Does your company have a freelancer database?
June 19th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comLast month or so, I was invited by my corporate client to be part of their internal database of freelancers. The marketing department already knows me, obviously, but this type of exposure would give the rest of the company access to my contact information in the event they may need a reliable and trustworthy copywriter to help work on projects.
I was flattered to receive the invitation, and thought it was a highly functional way for this company to maximize their outsourcing potential. Let me describe to you how they’ve organized their internal database:
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Posted in Brochure Copywriting, Business Management, Business Writing, Catalog Copy, Commercial Writing, Copywriting Samples, Freelance Lifestyle, Marketing Communications, The Copywriting Client, Wordfeeder Copywriting | 1 Comment »Should You Sell a Product or Service?
June 10th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comTons of marketing experts preach the Marketing Funnel or Product Pipeline. Their theory on online business is that you should offer an array of product choices, one for every market segment. Your high end consumer will go for the bells-and-whistles package, your budget-conscious consumer will choose the economy offering, and then your middle men will fill in the remaining rungs of the ladder. On top of that, they’ll encourage you to simultaneously market services along with the product you create.
I’m more of a marketing realist myself. As much as they might like to, most of my clients just don’t have the bandwidth to give their readers “everything and a bag of chips.” For those with limited resources, budgets, time and energy, it might be a more practical idea to focus on one, or the other - product, or service, for the time being.
So let me ask you: are you a product man, or a service gal?
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Posted in Branding Strategy, Business Management, Business Writing, Marketing Communications, Small Business Marketing, Target Audience, The Creative, Wordfeeder Copywriting | No Comments »Is there a formula for writing copy that sells?
June 4th, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comI did some work for a new client this week who asked me the following question via email:
What makes an ad work? What in an ad gets someone to contact me, or better yet what is the formula to writing ads since I will have to continually be changing them to stay fresh?
Yes, there’s a formula, although those who have been writing copy for a long time don’t necessarily have to run through this checklist. They just end up writing “standard ad copy” automatically. It’s not unlike riding a bike or doing the dishes - after you get good at it, you just don’t need to think about the steps anymore.
Okay, so here’s my response to the question.
In ad copywriting, many follow what’s known as the AIDA formula - Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. This is the short explanation of how it goes.
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Posted in AIDA Method, Call to Action, Copywriting Big Guns, Copywriting Techniques, Direct Mail Copywriting, Direct Response Copywriting, Persuasive Copywriting, Sales Letters, Wordfeeder Copywriting | 2 Comments »We Versus You in Your Copywriting…
June 3rd, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.comIs it Better To Talk To Your Customer Or Talk About Yourself?
Many marketing, copywriting and sales experts will tell you that your marketing copy should talk to your customer as opposed to talking about yourself. They insist that the copy you employ be directed at the customer by using the word “you” throughout. (They call this the second person perspective.)
However, many people feel that using the you approach is too salesman like, and unprofessional. They prefer to talk about their company, their accomplishments and themselves. Copy written in this manner uses the word “we” (or I) over and again (the first person perspective).
So which way is right?
Here’s an argument for using you in your copy. Suppose you’re on a date and the person you’re with won’t stop talking about himself or herself. All night it’s, “I did this and I do that.”
It’s great to hear entertaining stories - but the person on the listening end is bound to feel excluded after a while.
The same idea applies to marketing copy. People want to feel like they’re part of a conversation as opposed to being talked AT. Not to mention - “you” puts the focus on the reader and engages him in the discussion.
But what about the idea that using “you” makes your copy sound too much like a sales pitch?
It’s true that “you” is one of the most powerful words you can use in sales copy, which is why it’s so effective, and used so often. So it’s no wonder that people who want to avoid sounding like a salesperson take the high road, so to speak, and avoid using “you” in their marketing copy.
However, when you think about it, using an exclusive “we” approach comes with its own negative stigma. It can be seen as arrogance - or worse - inadequacy. “I can’t offer anything to you, and I’m not interested in you - so I’ll just talk about myself.”
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Posted in Copywriting Techniques, Direct Mail Copywriting, Direct Response Copywriting, Marketing Communications, Persuasive Copywriting, Wordfeeder Copywriting | No Comments »