I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  It may be a bit cliche to post on what I'm thankful for during this particular holiday, however I believe it offers a valuable point.  As a copywriter and ghostwriter I have a number of wonderful clients.  I've had my share of doozies too but everything has always worked out in the long run, and for that I'm grateful. 

What I've learned along the way is to tell my clients "thank you" as often as I can.  Not just because they're clients and they're helping me to keep my business profitable but because they're good clients.  They're clients that express what they want, offer helpful feedback, and of course generally pay on time.  By offering up a genuine thank you when emailing or talking on the phone, I know that they know they're appreciated. 

I'm also incredibly fortunate in that my clients are quick to share a "thank you" right back and that of course makes me feel appreciated.  Appreciation makes me work harder for my clients and I'm certain I'm not alone in this.  As a provider of a service or a marketer selling a product, it is important to know your products, services, and business efforts are appreciated. 

As a customer, it is helpful to share your gratitude because it will result in better service, better products, and an overall better customer experience. 

Reciprocal gratitude, that's good business! 

 

 

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The other day I had the extreme pleasure of being interviewed by one of the country's top copywriters.  I was being interviewed for my experience with a particular copywriting process and program.  When I was asked to do the interview I felt extremely honored.  How exciting to be interviewed by one of the best copywriters in the world!  What a wonderful addition to my resume and how exciting if I am quoted in this particular piece of copy.  Great promotion for me too.

The call arrived, right on time and I was ready.  As most interviews go, there was a bit of friendly chit chat before the questions and after the interview questions were over there was a little bit more of friendly chit chat and then we said goodbye.  The call went well.  I'm a friendly person by nature and I enjoy talking with and meeting new people. 

Then the email came….. More on Email Manners - Take Care With What You Say and How You Say It.

Just when you think you have a handle on things… it all changes. Sound familiar?

The more I learn about social applications like Facebook, the more I realize how many more channels there are to get a message out to people. For example, because of Facebook, I'm now networking with people in Australia to help them build their businesses and get exposure for them while they do the same for me.

These aren't people in my downline or upline, either. In fact, they have no relation to network marketing whatsoever.

Because I'm hanging out in social groups geared towards internet marketers, I get to meet people around the country and around the world. We find out that we have common interests and some common knowledge. But what's really cool is the stuff you learn from other people and what you are able to give in return. Things that may be second nature to you may be a complete revelation to someone else.

And maybe, just maybe, you'll get to hook up with the people you look up to most in your industry. Chances are, if they're still going to be going strong with business on the internet, they're going to be on an application like Facebook.

In fact, here's an invitation for you: if you're not on Facebook, go sign up now. Create your account and look me up. My profile is here (follow the link) and feel free to add me as a friend.

This is a lot different than MySpace, by the way. Facebook is a bit more grown up and they are serious about kicking people out who misbehave.

So, just a short post for today - basically it's just a reminder to get social and your business will thank you for it.

Ever find yourself just sitting at your desk staring at your computer not sure how to start your next article, report, or even email message? 

It happens to everyone from beginning writers to folks who have been writing for decades.  One cause of writer's block is procrastination.  Quite possibly you've put off writing until the very last possible minute and now that it's do or die time, you just can't figure out what to say. 

Another cause of writer's block is fear.  Fear that you're not going to be able to express yourself clearly and get your point across.

Here's the solution! More on Article Writing - Overcoming Writer's Block

This time around Ed continues answering questions from people following his runup to the launch of "Dominiche", which is the art of buying and selling web sites.

There are important strategies that you can use to leverage "other people's money" to buy sites, renovate them, and sell them.

How does that sound?

Learn more by watching the video..

-Roger

P.S. Ed also reveals a big mistake that most people make.

Here is Ed's message to me…

 

---

 

Subject: Why Having No Money Is An
Advantage Buying And Selling Web Sites

Say What?!?

I believe that having too much money to buy web sites can be
downright dangerous…

Get Ed's "Advantage" Video Here

Want to know the SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE people make
buying and selling websites?

Get Ed's "Advantage" Video Here

Why I'm so excited you get two months of stompernet worth
$1594 (assuming you could get in - which you can't - unless
you buy Dominiche this Tuesday)

Get Ed's "Advantage" Video Here

Have a great Sunday.

Ed

P.S. Tomorrow, find out about some very successful buying
and selling masters that I have trained.

E-Newsletters, commonly called ‘E-Zines’, are a must have for any business in today’s competitive market.  E-Newsletters, done correctly, are a creative, non-aggressive method of reaching your current clients and building your prospect base at little or no cost.  They not only provide useful information to subscribers on a consistent basis but they are a valuable marketing tool that allow you to enter your customers’ lives regularly.   

