Give Your Client A Reason to Buy Now, E-mail Marketing (Part 2 of 2)
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008One of the many benefits of e-mail marketing is the ability to put your product or service in front of a targeted group of prospects, hopefully prompting them to buy now as opposed to later (or “some day”).
E-mail advertising is also less expensive and better for than environment when compared to paper advertising; it also increases your potential for web traffic by putting them just one click away. Another bonus, unlike a printed brochure or newsletter, is that with e-mails, you have the opportunity to edit, change and customize the copy even after the campaign has started.
A few elements that should be given considerable thought prior to implementing your e-mail marketing campaign:
1) The subject line, it is the MOST important part of the message. It needs to be exciting and energetic, as well as specific and truthful. A dull or misleading subject line will land your marketing efforts in the virtual trash bin.
2) Images can tell a very meaningful story. Most of your potential clients are busy and likely will just skim the copy of your marketing material unless something catches their attention and compels them continue reading. An image is a great way to grab attention and increase the likelihood of your copy actually getting read.
3) It doesn’t matter how great your product or service is, or how well your marketing copy is written; customers will only buy from you if it is something they need. Since an e-mail campaign can be targeted, keep it that way so you are not flooding all your prospects with the same marketing regardless of their needs or wants.
