Writing web copy - 5 tips for success

Before writing your copy you should plan what you are going to say.  Most mistakes come about because a noob put fingers to keyboard and started rambling.  However, once you understand why these mistakes are so deadly you can easily avoid them and overcome them before you ever write the first word.

Have a look at the checklist below and incorporate it into your copy. Maybe check out your own site 

#1 – Ignoring the target audience

Ensuring you know who your target audience is should be Job #1. Remember, you are not writing for yourself and this is one of the biggest mistakes people make when wording their websites.
When you write a email(or letter), which comes first, the recipient or the subject? I don't know anyone who writes a message and then decides to send it out randomly and the same can be said for your web content.
How can you communicate with your site visitors if you have no idea who they are or what they are looking for? the simple truth is, you can’t.
Direct marketing has been around for years because it is effective. It works because it is targeted to an audience and as such carries a clear and relevant message.
Find out everything you can about your client base.  Then combine all that info to create an imaginary person who fit the profile of your target audience members.  You can even name them if you want to.  Then – with every sentence – write with that person in mind

#2 – Not knowing your product

I'm afraid that with every piece of copy we produce, we are selling. This means that you have to be knowledgeable about the product or service we are writing about. How else can you convincingly convey the information to prospects who visit your  site?
Make sure your familiarity with the product your writing about comes from experience. Use the product or service and really get under its skin. That way you will be writing from a much firmer standpoint, and will be able to provide visitors to your site with what they came for.
Information.

#3 – Outline benefits not features.

It's all well and good talking about a products features. The accuracy of a new spirit level, the fresh ingredients in your latest chicken curry. Your site viewers, however will have seen these features everywhere. What they want to know is how your product or service will benefit them. One of the biggest factors in good copy is the ability to highlight to the prospective customer what can be done with a product or service
In short you highlight the good points in a way that a viewer will see as relevant to their need. For example, I want to know that my microwave will nuke a curry to piping hot temperatures by the time I've made a cup of tea. I'm not overly interested hearing that it rotates the curry and has over 900watts of power to get that job done!
#4 – Writing About the Company Instead of To the Site Visitor
For the most part, your site visitors don’t care about you or your company. They are visiting your site and want to find out how your product/service can benefit them.
Too many sites start out talking about what they have done in the past rather than highlighting the product or service that is relevant to the viewer
Remember that the viewer is the one with the money. It's probably then beneficial to at least acknowledge this in your copy at some point and turn around
The customer has the money.  Don’t you think the copy should at least acknowledge him/her at some point?  Rather than using “we,” “us” and “our” so much, turn it around and make it more personal to them.
In short, talk to your visitors about what they are looking for on your site and less about yourself.

#5 – Writing for the medium

Does it make a difference as to where your copy appears online?  Isn’t all Web copy the same?  Yes and no.  Landing pages are not the same as home pages, which are not the same as catalogue pages, which are not the same as sales letters, and so on and so on.  Make sure you appreciate the differences between each type of page so that you can ensure the copy is relevant. They all have special considerations that should be studied before you begin writing.
Avoiding these mistakes will give you a better chance of turning site traffic into prospects and eventually customers.

Social Media - Report says spending going up but interest going down. Why?

A report came out from the CIM this week that says  the majority of marketers still do not see social media platforms as a usefull channel in which to aquire new customers. A measly 23% of marketers believe that social channels will help in getting new customers, according to the study.

The report, which looked at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, also found that a third (34.5%) of the 1,500 marketers polled said that their social media activity in 2011 was “not at all effective”, with only 13.7% reporting it was “extremely effective”.

The CIM report fuels the debate on the effectiveness of social media. In these times of restricted marketing budgets it is hard to justify expenditure on something that generates followers, retweets and sheep flung in the direction of other contacts

The CIM says that marketers are also failing to see the value of social media as an insight tool, with only 20% of marketers using Facebook for market research. Whilst some companies such as Nestle are using SM to test out new flavors of Kit-Kat, other brands are seeing it only as a necessary evil that maintains their market position rather than building on it.

Despite doubts however, the report found that 74.5% of marketers plan to increase their investment in social media in 2012. Is this a sign that maybe more people can see its uses than they want to let on? With a new channel, people like to keep their cards close to their chest and look to get a jump on the competition. Is this is what is happening here?

The CIM surveyed 900 senior UK marketers as part of a 1500 strong global panel.

Id like to know if you are using social media, do you find it useful? Is it a vital sales tool or another channel that is eating your marketing budget that could be used more effectively elsewhere.