First and foremost, your E-Newsletter must have a:  

1.  SUBJECT LINE  Your newsletter’s headline, otherwise known as the subject of the e-mail, is responsible for 50-75% of its success.  Other than whom the e-mail is from, it is what your reader sees first.  Without a successful headline, your e-mail is destined for the trash can and you’ve missed a golden opportunity to reach your audience. 

 Here a few keys to a successful subject line: 

Appeal to your reader’s self interest. Provide a benefit to your reader and make it personal to your audience of clients and prospects.  Example:  “10 Ways To Increase Your Portfolio Earnings Overnight.”    This type of headline might work for a financial investment firm, or an accountant.  A headline can be tailored to any industry and what your readers are interested in. 

Make it Newsworthy.  Headlines using the words ‘new’, ‘now’, ‘finally’, ‘announcing’, and ‘latest’ give the reader a sense of newsworthiness.  “New Soil Conditioner Increases Plant Life By 10%.”  This headline is both newsworthy and it appeals to the reader’s self interest-assuming that the newsletter is going to clients of a nursery, florist and the like and not to an automotive repair shop!

Appeal to your reader’s emotions.  Fear, Pride, Insecurity, Curiosity, Love, Happiness, Boredom, Laziness, and Altruism are among many of the emotions that you can use to motivate your reader to open your newsletter.  “How To Ask Your Boss For A Raise,” would be good headline for a staffing company.  It appeals to the reader’s curiosity.  Another curiosity driven headline might be “10 Questions You Should Never Ask A Prospective Client.” 

When in doubt, choose simple and straightforward over clever.  A subject line that simply states the newsletter, issue, and volume will be opened far more often than one with a subject line that is unbelievable or just plain hokey. 

 

 2.  VOLUME NUMBER AND A DATE.  It may seem obvious, but one thing that is consistently overlooked in E-Newsletter publication is the volume number and date.  When you provide a consistent publication date, and volume, you give your readers a method to archive and/or search when they’re hunting through old issues for the amazing content that you’ve supplied them. 

By organizing your newsletters by volume and date, you also make it easier to track each issue’s effectiveness.

 
3.  INFORMATION.  Your newsletter must contain useful information.  Content Is Key!  Even if your newsletter contains an editorial piece, you need to give your readers something valuable.  

We’re a nation hungry for information.  Non-fiction consistently outsells fiction in the bookstores and ease of information is in high demand.  As far as information goes—Nothing Is Better Than Free, Helpful Information Delivered To You On A Consistent Basis!

According to an article recently published by the Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Association www.newsletters.org  —“Publishers need high-value content to reach readers and advertisers. ……editorial quality is just as important for a free newsletter as it is for a subscription newsletter. ……advises publishers to talk with their user base at all times, survey readers and know their needs.      

4.  AN OPTION FOR READER FEEDBACK.  An option for reader feedback in a newsletter is a good way to build your community and to add content to the publication.  It not only lets you know what the readers are responding to in your newsletter but it encourages reader participation and people, whether they admit it or not, like to see their name in print.  

A simple feedback form occasionally included in the newsletter or a more consistent ‘Dear Abby’ type column where readers ask questions and you (as the expert) answer them, is the easiest way to include this feature into your publication. 

5.  AN OFFER    Besides endearing your clients and prospects to you and your company, the main purpose of an E-Newsletter is to build your business or in other words, SELL. 

Don’t let a single issue go by without some kind of offer; a click through to your web site, a coupon, a new product for sale in your store or on your website, an inside sale.  

Tie the offer in to your theme and with a good headline, you have a sure hit!  Let’s go back to our very first headline “10 Ways To Increase Your Portfolio Overnight.”  Let’s assume that the newsletter is from a team of financial advisors. 

Don't go overboard!  A general rule of thumb is to have 80% of your newsletter copy presented as informative content and 20% of it can be sales or promotional copy.

We've just touched on a few of the requirements for a successful e-newsletter.  Next time I'll touch on  a few more and wrap it up.

Take Care!

Writing copy that converts readers into buyers is a challenge that sends many business owners running for the hills - or at least seeking expert help.   Today I'd like to offer a simple bit of advice for those that prefer to do it themselves…Pay attention to your verbs.

Verbs are the POWER words in your sales copy. 

Verbs are the words that give your copy action.  They compel emotion and paint a scene that makes your writing pop! 

 

Using Verbs.  4 Simple Steps to Activate Your Copy.

These four steps are designed to be taken after you've written your sales letter, email, article, auto-responder etc.  They're part of the editing process.

1.  Eliminate passive verbs.  Passive verbs tend to leave your copy flat, uninteresting, and easily dismissed.  Powerful, active verbs compel action, engage the senses and even elicit emotions. 

Take the following sentence for example, "We are a provider of excellent customer service." Instead, you could write, "We provide excellent customer service."  or "We excel in customer service." The verbs 'provide' and 'excel' are more powerful verbs. 

