This may seem like a very basic question. However, it's one that needs to be asked and answered. Why? Because a lot of business owners don't "get" the value of good copy.
You may be asking "What is this copy you talk about?" In the simplest form, words. Just like the ones you're reading now. But not just any old words. Words that explain what your business, product or service can do for a prospect.
More importantly, words that sell. Words that will motivate someone to give you money in exchange for value. And words are a key part of every ad or marketing campaign a business runs.
The right words will sell and the wrong ones won't. It's really that simple (but not easy) to write a winning sales letter or message.
Words are part of radio and TV commercials and newspaper ads. They're on pay-per-click ads, landing pages and sales letters. And they're part of brochures, follow-up e-mails and every other marketing message. Bottom line - words are part of all your marketing efforts.
The right words are critical in direct-response marketing, which is what every business owner should use. Direct-response marketing asks the customer to take a certain action. It can be to opt-in to an e-mail list, sign up to watch a video or buy a product.
A business owner will know exactly which ads work to make a sale. Why? Because you can track to the penny how many prospects buy from each ad.
This is why most ad agencies don't like this type of marketing. They want you to pay for their ads over a period of time and ignore the results. That's because most of the time these ads don't make many sales.
Their ads may win awards for being clever or creative. But when it comes to making sales, these ads almost always fall short.
Most agencies rely on image or "branding" type marketing. This relies on expensive ads with few words that don't really sell. It's a popular myth based on the theory of "brand awareness."
I use the word theory because I haven't seen it work well in the real world. It says if you put your company name out there often enough, folks will eventually buy from you.
This kind of marketing can make some sales in the short run. For example, if you have a stopped-up toilet and hear an ad for a plumber on the radio.
Here's the problem with this theory. If you can't directly track an ad to a sale, you don't know if it works. What's the ultimate goal of a business? Make enough sales to at least cover your costs. And better yet, make a profit.
This ties back to my original point. Why the right words are critical to business success.
I know this may sound really basic. But I see a lot of business owners who don't seem to get this simple concept.
If your marketing hasn't worked well, you might be using the wrong words. You could make an offer your market doesn't want. Or you could make your offer to the wrong people. If you want to sell T-bone steaks, you wouldn't target a group of Boulder vegans.
A savvy copywriter and marketing pro can look at all three to find the weak link(s).
I'll admit this is a little self-serving. That's because I am a copywriter. I tell you this because it's critical to your business success.
More than a few companies do OK without good marketing. Will they continue to do OK in the future with a so-so economy? With a few exceptions, I doubt it.
The economy won't get any better anytime soon. Especially with state-run health care.
There are so many "wildcards" that affect the economy today - both here and around the world - that I don't know when it will get back to 'normal' or even decent.
In the future, good business and marketing basics will be more important than ever. That includes good copy, offers and strategy.
Don't believe that good marketing makes a difference? Listen to this Tony Robbins interview of Jay Abraham:
http://bit.ly/1cJxeed
Jay is a well-known marketing legend. His advice produced $9.4 billion in sales for his clients.
Listen to the audio more than once and take plenty of notes to mine the marketing "gold."
What's the best measure of your marketing? Not how many leads or how much "brand awareness" you have. It's how well you convert those leads into sales, which lead to dollars in your bank account.
This should be your main goal when you make any marketing decision. Not to just 'get your name out there' or 'boost brand awareness.'
If it don't make the cash register ring, it doesn't mean a thing.
That's the best reason why good copy is critical to your business success.
Showing posts with label copywriting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copywriting. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Can You Spend Brand Awareness?
This is an odd question to ask, but it's relevant when it comes to marketing. Why is that, you ask?
Because it ties into the seemingly never-ending debate between the merits of ad agency "branding" (or image)-type marketing... and old-fashioned direct-response marketing. If you've read my blog for any period of time, you know that my bias is towards the latter.
The reason I thought of this question was because of a meeting I had with two local radio hosts. I met with them to see how I could increase the effectiveness of their advertisers' radio ads. The better response they get from their ads... the more sales and money they would make... and that would increase the chances they would stick with this radio show as a longer-term advertiser.
