Published Thursday May 23 2013
If you've been online for very long, and have clicked on any of
the major marketing sites, you've probably seen headlines that
promise, "Write Hypnotic Copy That Guarantees Sales!" or "The
REAL Secrets of Writing That Will Make Customers Get Their
Wallets Out!"
These ads can be tempting, because as an online marketing, you
really do want to see results-and fast.
But is there really "one method that works for all?" when
writing to sell?
And is it as quick and easy as the online ads (written ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday May 16 2013
A lady emailed me yesterday very upset over the fact that her
friend's Internet Service Provider (ISP) wasn't delivering
important email messages.
This lack of delivery caused a real problem for the two of them
with ruined plans, missed appointments, and just plain
inconvenience.
If you don't use email, this might not sounds like a "big deal."
But this problem of non-delivery has dramatically affected the
way businesses use email and is now about to reach epidemic
proportions for consumers ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday May 09 2013
How to Make Sure You Get Your Mail:
Increasingly, ISPs are using filtering systems to try and keep
Spam out of customers' inboxes. Sometimes, they accidentally
filter the e-mail that you want to receive.
To make sure that our e-zines, e-mail courses and support
e-mails are not filtered into your "junk" or "bulk" folder,
please add our address to your list of trusted senders.
Here's how:
Hotmail: Place our address in your safe list. The safe list can
be accessed via the "Options" link next to ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday May 02 2013
Many types of Internet advertising don't work as well as they
once did. People have gotten used to banners and don't click on
them. Some ezines have failed to keep their readers' interest
and ads sometimes get less response. Search engines are
overflowing with submissions. Getting your site listed high is
almost impossible.
More and more businesses and organizations are now turning to
email marketing to keep profits rolling in. While an increasing
number of people say they rarely surf the Net, ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday April 25 2013
Those of you who know me will also know that I'm addicted to
conferences. For me, the eye-opener was the second edition of
the European Shareware Conference. I went there just to see what
it was like, not knowing anyone. I am very shy in nature, and
it's not always easy to get to know new people. But when I was
there, I went to the informal drinks the evening before the
conference, and knew everyone who was there in no time.
I actually think that going there without knowing anyone was ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday April 18 2013
Talk to almost any advertising agency, or Fortune 500 company
exec about advertising and promotion, and you will almost
certainly hear the buzz words "fragmented advertising" and
"consumer-centric campaigns" and long discussions about the many
pitfalls and difficulties of creating effective advertising
campaigns today.
What is fragmentation exactly? It's the increase in the number
of available methods for getting your message to your audience.
One of the main difficulties faced by any ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday April 11 2013
Many an ad, business letter and TV commercial comes into being
slowly, even painfully. Maybe because some of us write as if we
were still using an IBM Selectric, wite-out and a badly worn
Webster's. For that matter, maybe some still are. And that's OK.
But in these digital days, software and the Internet can help a
tech-savvy writer be a better writer and make getting the job
done easier. While writing every day is still the best practice
for improving your writing skills, there are programs ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday April 04 2013
There's Yin, and there's Yang. There's a man, and there's a
woman.
You can't live without one or another. And let's face it. We're
not the same!
So when you're writing your ads or sales letters, you should
keep in mind that, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus".
I know....I know! Although men don't enjoy that book as much as
women do, the nature of gender differences is unarguable. We
were not born the same....that's all.
There's always a psychological barricade based on our ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday March 28 2013
1) Think about your Readers
When writing ad copy be sure that the average reader can easily
understand and relate to it. Put yourself in their place. Would
you understand? Would you say, "That's me"? One way to help you
write for your readers, is to write just as if you were saying
it to their face. Address the reader as "you" in your copy. Just
like a one on one conversation. Sometime take a closer look at
some of the advertising around you. How many times do you see
them using "you"?
Make ...
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Posted in: Writing
Published Thursday March 21 2013
Is someone distributing your software or other copyright content
illegally over the Internet? It's possible. It happens. If you
can prove your case, you have grounds for legal action.
BUT -- before making yourself look foolish and creating enemies,
have your facts straight. A reasonable understanding of Internet
technology can prevent you from ending up with egg on your face.
Take this situation. I've changed names to protect the guilty.
A representative of an online business emailed me saying, ...
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Posted in: Writing