Promote Your Web Site in Everything You Write!

I'm sure you already know this but in case you don't: put your web site address literally everywhere you can think of. This is the easiest no-cost form of advertising you will ever do. Believe me when I tell you, people (as in prospective customers) will be looking for your web address if they find you or your product interesting. In Forums: Put your website address in your signature file so that every time you write and post your web address can be clicked by whoever is reading it. In Print: Make sure your web address is prominently displayed on every printed piece you mail or hand out: letterheads, business cards, sales brochures, catalogs, trade show pieces, signs, post cards - everything! On Blogs: Of course you have your web address on your blog, right? If you don't - stop reading this and edit your blog right now. Then come back for the rest of the goodies. I'll wait - this is important. On other people's blogs: Always make sure your web address is right under your name when you post a comment to other people's blogs. Emails: Every email you send or reply to - whether they are personal or business - needs to have your web site address right under your name. The list could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Your web address - or blog address if you don't have a separate web address - should be just another part of your name in everything you do! CrissBertling.com CopyWriterPro.com MuseYourImagination.com EverythingForYourHomeBasedBusiness.com 6MProfitPlan.com My-Instant-Niche-Emails.com Overkill? I don't think so :~)

What's Christmas All About, Charlie Brown?

Merry Christmas, everyone!

French Roast Blogs

What do passionate golfers, fanatical fishermen, shop-a-holics, racing fans, movie buffs, scrapbook, avid readers, coin collectors, grandparents, college students, mothers of toddlers, stock brokers, personal trainers, car mechanics, financial planners, netpreneurs and EFS-ers all have in common? They each have a LOT to talk about. So do you. Everyone has a lot to say but not everyone is comfortable saying it, especially on the internet. I have such a need to talk and write that I am guilty of forgetting that many folks are more than a little uncomfortable with stepping out and chatting online - whether it's in a blog, a profile, or in the conference room chats. My guess is that you can sit down and talk a blue streak with a good friend. You have no problem comparing handicaps with your golf buddies or discussing the last big game you saw. And you moms, I know you love to share stories about the latest brilliant thing your child learned to do. Or you car mechanics have a lot to say about computerization of auto repairs. So why is it almost painful to type a paragraph or two about something you know really well and put it on a mysterious thing called a blog? Perhaps it's the thought of people you don't know catching a glimpse of who you are. Or maybe you think you're not a great writer and you want whatever you post to be perfect. So you keep editing it - but it never is finished. Or maybe you just can't land on exactly what it is you want to write about. Let's think about that for a moment. The first experience I had with a chat room conference was when I went back to college in my "old age." Let me tell you, if you want to feel out of place, go to school with young people who look at you like you've got two heads when you tell them you're not the instructor! Not only did I go back to school, but I took classes online. Now THAT's an experience to write about. It's not easy having daily online conversations - which make up 30% of your grade - with strangers who are stunned to discover that Paul McCartney started his career in a band called the Beatles, or that most of today's movies are the third remake of a really old movie, or that the Vietnam War is not ancient history. And if you are shocked at these revelations, I apologize right now for having two heads.) Every night I had to sit down in front of my computer screen and find a discussion question assigned by the professor. Then I had to read the comments of three students and respond to each of their thoughts. I thought I would die. Or at least withdraw from class. But I didn't do either. I MADE myself write those responses. I had something to gain: Knowledge and a grade. The first few times I did it I sat for hours trying to think of the perfect thing to say to sound brilliant and impressive. That didn't work. Then I finally got it. It wasn't about sounding brilliant, it was about sounding interested in the discussion and in what my peers had to say. After a couple of weeks I was having a ball in that chat room and I loved seeing what everyone had to say. Did I worry about being critiqued? Yup. Never stopped, although I didn't panic about it any longer. And I did quit worrying about sounding perfect. I discovered that once I let my guard down a bit it was pretty easy to just talk about what I had learned in a way that my peers could understand. That's all a blog is - a place to talk online about something you already know in a way that others can understand. Let your personality shine through - don't try to sound different than you are. And pass along some helpful information or tips. A great trick for getting started is to read an article about something you already know and enjoy - get the creative juices going. Then rewrite it in your own words, adding your own experiences and helpful hints. Voila! You have your first blog article - and a totally unique one. Each one after that will get easier. Soon you won't need to figure out what to write about - you'll have more ideas than time! So give it a try. Don't try to write a Pulitzer Prize winning book. Just think about what you know that might help anyone reading your blog. Start writing it down as if you were talking to a friend you've known for years. Then set it aside for a while - even a day. Read it over just to give yourself that mental "good job" pat on the back. Believe me when I tell you, you may have the perfect solution to someone's problem. Don't keep it to yourself. Post it to your blog.

