Archive for the ‘Copywriting’ Category
Making It Easy for Customers To Choose You
Monday, May 22nd, 2006Here’s something every web site owner should know. When visitors come to your site, they are looking for a reason to buy from you. Think that’s stating the obvious? You’d be surprised! I come across countless sites every day that do everything but give the visitor a reason to buy, subscribe, click, call or otherwise take action. It’s a fatal mistake in any business, but it’s especially damaging for web-based companies.
Let’s continue with our example of buying a computer desk. You start with the big three office-supply stores. You click the “office furniture” link, and you’re faced with a barrage of links to pages about lamps, printer stands, bookshelves and more. Then you get to the desks. Computer desks, desk collections, metal desks, workstations? geez! There are lots of links, but no information. Finally, after drudging through pages of links, you find some actual copy that describes a desk you think you might want.
You look over the features. You write down the price. You gather the shipping or delivery information. Great! Now, on to the next site.
When you arrive, everything looks almost the same except the logo. Same navigation, same links, same inventory, same prices. The shipping amount is the same, and the delivery policy is identical to the site you just came from. As you click from site to site, it’s like d
Keyword Use That Goes Beyond the Search Engines
Friday, May 5th, 2006Let’s go offline for a moment. Go get your telephone book. If you were going to conduct a search for, say, an office desk, how would you go about it? You’d look in the Yellow Pages? under office furniture. Next you’d drill through the ads in search of ads that specifically mentioned “desks” or perhaps the particular kind of desk you want.
SEO for Newspapers?
When looking through the inserts that come with your Sunday newspaper, your eye would be especially drawn to office supply flyers that featured the word “desks” or a picture of desks.
Why? Because you’ve got desks on the brain right now. You’re going to be especially sensitive to that word because that’s the current need you’re trying to fill.
The same, exact thing applies when someone searches online. Keywords started out because human Internet searchers typed them into the search engines, not because the search engines selected the terms. The same holds true today. You don’t just make up keywords. You use services and programs that allow you to research the exact phrases human beings are typing to Google, Yahoo! and other engines. When you incorporate those words and phrases into your website copy, you’re doing way more than attempting to boost your rankings; you’re also helping to navigate the site visitor from the search engine to the right page of your site.
If you’re the owner of the office supply store we’ve been talking about and you want to create a newspaper ad to sell a new line of desks you carry, what do you think might appear in the headline? The word “desk” or perhaps the phrase “office desks.” Why would you do that? There are no search engines to optimize for in the newspaper industry. You’ll include those keywords because it makes sense to do so. You’ll include them because they are descriptive of what you’re selling. You’ll include them because it will attract the readers? attention and draw them to your store. That’s not search engine optimization; it’s just good marketing.
Lead, Don’t Shove
The same applies when writing copy for your site. There’s more than one reason to include keywords in your copy. The primary one is not the engines?it’s your site visitors. Strategic keyword placement helps guide your visitors to the information, products or services they are looking for. Don’t shove keywords in everywhere you think you can possibly fit them. Instead, use keywords to lead your visitors in the right direction.
Even if there were no such thing as search engine optimization, your copy would almost certainly still contain keywords. It only makes sense to have keywords in the headline, so visitors will know what the page is about. Sub-heads? Sure thing!
People scan more than they read, so having keywords in sub-heads is a great idea. And in the body copy? You bet! After all, it’s pretty hard to sell desks without actually using the word “desk.” Since there are school desks and computer desks and many other desks, you’ll want to make it clear that your sale is for “office desks.” That, too, only makes sense.
As you can see, keyword inclusion has been going on far longer than the Internet has existed. It’s been an important part of copywriting since marketing was invented. When you create a copywriting plan for your site pages, think through which keywords you should use and where the most effective places to position those keywords would be. Then develop your SEO copy with a goal of directing your visitors to the right information.
When you do, you’ll naturally optimize for the search engines at the same time.
One Product, Three Customers, Three Different Ways To Write
Thursday, April 27th, 2006My soapbox is just about worn out. I’ve been preaching the necessity of knowing your target audience for at least 10 years. "You can’t write effectively to someone you don’t know," is how my spiel would normally go. When one day someone asked me to show him what I was talking about. "I’m writing copy for computers," he said. "Everybody needs and can use a computer. How could a general product like that possibly have different target audiences?" I’ll show you exactly how.
Be Specific With Your Definition
Don’t ever begin an analysis of your target audience with the word "everybody." The people who fit into your target group are individuals. They certainly share common traits, needs and wants, but they are unique. When defining your customer base, and the segments within it, be as specific as possible.
