Copywriter on Content. Part 6. Content and Sales Tactics.

One of my clients emphatically states: EVERY WEB PAGE IS A SALES PAGE. And I agree. Even the pages that don't look like sales pages…these MUST be sales pages.

Here’s where the marriage between content and sales strategy is so vital. People buy for two reasons.

1. Solve a problem.
2. Emotional reasons backed by logic.

These two are often related.

Try to organize all your content around one of these two—depending on your marketing strategy. For example, if you solve a problem like tires being too expensive, show plenty of case studies where you help people save money on tires. And then you can show people buying other tires—tires that are more expensive but ‘make sense’ to the buyer based on logic.

And spread this content around…in the blog…social media…your email or printed newsletter. And, of course, the case studies on your website.

Here’s where a direct response copywriter becomes important. A direct response copywriter wakes up in the morning thinking, ‘sell…sell…sell…’ So, when you hire a direct response copywriter to create content, the content will be oriented around sales—either direct or generating a lead.

That’s because every page is a sales page…at least in my world.

Even when writing content, I'm using a standard copywriting technique like AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action). And there's always a call to action, always a next step. The Holy Grail of content is not awards or nice comments...but ACTION!

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here for a direct response copywriting quote.

Of Dogs and Victoria's Secret...and a Copywriter

Last week, I met the local president of the Humane Society. They rescue dogs and cats...noble work. I told her I write direct response copy for direct mail and the web. She told me their most profitable fundraising comes from direct mail.

I'm always extremely curious about people's approach--especially when they're successful--so I asked, 'where do you get your list?'

1. People who have donated before.
2. Local Victoria's Secret shoppers.

Turns out that young women who shop for underwear also like dogs and cats. THAT, my friends, is creativity. People win awards for creativity--usually for funny/clever ads with no way to measure ROI. Real creativity produces results--like increased donations to the Humane Society. They mail just nine times a year so each mailing HAS to work.

I start every direct response copywriting project by finding out who's in the database. Direct response copywriting is a highly targeted conversation between seller and prospect.

When choosing your mailing list--can you find an 'out of the box' idea like my friends at the Humane Society?

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

Copywriter asks, "do you want people to read your website?"

My first job was for a department store, now part of the Dillard's chain; I wrote ads for household items. It was a crazy job with lot of crazy people. And you could smoke. At least 80 per cent of the people in the department lit their new cigarette with the butt of the last one. But I learned how to typeset--copywriters had to set type as well as write powerful and compelling copy about toasters and luggage, etc..

I studied typsetting and learned some basic rules. In print--use serif fonts. Always set body copy with black type on a white background. Now, online, sans serif fonts are more readable.

I can't tell you how often I go to websites where the copy is totally unreadable. Rookie mistakes...

1. White type on a black background.
2. The type is too small to read.
3. Or both.

Here's a classic example of a wesbite that's totally unreadable. Guys, you might as well not have a website. By making your type too small, you're throwing money out the window.

I'm always happy to help clients with typesetting--print or web.

Tell me about some websites you think are perfect when it comes to readability.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

An interesting and powerful page on Google's site (part 5)

In this series of five blogs, I'm going through the excellent content advice on this page on Google's site. In this final part of this series I'm looking at the paragraph that begins...

Learn what is interesting to your visitors

One of the keys to content is discovering precisely what's important to your readers. You probably have a hunch but, with analytics, you can discover which content fires up your readers. Once you discover the content that works, keep feeding them similar content. From the article...

Try to improve your content mix using what you learn from these reports. By keeping an eye on what the analytics are telling you, you'll learn more about your visitors and be able to provide just the information they are looking for.

That's one of the true beauties of a blog--it's an easy way to test content. A lot of the people in the analytics game use Google Analytics, there are plenty of other tools available. Pay close attention to email unsubscribes when you send out your emails. If you're keeping people on board then your content is useful.

Controversy for the Sake of Controversy

I'm not a fighter or an argumentative type. Very few of my blogs include fighting words. But my friend, Andrew Wood, loves to get people stirred up and some of his most popular blogs have been controversial ones. Controversy is a powerful weapon in content but use it periodically. I'm going to start using it a bit more--and get controversial. I'll find out if it's interesting to visitors.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

Direct Response Copywriter Critiques New York Times Letter

I look at all the direct response media I get in the mail. I got a letter from the New York Times trying to persuade me to subscribe to their "Weekender" which is delivery on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The offer: 50% off. $5.20 a week. Free all digital access.

It's a four color legal size piece. General copy on the front with "9 reasons to get The Weekender now" on the back. You might have thought the New York Times, with a TON of direct marketing talent on its doorstep, would produce a better piece than this; it's a 2/10. Let's take a look at the mistakes.

• Weak offer. Make the free digital access the offer...with the newspaper as the secondary benefit. They could surely dip into their vast reservoir of content for some additional goodies. Something sexy.
• The copy tells us the New York Times is brilliant but provides no benefits--save for "your paper is there waiting when you're ready to start the day." Not exactly compelling persuasion.
• A buried benefit--a free app for iPhone or iPad. Now that's better. Put it up front. Use a supporting graphic.
• Shoddy copywriting: "It's time for you to get the New York Times."
• Copy doodle I can't see. I LOVE copy doodles. The one on the order panel is small and I can't read it.

Flip over to the back and the 9 reasons.

• The testimonials are poor--with vapid stock photography.
• I looked at every item and went, "so what?"
• #6...Experience the caliber of reporting that has made The Times #1 in over all reach of U.S. Opinion Leaders. I don't even know what that means. Self-congratulation.
• #9 Ordering is easy...That's a reason to subscribe? That's a benefit?

Why would someone pay the New York Times for information? Clearly, nobody has asked this question in the marketing and circulation department.

I question the marketing strategy. They're selling the printed paper. But pumping up the digital adjuncts. Someone who loves the digital side isn't going to want the printed version. I would sell JUST the digital side and tell the reader why it's worth $5.20 a week. And provide some really big offers.

In the next blog, I'm going to discuss how they should sell this product.

This direct mail piece from The New York Times arrived in the mail. It makes a lot of big mistakes. Click on the image for full size.

On the back...nine reasons with very few useful benefits.

The offer is front and center but the best offer, the iPod and iPhone apps, is in small type.

Nobody loves a good copy doodle more than me. The one here is too small and it should be in red.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. For a free direct response copywriting checklist, go here.