Editing Step - Replace your 'state of being” verbs; is, am, were, was, are, be, being, been, with action verbs. Using your computer's software search and replace feature, search for these words in your copy and replace them with more active verbs.

2.  Eliminate the conditional tense verbs.  Conditional tense verbs are would, could, or should.  Instead use future tense verbs like will or must. 

For example, "To save time, you should write your copy first without editing."

"Write your copy first, then edit - it will save you time."

Editing Step - Use the find and replace feature on your word processing software to quickly replace all 'shoulds,' 'woulds,' and 'coulds' with more positive, future tense words. 

3.  Choose specific verbs.  To deliver a clear, compelling and emotive message strengthen your verbs by making them as specific as possible.

For example, the word 'teach' can also be expressed with the following verbs advise, brainwash, brief, catechize, coach, communicate, drill, enlighten, explain, instruct, lecture, train, tutor and so on….

Editing Step - replace vague verbs with specific verbs.  Use your Thesaurus.

4.  Avoid adverbs.  An adverb is a word that describes your verb.  If your verb needs describing then it probably isn't specific enough. 

For example, "Let's get out of here she said loudly."  Loudly is the adverb.  To add power to this sentence, replace the words 'said loudly" with a more specific verb like 'yelled,' 'bellowed,' or 'hollered' 

Editing Step - Using your find and replace feature, look for all words in your copy that end in 'ly'.  Kill the adverb and replace it with a specific, power verb.

Creating a compelling headline for your article, email, or even your sales page can be a frustrating and futile practice.  You need the headline to contain your keywords, often difficult to imagine in a real sentence.  Truly, it can be a hair pulling experience.  Researching the keyword 'headline', one of the largest searches was 'headlines today top'.  How on earth can that logically fit into a sentence?  Fortunately, with this tip, you don't have to worry about it.

In addition to search engine optimization, the other task that your headline has is, of course, to gain attention.  Your headline needs to encourage people to open your email and to read your article or web page.

Here's how to accomplish both:

Step 1.  Using the keyword 'headline writing,' place it in your headline like so:  Headline Writing -

Step 2.  Now consider what your article or email is about.  Can you use one of these popular headline starters?

•  Learn How
• How To
• __ Tips
• __ Secrets

Step 3.  Put it all together. 

• Headline Writing - Learn How to Write Attention Grabbing Headlines in Less than 60 Seconds.
• Headline Writing - 3 Secrets That Will Get Your Email Opened Immediately.

or even

• Headlines Top Today - Tips From The Experts to Stay On Top of the Day's Biggest News.

Step 4.  Once your headline is written, you can focus on the body copy.  Write your article first and then go back and place your keywords where they fit.  This will ensure that your article is informative and interesting, rather than jam packed with keywords that interrupt the flow of the copy.

If you can, try to work your main keyword into your first and last paragraph.  Also, if you're using a 'tips' type article you can use your main keyword or keyword phrase with each tip.

                            ex. Headline Writing Tip #1

                                 Headline Writing Step #1

 

It's quite simple really and while it doesn't work for every type of headline writing, it works quite well for articles and web pages.  By adding your keywords to your headline and separating them with a hyphen from the rest of your headline, your headline is both optimized and compelling to your reader. 

 

[Editor's Note (from Roger)]:

Annette offers email marketing and copywriting services on her site at AMB-Creative.com. I have used her services and she is truly a delight to work with. She provides terrific work, is always on time, and very prompt with any changes that you suggest. She gets my highest recommendation!

Just recently a man swam across the North Pole. It took him just over 18 minutes. The water was about 29 degrees Fahrenheit. He said it was the longest swim of his life.

Now, what do you do in your daily business that could be as difficult to overcome as that?

The most interesting part to me was that he had a "mind coach" with him as part of his team to get him through the event. Why? Because that was the hardest part - getting over the mental hurdle. The physical body is relatively easy to train. It's the mind that needs the most training focus.

More on It's All In Your Head: Overcoming Adversity

Regardless of what company you are with or what product or service you promote, the relationships you build with your customers and business partners will be vital for your long term success. Even though lately I have been very excited about promoting the business for online gamers, the long term strategy still involves relationship building.

It has be relatively easy to get new people to take a look at this business since it has so many upsides. But I also realize that it's not about just sheer numbers of people. Always remember that it's not just a list of names; the people you have invited are a lot like you. They want to do something different with their lives and are looking for some partners to help them. They probably even like helping out other people.

Really, it's all about team building. And not just within your own group. You would be amazed at the amount of growth you can see by teaming up with people who may be completely unrelated to your business. Let's use the example of a nutritional product since that's what so many people market these days.

More on MLM Training: Relationships Rule!