Makes perfect sense, right? Well.... not exactly.
As I explained the difference between direct-response and branding-type marketing, it was obvious that one of the hosts wasn't sold on it. He starts asking question after question about "if" direct-response marketing was effective... and the one question that he asked (that I wish I had this answer for at the time) was:
"Well, what about brand awareness in marketing?"
My natural instinct was to give a smart-ass answer and say: "Well, what about it?" But that wouldn't have done much good to avoid an argument.
Let me take a step back and explain this marketing theory.
Ad agency folks love to talk about "brand awareness" because they tell their clients that the more you get your name in the marketplace... the more people will be aware of your brand... and eventually this will lead to more sales and cash flow. But - these "creative gurus" will tell you - this will take time for their creative genius to work its magic, and get the results you want.
Never mind the fact that you can't track how well the ads or campaign are working. Just trust them, keep giving them your money... and eventually it should work out alright. And the more time it takes to "get your name out there," the more money you're paying for unaccountable marketing.
Let's get back to the topic: "Can You Spend Brand Awareness?"
Go to a Starbucks and order your favorite beverage, then ask the clerk if you can pay for it in brand awareness. He or she will look at you like you're crazy, and rightfully so.
Obviously you can't spend brand awareness to buy the material things you want in this life. So why should your marketing be focused on something that's difficult (if not impossible) to measure... and is useless to buy the things you want?
I like marketing that you can measure, monitor and adjust, and will bring in US dollars... fungolas... Federal Reserve Notes - and lots of them. When done correctly, that's what direct-response marketing will do for any business.
Forget about being cool or creative, unless it increases your sales and positive cash flow. If an ad agency or or marketing consultant talks about brand awareness instead of results, snap your wallet shut and end the meeting. Then find a marketing professional who believes in accountable, results-oriented marketing - and not some half-baked yuppie fantasy.
You'll save time, energy and frustration, and have more business success.
Because it ties into the seemingly never-ending debate between the merits of ad agency "branding" (or image)-type marketing... and old-fashioned direct-response marketing. If you've read my blog for any period of time, you know that my bias is towards the latter.
The reason I thought of this question was because of a meeting I had with two local radio hosts. I met with them to see how I could increase the effectiveness of their advertisers' radio ads. The better response they get from their ads... the more sales and money they would make... and that would increase the chances they would stick with this radio show as a longer-term advertiser.
Makes perfect sense, right? Well.... not exactly.
As I explained the difference between direct-response and branding-type marketing, it was obvious that one of the hosts wasn't sold on it. He starts asking question after question about "if" direct-response marketing was effective... and the one question that he asked (that I wish I had this answer for at the time) was:
"Well, what about brand awareness in marketing?"
My natural instinct was to give a smart-ass answer and say: "Well, what about it?" But that wouldn't have done much good to avoid an argument.
Let me take a step back and explain this marketing theory.
Ad agency folks love to talk about "brand awareness" because they tell their clients that the more you get your name in the marketplace... the more people will be aware of your brand... and eventually this will lead to more sales and cash flow. But - these "creative gurus" will tell you - this will take time for their creative genius to work its magic, and get the results you want.
Never mind the fact that you can't track how well the ads or campaign are working. Just trust them, keep giving them your money... and eventually it should work out alright. And the more time it takes to "get your name out there," the more money you're paying for unaccountable marketing.
Let's get back to the topic: "Can You Spend Brand Awareness?"
Go to a Starbucks and order your favorite beverage, then ask the clerk if you can pay for it in brand awareness. He or she will look at you like you're crazy, and rightfully so.
Obviously you can't spend brand awareness to buy the material things you want in this life. So why should your marketing be focused on something that's difficult (if not impossible) to measure... and is useless to buy the things you want?
I like marketing that you can measure, monitor and adjust, and will bring in US dollars... fungolas... Federal Reserve Notes - and lots of them. When done correctly, that's what direct-response marketing will do for any business.
