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How to Clean-up Your Copywriting for More Profitable Marketing
My wife gets the urge, on occasion, to have a garage sale. So we teamed up with a couple of neighbors on either side of us (one of them did the advertising so it was a nice way to piggy-back on their efforts) to unload some of our stuff.
For those in other cultures, or perhaps the unfamiliar – a garage sale isn’t a literal selling of one’s garage. On scale, a garage sale is typically much smaller than the commonly understood estate sale. And (if I could go so far as saying it) is a bit more sophisticated than a yard sale.
Aside from the few dollars of “fun-money” you earn (one summer we actually paid for all of our vacation road meals for our family of four with our earnings) a garage sale provides a good excuse to clean and sort.
It’s important to get rid of the clutter.
How cluttered is the copywriting used to market your products and services? A thorough cleaning before you unleash it to your niche market will sharpen its impact. And that translates into more earnings!
Here’s a 3-step “copy-cleaning” process I use and recommend:
1) Read your promotion aloud.
You get a feel for the voice, tone, and emotional connect-ability when you actually hear it read. And here’s the deal with reading it aloud…
If your writing doesn’t sound like you’re talking to a friend, it’s NOT good copy! Copy that connects – whether it’s a sales letter, web copy, an email promotion or autoresponder, a case study, or a social media feed like a Twitter, Facebook page, or blog post – needs a conversational voice.
2) Let others read it.
A fresh or different set of eyes and ears is an effective copywriting test-drive. It helps too when you allow someone (if possible) in your content’s target/niche market to read it.
For example, if the marketing content is targeting the baby-boomer market niche, find a reliable baby-boomer aged person to read it. If it’s targeted to a female audience, by all means have a female read it.
The extra eyes and ears can sharpen the focus and sound of your copywriting.
3) Proofread every sentence of your promotion – from the bottom up!
Yes, you read that right. The bottom-up approach helps spot misspellings and unnecessary words easier than merely reading it top-down.
You’ll miss a few here and there. But the bottom-to-top idea gives you a less routine and even more efficient way to proof the copywriting before it hits your market.
Clean copywriting helps increase the crystal clarity of your marketing approaches. And I’m close to certain you’ll earn more in the process than just a little extra fun-money when you get rid of the clutter!
Why saying “trust me” destroys trust in marketing
A close family member recently experienced a salesperson’s attempt to close-the-deal by shoving a contract across his desk with the words, something to the effect of, “Come on…sign the (expletive) papers and let’s get this done…!”
Had this been a multi-million dollar deal, built on months of negotiations, with significant upside potential, I’d understand the context. And I’d probably take the expletive emphasis as bold, banter between two soon-to-be business partners one of whom was probably attempting to prove he had a “pair!”
It wasn’t that at all…
The close family member is a young, nervous-as-one-would-expect, first time car buyer. The salesperson (obviously trying to prove he had a “pair”) couldn’t be further from earning the trust he needed to secure the deal.
Would the salesperson have made a better impression saying what’s commonly said in such deal-making scenarios – “Trust me!”
You hear or read those words all the time in advertising.
- “Trust me, ‘X’ the single best product on the market for…”
- “You can count on us…the most trusted source of…”
- “Trust us to deliver the most effective…”
Do you instill trust by merely asking someone to trust you or saying your product/service is the most trusted?
I’ll let you make up your own mind. But I’ll go on record saying, trust is earned.
And a primary way to develop trust is through a relationship not merely telling someone to “trust you.”
Trust emerges on a solid track record of credible engagement.
The problem with many sales approaches (such as the above mentioned car deal) is the forced timing that many salespeople deploy. It’s why I prefer writing marketing copy and why businesses benefit from solid, credible copywriting in it’s various forms – a story-based email promotion, a series of autoresponder emails, a long-form sales letter, engaging blog posts, Twitter feeds, and Facebook page posts, case studies, etc.
Write these effectively and trust rises to the top much quicker than forced, “trust me,” manipulation. And with it comes credibility your prospects will return to again and again!
Master copywriter and trainer, Will Newman shares these five easy-to-implement strategies to help build credibility on a foundation of trust:
1–“Avoid hype.”
Saying you’re “the world’s greatest…” works in infomercials for a variety of reasons but is that your medium? Calm, authoritative approaches do more to establish trusting clients/customers.