Senior Citizens
If we go back to the computer example, we would surely find several segments within the target group who buy computers. One would be senior citizens. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project Report, 54% of Americans ages 60-69 go online. In fact, 21% of those over the age of 70 also go online. In order to surf the Internet, these people need a computer.
What concerns do seniors have when it comes to computers? Fear is a big emotion that comes into play with this crowd. While they love the idea of being able to keep in touch with family and friends, many in this age bracket have a hang-up with learning to use new technology. Ease of use and a low learning curve are some things that must be communicated clearly.
High School and College Students
Having grown up using computers in the classroom, and most likely at home, students are generally very comfortable and confident with this technology. If something breaks, they’ll figure it out themselves or just get a new computer. Portability, the latest technology and speed are the biggest factors for students.
With many younger users, gaming is a primary function, so the computer they want/need has to have large amounts of RAM, hard drive space and virtual memory. What about cost? Mom and dad are almost always the money source for a student’s computer, so the student isn’t interested in the price. If mom and dad can’t afford it, there is always grandma and grandpa.
Small Businesses
While computers are a tax-deductible business expense, small businesses are still concerned with price. They are also leery of low price points and special offers because, most of the time, small businesses will need to add a good bit of additional equipment to a basic computer which ups the price.
Small businesses also normally have no full-time IT staff, so support is an issue that comes into play. Is help available to answer questions or troubleshoot if and when networking doesn’t go smoothly? What about repairs? If the computer requires any service, is it done on-site or does the computer have to be shipped to some nameless service center? Is there a guaranteed time for repairs to be completed?
As you can see, each segment has its own concerns about buying a computer. While "everybody" may need one, every person does not have the same concerns or needs when making a computer purchase.
Before assuming that every member of your target audience is alike, take some time to do a little research. Conduct an informal survey, ask questions and talk with customers one-on-one. Find out what their wants are, what concerns they have or what they’d most like to see you offer. Once you find out, write so that you communicate directly with them on their level. You’ll find your conversion rates rise when you give your visitors the information they want.
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon?s report ‘How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)’ at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
Copywriting Makeover: The Value of Being Crystal Clear
Thursday, February 16th, 2006Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the message we most want our customers to hear gets lost in a sea of superlatives. The marketer within us takes over and – before we know it – the core focus of the Web page, brochure or flyer becomes blurred. Let me assure you of one thing… if your prospects can’t determine – with crystal clarity – what you do and how you can benefit them, all your copywriting efforts will be in vain.
Provider Watch suffered from a bit of this problem. When I read their original home page copy (which can be seen here), I was confused about what they offered. While all the information seemed to be within the copy, I didn’t get it. That’s what happens all too often when we write our own copy: *we* understand what we mean, but that clarity isn’t passed on to our readers.
The owner of Provider Watch knew she had a great product. She also knew it should be very popular with daycare providers. She’d been working with daycare businesses for years and had a great understanding of what they struggled with as well as what would help them overcome their obstacles. What the owner didn’t understand was why her copy wasn’t triggering the reaction she was hoping for.
The Problems
There was no major problem with the Provider Watch home page. Instead, there were several little problems; the sum of which was costing Provider Watch conversions.
The copy certainly did strike an emotional chord by relating to the site visitors on their level. What happened, however, was a delay in moving from an emotional tug at the heart to delivery of the message. As the visitors read on, they felt connected to *what* was being said, but they weren’t clear about *why* it was being said. Your message has to stay in constant forward motion. If you bog down in the emotional without also offering solid information, the reader will soon begin to wonder why s/he is at your site. I didn’t want to lose the emotional tone, but I did want to keep it highly focused on the primary problem Provider Watch could solve.
Another thing that struck me when I read the home page copy of this site was the “No Regrets” system. There were a few things I was unclear about. At some points there was mention of signing up for a complimentary membership. At other points, a mention of how little it cost per month was made.
There was also mention of a credit reporting system, but I was confused as to whether the daycare provider reported *to* the system or received reports *from* the system. I saw information about collection help along with statements that Provider Watch was not a collection agency.
Search engine optimization also came into play with this site. The original home page focused on very broad keyphrases mainly because there were so few choices. As a unique service, there weren’t many applicable keyphrases to choose from. However, after doing some additional research, Provider Watch came up with a list of viable alternatives to such broad phrases as “daycare provider.” The new phrases were incorporated into the home page and other pages of the site to help drive more targeted traffic to the site.
