My husband has decided he wants to move - he isn't quite sure where to, but somewhere on water so he can walk out the door and get in his boat. Of course, he knows it has to be somewhere that will also accommodate a horse and a garden spot.
So, he's been searching the internet to see what's there.
And guess what? He isn't able to find out.
He's just looking at this point, not even sure whether he wants to look in Montana or Washington, or even Canada. So, he refuses to put his name and address in the boxes on Realtor sites. Therefore, he's not allowed to see what's for sale.
Tonight I did get stubborn and keep looking after he gave up. And on about page 14 of Google I found one real estate site that offered a peek at listings without first putting me through a squeeze page.
Now, we may never move at all. And if we do, maybe not to that area. But if we do, guess which agency will get our business?
I harp a lot about capturing names, but I do believe this is the wrong way to do it. Instead of turning customers away, give them this information without obligation, and then offer some useful report to capture the names of the prospects who are truly interested in moving to your area.
Not only will you make a friend, you'll save yourself the bother, time, and expense of staying in touch and pushing on people who have no intention of moving to your town.
Think about it...
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Proofreading - one of the most vital steps in marketing
Ever get a marketing letter from someone and change your opinion about them and their business? I try not to let that happen if it's a person I know - and know that they're good at what they do - but when I hear from a stranger, I can't help but form an opinion based on their written words.
Sometimes a letter can do more harm than good when it shines a negative light on the expertise of the sender.
It's not just the composition that counts. It's true that a letter that fails to tell the reader "what's in it for me" will not get the hoped for results. But a letter filled with mis-used words, misspellings, and plain old typos can portray that person or business in a really bad light. As in sloppy, or unintelligent.
One accountant wrote that she had lost business because the letters she sent out made her look as if she paid no attention to details. Not a good trait for an accountant!
The cure is proofreading - not just once, but 2 or 3 times. And not immediately after you finish writing. At that time you still know what it is supposed to say - even if it says something else. It's easy to overlook a missing word or a repeated word or a spot where it says "teh" instead of "the." (Yep, you guessed it - that one is one of my big problems. Even copywriters need proofreaders.)
Sometimes it's helpful to use tricks on yourself. Read your work aloud to catch missing or doubled words, or read it backwards to catch misspelled words. The best method of all is to get someone else to read it aloud to you.
When you go to the trouble to contact your clients and prospects, make sure that your letter makes a favorable impression - proofread before you send!
Oh - and that goes for email, too. It's such an easy place to make a silly goof!
Sometimes a letter can do more harm than good when it shines a negative light on the expertise of the sender.
It's not just the composition that counts. It's true that a letter that fails to tell the reader "what's in it for me" will not get the hoped for results. But a letter filled with mis-used words, misspellings, and plain old typos can portray that person or business in a really bad light. As in sloppy, or unintelligent.
One accountant wrote that she had lost business because the letters she sent out made her look as if she paid no attention to details. Not a good trait for an accountant!
The cure is proofreading - not just once, but 2 or 3 times. And not immediately after you finish writing. At that time you still know what it is supposed to say - even if it says something else. It's easy to overlook a missing word or a repeated word or a spot where it says "teh" instead of "the." (Yep, you guessed it - that one is one of my big problems. Even copywriters need proofreaders.)
Sometimes it's helpful to use tricks on yourself. Read your work aloud to catch missing or doubled words, or read it backwards to catch misspelled words. The best method of all is to get someone else to read it aloud to you.
When you go to the trouble to contact your clients and prospects, make sure that your letter makes a favorable impression - proofread before you send!
Oh - and that goes for email, too. It's such an easy place to make a silly goof!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Do you love to write? If not, don't do it.
Although I can't understand it, some people do not love to write. It makes no sense to me, because writing is downright fun, but I won't argue with those who disagree.
What I will argue with is the idea that people who dislike writing should still try to produce their own ad copy. It just doesn't come out right - and it takes valuable time away from them doing what they do best, whether that's selling houses, hanging drywall, or repairing cars.
Poorly written ads can actually make a business or a business person look unattractive to the very prospects they're hoping to win. Does it make sense for them to pay for that kind of advertising? I don't think so.
Sometimes you have something to say and you know it exists only in your own head. So you think you have to write it. You do, but only to an extent. The best solution is to dump it all out on paper, and then bring in a writer to put it together in the right order, with words that make it interesting. You and your writer work together to create a finished, polished project.
I do that for clients, and I did it for my husband. You see, he's a retired home builder and he wanted to tell people things they need to know before they hire a contractor and embark on the exciting adventure called "Building my dream home."
Between my years in real estate and his as a contractor, we heard so many tales of woe that it seemed like something we just had to do. So, since he's definitely not a writer, he merely put down his thoughts in random order. Then I sorted them out, asked him a lot of questions to fill in the holes, and turned it into an e-book called Home Building Simplified.
If you're thinking about building, check it out. And in the meantime, get a free copy of our report entitled "How to Spot a Bogus Contractor," by emailing helpmebuild@getresponse.com.
If you have marketing materials that need to attract more clients, or if you have a report or book burning in your head - but you don't like to write - get in touch.
I'll help.
What I will argue with is the idea that people who dislike writing should still try to produce their own ad copy. It just doesn't come out right - and it takes valuable time away from them doing what they do best, whether that's selling houses, hanging drywall, or repairing cars.