Forget about being cool or creative, unless it increases your sales and positive cash flow. If an ad agency or or marketing consultant talks about brand awareness instead of results, snap your wallet shut and end the meeting. Then find a marketing professional who believes in accountable, results-oriented marketing - and not some half-baked yuppie fantasy.
You'll save time, energy and frustration, and have more business success.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Why You Shouldn't Rely On SEO To Make More Money Online
Almost every business owner I talk to wants to have their business on the first page or #1 on Google search results. SEO does make a difference, but it isn't the "magic bullet" that will solve your online marketing problems.
Good SEO practices will help get traffic to your website, but if you don't have good copy and follow-up (via auto-responder e-mails), it won't help you that much. To paraphrase an old saying: "You can lead a prospect to your website, but you can't make them opt-in."
When you look at improving the results from your website, look at increasing the conversion rate first - before you increase the amount of traffic. It's best to test changes in marketing on a small scale, make sure they're working to increase conversion... then roll them out on a bigger scale (i.e., sending more traffic to your website).
If you get these steps backwards, you will be leaving a LOT of money on the table if your conversion rate sucks. Here are a few quick tips on how you can grow your e-mail list, increase your conversion rates and make more money from your business website:
1. Make sure your website or landing page solves a painful problem for your prospect. Everybody is looking on the Internet for a solution to their problem - not to read how great your company is, how long you've been in business, or if it's "family-owned and operated." Hate to burst your bubble about that, but it's true - it's human nature that we all look for things that will benefit us.
Make sure that the focus of your marketing and copy is on the prospect and his problem. Doing this alone should drastically improve your online marketing results.
2. Offer valuable free information (or "opt-in bait") in exchange for someone giving you their name and e-mail address. Good marketing is content or education-based. As you've probably discovered, people are becoming more selective about how (and with who) they spend their hard-earned dollars. That's a trend that started with the real estate and stock market collapses of 2008, and I don't see it changing any time soon.
The good news is that if you take time to provide quality information, and build trust and credibility with your prospect, he'll be more likely to buy. This will take more time and effort on your part, but if done correctly it will be worth it. And many of your competitors probably won't do this.
3. Have a good series of auto-responder e-mails to follow up with, once someone has opted-in to your list. A common (and true) saying in sales and marketing is: "The fortune is in the follow-up." And it couldn't be more true today. When you write auto-responder e-mails that are fun, interesting and useful, this will let prospects get to know, like and trust you... which ultimately will lead to more sales.
Remember, always test these changes with small amounts of website traffic (to make sure they work) before you roll them out on a bigger scale with larger amounts of traffic. You'll have more sales, better results, and more peace of mind as a business owner.
When you look at improving the results from your website, look at increasing the conversion rate first - before you increase the amount of traffic. It's best to test changes in marketing on a small scale, make sure they're working to increase conversion... then roll them out on a bigger scale (i.e., sending more traffic to your website).
If you get these steps backwards, you will be leaving a LOT of money on the table if your conversion rate sucks. Here are a few quick tips on how you can grow your e-mail list, increase your conversion rates and make more money from your business website:
1. Make sure your website or landing page solves a painful problem for your prospect. Everybody is looking on the Internet for a solution to their problem - not to read how great your company is, how long you've been in business, or if it's "family-owned and operated." Hate to burst your bubble about that, but it's true - it's human nature that we all look for things that will benefit us.
Make sure that the focus of your marketing and copy is on the prospect and his problem. Doing this alone should drastically improve your online marketing results.
2. Offer valuable free information (or "opt-in bait") in exchange for someone giving you their name and e-mail address. Good marketing is content or education-based. As you've probably discovered, people are becoming more selective about how (and with who) they spend their hard-earned dollars. That's a trend that started with the real estate and stock market collapses of 2008, and I don't see it changing any time soon.
The good news is that if you take time to provide quality information, and build trust and credibility with your prospect, he'll be more likely to buy. This will take more time and effort on your part, but if done correctly it will be worth it. And many of your competitors probably won't do this.
3. Have a good series of auto-responder e-mails to follow up with, once someone has opted-in to your list. A common (and true) saying in sales and marketing is: "The fortune is in the follow-up." And it couldn't be more true today. When you write auto-responder e-mails that are fun, interesting and useful, this will let prospects get to know, like and trust you... which ultimately will lead to more sales.