All Coffee - No Spinach

How well you write and speak can determine how persuasive you are and how quickly you are regarded as an expert or at least a knowledgeable person. Making a mistake when communicating has been compared to talking to someone when you have a chunk of spinach stuck in your teeth. The listener may hear what you're saying but probably will have trouble accepting it because of the social discomfort caused by your "Caesar salad smile." Word usage and good grammar work the same way. If you don't write or speak intelligently it gets in the way of people totally accepting your ideas. If you are like most folks, your attitude towards perfect grammar and spelling is that it is something the geeks and nerds learned in school. But please trust me, it is very important when you're trying to impress customers with your knowledge and the value of your product or services. If you struggle in those two areas areas, don't hesitate to ask for a little help from someone. Us nerdy geeks love to feel special, and helping you makes us feel good about ourselves. Think about it: you could actually be saving a nerd from therapy! Yet good writing is more than just avoiding those often confusing word usage errors. When you're writing for your blog, your profile page, your email campaign, or your web pages, let me offer you a few helpful hints: Use the "You" approach. Readers are interested in what will benefit them. Write to be understood, not to impress. Use strong verbs. (And be sure the subject agrees with the verb.) Work on the proper use of I and me. Look up problem words and phrases that you're not certain of. You might even think about starting a "learn a new word a day" habit. (I know - sounds like school. But if you just learn a new netpreneur buzz word a day, that's totally cool, don't you think?) Lastly, write the way you talk - well, almost. In order words, speak conversationally. Example: Don't say "enclosed please find...." A simple, "Here is your ...." Okay. I promise I am finished for today. No, really. I mean it.

Hot Fresh VTL

Stop trying so hard to sell something! Yep. You heard right. STOP trying so hard to sell. Nobody wants to feel like they were sold! Everyone wants to feel like they have made a wise decision to purchase something that will benefit them. Consider these words: Value Trust Loyalty They are critical to your success! Have you ever gone to a car dealership to look for a car? Really! Well, that's where we're going right now. Close your eyes. Seriously. We all think better in surround sound technicolor when we shut out our surroundings and concentrate. Otherwise it is too easy to become distracted or not re-experience all of the details. Bring back to your mind the most obnoxious, outrageous big ticket item salesman - car, boat, house, major appliances - you have encountered. (I know there are some really nice ones out there - two of my dear friends are terrific car salesmen. But that is not who we're talking about here. So please understand that I am only using a "used car salesman" stereotype for purposes of making a point here.) Now, get a pen and paper or type on your computer the following questions, and leave room to answer them - in writing. We're painting a picture here and engaging as many of your senses as possible will help you really get into it and remember the points we'll be discussing. 1 How was he dressed? What was his body posture/language? 2 How educated/informed/knowledgeable did she seem to be? 3 How did she approach you? What did she say? 4 Did he follow you around breathing down your neck with information you were not ready to receive? 5 Did he ask you if you were "ready to commit today" because he could only give you that deal at that moment in this time in infinity? 6 Did she make outrageous claims or withhold critical information? 7 Did she walk back to her manager's office to get you a better deal? Perhaps you finally walked out of a car dealership, put your hand on your car door handle and suddenly the sales person and his manager came running out with yet another deal for you? Did you buy the product? And if you bought the product, did you get to the finance guy and discover that the monthly payments were not the same as the salesman "estimated" - by a LOT? And when you only had a set amount in mind to spend, how much did the sales person try to "up-sell you" before you decided to forget the whole thing and leave? Value Trust Loyalty Did you experience that? Either you bought the item or you didn't. But now I want you to think about how you felt during the process: How much did you enjoy the process? Did you leave feeling good about your decision? What did you tell your friends and family about it? Would you EVER go back and buy from that person or that dealer again? Did thinking about it just now bring back any negative emotions/feelings? As a netpreneur or a netpreneur wannabe, dear friend, YOU are the salesman. And your potential buyers and current customers are YOU. So let me ask you to really evaluate your attitude when selling products online. Value Trust Loyalty Do you just want to make a sale or do you want to make a friend? Are you just looking to put money in your pocket to feed your family or do you really want to help someone make a good decision that will help them have a better life, too? Are you just selling a product or are you providing a solution? Having learned from your own life experiences and buying decisions, think about just who you have purchased from. Think about traits the person or company had that made you trust them enough to buy from them. What did they say or how did they act to make you believe they were "for real"? If you are always jumping right out there to sell your customers or potential customers something - if you don't establish a relationship with them BEFORE you try to get their money - if you do not continue to build on that trust - you may make a few sales here and there. But your chances of converting a window shopper or one-time buyer into a loyal repeat customer are slim. You're a savvy purchaser. You've been burned before. We all have. Nobody wants to feel foolish or taken advantage of. We all want to buy from someone we trust. So here's my big question to you: Can your potential customers trust you? Even more important: How do they know that? Your sales pitch, your ad copy, your emails, your freebies, and especially your products, must all contain truthful, valuable, relationship-building information. If not, you may end up being just another netpreneur wannabe who is selling used cars that nobody wants to buy. Value Trust Loyalty The keys to your success!

