|
|
Q&A for Writers, Editors and Publishers - Thoughts from Your Peers on Life and Work, Part One
Part One Answers to questions about the writing life – and work - from your peers – almost entirely unedited but for formatting and [corrections]. Yes, editors commit errors too, especially when communicating via the quick and dirty method we...
Sales Headline Copywriting - Two Quick Steps to Success
Get a Good Start for Sales Success
The headline to a sales letter is like the doorway to a store. The purpose of both is to draw people in. To get people in the store, a doorway has to be both attractive and inviting. To get people to read...
SOME COPY TIPS FROM AN OLD HAND
I have been in the ad game for a long, long time. I have trained hundreds of writers, and I've been responsible for shifting millions of dollars in product worldwide. Here are just a few tips that I hope will help you do a better job, and make a...
Sticks, Stones and Lawyers
“But how can you say, 'It was only talk, so no harm was done?' Were this true, then your prayers, and your words of kindness, would be a waste of breath.”
- Nachman of Bratslav
Defamation ... slander ... libel. It doesn’t take a rabbinic...
The Art of Reading Your Buyer's Mind
Wouldn't it be fantastic if you had a crystal ball and you could read your prospects' minds you knew what they were thinking when you were making your sales presentation. You knew why there were considering the product in the first place. You knew...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Where To Find the Best Copywriting Clients
In my life, I've had two freelance careers, one that limped
along miserably for a number of years, and one that took off
like a rocket after only three months of marketing.
What happened in between was eight year of excitement, growth
and misery at a high-powered direct response agency, and a
life-changing event at a hospital from overwork. What I'll
always be thankful for, however, is that I learned exactly what
it takes to get a lead, and convert them.
Prior to my years at the agency I managed to maneuver myself
onto the board of the Oregon Direct Marketing Association.
During this time I was often in the company of list brokers.
One broker I wrote copy for was fond of reciting the "40/40/20
rule," which I thought was a not-so-subtle attempt to put me in
my place.
According to the 40/40/20 rule, 40 percent of the success of a
mailing comes from the quality of the list; another 40 percent
comes from the quality of the offer, and only 20 percent comes
from the copy.
I'll grant he was right, except in the case where a mature
marketer has tested all the lists, and tested all the offers,
and now all that's left to test is copy or creative.
New businesses (and new copywriters) must start with the list,
and the more qualified it is, the greater (and faster) the
success.
That's why I spend several sessions with my coaching students
when it's time to start building their lists. I emphasize that
nothing is more important than targeting the right people!
One of my list-building secrets is the online database, Who's
Mailing What!.
Who's Mailing What! is a huge archive of "classic" direct mail
packages, postcards, magalogs, catalogs, and self-mailers. It
exists to give businesses access to competitive marketing
materials, and to provide copywriters with a research tool and
copying service.
For instance, say you got your first job writing a promotion for
the Seminars trade. You could spend about $70 for a one-year
membership to Who's Mailing What! and pull up information on
thousands of archived mailers selling seminars.
For an extra $40 or so, you can request that one of these
mailers be copied and sent to you in either a traditional
photocopied format, or (if available) an instantly downloadable
PDF.
Sometimes you'll find a sample that the Who's Mailing What!
editors suspect is a control (due to the fact that same package
keeps reappearing).
There are two types of control identified: the "Control," and
the "Grand Control." The Grand Control is a mailer that has
mailed many times, and over a long period of time.
Personally, I've never used Who's Mailing What! to see
what
others are doing since I have an extensive swipe file of my own.
But I've often used it to build my prospect database.
What makes Who's Mailing What! such a valuable resource for the
copywriter is that it lists known mailers. You don't do better
than that when trying to determine whether a company is a likely
prospect for copywriting services.
What's more, in the Who's Mailing What! database you can search
by niched category. For instance, if you specialize in
nutritional supplements you can search category #346
(Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins) for high quality
prospects.
You'll find many repeat entries, but that's ok; it just means
that particular mailer is mailing frequently, which making them
all the more desirable for your list.
An example: In a quick search of the database for the
Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins category - and limiting to
just the last two years -- I found 66 entries. One strong mailer
is Mountain Home Nutritionals, with eight mailings in two years.
Now that's all I need to know in order to "qualify them" for my
list.
However, if you wanted to go deeper, you'd learn that Mountain
Home Nutritionals doesn't mail the same package over and over;
rather, it appears they test offers, as well as certain products.
Go even deeper, and you'll find that on one mailing, they used a
#11 envelope, that the mailing specs were 13 pages of four-color
process, that it was an acquisition (prospecting) mailing...and
that the concept/copy for the outer envelope was:
"Stock Up Now on Dr. Williams' Top Health-Boosting Formulas!"
