Copywriter on Content. Part 1. Content is King.

With this blog, I'm beginning a series about content—primarily content for the marketing environment.

Bill Gates wrote "Content is King" in early 1996. From the article...

Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting. Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products—a marketplace of content.

If you're a radio executive, your content comprises disk jockeys, announcers, the music, and the shows. If you're in the news business, content comprises stories, photos, columnists.

In marketing, content is just as vital but many marketers pay little, if any, attention to content. In marketing, content provides the following benefits.

• You build trust with prospects.
• You generate repeat visits to your website.
• You keep visitors on your site longer and they go deeper into your website.
• SEO improves.
• Conversion improves.
• You generate highly qualified leads.
• Augment your brand.

YOU MAKE MORE MONEY!

There's a massive opportunity in marketing for companies who start generating quality content. And bigger companies are starting to allocate resources to content creation. I know at least two big companies in the Charlotte area that are hiring content creators.

These companies micro analyze their results and they wouldn't be investing in content if content wasn't a good investment.

I'm in the market for a new furnace and I've been cruising around some websites. It's astonishing to me how many companies are failing to provide me with information about what's going to be an important purchase. I'm hungry for furnace information yet none of the websites I'm visiting are feeding me.

Of course, any company of any size can invest in content. In the direct marketing environment content can be: 

• White papers/special reports
• Video
• Podcasts
• Books
• Blogs
• Autoresponders
• Webinars/seminars

While landing pages and squeeze pages are the 'moment of truth' in marketing, content is the 'soft sell' and is proof that direct marketing doesn't have to be obnoxious or INSANE or really loud.

You can sell content or you can use it to build your database—or both.

In the past year, I've worked on several websites that use a simple but astoundingly effective technique: build a database of leads by providing a free special report or white paper. The report will include information that's important to website visitors. 

For example, if a furnace supply company would offer me a special report titled "10 Tips for Buying a Furnace" I would be inclined to hand over my name and email address and provide a furnace company with a lead.

In this series, now that I've introduced a couple of concepts, I'm going to:

• Detail how to create compelling content.
• Provide examples of superb content.
• Go through the various types of content you might use.
• Totally unsolicited advice for companies I've chosen at random.
• Detail the dangers of 'user generated' content.
• And more...

Send me some great examples of content in the comments.

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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.

Are you direct response?

I met with a local business owner about a month ago. I know the business well and I was there to talk about some direct marketing and direct response copywriting. During that initial meeting, the owner was all about branding and image advertising in local publications. He had never heard of Dan Kennedy and direct marketing. So I gave him a brief introduction and handed him a couple of books.

Now, just a month later, we're about to start a direct marketing campaign PLUS we're going to measure everything through the POS system. He read the books and voraciously digested the information.

Sadly, this type of fast conversion from branding maven to direct response devotee is rare: people think that Dan Kennedy is nuts and that direct marketing is obnoxious and will destroy the brand. And the LAST thing a branding agency wants you to do is measure and track.

So I'm really looking forward to working with the local business...the owner gets it. And he's going to get some superb results using proven direct response techniques.

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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.

Copywriter reviews proofreaders...and laments

All the pages are in for my new website. I'm a terrible proofreader so I've used a proofreader in the past for most projects. So, with my site ready to go, I went to Elance to find a professional proofreader. In 12 hours I had 31 applications/proposals. Now, the way Elance works, you can see all the proposals on one page; you review the proposals and, at first, it's triage...you scan the first few lines of each proposal. All the proofreaders made the mistake of telling me what's important to them and not working out what's important to me. I detailed what I was looking for in my assignment request...I'm looking for a serious, professional proofreader. From some of the proposals.

My name is XXX, and I'm a former broadcast journalist who now works as a copywriter and editor. This sounds like a simple project for someone with my experience, and I'd be happy to do it for you.

How does being a broadcast journalist make you a professional proofreader? Here's a curious one...

I am an arts administrator and media relations coordinator with ten years of experience in press release writing, event coordination, and fundraising for the largest resident theater company in America.

Great experience but how does that help me get my website free of typos? I think it's best if a proposal from a proofreader does NOT include typographical errors...