Guru Java

THREE STEPS TO WRITING BETTER COPY Quoted from a panel led by Copywriting Guru Michael Masterson. (Note: I did not write this and do not claim any authorship. All Credit and copyrights belong totally to Michael Masterson and AWAI.*) If you follow these three simple steps below you will undoubtedly create stronger headlines, leads, and more successful packages all around. Step 1: The headline. Eighty percent of the impact (and the success) of a direct mail promotion is derived from less than 20% of the copy. That 20% is the headline and lead. That's why Step 1 is all about focusing on these two critical parts. Here's what you do: Give yourself two deadlines. The first deadline is for the headline and lead of the sales letter; the second deadline is for the rest of the promotion. When you have the headline and lead, gather three to four people who are familiar with the product and/or target audience to help review and provide feedback. If you're doing this with your client you might ask them to include people who have a variety of skills and backgrounds: a marketing executive, a product specialist, a creative person, and sometimes a typical buyer. As a group, you are going to assign numerical grades -- from 1.0 to 4.0 -- to the copy. Start by rating the headline (headline only at this point) on the two jobs it absolutely must accomplish: 1. How well does it get itself noticed? Even if you have a ton of papers on your desk, would this get your attention? 2. Is it compelling? Does it make you want to read further? If your headline fails to score an average of at least a 3.0, ask your panel for specific suggestions on how to make it more arresting and/or compelling. Do not entertain negative statements. Restrict their contributions to positive suggestions and then as a group rate those as either "better" or "worse." Step 2: The Lead Once you've got your headline up to snuff, have your panel read the lead (more or less the first 1-1.5 pages of copy) and provide, in numeric form, their gut reaction to it as consumers. If it scores below a 2.5, it may need to be redone entirely. But if it scores between a 2.5 and a 3.2, then there is a strong possibility it will improve considerably with this process. To evaluate the strength of the lead, you must ask: 1. How well does this lead sell you? 2. How strongly does it hook you? 3. To what extent does it make you want to settle back in your chair and read further? Again, you are looking for a gut reaction and you are hoping to score 3.2 or more. If not, then the following questions should give you the answers you are looking for. 1. What is the strongest phrase or sentence in the lead? 2. Would it help if it were emphasized or brought forward? At this point you are asking for suggestions – specific blocks of copy that could be inserted to create the desired effect. After each offered suggestion, poll the other members of the group as to whether they think the new suggestions improve the existing copy. Ask them to respond: worse, better, much better or neutral. If you get stuck at this point, you can rate the copy against any or all of the following criteria: * Credibility * Urgency * Uniqueness * Usefulness * Idea, and * Specificity In four out of five cases, a single half-hour of this kind of work will produce a lead that is strong to very strong. Rate your revised lead to be sure it passes muster. Step 2: The main body copy. When the rest of your promotion is finished, go through it carefully on your own -- highlighting every claim and promise made. Then sit down and determine if each is adequately supported. If it's not, figure out how it could be done better. At the same time, read the package to see if it is balanced. A well-balanced package provides four things. 1. A benefit. It makes a desirable promise. 2. An idea. It suggests something that distinguishes the product from its competitors. 3. Credibility. It establishes that the writer of the sales letter, the product, and the manufacturer of the product are reliable and trustworthy. 4. A track record. It proves that all the claims are true.

