It is a debate that has been raging for centuries – so does anyone out there really know which came first?
Well, a slightly easier question to answer is when should you write your headline? Before the body of your article or after?
Think of your headline as a promise. Through it, you signal to your reader what you are going to tell them. It will identify what the benefit to them will be for reading your article.
If you think about life in general, you always make your promise first. The same therefore goes for your headline. If you write your content first you’ll end up with a rather dull and uninspiring headline that simply won’t work.
Writing a fantastic headline isn’t always easy – it has to convey the essence of your article, it has to be catchy and have ‘read me’ written all over it. Formulating the perfect headline isn’t easy but there are ways you can get a bit of a leg-up from the experts.
Ok, perhaps Shakespeare wasn’t exactly renowned for catchy headlines – but he did write some fantastic plays and sonnets.
Headlines can be a real killer sometimes. I bet you’ve sweated for hours staring at a blank screen waiting for inspiration to hit. No matter how hard you screw your face up, that illusive super-sales-generating-headline just won’t pop into your mind.
Shall I let you into a secret?
Most copywriters have a headline creating tool.
It works 100% of the time and helps them produce killer headlines everytime.
Want to get your hands on it? What to know what it is?
It is a swipe file. I hate that name as it sounds rather underhand, but basically that is what it is.
It is a collection of winning headlines, sales letters, adverts, magazine cuttings – in fact anything that uses a headline, phrase or sentence that is a real attention grabber.
But shouldn’t your headline be completely original?
Is there really any piece of writing out there that is 100% original?
Every writer in the world gets their inspiration from somewhere so, consciously or subconsciously, their work is influenced by an outside source.
Tried and tested formula
Headlines that work have been constructed in certain was to be effective. They have followed the same structure for years generating thousands or even millions of pounds. The same formula is adapted and put into different contexts and is used over and over again. So why change it?
Is a swipe file cheating?
No. All it means is that you write great headlines in a way you know will work. As your confidence and experience grows you can try an original approach – although as I said above, whatever you try will never be 100% original (I’m happy to be proven wrong there if anyone has any examples of something totally original).
Starting with these tried and tested templates you can immediately improve your blog post titles which should gain more readership and traffic.
Give it a go – start compiling your own swipe file today and start generating more traffic.
One of the most important aspects of your company’s marketing is its continuity.
Brand identity is key to gaining your customers’ confidence. If your marketing materials are the same across the board, your clients will be able to instantly recognise you.
- Take a look at your website – do your brochures and flyers share the same colour scheme?
- Is your logo consistent throughout your marketing materials?
- Are the fonts the same?
- Do you use the same tone of voice?
If you get your brand identity right and consistently provide an excellent service, your brand will be immediately associated with trust and credibility.
Review everything
Every now and then it pays to take stock of your marketing materials to ensure the message they are giving is still relevant and consistent with your company’s goals. When you update your website content check your other materials against it – are they still the same style?
Frequently when one item is updated it makes your other materials look staid and out of date. Therefore to keep your image constant update everything together.
As you’ve probably guessed by now I am a great fan of Copyblogger. This is a post I came across on the site a short while ago which proved to be very relevant.
Blogging is a huge thing for me and my business and often when I try to extol its virtues I’m met with the usual response – ‘I wouldn’t know what to write about’.
As Brian Clark explains below you have to think about what buyers of your product are interested in and then write about that. By linking your posts back to your main sales site, you will be generating a supply of targeted traffic to your website which should equate to more sales.
Anyway, that’s enought from me. Brian, take it away…
You’re familiar with the Golden Rule, right?
Roughly translated across cultures, it boils down to:
Treat Others as You Wish to Be Treated.
Those are words to live by, even online. But the truth is, when it comes to online marketing, you’ve got to treat people better than you wish to be treated.
So the Golden Rule of Online Marketing is:
Give Something Valuable Away in Order to Sell Something Related.
Simple enough, but what does it really mean?
The Media is the Marketing
After giving it a lot of thought, I’m afraid the phrase “social media marketing” is a tragic mistake. It gives people the wrong idea.