Digital and Emarketing - where is it headed?

The most significant of all the changes in 2011marketing strategy was the advancement of social media. Facebook is going from strength to strength. Business social media sites such as LinkedIn took off in a big way and every man and his dog is on twitter(go on, have a search, apparently even pets are status updating!). 

For email marketing, this has lead to more opportunities. More customers sign up to receive emails through the media outlets; email targeting has got much more sophisticated; and reporting of  more email parameters has been possible.

However, what should we expect in the coming year – 2012?

Facebook will go from strength to strength of the expected share offer scheme aimed at the general public. The additional funds will allow Facebook to move forward and continue its dominance in terms of social media. Alongside this we also have the use of mobile gadgets; whilst this is happening now, by the end of the year we will see most people only a hands reach away from internet access..

How will this effect digital marketing methods moving forward? Here is my top 5

1. Mobile plus Digital Marketing Convergence

E-marketing has flourished in the past few years whereas mobile marketing is still in its infancy and yet showing strong trends. This year, we can expect mobile marketing and digital content to be working hand in hand. In the same way that web designers have had to take the mobile platform into account when designing, the same has now to be done when composing an email campaign.

2. Integration with Social Media

Digital and social media marketing are ready for better integration. Social media will serve as a channel for collecting email addresses and sending targeted emails that compliment the already rich media that can be found on Facebook.

3. Email Marketing Will Steadily Increase

People are accepting of Email marketing at present. With this in mind, I firmly believe that this will lead to a steady increase in the use of Email and Digital channels. However with the rise of social media and messaging boards, e-marketing will have to innovate to embrace new platforms or face being replaced over the next few years. In addition, marketers will have to make certain that the content is targeted to ensure the mails sent are not perceived as spam

4. Additional channels will rise and fall

It is said that the adoption of a new marketing channel is one of the most difficult things to achieve in marketing. However since social media has taken off in such a strong way, we will see new channels not only emerge, but flourish in a way we have not seen before. Things that would have been seen as fads in the past are being picked up by the internet community and the marketing teams that take these forward will be the most successful

5. More Intelligent Email Messaging

In 2011, prospective customers showed a greater willingness to receive relevant emails. Based on the present level of sophistication and reporting in email marketing, companies will be able to target their message much more effectively. This doesn't mean we can be complacent as the customers time is still valuable. Badly written or ill targeted mail will still be heading to the spam folder. In addition, more emails will be treated as marketing channels than before.

In summary, digital marketing in 2012 will be defined by the direction that online technology and channels take. Companies who embrace the change will reap the rewards, even in  such dark economic times.

5 Simple Tips to Writing Good Sales Copy

Writing a good piece of sales copy needs a hook, the message and the call to action. Here are my 5 top tips to ensure your message doesn't get lost in the ether! 

1. It must grab the reader's attention with a compelling headline.

Grabbing the reader's attention should be your #1 objective. When writing online copy for example you have to assume that the reader will arrive merely scanning your content. 

Therefore, it is essential that your sales copy encourages readers to stop scanning and start reading your copy! 

So, the first two or three words of your headline are key to success. Call to action words such as those listed below have been proven to be some of the best "light bulb" terms:

FREE...ANNOUNCING......INCREDIBLE...ATTRACTIVE...SIMPLE...SECRETS...GUARANTEED ...WIN... EXCITING...MAKE MONEY...NEW... LOSE WEIGHT,, etc. 

Always consider that whichever words you use, you will only have a short time to draw people in with your headline. 

Also, when writing to a potential customer, the most essential sales word is the customer's name. personal addressed copy is always received more widely.

So choose your words carefully and TEST, TEST, TEST! 

2. Hold the readers interest

Once your headline has drawn in the reader, don't waste time by waffling on about this and that. You should immediately be getting to the point of what was promised in the headline. There is no need to string the reader along with "fluffy" text that adds nothing to the proposition. This leads me to my number 3.....

3. Keep it short and simple.

The least said, the more that is understood. This is true in both life and good copy. If you are getting to your point then you shouldn't have to bang it home with pages and pages of copy.
If you aim your copy at a child like audience, more people will read and understand.
Also, stay away from long paragraphs, sentences, and words.

4. Know your point.

You can write Shakespearean text but if the aim of your writing is lost then the words will jump off the page and miss their target audience. when reading back each paragraph, ask yourself if it adds to your message, and if not, cut it out!

Your copy should have a single focus. The temptation is to include “supporting” features and benefits as copy points. This dilutes both your message and can turn good copy into a forgettable piece of spam.