2–“Avoid vague or unsubstantiated claims.”
Backing up your comments with substantial data shows you’ve done your “homework” – adding credibility. Instead of proclaiming, “The world’s greatest…,” describe how your product/service/etc. is proven to accomplish this or that by a certain percentage, etc.
3–“Give your prospect a reason to believe.”
Claims of effectiveness, etc. backed by proof and endorsement within your marketing content adds to your believability. And it builds credibility.
4–“Speak to (prospects) as an equal.”
Know-it-alls are seldom listened to. A friendly, realistic, conversational tone establishes a connection.
5–“Respect your prospect and their needs.”
This is a core trust builder. Respect follows trust.
Build trust in your marketing with clear, compelling copywriting.
Put super-power ability to work in your marketing
I’m often asked about my copywriting. When someone asks me if I write this-or-that kind of copy I hesitate.
It’s not a hesitancy that results from questioning my ability to write a particular kind of copy. It’s more a matter of thinking how best to answer the question on-task.
“On-task?”
For example, when someone says they’re “on-task” they’re implying that they’re in the process of doing a particular thing. It could also define focus and diligence.
It’s a way of saying – “I’m working on it!” “Consider it done!”
I’m an on-task copywriter. I know how to write content that leads a prospect to a response. Most often that’s a sale.
The word, response, could refer to the intended obvious – the bottom line transaction that involves dollars being exchanged for goods or services.
Response could also describe…
- …a “click” through on an email promotion I write that leads one to a more lengthy, descriptive online sales or landing page.
- …the process of selling someone on your products’/services’ unique ability to solve a problem through a well-crafted case study.
- …a series of tweets (on Twitter), Facebook page posts, or blog posts uniquely designed to engage prospects in a social media dialogue about your products and services.
And yes, it’s intentional!
Copywriting must be intentional. It mustn’t be unfocused, manipulative or merely creative wording.
I’m all for creative copy (I dislike manipulative copy). Especially if words can be creatively organized to promote an otherwise run-of-the-mill, one-among-a-thousand products or services in a way that leads to a measurable response.
A super-power ability.
Dan Kennedy says, “The ability to organize words that motivate people to buy is a super-power.” That’s an excellent description!
In essence, effective marketing and the copywriting that drives it has to do with the ability to organize words to ignite a response.
I’m intentional to provide copywriting that creates a sales response! I’m super-powerful that way not because of any innate ability or physical stature.
No, I don’t carry a big-thunderous hammer like Thor. And I don’t have Green Lantern super-powers.
But I do understand that words work. And I’m on-task to organize them for that purpose.
So yes, I can write your this-or-that copy.
Should we be talking…?
A marketing secret you may be missing
Words make or break your marketing message. As much as power-packed words add to the mix, there’s another key – credibility. It’s the personal element behind those words.
I’m an insatiable reader. I read for mentoring, to sharpen my skills, to gain and keep my professional and personal-performance edge. Occasionally I’ll escape the daily routine through good fiction or thought provoking essays.
I subscribe to nearly a dozen e-zines. Their content occasionally prompts me to part with my money to purchase a resource or two. That’s the power of well-written copy.
I’m reminded of an experience I had with the writer/publisher of resources I frequently read. He taught me something of vital importance about marketing.
RB is among the top professionals in his field. He’s well paid for his expertise – approaching 30 years of experience. I consider him a mentor via his printed resources.
I was facing an interview with a potential client. I needed some insight in order to do the assigned work. I believed RB – with his resume of experience – could help. I sent him a brief email, hopeful he’d reply (in a a day or two) with direction to one of his relevant resources.
Not 5 minutes after clicking –send- my phone rang – “Hello…” “Hi, Eddie this is RB…listen I’ve got a resource you might be interested in…” The conversation continued for a couple of minutes. It led to an offer of assistance (on his part – no charge) and my agreement to reciprocate with some assistance of my own and I soon found a very helpful resource arriving in my in-box.
What’s most valuable about that experience? That I received needed help…promptly? Certainly! But more than that – I’ll unpack it in a moment.
I’ve read countless chapters of RB’s resources. As I said, his words mentor me in my craft as a professional copywriter. Now his words have even greater impact because they’ve moved from the printed page to another level.
