Shorter Sentences. Bigger ROI.
Writer A: Those of a certain mind who believe that writing endlessly long, phrase-heavy, clause-jammed sentences chock-full of adjectives, prepositions, metaphors and—of course—adverbs, are doomed to fail miserably, because they simply don’t see that while grammatically correct, these bloated sentences are completely drowning the writer’s primary message under a tidal wave of unnecessary clutter and bluster. Writer B: Shorter sentences deliver clearer [...]
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5 Classic Ad Copy Strategies That Never Fail
According to the cliché, the more things change, the more they remain the same. It’s true, at least in the world of advertising. Check out these five evergreen strategies that make the point that advertising copy principles are evolutionary, not revolutionary.
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The 6 Panels of a Perfect Brochure
Let’s look at the elements that go into writing a traditional, six-panel tri-fold brochure. We’ll assume you’re working with a talented graphic designer and printer that, along with strategic marketing copy, will transform an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper into a brand-strengthening, deal-closing secret weapon.
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What’s Your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
What is a USP and Why Do I Need One? To gain a competitive advantage in marketing your business, experts recommend that you have a unique selling proposition, or USP for short. A USP is not to be confused with an elevator speech. When people ask about your unique selling proposition, they probably already know what you do. What they [...]
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Five Reasons To Follow Apple’s Marketing Strategy
Disclaimer: I love Apple and their products. I own a MacBook Pro, a 24″ Cinema Display, an iPod Touch and several iPod Shuffles that reside in various drawers in my apartment. I surf the Web wirelessly with my Apple Airport Express. My desk looks like a mini Apple Store. This morning I was one of the first to pre-order the [...]
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Creating Your Editorial Calendar
Last week’s blog post explained why you need an editorial calendar. This week we’ll put the calendar into action, specifically for blogging. Before setting your calendar, you should create a list of topics to cover throughout the year. There are several ways to make your list. Mind Mapping. I hadn’t done this since high school. But recently, Susan Weiner, [...]
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Five Reasons Why Your Blog Needs an Editorial Calendar
Editorial calendars have been around far longer than the Internet. Newspapers and magazines have always set them to plan out future issues. Topics chosen were determined based on the time of year and their appeal to advertisers. So if I were the editor for, say, Entertainment Weekly, I might plan a series of interviews and articles based on “American Idol” [...]
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Give Me All Your Money and No One Gets Hurt
I’m fascinated by the “Bank Notes” blog. It’s a frequently updated site containing threatening notes passed to frightened tellers. The site also includes photos of the criminals and lets the reader know the success or failure of the scheme. So, what does this have to do with writing good copy? Everything! If you think it’s tough to get your message [...]
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