Now one caution: this is all very fascinating, but you're simply
looking to qualify a potential prospect. Resist the urge to look
deeper as time is of the essence.
What you need to do next is go to your potential prospect's Web
site to get contact data...and that may not be as easy as it
seems.
For instance, plugging "Mountain Home Nutritionals" into Google
didn't bring it up...but it did bring up "Dr. David
Williams"...and that's the brand under which Mountain Home
Nutritionals is sold. So this is where you gather your contact
information.
With hundreds of categories...from fund raising and investments
to technology and insurance...Who's Mailing What! is an ideal
source for building your prospect list. Start here, and I
guarantee you'll step into the marketing side of copywriting
with more confidence...and more success.
About the author:
Master copywriter and coach Chris Marlow publishes an ezine for
copywriters who want to quickly build a profitable business.
Visit:
|
|
|
|
|
Copywriting . Net |
Copywriting . Net. The Internet's copywriting service center for Web and print marketing communications. |
www.copywriting.net |
  |
Copywriting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
As search-engine algorithms get smarter every day, this Search engine optimization (SEO) copywriting is more and more about writing for human visitors as ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
Copywriting - SEO Copywriting - Learn copywriting |
Copywriting .com has just changed hands and will open its doors again in a few weeks. If you'd like to be notified when we launch, please send an email to: ... |
www.copywriting.com |
  |
Copywriting 101 | Copyblogger |
Copywriting 101 Tutorial Copywriting is one of the most essential ... Subscribe to Copyblogger to learn more about copywriting and online marketing. ... |
www.copyblogger.com |
  |
The Copywriting Site - Free information, tips, and tricks on ... |
The Copywriting Site: Here you get free information tips and tricks on copywriting that sells. - Marketing Writing. |
noriainternational.com |
  |
Copywriting courses. Become a copywriter. |
Copywriting courses for copywriters; plus tips on buying copy and hiring a copywriter. |
www.inst.org |
  |
Advertising & Online Copywriting, Search Engine Copywriting ... |
Advertising copywriting and search engine copywriting that impresses your visitors and the engines. |
www.marketingwords.com |
  |
Free tutorials on copywriting, web content, advertising, internet ... |
How to dramatically improve response from your Advertising, Internet marketing, Direct Mail and Web pages with powerful copywriting. |
www.adcopywriting.com |
  |
Copywriting: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with copywriting on Technorati. |
www.technorati.com |
  |
Advertising Copywriter, Website Copywriter, SEO Copywriter ... |
Need a copywriter who can really grasp your business? Copywriting for websites, SEO, ads, brochures, articles... Elegant, no-fuss copywriting that really ... |
www.divinewrite.com |
  |
Copywriting |
Every advertising medium is different. And so is copywriting for each element. Business owners can find out what to look for when hiring a copywriter. |
advertising.about.com |
  |
Copywriting Secrets - Master Copywriter - Killer Copy Writing |
FREE E-Course Reveals The Latest Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets You've Gotta Know! ... "Now You Can Grab The Latest No-BS Advanced Copywriting Secrets That ... |
www.websiteconversionexpert.com |
  |
Text Wizard® Copywriting - UK freelance copywriter, scriptwriter ... |
Plain English with fizz: copywriting that stays on brand and on your mind. UK copywriter. |
www.textwizard.com |
  |
Getting Real: Copywriting is interface design - Signal vs. Noise ... |
Copywriting isn’t something to be left to the guy on your team who writes long ... So, I’m considering adding copywriting to my list of responsibilities, ... |
www.37signals.com |
  |
Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words ... |
Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank: Books: Bryan Eisenberg,Jeffrey Eisenberg,Lisa T. Davis by Bryan Eisenberg ... |
www.amazon.com |
  |
Michele PW |
Watch your business soar when you put the power of great copywriting, results-driven marketing solutions and amazing creativity to work for your business. |
www.writingusa.com |
  |
Pages tagged with "copywriting" on del.icio.us |
Good Copywriting: A blog about copywriting on the web ... Copywriting tips for online marketing success from Copyblogger · save this. copywriting blog ... |
del.icio.us |
  |
Online Copywriting: Subscribe to the Excess Voice Newsletter |
Online Copywriting: Nick Usborne's Excess Voice newsletter includes dozens of articles and a comprehensive list of resources and reviews for writers of ... |
www.excessvoice.com |
  |
Linda Westphal, Freelance Advertising Copywriter |
Experienced copywriter for direct marketing articles, and advertising tips. Citrus Heights, California. |
www.lindawestphal.com |
  |
Copywriting: Projects on Elance |
Copywriting, Between $250 and $500, 7, 11/29/2006 1:45 AM ... Copywriting, Prefer not to disclose, 0, 12/1/2006 2:41 PM, 6 d, 22 h+, Authentication Status ... |
www.elance.com |
  |
|