Here’s my point…
Say what you will about *customer service* and its effect on your marketing. Sometimes the simplest approaches leave the most lasting impression. I’m a raving fan of RB and his resources. His recent actions increased my sense that I’m a valued “customer,” even though I’m an industry colleague as well.
His actions go beyond mere customer service to what I call *relational-capital*.
Relationships matter! Face to face, in print, online, or through the phone – it matters that you establish them. Diligently work to maintain them and they’ll serve you – even pay you – repeatedly!
Here’s how to improve your relational-capital:
–>Maximize your *marketing moments*
Well-worded resources are the base-line of moment to moment marketing. You’ve created a brochure…launched a website…invested in advertising space in a trade journal…or increased your PPC (pay-per-click) or Google ad-word budget. Those are good, measurable uses of your time and marketing resources.
Remember you earn a massive amount of credibility when you increase your relational-capital in the process. Moments – even methods – come and go – relationships last!
Social media has raised the marketing game to new levels. You can engage your clients and potential ones in the moment via a tweet, a like, page post, blog post, etc. If you’re not using social media, you’re leaving tons of relational-capital to those who recognize it’s value for building relationships with their market. Start engaging!
–>Activate an *act now* approach
A client or potential client requests information about a product or service you provide. Whether they leave a voice mail or send an email, develop the habit of responding via the most relational action (again, social media is free and available).
99.9% of the time it’s the personal touch that makes the greatest impression (face-to-face or phone). Use social media, e-mail, and text-messaging…just don’t hide behind them.
–>Favor frequent *follow-up*
Marketing coach, Ali Brown, says, “The fortune is in the follow-up.” Simply put. Be vigilant about staying on the radar of your clients and prospects. Pick up the phone…make the call…send a brief email…use social media…mail a postcard or another form of direct mail. Frequent follow-up builds the relationship.
Learn from and be inspired by my experience. In marketing as in life…relationships pay! And relational-capital can increase your profits!
3 Fundamentals for Publishing an Enewsletter as a Follow-up Tool
The problem may not be your lack of follow-up but how consistently you lack it.
Think about it! You have good intentions when it comes to following up on prospects and potential leads in your dental marketing.
But how many times can you draft an email or hand-written note and keep doing it over and over. At some point you must somewhat “automate” the marketing follow-up process.
An effective way to “automate” your follow-up is through consistently publishing an enewsletter. And it can be as simple as repurposing a blog post.
In fact, that’s a good place to begin as a I offer a few tips to get started with publishing an enewsletter.
1) Start blogging
Your blog is the blank canvas to explore, explain, and, express your expertise (how do you like that “ex” theme I have going there?). It’s a place to log insights.
Lead with a blog. Many posts will “seed” other ideas and topics. These deeper explorations form the content that can be expanded through a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly enewsletter.
2) Show up regularly
Speaking of follow-up frequency…how often should you publish an enewsletter? Preferences vary. Some say weekly is best, others bi-weekly or monthly. I previously published weekly. Now (as I’m planning the 2.0 version of my enewsletter) I’m leaning toward monthly.
The advantage of monthly is you can use your enewsletter as a way to aggregate the numerous blog posts published over the course of a month into one issue.
You can expand a thought that a blog post simply introduced. You can incorporate the wisdom gained from comments to a particular post. Even social media feedback from retweets, likes and post comments (Facebook page) can improve upon a topic blogged about weeks before.
Bottom-line: consistency. Whether you promote your enewsletter as a weekly or monthly – stay with it. Your subscribers will drift (unsubscribe) if you lack consistency.
3) Open the window
I’m talking about letting people see into your life, practice/company culture, product/service stories, etc. One thing social media has taught us is that getting personal is okay.
If you want your enewsletter read and shared be unafraid to open up the windows a bit. Don’t be a life-voyeur or a verbal flasher. TMI (Too Much Info) applies here too.
If you’ve taken a trip, been on vacation, achieved a milestone, celebrated the milestone of a child or loved one, purchased a new gadget…you get the picture! And that’s what I’m talking about – give your readers a “picture” of who you are in addition to your expertise.
Authenticity opens the door to better business connections. It’s the basis for effective marketing follow-up – what we call “engagement” these days.
An enewsletter is a perfect follow-up companion alongside a blog and any other business communication you share.