Some people see social media as an opportunity to shove a business card in your hand with nary a “hello” first. It’s like getting bent over at a Tupperware party without a hint of verbal foreplay.
Such a waste.
The amazing thing about social media is the ability to own true media assets. To reach niche audiences on your own terms, for your own ultimate benefit.
As long as you provide the audience a benefit first, that is.
In traditional media, content producers give people something they want in the form of entertainment or information. Then they sell access to those people to advertisers who want to sell something to those people.
In social media, smart content producers understand that they play both roles. They provide people something they want and sell something… but in this case, what they sell is something extremely relevant to the content, and therefore, to the audience.
Being a new media content producer naturally creates awareness for your products or services. That’s what marketing is supposed to do, and that’s how it’s done effectively online.
An Example: How Daniel Can Sell More Art
Daniel Edlen sells really cool portraits of rock stars hand-painted in white acrylic on an actual vinyl recording from that artist. I got to know Daniel on Twitter, and now own renditions of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain portrayed on classic albums from each.
Along the way, Daniel asked me how he could sell more of his stuff.
I get this question a lot.
Daniel has an interesting marketing problem. He creates unique stuff (like he’s supposed to), but suffers from this one simple fact:
No one knows they want his stuff until they do.
No one likely searches for rock stars painted on vinyl. I certainly didn’t.
He needs an effective media vehicle to drive his sales to a whole new level. One where he converts a large number of followers into a smaller but vibrant group of customers who begin to market for him.
So the Golden Rule of Online Marketing is especially pertinent here. What can Daniel give away that has value and also stimulates desire for his art?
Daniel blogs, and I personally like reading his stuff. But it won’t work the way he wants.
Here’s what I’d do.
What do people who buy this type of art really want? What drives the desire to hang this art on one’s wall?
I’d say it’s mostly nostalgia and identification. An opportunity to gaze upon a vivid memory from the past, and to place yourself within the sphere of that sensation.
So what kind of content puts that person in the mood?
Rock trivia.
I know it sounds simple, and that’s a good thing. People want what they want, and our desire as marketers for complex answers is an insecurity, not a virtue.
Rock trivia is something huge amounts of people will opt-in to receive daily. There’s a demonstrated desire for this type of content, so you’re not forcing anything.
You now have their attention, which is critical, but there’s a lot more to it.
Facts and little-known details about rock stars and the lives they lead put people in a certain mood. If nostalgia and identification are what you’re really selling (as Daniel is), then you’ve got to put a bunch of people in the mood within one click of your solution.
This is how Daniel could sell a lot more art. It may not be the only way, but I’m betting this way works.
What Are You Really Selling?
The day you make a breakthrough is the day you understand what you’re really selling. What’s the ultimate benefit people get from you?
When you understand that, you can make media that works as marketing. Without it, you’re likely just pissing people off.
And please… until you get it, stay away from me at Tupperware parties. Yikes.
About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of DIY Themes, creator of the innovative Thesis Theme for WordPress. Get more from Brian on Twitter.
Wouldn’t it be great if your sales copy encouraged so many sales your products flew off your shelves.
Well for high volume sales you must build a relationship of trust between you and the buyer. If they read your copy and instantly connect with you, you have a greater chance of separating them from their cash.
A sense of urgency and trust are the 2 keys to creating copy that will open wallets. To give you an idea of how this can work, below are 8 techniques you can employ to empty your shelves quickly.
- Order deadlines – if they order by a certain date they will get a discount – this creates urgency.
- Money back guarantee – builds trust.
- Free on-site repair services – builds trust.
- Include qualified testimonials (i.e. with full names) – builds trust.
- Offer affiliate programme so your clients can make money. If you make this a time limited offer it can create urgency.
- 24 hour assistance – whether by phone or email this will build trust.
- Free shipping (if you can afford it)
- BOGOF (buy one get one free) – builds trust and urgency if a time limited offer.
Whether you use one or a combination of several of the above techniques, the overall effect will be the creating of sales copy that will build trust between you and your prospective client.
Then the only thing you have to worry about is to make sure you have enough stock to keep up demand.
