The offer headline...something copywriters must remember

I'm working on rewriting the copy for a site that's not getting much conversion. We'll see how it goes in testing but the current site has three problems:

1. The copy is too corporate (fluff-speak).


2. Some of the copy focuses too much on the problems and not the solutions.


3. There's a really good offer but you wouldn't know it from the current copy.

So...I'll fix the first one by using direct response techniques. I'll fix the second by selling happiness. Third...get the offer in the headline on at least one page.

Sometimes, I get too far into my headline templates and fail to remember offer headlines. These get straight to the point. Here's a good one from Creative Direct Marketing Group. No goofing around here...SAVE....

Offer Headline

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

The Google Police...good news or bad news for the copywriter?

I should be, I know, but I'm not as up on Google AdWords and search as the experts. It's all so technical and my place in the marketing universe is in conversion, not traffic.

Get people to your site and I will help you get your visitors to get their credit card out or opt in to your email database.

Increasingly I'm being contracted to write, or revise, copy for landing pages Google has blacklisted. I was looking at one today and the page is pretty straightforward. I've seen a LOT worse.

I'm going through Google's guidelines now. You can see the page here. It's all new to me. It seems Google has robots who do the 'triage' then actual human beings take over. But getting specific feedback is well-nigh impossible, I'm told.

For copywriters, it's both good news and bad news. The last thing I want to happen is to write copy that Google rejects. But how do I tell? The art and science of direct response copywriting is to state benefits that will be attractive to a buyer while making sure they don't sound crazy or unbelievable. Readers are intelligent. They understand this key concept...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I think Google should let the reader decide and Google should not be the judge and jury. Plus the guarantee is ALWAYS vital.

eBay is full of fraud...I've seen tons of fake golf clubs there. Is Google blacklisting all that? What about content that passes Google's guidelines but is a total fraud?

Plus...Google is starting to cross the line between 'editorial' and 'advertising' especially with Google Places. And what about all those comments...user-generated content is ALWAYS open to abuse. Who is policing that?

On the other hand, being "Google slapped" provides opportunities for copywriters who can "fix" pages. Which is what I'll be trying to do over the next few days. Will I get Google off this client's back?

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As an aside, I'm one of those writers who believes that a split infinitive is shoddy writing. Look at this howler on the AdWords page...

"As part of our commitment to making AdWords as effective an advertising program as possible, we've outlined some site design guidelines to better serve our users, advertisers, and publishers."

My italics.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, N.C. USA. My site is here.

Backing up your product's benefit

I'm at the second day of the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando and I saw a company called SKB. They make hard cases for golf clubs. I have one of their cases and it's an excellent product. Take a look at the photo. They back up the benefit of the product, keeping your clubs safe from baggage handlers, with a $1500 guarantee.

In copywriting and marketing, the guarantee is extremely important and it can make the difference between making a sale and not making a sale. Many companies build all their marketing around the guarantee. Domino's and FedEx are two excellent examples.

Also note the prominent use of the magic word, FREE...

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A great example of a product guarantee. If our case fails to protect your clubs, we hand you [caption id="attachment_339" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="A great example of a product guarantee. If our case fails to protect your clubs, we hand you $1500."][/caption]500.

I'm a direct response copywriter with repeat clients around the world. My website is here.

If a picture is worth a thousands words...

...Why hire a copywriter?! Why does this site, which is brilliant at generating leads, have just one photo?

A photo can be worth a thousands words or more, depending on the photo and many businesses must have photos on their web site but, in the world of direct response marketing, photos are rare...limited to photos of people who provide testimonials and the actual product. Perhaps some before and after...especially with teeth.

I've written plenty of golf course websites and these must have photos. These should primarily be in a gallery section. The masters of direct response copywriting eschew Flash. Why? A Flash show takes up valuable above the fold space and relegates the all-important headline to inferior real estate.

Stock photography has taken over the world of photography and it's tempting to use stock photography because it's so cheap. You get what you pay for. If you're going to have photography, hire one of my brothers and sisters in the photography business and give them clear and specific directions.

The photography must enhance the copy and draw people into the copy so they take the next step in the sales process. Do this and your picture will be worth $1,000 or more and not just 1,000 words.

Remember...if someone is genuinely interested in what you have to offer, they are going to READ and the photos will only have a limited effect in the overwhelming majority of cases.

For further proof, take a look at Dan Kennedy's site here.

Videos yes...photos minimal.

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I'm a direct response copywriter with repeat clients around the world. My website is here.

Why copywriting will be more important than ever in 2011

OK - as a copywriter, I'm biased. I'm always going to think of copywriting as more important than other parts of the advertising/marketing equation. I have to!

So why did I read on another blog written by a non writer that content and copywriting will be more important than ever?

Let's step back and take a look at the science. According to Will Swayne, one of my clients, Google Adwords conversion is harder than ever: for one client, the cost per click of pay per click is up 800 per cent in five years. Ouch! Very ouch!

The increase in PPC and the increasing difficulty getting organic search results places added pressure on conversion. If you get someone to your website, it's vital to increase conversion. And it's more important than ever in the current economic climate.

Copy on a website is a conversation between the business and a prospective client or customer. Imagine yourself having a sales conversation with a customer that goes something like this...

"This is what we do...we make widgets. They're really good and they come in red, blue, green, and yellow."

Any salesperson would be fired for this type of shoddy salesmanship. Yet most copy I read is like the statement above.

Successful, high converting copy on a website is like having the best salesperson on the planet selling for you.

One more thing...make the copy readable. Copy that's hard to read is the same as having a salesperson who mumbles.

Here's a great example of a superb sales website...I didn't write the copy but I help this client with copy for their clients.

In 2011, make your copy read like a successful sales conversation between a top sales performer and a potential client/customer. How? Use proven direct response copywriting techniques.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, N.C. My website is here.