Remember, always test these changes with small amounts of website traffic (to make sure they work) before you roll them out on a bigger scale with larger amounts of traffic. You'll have more sales, better results, and more peace of mind as a business owner.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
The Most Important Asset In Your Business - and Life
Thought this would be a fairly short post - went a little longer than I originally thought. It's a timely topic, with an ingredient you must have in your marketing to have more qualified customers buy from you.
I used to believe that if you got a prospect's attention - and got him to read through your sales letter or marketing message - that was enough. But nowadays, that's only part of the battle. Whether it's in business, politics or any other area of life, we live in a very "low trust" environment.
You absolutely, positively, must provide proof that you and what you're marketing are credible and trustworthy. That means providing real testimonials from satisfied clients, and as much 3rd-party documentation (through articles, medical studies, and proven results) as possible. A fairly well-known copywriter said a year or two ago that you didn't need testimonials in your sales copy. Maybe you could get away with it back then, but now, I believe it's a necessity in your marketing message.
I believe we're coming into a time in business, marketing and our culture, where people aren't buying into hype, flash and "bling" like they used to. It's more like the days of the Old West, where you did business with someone based on the product or service they provided... and the reputation they had around town. Gary Vaynerchuk talks about this, and actually giving a rat's a** about how your product or service helps your clients.
So what is this critical asset necessary to business and life success? Trust.
Confidence and trust in a person, product or business takes a long time to build up - but can be torn down quickly. Do everything you can in your business and relationships to inspire and maintain trust. Have your clients' best interests in mind... provide the best content and information on your product, service and industry... and keep the focus on what's in it for the client - and NOT about you.
Some people who are self-promoting shills really annoy me. They always seem to talk about themselves and, have to put their "brand label" in every video, web page or Social Media tweet or post. Dude (or Dudette), I don't care if you're the "rockstar" or self-annointed royalty of a Social Media platform... get to the damn point, and explain how what you're saying benefits me - NOT how cool you or your "brand" are.
Good marketing, salesmanship and yes, promotion is important - don't get me wrong. However, if you don't provide enough proof - and build up sufficient trust in who you are and what you do - it'll be a longer road to business (and life) success.
I've probably irritated some people by saying this, but I don't care - it needs to be said. I'm not sure when the next post will be, probably the middle of this month. Time seems to fly by nowadays, it'll be here before we know it.
Do everything you can to cultivate - and maintain - trust in your business and personal life. Feel free to comment on the best ways you know how to be trustworthy to your friends, family and clients. Until next time, I hope you're enjoying your summer.
I used to believe that if you got a prospect's attention - and got him to read through your sales letter or marketing message - that was enough. But nowadays, that's only part of the battle. Whether it's in business, politics or any other area of life, we live in a very "low trust" environment.
You absolutely, positively, must provide proof that you and what you're marketing are credible and trustworthy. That means providing real testimonials from satisfied clients, and as much 3rd-party documentation (through articles, medical studies, and proven results) as possible. A fairly well-known copywriter said a year or two ago that you didn't need testimonials in your sales copy. Maybe you could get away with it back then, but now, I believe it's a necessity in your marketing message.
I believe we're coming into a time in business, marketing and our culture, where people aren't buying into hype, flash and "bling" like they used to. It's more like the days of the Old West, where you did business with someone based on the product or service they provided... and the reputation they had around town. Gary Vaynerchuk talks about this, and actually giving a rat's a** about how your product or service helps your clients.
So what is this critical asset necessary to business and life success? Trust.
Confidence and trust in a person, product or business takes a long time to build up - but can be torn down quickly. Do everything you can in your business and relationships to inspire and maintain trust. Have your clients' best interests in mind... provide the best content and information on your product, service and industry... and keep the focus on what's in it for the client - and NOT about you.
Some people who are self-promoting shills really annoy me. They always seem to talk about themselves and, have to put their "brand label" in every video, web page or Social Media tweet or post. Dude (or Dudette), I don't care if you're the "rockstar" or self-annointed royalty of a Social Media platform... get to the damn point, and explain how what you're saying benefits me - NOT how cool you or your "brand" are.