5. Its about Results, baby!

In the end, it's all about results. It's not about you showing a publisher that you're ready to publish your novel. It's not about writing for awards. It really doesn't matter what others think about your writing. 

None else matters. The clue is in the title, sales copy. The only thing that matters are results.
Is your copy getting the desired results - whether the goal of your copy is making sales, generating leads or web traffic, etc.? 

We often see copy or adverts that we all hate, and yet they are repeated over and over. Why? because they must be working. 

Businesses today have limited budgets, so they can only repeat what is working. If you don't know what works, or you are new to the industry, look at what has gone before.


It's usually a recipe for how to move forward.

So in closing, don't be daunted by writing copy, it doesn't need to be a fantastical work of prose. Just follow the advice above and you will be half way there!

Dazberts F1 Preview

Ok so Ill mostly be blogging on Marketing Issues of the day but I thought I'd kick off with a Formula 1 season preview 

It seems only a few weeks ago that I turned off the TV after watching the final race of the season and now we are on the brink of the next. As we move toward the first race down under there are still a few questions unanswered. Who will fill the last two spots on the grid? What will happen at the pre season tests? Ultimately, Who will take the chequered flag at Melbourne.

The first question really centres around Williams. We could look at the HRT drive, but we all know that may as well be on eBay with the seat going to whoever pays the most. So, will Williams they retain Rubens barrichello, bring in Sutil or go completely left field. What worries me most is that Narain Karthikeyan thinks he is still in with a chance of getting a drive. Not because he did a solid job last year, he didn't, was replaced from the brit GP onward only to return at the Indian GP as a publicity thing. Whoever Williams picks now will probably decide their future. This once great team is struggling for a title sponsor, Patrick Head has left and the outfit looks a shadow of the team that dominated the early 90's.

Personally I hope that they retain Rubens. He is still one of the quickest on the grid and brings a wealth of experience of both setting up the car and winning races. He is also fiercely loyal, regularly in his career doing the best for the team witch ultimately hurt his own chances.

So what of the others? Of the front runners, I cannot see much changing. At Red Bull, it would take a monumental effort from Mark Webber to even be competing again with his team mate. At the start of last season It seemed he had all his confidence kicked out of him at the first race by Vettell and hasn't had a answer since.

So will Vettells challenge come from McLaren? Button will be there or thereabouts due to his consistency. Hamilton is a different story. If his mind is right then he will win races and challenge. Here's hoping that he is back to his best and has taken off the Massa magnets from his car.

At Ferrari, Alonso will be hoping for a car that will have him challenging for wins from the first race. The prancing horse has been a slow starter the past few seasons and this has hurt them. There is no doubting Alonso's talent, but what about Massa? For him the question has changed from 'can he challenge?' to 'will he last the season?' Overall it will depend on the car. Ferrari have picked up several key men from McLaren which can only make them stronger.

Over in the Mercedes garage, we have two Germans that are moving in different directions in their career. Rosberg looked strong last season and Shumi cut the figure of a man who misses his testing. The team stopped development on last year's car early when it became clear it wasn't a race winner so hopefully the silver arrows will take a big step forward this season. Whilst I see them getting to the podium, race wins will be difficult if the top three teams remain as reliable.

And what of the rest of the teams? The midfield teams will be as before and I can't see even a motivated Kimi Raikkonen moving the Renaults up the grid. His return is a good story and could be the surprise of the season but I just don't think so. 

Force India and Sauber will be renewing rivalries again hoping that they can spring a surprise or two. For my money FI will be stronger as their drivers look far more impressive than the Swiss outfit. As we go further back through the grid. Marrusia and the Caterhams will be having fun at the back of the grid, but frankly it's hard to see these teams going anywhere than to the wall or being bought out.

So, in conclusion I think there are three teams capable of winning on a regular basis but the title will be down to Vettel, Alonso and the McLaren boys. Pre season testing will give us an indication on the order of these guys but for now the money has to be on Vettel. 

Here's to another great season!

Welcome to my Blogsite

Hi there reader!

This is my first active blogging site since travelling. I'll be musing over the issues I see rising in the marketing world both in general and also in my work. I'm starting out providing marketing services to smaller businesses in the south west and I'm sure that will be a great source of  material.

 Away from the marketing, I will also be posting some other off topic blogs centred round my main passions, F1, football and IT. Yes, I'm a bit of a geek with a creative slant. Hoping that you find this blog both entertaining and informative every now and then!