The Solutions
The solutions for this home page were quite simple. Outline what Provider Watch did, then clearly provide that information to the site visitors while keeping the emotional attraction. I wanted the site visitors to know immediately what was being offered and precisely how it would benefit them.
Because Provider Watch has such terrific knowledge about their target audience, I was able to accurately outline who I was talking with through the copy. Most of their daycare providers were small, independent, work-from-home operations that didn’t have any financial wiggle room. Every time a parent bounced a check or left without giving the required notice, it hurt the provider badly. I wanted the feeling that Provider Watch knew this, understood it and was offering help to come through.
In addition, I needed to find a way to offer proof that this was a viable service that filled a very real need. Because the service was unusual, educating the site visitor would be as important as selling to them.
I also wanted to incorporate the new keyphrases into the text without them being obvious. They needed to be a natural part of the copy. As I looked at the three we’d chosen for inclusion on the home page, I began to formulate a plan for where they would fit.
Sometimes I’m able to split the copy into different sections: one for each keyphrase. Other times I sprinkle the keyphrases throughout the text without separating each one into its own area of the text. That’s what I opted to do with Provider Watch.
In Part 2 of this series, I’ll walk you through the rewrite of the home page copy and show you what a tremendous impact it had on their traffic and conversions.
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon’s latest e-report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
Your FAQ Page – A Sales Tool? You Bet!
Thursday, February 2nd, 2006The FAQ page? a standard addition to almost any site. It usually lists questions customers ask on a regular basis, and the answers to those questions. But what befuddles me is that hardly any sites I?ve visited use this page as a sales tool.
Did you think of that? If not, you?re losing out on the use of some valuable real estate! FAQ pages are generally well-trafficked areas of your site. With just a few adjustments, your FAQ page could become one of your leading sources for sales conversions.
Let me give you a before and after version of one site I visited. I?ve changed some of the information so as not to promote (or embarrass) the site owner.
BEFORE
What is the source of the minerals used in your supplements?
We use all-natural minerals from sources such as limestone and dolomite. Nothing artificial.
[back to top]
What is the source of Vitamin C?
Ascorbic acid, which was originally gained by isolation from fruits and plants, is produced today by an industrial process. The basis for the industrial ascorbic acid synthesis is D-Glucose (grape sugar or corn sugar), one of the most common organic compounds in nature.
[back to top]
Informative? Yes. Does it answer the question? Yes. Does it contribute to making the sale? Not really.
Now, let?s change these two answers just a bit, add a link or two, and see how much more powerful they can become.
AFTER
What is the source of the minerals used in your supplements?
We use all-natural minerals from sources such as limestone and dolomite. These 100% natural minerals are then carefully processed under low heat to remove impurities and preserve quality. Many minerals are processed under high heat, which literally kills the beneficial elements of the mineral. Because of our devotion to producing quality vitamins and minerals, we take additional precautions that other manufacturers skip. To ensure you receive the most potent supplements possible, choose XYZ Vitamins.
[shop for minerals]
[back to top]
What is the source of Vitamin C?
Ascorbic acid, which was originally gained by isolation from fruits and plants, is produced today by an industrial process. The basis for the industrial ascorbic acid synthesis is D-Glucose (grape sugar or corn sugar), one of the most common organic compounds in nature.
XYZ Vitamins uses only organically grown grapes and corn, and we extract our own D-Glucose to ensure the process remains 100% natural. No other manufacturer in the world has developed its own facility specifically to produce the highest quality of Vitamin C. We go the extra mile to ensure the vitamins and minerals you buy from XYZ Vitamins are the most beneficial for you and your family.
[shop for vitamins]
[back to top]
See the difference? The ?before? versions JUST answer the questions. The ?after? versions boost consumer confidence, promote unique qualities of the products, and offer easy-to-follow links to buy the products in question.
By using some imagination and salesmanship, you can turn your FAQ page into a highly productive tool that not only gives visitors the information they need, but also encourages more sales!
Copywriting Makeover: Subtle Changes Make A Noticeable Difference
Friday, January 6th, 2006Changing a few words in your copy can lead to double-digit increases in conversions. If that sounds like a bunch of hype from an online infomercial, stick around and I’ll show you how it’s done.
That’s really all that happened with Kneelsit.com, an Australian ergonomic computer chair manufacturer. They had what would be considered a successful site with a continual stream of orders. All the basic information was already included on the home page, but the owner felt as though something was not quite “there” yet. He wanted a fresh approach to the site’s copy, so that’s what he received. And the results were simply amazing.