Good marketing, salesmanship and yes, promotion is important - don't get me wrong. However, if you don't provide enough proof - and build up sufficient trust in who you are and what you do - it'll be a longer road to business (and life) success.
I've probably irritated some people by saying this, but I don't care - it needs to be said. I'm not sure when the next post will be, probably the middle of this month. Time seems to fly by nowadays, it'll be here before we know it.
Do everything you can to cultivate - and maintain - trust in your business and personal life. Feel free to comment on the best ways you know how to be trustworthy to your friends, family and clients. Until next time, I hope you're enjoying your summer.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Why SEO Rankings Are Overrated, If You Overlook This Key Factor
I've talked with several website owners the past few weeks, and they're all focused on their website having high SEO rankings for relevant keywords and phrases. That's part of having a profitable website... but only if you have a landing page that does this critical task. Most website owners have the process backwards:
They look to maximize their SEO rankings first, THEN figure out this critical component second - when it should be the other way around. If you get this key factor handled first - and then focus on SEO - your online marketing will be more profitable in a shorter amount of time.
What is this commonly overlooked and critical factor? Conversion. The percentage at which you convert visitors into paying customers.
Think about it: Why would you want to spend time and money boosting your SEO rankings, when you only convert a small percentage - or maybe none - of the incoming traffic? You could be wasting money focusing just on SEO... and burning good leads.
Focus on your landing pages, website copy, auto-responder e-mails and marketing strategy. Test them with a small sample of visitors, and when it converts well... THEN you can invest more money, and roll it out on a larger scale.
If you aren't sure about how to setup a good marketing funnel, write good website content/copy, or auto-responder e-mails - consult with someone who can. Just because you CAN do something in your business, doesn't mean you SHOULD. A "fresh set of eyes" always helps - even for me - to see things I overlooked, even after reading a section of copy 15 or 20 times.
I know a guy who I consulted with 10 months ago, who's still trying to get the results he wants. Talked with one of his sales reps last week, who said he shut down his business in February to get this right. Ugh. Don't spin your wheels and try to figure it out yourself - ask for a fresh set of eyes and thoughts to get the results you want.
I attended AffCon2010 in Denver last Monday and Tuesday, was playing catchup the rest of the week - that's why I didn't get this post written until today. I'll have another blog post up later this week or early next - have a safe and fun 4th of July holiday!
They look to maximize their SEO rankings first, THEN figure out this critical component second - when it should be the other way around. If you get this key factor handled first - and then focus on SEO - your online marketing will be more profitable in a shorter amount of time.
What is this commonly overlooked and critical factor? Conversion. The percentage at which you convert visitors into paying customers.
Think about it: Why would you want to spend time and money boosting your SEO rankings, when you only convert a small percentage - or maybe none - of the incoming traffic? You could be wasting money focusing just on SEO... and burning good leads.
Focus on your landing pages, website copy, auto-responder e-mails and marketing strategy. Test them with a small sample of visitors, and when it converts well... THEN you can invest more money, and roll it out on a larger scale.
If you aren't sure about how to setup a good marketing funnel, write good website content/copy, or auto-responder e-mails - consult with someone who can. Just because you CAN do something in your business, doesn't mean you SHOULD. A "fresh set of eyes" always helps - even for me - to see things I overlooked, even after reading a section of copy 15 or 20 times.
I know a guy who I consulted with 10 months ago, who's still trying to get the results he wants. Talked with one of his sales reps last week, who said he shut down his business in February to get this right. Ugh. Don't spin your wheels and try to figure it out yourself - ask for a fresh set of eyes and thoughts to get the results you want.
I attended AffCon2010 in Denver last Monday and Tuesday, was playing catchup the rest of the week - that's why I didn't get this post written until today. I'll have another blog post up later this week or early next - have a safe and fun 4th of July holiday!
Friday, June 18, 2010
It's the PROCESS, Not the Product
Many times business owners come up with an idea for what they think is a great product or service. However, many times they're surprised that the prospects they're selling to aren't as enthusiastic.
