An interesting and powerful page on Google's site (part 4)

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

Increase your visibility.

Here's an excerpt.

To a search engine, the best sites consist of many HTML files, each one text rich...Even more important, you'll find that other sites like to link to pages with useful information. Having lots of sites pointing to your articles...can improve your natural (unpaid) search engine rankings.

Q: How do you get people pointing to your site?

A: The content must be really, really compelling. And that's where serious writing comes into play. Technically, anyone with a computer can be a writer. But a big reason to hire a seasoned and experienced writer is to generate compelling content.

A lot of people ask me, "What does a copywriter do?" The short answer is "type a lot." But my two goals are to:

1. Sell
2. Get someone to hand over their information

To achieve these goals, the copy and content has to be compelling, interesting, salient, and persuasive. There's a simple test...response. Ask to see actual conversion rates when you ask to see a portfolio. A web page I wrote is currently converting at over 30%...which is off the charts. The copy and content are compelling.

*

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 Learns from Teenagers

Teenagers are an interesting group. Vivacious. Moody. Unpredictable. Trying to be old. But still so young. I want to tell them...in 20 years, you'll want to be young again. Enjoy being young!

I hang out in a coffee shop and there are plenty of teenagers, especially later in the afternoon on weekdays; there's a high school with over 3,000 students less than a mile away.

Teenagers LOVE to tell other teenagers how brilliant they are. "I came first in this...I got this new pair of shoes...my new boyfriend is...my new girlfriend is..."

Of course, we all love to boast. In fact, I often come across websites that are one big boast.

Several years ago, a magazine here in Charlotte called "Charlotte's Best" would let advertisers call themselves...Charlotte's Best...So Bob's Taxidermy would tell everyone, "We're Charlotte's Best Taxidermist."

Don't you hate it when the person next to you in the coffee shop spends 30 minutes telling you how brilliant they are? It makes me want to bang my head against the wall.

I recently received an email newsletter from a local company. Look at it now.

It's one big boast and fails to answer THE question the prospect is asking, "What's in it for me?"

I'm just as guilty as anyone when it comes to this...I'm about to re-do my website and while my current direct response copywriting site is not replete with boasting, I'm going to be careful on the new one to make sure every word is directed to ensuring I'm addressing the needs of my prospects.

Yes--a track record is important. And testimonials are vital too. But it's much more important to find out what really matters to the prospect--and tell them how your product or service applies to what really matters or solves their problem.

For example...I'm going to ask those teenagers, "would you like a product that will make you look 10 years older?" Or perhaps I will tell them, "I'm Charlotte's best."

*

I'm a direct response copywriter. My full website is here.

Click here for a free direct response 'PREFLIGHT' checklist.

Copywriter Motivators--What Makes People Pay Attention? Part 6...Solutions

All the motivators I've written about in this series are related to solving a problem...including exclusivity, which solves the perceived problem of being just like everyone else.

Writing down the problem the product solves is my first step when I write copy. If a product or sales page tries to solve too many problems at once, it's going to fail. I wrote a landing page that's getting a 25.2% opt in rate for a special report. The report and the page target a very specific psychographic and the report offers a solution to a very specific problem...makes writing copy easy.

Andrew Wood writes in one of his books that people buy for emotional reasons backed by logic. He's right and that's closely related to buying to solve a problem.

I strive to get people emotional about their problem...then provide a solution that's logical. And that takes me back to the first motivator in this series, FEAR...

It's the last in my series about copy motivators and I hope you found it useful. Next series: getting passion and fun into copy and content.

*

I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte North Carolina USA. My website is here.

Copywriter Motivators--What Makes People Pay Attention? Part 5...Exclusivity

The velvet rope. The golf club that doesn't have that great a course but is only open to a few golfers. The bar/disco that's only for movie stars but has annoying and ornery bartenders. EXCLUSIVITY often trumps quality...but makes people buy.

Exclusivity is a bit motivator. I developed a strong and deep database in a certain zip code and I'm about to sell the database. My big selling point will be exclusivity...I'm only selling this to ONE upscale restaurant in the area and ONE vet in the area...and ONE taxidermist. Either you get this database or your arch rival gets it. Who is it going to be? You or the person you hate the most?

I've been to THE Augusta National Golf Club during practice rounds for The Masters and it's good but I've been to better golf courses. But Augusta has this aura due to its exclusivity. Whatever. It's bonkers exclusive so everyone thinks it's great because only a few people can be members. So what?

Everyone from car manufacturers to plate marketers can use exclusivity.

• There will only be 100 Bentleys made in this model


• We will only offer 200 of these Elvis plates.


• Only a very few serious collectors will have access to these Engelbert Humperdinck tour photos; Mr. Humperdinck has only signed 50 photos and will never sign anything again.

Serious direct marketers understand the exclusivity motivator and use it--it can be extremely powerful.

The product does not have to be that brilliant or that superb. For example...on the rare occasions when I've been "on the list" I've entered the nightclub and looked around and gone..."it's a bar." Or sometimes I've gone to an exclusive golf course and looked around and gone...it's nice but it's nothing special.

But people will pay for exclusivity. The psychology: I'm better than you.

*

I'm an (extremely exclusive and highly sought after) direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina USA. My website is here.

Copywriter Motivators--What Makes People Pay Attention? Part 4...EASE

Making life easy for clients and customers can be hard. But it's a superb way to attract clients and customers. Why? Because people LOVE ease. And will pay a premium for ease.

"I'm going to make your life easier." "I'm going to save you a lot of time." "You'll be more comfortable." Ease can be the solution to a pressing problem.

No more sitting in traffic jams.

Or it can be sheer luxury.

Drink champagne then sleep in a real bed as you cross the Pacific...far removed from the smelly hordes and ornery flight attendants in economy class.

It's always tempting to stress money and fear when copywriting. But ease can be a huge motivator.

When you play golf at Rolling Lakes, our friendly caddies will do everything a PGA Tour caddie does...many of them have caddied on the PGA Tour. And our hand-selected cart "attendants" will bring you a favorite beverage at any time...just text them at...

Make the guarantee easy.

Simply return your Top 10 Sunbathing Spots in Alaska DVDs within 30 days of purchase and we'll refund your investment. No questions asked.

People have always paid extra for ease...or to use a longer word...convenience. Simplicity. Luxury.

Ease is closely related to exclusivity. Ease can be exclusivity with a purpose.

Even if greed and fear are the main motivators, big doses of ease in direct response copy always helps.

Infomercials are often superb at stressing ease.

The amazingly powerful G9 makes cleaning your bath simple and FAST. Even if you're a total slob.

We make dealing with the government to get your halitosis supplies as simple as buying a cup of coffee.

Infomercials are often superb with testimonials...again stressing ease.

"These orange golf balls have made it so much easier to find my ball in the rough or woods."

Copywriter Bob Bly sent me an email with this gem...

"In your sales and marketing efforts, if you can show the customer how you can save him time or serve him faster, your sales will skyrocket."

*

I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte North Carolina USA. My website is here.