Entries from February 2009 ↓

Q: What is the biggest mistake to make when writing your brochure copy?

A: Focusing on information rather than persuasion.

Brochures are sales pieces no matter whether they are designed as lead-generators or something that is handed over as customers leave your showroom.

Before you can start to write your brochure copy you need to identify how it is going to be used, as copy for lead-generation will be different from copy that is designed to close a sale.

Here are my 8 tips to great brochure copywriting:

1. Don’t forget the cover – this is a huge opportunity, don’t just give your company name or product, find a headline that will intrigue your reader and make them want to open the brochure.
2. Think customer not product – show them you understand their problems, build rapport and then sell.
3. Page turners – the end of every page is an excuse for the reader to close it. Create copy that will make them want to read on to the next page.
4. Benefits not features – don’t list the features, tell your reader how your product will benefit them.
5. Technical jargon – there is a place for this and that is not in the body of your brochure. Present the information in a chart or graph and keep your copy flowing.
6. Consistent voice – this is a key marketing tool, make it conversational and win your customer over.
7. Establish credibility – provide answers in engaging language, or through visuals. Customer testimonials are also great here. Remember, people buy from people.
8. Don’t forget the end – go out with a bang not a whimper. Tell you customer what to do next – place an order.

There you go. View your brochure as a valuable sales tool and not as something to look pretty on a coffee table.

Copywriting demand will always be strong.

It doesn’t matter whether the economy is strong or weak. In past decades, it was easy to get away with a strong product and some marketing. But today there is far more competition in all markets and the way to stand apart is through marketing.

For many consumers, the only way to be able to discern the differences between competing products is through the marketing. This ensures that freelance copywriters are needed.

Any companies looking to send a consistent message to their targeted audience will employ copywriters. Some companies not looking ahead to the future may cut their advertising budget when they hit weak sales, but that is not a smart move as explored in my recent blog post 4 Reasons Why Copywriting Services Work.

There is a growing demand for copywriters in one particular area – writing for the Internet. With the Web up past four billion web pages, the demand for search engine copywriting has continued to increase. To do this, the search engine copywriters must write well to attract two different audiences – the people searching and the search bots.

Great copywriting will:

1. increasing your sales through targeted website traffic
2. creating continuity in your marketing materials on and off line
3. portraying an image of trust, credibility and confidence in the eyes of your customers

So it’s a no-brainer really. Companies that are serious about marketing and survival will see the benefits in utilising the services of copywriters. It’s the only way to turn a surviving business into a thriving business.

Search engine copywriting continues to develop each and every day.  Copywriting as a field continues to grow but this particular niche is growing at a much faster rate. As the Internet continues to grow, more and more companies are relying on it for a higher percentage of sales. This will ensure that search engine copywriting will continue to be in demand.

Why?

The number of searches done on the Internet is in the hundreds of billions annually. The way that most people are able to get to a website these days is through search engines.  It is much harder for your website to be highly ranked without being optimised for search engines.

The number of pages on the Internet has grown to over 4 billion so increasing importance has been placed upon the fact that your web page is easy to search and is indexed by search engines.  If not, you will find that you will not have the sales results that you would like from the Internet.

You can buy traffic to come to your website but you will find that you are missing out on an important piece of the sales ‘pie’ by not focusing on organic traffic.

How?

To get your website indexed within the search engines, you must have original content that is in high demand.  Search engines index web pages by sending their search bots through these different web pages.

The search bots are looking for many different factors but the key is your website’s content. The information must be valuable both to the search bots so that they index you as well as to your readers.

For more information about SEO, take a look at SEO, Keywords and Stuff – 3 Golden Rules.

As already mentioned in my earlier blog 7 Ways Articles Increase Your Prospects, Publicity and Profits, writing articles is a great way to promote your business.

Few people realise the power of writing articles, or the influence that an article can have. Many people hear about writing articles and submitting them to article directories, but it is not so common for people to do it.

Since even writing one article takes time, the lazy internet marketer won’t do it.  But those that are willing to take time to write and submit them will truly generate a good amount of traffic to their website.

Article Authors recognise and understand that this technique is a powerful tool for driving traffic to their website.

Here are some benefits that you will get will you start now and submit your articles.

It’s free advertising

Submitting your articles to article directories won’t cost you a penny; its just takes time. But this method of driving traffic to your website will have a long term affect.

Be recognised as an expert in your field

When you write decent articles that are filled with valuable information, people will respect you and see you as an expert.

Generate sales

Writing an article is similar to writing sales copy.  Although they have different purposes the principle is the same – “One drives traffic, another generate sales”.

Build a good opt-in list

Article writing can help you build your opt-in list. By simply adding your link to your article you could grab their email address.

Open opportunities for joint ventures or for finding a business partner

By building your reputation within your field, some of your readers may become interested in joint ventures or becoming business partner – it could open many doors for you.

Writing articles is great way to drive traffic to your website.  Don’t underestimate the power of article writings.  The more you write, the more you enjoy writing it, and the better your articles will be.

If you have ever kept a diary you will know how easy it can be writing down and recording your thoughts. But making them appealing to other readers is difficult.

When you decide to write an article for publication, you are marketing yourself as an expert in that particular field. So writing an article puts whole lot of responsibility on your shoulders, that of being true and genuine. So to help out, here are a few basics of article writing.

Today there is a huge amount of competition when it comes to article writing on the Net. One of the most important elements of successful article writing is the ability to produce high quality articles fast.

The ultimate key to writing an article fast

You simply have to understand your topic. There is an old saying in writing that you should only write about things you have actual knowledge of. Therefore start writing about something you are familiar with. After that before you begin writing any article make sure you fully research your subject so you have a thorough knowledge of it.

An in depth knowledge is just one step the art of fast article writing is that it takes practice. Therefore, you need to workout. Before you reach for your gym gear, I am talking about writing regularly. Many professional writers recommend that you write each and every day. By following this course, you will become a better and faster writer in no time.

Plan and be organised

Rapid article writing calls for organisation:

• An introduction to the topic
• Paragraphs that deal with the topic
• A conclusion to the topic

Using this format gives the readers a chance to understand your article better and you will be able to convey your message properly to the readers.

Keep it simple

Finally, when it comes to the easiest way to write an article fast, remember the principle of keeping it simple. People like to read articles that are easy to understand. Therefore don’t litter your writing with unnecessary fancy words. Keep it simple.