The Problems
While Kneelsit had great rankings for their key terms (normally #1 to #4 in popular search engines) keeping those rankings high required some attention to the SEO piece of the puzzle. Conversions, however, were not at their maximum. The business was not suffering, but it did have room for improvement. So, after receiving a sample chair to use during the process, I set (or should I say “sat”) out to work.
Once I assembled the chair and rolled it up to my desk, I kept a notepad nearby so I could jot down benefits as I noticed them. In just a few days’ time, I had a long list of features and benefits to refer to.
As I read over the original home page copy (which can be seen here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/kneelsit-home-original.html), I noticed something else. Many of the benefits I had on my paper were referenced (at least briefly) in the original copy. Some were phrased differently than I would later phrase them, but most were there.
However, in this highly competitive industry, I wanted to be sure to keep the uniqueness of the chair on the forefront. Visitors needed to quickly see that the Kneelsit was superior to other computer chairs available. The changing of some verbiage and providing more details in some areas would help keep visitors reading and help them easily distinguish this chair from others on their comparison list.
Once my list of benefits was completed, I began relating these options to other kneeling chairs and to users of ergonomic computer chairs. I wanted to see which benefits on my list were unique in the marketplace. I also wanted to know about the users of these chairs. After all, the buyer is the center of the process and should also be the focus of the copy.
My research revealed some of the reasons users would need an ergonomic chair and also the biggest complaints about some of the current ergonomic designs. In addition, I discovered which benefits were common to other ergonomic chairs and which were distinctive.
The Solutions
Armed with the research results, I started crafting the copy to speak to that one person who was forced to sit at a computer all day, in pain, and who desperately needed help. This person had tried several other computer chairs before with little to no results and was getting skeptical about finding a solution.
I looked back over my list of benefits in search of the ones that would not be found in the competition’s copy. I focused on one exclusive, patented feature (the axle design) and the fact that the chair was customizable for every body type.
I laid out a plan for the new copy including keyword selection, keyword placement, benefits and key points to be mentioned.
Similar in many ways to the original copy, the new version had some subtle, but powerful, changes. The goal of the new copy was to show the true distinction of these chairs by highlighting the most impressive benefits.
I would also focus on incorporating keyphrases in headlines and sub-heads (where it made sense to do so) and throughout the copy. I had to pay careful attention to making the copy sound natural, as I never want the SEO factors to overshadow the message of the page.
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll take a look at what went into the rewrite as well as what type of results were achieved with the new copy.
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon’s latest e-report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
The Best Place to Put SEO Copy on Your Web Page
Sunday, December 11th, 2005It seems like a funny question to me, but it gets asked a lot. “Where should the SEO copy go on my Web page?” That question gets asked so much because there are several pieces of out-of-date information, rumors and myths with regard to text placement, when writing SEO copy.
For instance, many absolutely swear that the copy has to be as high up on the page as possible for the search engines to find it. Not true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page. Others say all your text has to be in one block. Also not true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page.
Other statements I’ve heard regarding text placement include:
- Your headline must appear at the very top of the page.
- Copy placed inside tables throws the search engines off.
- Copy must be positioned above the fold to be found by thespiders.
None of these are true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page. (Or did I already say that? twice?) This is true in 99.9% of the cases, with only some very rare exceptions.
So where is the best place to put SEO copy on your Web page? Wherever it makes sense to the site visitor!
Spiders will find your text regardless of where it falls on the page. Want proof? Here’s a test. Go to Google and type in any working URL. When the result comes up for that site, click on:”Show Google’s Cache of?” In the box that appears at the top of the next page, click on this option: “This cached page may reference images which are no longer available. Click here for the cached text only.” What do you see?
You see exactly what the search engine sees. If the text appears in this text-only cache, that means Google’s spider can read it and index it.
Put Copy Where It Is Most Beneficial to Your Visitors
Since the engines will find your text regardless of where it falls on the page, your focus should be placed on the site visitor. This is where your focus should always be. The people who have the money come first; the search engines come second. 
If it makes sense for your visitors to see your headline as the first thing on the page, then put it first. If a graphic design element makes more sense, then put that first. If you use photos or other images, include captions so your visitors understand what these photos mean and how they relate to the sales message.
If you have an ecommerce site, create pages for each category of products you offer in order to help guide the visitors’ steps. Then add short copy segments that quickly describe what is offered for each specific product. Even though the copy is scattered all about the page, the engines WILL find it.
When it comes to copy placement on your Web pages, don’t agonize over what the engines want you to do. Give 100% of your consideration to what would be most useful for your visitors and place your copy in those areas. The spiders will find it with no trouble at all.