I would love to help. I have edited multiple websites for spelling, grammar and content. I have an Education degree in English, as well as a Master's degree. Please let me know if I can help you in any way.

...especially if you say you have a Masters degree...in English.

Introduction: My name is Rishan C. Paul Pillai,33, from Sri Lanka.I am a new provider in the elance.com community.

Again...it's NOT good when the proofreader can't proof his own work. And age is totally irrelevant. AND THE WINNER...

I am XXXX, business owner of XXX and I provide copyediting, proofreading, and website content editing and testing services. I am a professionally qualified proofreader and copyeditor and I have 16 years IT experience including software testing.

Came across as a professional...even though the software testing isn't something I need.

I rarely bid on Elance work but it was useful and educational to get on the other side of the fence.

The lessons here...

• Get straight to the point in 'quick' copy.
• Be relevant.
• Read what the client wants.

Next up...a series about the creation of compelling content in the direct marketing environment. * 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 quote.

Copywriter admires a solid USP

Saw this sign in the neighborhood. Note the value proposition/USP: One-day bath remodeling.

It's a superb USP and a classic example of the speed approach to developing a solid unique selling proposition. It's a clear USP and it's achievable and realistic. The sign also includes the magic word, FREE.

The sign has a clear web address and upon further inspection, it's a solid website. Take a look. The USP is in the headline but could be a little more front and center. There's solid content. The copy is a bit SEO-ish but that's understandable.

Is your USP as clear as the one from Bath Fitter?

A direct response copywriter should have USP development and writing in his arsenal. I do. Contact me here to discuss yours.

On another note: I've added some additional pages to my website. One of the pages details the copywriter problems I solve and how I solve them. All feedback appreciated.

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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 quote.

Let's Get Vivid

Andrew Wood introduced me to direct marketing. He's a superb copywriter and a highly successful information marketer. I write copy for his company, Legendary Marketing. He provides me with a copywriting checklist and one of the items: Is the copy vivid?

I've been working to make my copy more vivid. This means stronger headlines with more metaphors, adjectives, and color. One additional technique...getting the senses involved.

"As you pass the grill room at Bogey acres, enjoy the aroma of perfectly cooked steaks."

"When you step to the first tee at Morgan Farms, enjoy the view of the perfectly manicured first fairway. Then enjoy the sight of a perfectly-struck drive bombing down the middle."

High converting copy should follow--somewhat--newspaper writing, especially tabloid newspaper writing. Let's take a look at an article from the New York Post about Courtney Love.

Celebrity train wreck Courtney Love is on fire again.

A curtain in the grunge rocker’s tony West Village townhouse went up in flames early this morning, prompting her to scramble to put it out while suffering a minor burn to her hand, FDNY sources said.

Note it's not "Celebrity Courtney Love" it's "Celebrity train wreck Courtney Love."

It's not her West Village townhouse but it's a 'tony' townhouse.

Now, let's take a look at The Sun from London...an article about a new soccer coach.

Villas-Boas will be fully aware of the need to make major alterations to the squad he inherits from predecessor Carlo Ancelotti, who was axed after failing to win a trophy last season.

It's not just alterations...it's 'major' alterations. Ancelotti wasn't fired, he was 'axed.'

Now, let's visit Dan Kennedy's website. Kennedy gets vivid with the best of them. From his blog titled: I Can Raise the Dead...

You’ve heard that “you can’t raise the dead.” Well, very recently, with a marketing campaign I got response from a dead guy. So I can raise the dead. Amazing. But if you were fortunate enough to be on my group call with the folks in my personal coaching groups, you heard me tell of even more amazing feats – theirs, not mine.

A vivid opening paragraph.

Last week, I wrote a headline for a client in the United Kingdom and it included the phrase:

GIVE YOUR BOSS THE RED CARD

Some soccer imagery there...get a red card from the ref and you're out of the game. The phrase was better than "Escape your day job." We'll see how it converts.

Either way, something I'm learning from the rock star copywriters--vivid writing. I'm building a list of adjectives and metaphors to get my copywriting more vivid.

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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 quote.