Mona Lisa Special

Don't you just hate trying to paint a Mona Lisa of who you are and what you do at 2:00 in the morning? The more you type, the more ignorant you become. The harder you try, the less you accomplish. In the midst of struggling to find the perfect visual, you experience a mental black hole. So you backspace, delete, cut and paste. Hmmm. Nope. Still not right. You trash the whole thing and start over. Or click on Start, Turn Off Computer. Sound familiar? Good. I could use a little empathy. Or is that sympathy? Anyhow, I am delighted you stopped by. You are a welcome distraction.I have been involved in marketing communications for 20+ years now. Longer really. But I figure you're a savvy person who knows how to add 2 + 2, which means you could come up with my age if I were to tell you the whole truth. So we're not going there. Back to why I'm here and what I do. I am "one of those creative types." I suspect you are too or you wouldn't be here. You're looking to improve your life: make more money, get out of debt, send your kids to college, be successful (or more successful), buy some things you really want, bring in some extra cash, or travel the world. Maybe you just want out from under that miserable job you go to every day and you know there is more to living. You want to wake up every morning with that "I love my life!" enthusiasm. Me too. That's why I'm here.So maybe we can help each other. I am a creative writer. I write for magazines, newspapers, an online ezine, newsletters and for a megachurch in South Florida where I am the Director of Marketing Communications. I contribute stories for the Chicken Soup book series. I also speak to groups on leadership and women's issues.I am addicted to words and know the power they have. I can't stop reading, writing, surfing the net or talking. My pupils have become permanently dilated, and when they stare back at me in my bathroom mirror I could swear there's a Microsoft Windows logo imbedded in there. I became part of an amazing online community after seeing its tag line: "Turning knowledge into power." I LOVE that, don't you?Turning knowledge into power. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became because that is precisely what I do for a living. I take someone's knowledge and passion about a subject, mix it up with my creative know-how, and together we paint a Mona Lisa that can help make that new life become a reality. Turning knowledge into power. That's what I do. Wow! I'm pumped. So here I am, sharing what I know, forming friendships and partnerships. So check out my blog here. If you're interested in being put on my ezine list, send me an email that says "Subscribe Me" in the subject line at criss@copywriterpro.com. Now put down that paint brush for the night and catch some zzzzzz's. We have work to do 'cause Mona needs a new smile.

Percolated Persuasion

Are your words powerful and persuasive enough to move your reader (translation: prospective customer) into some type of action? Whatever you're looking to accomplish, you need to know what words to use and how to use them or everything you say will just be more noise in a loud and insanely busy world. Experience has taught me a lot about persuasion. I spent many years sitting in a federal courtroom, listening to lawyers, prosecutors, witnesses and experts all trying to persuade a judge and jury that they were right. I have spent even more years in a career writing advertising and marketing copy. My bank account and bloodshot eyes are testimony to the hundreds (even thousands) of hours I have dedicated to learning everything I can from true masters of persuasion. The one thing that is constant, whether you're writing for a full-color glossy brochure, a direct mail piece or for the internet, is that people are still people. They have the same fears, wants, needs and dreams. People first and always want to know, "What's in it for me?" They won't care about the details of your fantastic product until they believe you're offering a benefit that will fill a need they have. And your expression of the benefit(s) had better be persuasive and compelling or their 5-second attention span will move to something that is. So what are the characteristics of persuasive copy? Write this down. Your words must: 1) Get their attention (as in, Why should I read this?) 2) Focus on the reader/customer (as in, It's all about me.) 3) Stress benefits (as in, What's in it for me?) 4) Set you apart from the competition (as in, What makes you so different?) 5) Establish credibility (as in, Are you for real?) 6) Build value (as in, Why are you so special?) 7) Prove what they say (as in, Don't blow smoke.) 8) End up with a "call to action" (as in, Just do it!) 9) Give the reader a valid reason to act now (as in, Don't wait.) Just FYI - not every sales page or copywriting task will require all nine characteristics. But a good copywriter knows how to be compellingly honest and persuasive with each one.