Karon Thackston is author of “The Step by Step Copywriting Course” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com and ?How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy).?Discover the secrets to creating SEO copy with a perfect balance between keywords and natural language.http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword
Online Copywriting – When Humor Can Hurt!
Wednesday, December 7th, 2005It is more important to be honest and earnest with your potential customers and clients. They want to know what’s in it for them – not how well you can rhyme words for a clever headline or that you have a witty style of writing. No one cares. They want to know they are doing business with an honest professional who will deliver the product or services he or she sells. That’s it. Period. The end.
But can’t these readers overlook an occasional attempt at a clever headline or witty lead in online copywriting?
Why should they?
Their time is valuable. If they feel like you are wasting their valuable time, they will move on and not ever look back. Remember, your potential online customer is always only one click away from leaving your site, never to return. So, keep your online copywriting focused on the business at hand.
Leaving humor out shows your reader you are willing to give them the respect they deserve as discerning shoppers. It also shows you can be serious about the nature of your product or service. And if you cannot be serious about it, who can be?
Remember that there’s a big difference between humor and catchy, powerful copywriting.
If you insist on using humor in your online copywriting, carefully restrict it. Perhaps you are planning to present subscribers or customers with a monthly newsletter. If your wit is just bursting to get out, reserve yourself a column each week or month just for that purpose. Make sure it’s marked as a column by giving it a header like, “On the Editor’s Mind” or “A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Web Site….” Make it light hearted so your readers will know to expect to read article content that is also light hearted. But when you are writing for an area dealing with business, keep the tone very business like. By doing this, you will earn and keep the respect of your clients and customers.
This doesn’t mean that your online copywriting should be in stilted “corporate speak” or in the third person. No, online copywriting should be casual, informal, aimed directly at the reader, but still business like in nature.
Of course, there may be exceptions. If you’re marketing a clown’s costume designer, a clown joke may be in order. But the majority of shoppers are not looking for a joke to use in their next stand-up comedy routine – they’re looking for a quality product. Even clowns are serious when they’re searching for the next great costume.
In some types of management, humor is a tool recommended to help bond teams. However, when dealing with online copywriting for Internet marketing, you really can’t know much about the other participants. What might be funny to one person could well be offensive to a dozen others. It’s just too iffy to pull humor into your online copywriting both safely and effectively.
Thus, with online copywriting, don’t try to be too clever, or you may find that you are too clever for your own good.
The #1 Strategy For Writing Excellent Copy
Tuesday, December 6th, 2005No, they have a swipe file of past successful ideas and sales letters that have pulled in millions of dollars. They simply ‘steal’ and recycle successful sales literature and some of them charge a fortune for it!
But they know that they are more likely to create a money creating a sales letter this way rather than wasting precious time and resources on creating a brand new piece that has a higher possibility of failure.
So that means even the best marketers and copywriters create copy that fails. It just proves that failure happens to us all at some time. Thus copywriters are intelligent enough to borrow from past successes to make future successes more likely.
So how would you implement this in your web copy?
I’d better make it clear I’m not telling you to copy other people’s sales literature word-for-word ? thats plagiarism, illegal and we don’t want to go there. ‘Steal’ in this sense means ‘model’. Model your site on past successes.
Okay, so how do you find the top successes in your niche?
Go to your favorite popular search engine like Yahoo.com or Google.com and do a search on the product or service you’re selling.
Example: If you are selling a dog training manual, search through the top ranking sites and look at them. You need to study the layout, format and copy. Then you can rewrite your website copy based on these existing successful websites.
Its best to take a combination of sites and take bits from each of them, rather than just rewriting ideas from just one source.
To ensure that a particular site is successful, pick websites with well known names, as you can safely assume that site has good copy.
Or if you are not sure that a particular sales letter is worth modeling your site on ? read it. If you read the page and it convinces you to buy the product or at least consider it, you can be sure thats its good copy.
This is not only a fast way to create your sales letter but you also have a better chance at success as modeling successful websites means you should have similar levels of prosperity.
Even if you just remodel your headline from a successful site for a product like yours, you could double your sales overnight! This headline would be already tested from the original site so you know in advance that it works.
If a headline doubles your sales, just imagine what a few other changes based on a successful tested website could do. Best of all the changes would only take a few minutes.
This strategy works for the best marketers and copywriters and there is no reason why it shouldn’t work for you. Its easy, its simple and rolls in the profits. Why work too hard and suffer too many trials and errors when this strategy is at your finger tips.
You can use this strategy for writing adverts, articles, emails and practically all you marketing literature. Remember it and use it well.