I thought about this title because a friend of mine showed me the website of someone with - surprise! - a really cool product they like, and they hope enough other people will like enough to buy. The premise behind her friend's marketing plan was to get enough people to buy this one product, and their business problems would be solved.
As I've learned over the years, that's not the most profitable business model to use. The initial product you sell to a customer should be the START of a long-lasting business relationship. You discover what problem(s) they want to solve, and provide products and services - either your own or from other biz owners - that will solve your customers problems.
You can become an affiliate for other quality products and services, and get paid for the sales that you refer to another busines owner. However, make sure that you only become an affiliate for good people with quality products and services - not just the ones with the highest affiliate payout.
Most of the time it's not the product, but the marketing process that will lead you to business success. And here it is:
1) Build a qualified list of customers and prospects. You can do this from networking events, landing pages, Pay-Per-Click (but only if the lifetime value of the customer is more than the cost of generating the lead), and opt-in forms on your website.
2) Communicate with and educate people on your list through e-mail, Social Media, teleseminars and/or webinars, and your website. There's an old saying in business: "The more you tell, the more you sell." Provide quality information that truly educates people about your industry, business, product or service - it can't be just a thinly-disguised sales pitch. People will see through that in a heartbeat.
3) Survey people on your list periodically. This is to make sure you're providing the products or services they want - not the ones you think are a cool idea. Many an entrepreneur has failed because they had a "cool idea." I'm not critizing innovation or creativity, but you should always TEST your ideas on a small scale... before rolling them out on a larger one.
4) Promote your - or someone else's - product or service, one promotion at a time. Try it for a few days or a week, then take a look at your numbers and evaluate your results. If you like the results you got, keep doing what you were doing - but remember that no matter how good a promotion or message is, it'll eventually suffer from "message fatigue." If the results aren't to your liking, you may want to try another product/service, or change the way you're marketing it to your list.
5) Rinse and repeat the process. Although it isn't easy, it is that simple.
Have a great weekend, look for another educational marketing post next week.
I thought about this title because a friend of mine showed me the website of someone with - surprise! - a really cool product they like, and they hope enough other people will like enough to buy. The premise behind her friend's marketing plan was to get enough people to buy this one product, and their business problems would be solved.
As I've learned over the years, that's not the most profitable business model to use. The initial product you sell to a customer should be the START of a long-lasting business relationship. You discover what problem(s) they want to solve, and provide products and services - either your own or from other biz owners - that will solve your customers problems.
You can become an affiliate for other quality products and services, and get paid for the sales that you refer to another busines owner. However, make sure that you only become an affiliate for good people with quality products and services - not just the ones with the highest affiliate payout.
Most of the time it's not the product, but the marketing process that will lead you to business success. And here it is:
1) Build a qualified list of customers and prospects. You can do this from networking events, landing pages, Pay-Per-Click (but only if the lifetime value of the customer is more than the cost of generating the lead), and opt-in forms on your website.
2) Communicate with and educate people on your list through e-mail, Social Media, teleseminars and/or webinars, and your website. There's an old saying in business: "The more you tell, the more you sell." Provide quality information that truly educates people about your industry, business, product or service - it can't be just a thinly-disguised sales pitch. People will see through that in a heartbeat.
3) Survey people on your list periodically. This is to make sure you're providing the products or services they want - not the ones you think are a cool idea. Many an entrepreneur has failed because they had a "cool idea." I'm not critizing innovation or creativity, but you should always TEST your ideas on a small scale... before rolling them out on a larger one.
4) Promote your - or someone else's - product or service, one promotion at a time. Try it for a few days or a week, then take a look at your numbers and evaluate your results. If you like the results you got, keep doing what you were doing - but remember that no matter how good a promotion or message is, it'll eventually suffer from "message fatigue." If the results aren't to your liking, you may want to try another product/service, or change the way you're marketing it to your list.
5) Rinse and repeat the process. Although it isn't easy, it is that simple.
Have a great weekend, look for another educational marketing post next week.
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