Poorly written ads can actually make a business or a business person look unattractive to the very prospects they're hoping to win. Does it make sense for them to pay for that kind of advertising? I don't think so.
Sometimes you have something to say and you know it exists only in your own head. So you think you have to write it. You do, but only to an extent. The best solution is to dump it all out on paper, and then bring in a writer to put it together in the right order, with words that make it interesting. You and your writer work together to create a finished, polished project.
I do that for clients, and I did it for my husband. You see, he's a retired home builder and he wanted to tell people things they need to know before they hire a contractor and embark on the exciting adventure called "Building my dream home."
Between my years in real estate and his as a contractor, we heard so many tales of woe that it seemed like something we just had to do. So, since he's definitely not a writer, he merely put down his thoughts in random order. Then I sorted them out, asked him a lot of questions to fill in the holes, and turned it into an e-book called Home Building Simplified.
If you're thinking about building, check it out. And in the meantime, get a free copy of our report entitled "How to Spot a Bogus Contractor," by emailing helpmebuild@getresponse.com.
If you have marketing materials that need to attract more clients, or if you have a report or book burning in your head - but you don't like to write - get in touch.
I'll help.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Are you driving away prospects with offers that are too good to be true...
Today I got a postal mail promotion from a well-known company - in it was a letter about a "system" for making money on the internet that "anyone can do" even if you have to go use the computer at the library.
It promised rich rewards for being an "Internet deal maker." I read the whole thing because I thought that this particular company couldn't afford to send out something completely bogus. But... in spite of the temptation, I didn't mail in the payment.
Why? Because I learned a long time ago that things that are too good to be true usually aren't true.
If I told a copywriting client that my letter would absolutely quadruple his sales within 2 weeks - would he believe me? I hope not. I know a good sales letter could do that, and I'd be glad when it did. But since there are so many other factors to consider, if I promised it I'd be a fool, or a liar.
Look at your own promotions. Are your promises reasonable? If not, tone it down a bit and see if your response doesn't improve.
And if you need a sales letter that speaks to your prospects, or a web page that shows what you can do for your prospects, drop me a note. I'd love to help.
Yours for prosperity,
Marte
It promised rich rewards for being an "Internet deal maker." I read the whole thing because I thought that this particular company couldn't afford to send out something completely bogus. But... in spite of the temptation, I didn't mail in the payment.
Why? Because I learned a long time ago that things that are too good to be true usually aren't true.
If I told a copywriting client that my letter would absolutely quadruple his sales within 2 weeks - would he believe me? I hope not. I know a good sales letter could do that, and I'd be glad when it did. But since there are so many other factors to consider, if I promised it I'd be a fool, or a liar.
Look at your own promotions. Are your promises reasonable? If not, tone it down a bit and see if your response doesn't improve.
And if you need a sales letter that speaks to your prospects, or a web page that shows what you can do for your prospects, drop me a note. I'd love to help.
Yours for prosperity,
Marte
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Use the holidays to spark your marketing creativity
Did you do a promotion for St. Patrick's Day? I'll have to admit that I did not do any promotion for my copywriting business - but I think we all should be looking at each of the holidays that come along as a good reason to make contact with our client lists, and even reach out to new prospects.
The bars and some restaurants do a good job - after all, this is the only time of year you can buy green beer. Not that I want green beer - that actually sounds kind of awful - but who doesn't love a reason to celebrate?
Hmmm... what do I drink that's green? Green tea perhaps, or lime flavored soft drinks. For whatever reason, the only things that seem like they should be green are veggies. But color and marketing is a subject for another day.
What could you have done? Some kind of promotion dealing with luck? Could you have hidden a "pot of gold" in your store or on your website and offered a discount to customers who found it?
It's too late now to do something for St. Patrick's, and if you're using print media it's probably too late to do Easter, so what's next?
April Fool's day seems like a good time to do a fun promotion, and if you act quickly, there's time to get something in the mail or the local newspaper. And of course there's time to tweak your website a bit.
Today, take out the calendar and look at the events coming up. Then write them all down and let your imagination run wild with ideas about how to tie them to your promotions. Be silly, be outrageous, be creative - and something really spectacular will come of it. In fact, get some friends and family to sit down with you and toss out ideas. Sometimes the best ones come from something that sounded ridiculous at first.
Just do it - and remember to laugh a lot!
Marte
The bars and some restaurants do a good job - after all, this is the only time of year you can buy green beer. Not that I want green beer - that actually sounds kind of awful - but who doesn't love a reason to celebrate?
Hmmm... what do I drink that's green? Green tea perhaps, or lime flavored soft drinks. For whatever reason, the only things that seem like they should be green are veggies. But color and marketing is a subject for another day.
What could you have done? Some kind of promotion dealing with luck? Could you have hidden a "pot of gold" in your store or on your website and offered a discount to customers who found it?
It's too late now to do something for St. Patrick's, and if you're using print media it's probably too late to do Easter, so what's next?
April Fool's day seems like a good time to do a fun promotion, and if you act quickly, there's time to get something in the mail or the local newspaper. And of course there's time to tweak your website a bit.
Today, take out the calendar and look at the events coming up. Then write them all down and let your imagination run wild with ideas about how to tie them to your promotions. Be silly, be outrageous, be creative - and something really spectacular will come of it. In fact, get some friends and family to sit down with you and toss out ideas. Sometimes the best ones come from something that sounded ridiculous at first.
Just do it - and remember to laugh a lot!
Marte
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