Copy Tip: This Secret Is The Greatest Of All!
We’ll we’ve finished day one of Mal Emery’s Platinum2Mastermind intensive in Sydney … a great time to make a few re-connections, make a few new connections and get some great business “takeaways” to borrow and adapt.
It happens everytime. This is our 9th meeting — and there’s still plenty of value in every one of them.
In fact, I could have wrapped up by lunchtime and had enough value to go home very happy. But of course there’s a lot more to come!
I did have fun being on stage for the final hour’s “Q&A” session (with about 15 or so other Platinum members) to introduce what I do, briefly mention what I’m covering on Thursday and to even help answer a couple of questions … was great to be able to contribute.
Victorian Bush Fires
We also did see some rather up-close photos from the Victorian bush fires. There is a lot of concern at the event of course for what’s going on with the terrible blazes.
Corinne, one of the other Melbourne-based Platinum members, who is going from strength to strength with her wedding video business (or cinematography as she likes to describe it) was shooting a wedding at De Bortoli Winery in the Yarra Valley on Saturday — Melbourne’s hottest day on record.
At home it reached 47.3C/117.1F — which was 0.9C above the official Melbourne high.
Anyway, as the wedding progressed during the scorchingly hot afternoon, the smoke from nearby bushfires got thicker and the fire came very close, sending the happy couple, staff and guests into the winery’s cellar for safety. Corinne’s photos showed just how quickly the fire took over nearby hills and the vineyard area and sent the place into darkness, before a change of wind direction eased the problem — and then another changed forced everyone back into the cellar for protection.
Certainly much closer than you’d ever want to be. Thankfully I’ve never seen a bushfire up close — only the aftermath of a small one near Daylesford — most trees blackened, some still with flames, but the roads open to traffic.
I was saddened to hear that former Melbourne Channel 9 newsreader Brian Naylor and his wife were two of the (so far) 181 victims of the Victorian fires — the day Brian Naylor retired from newsreading was my last day in politics. Our thoughts are definitely with friends in affected areas, as well as every community and family affected by the tragedy.
Platinum members will hopefully be digging deep over the next few days to add our bit to the major appeals underway.
May it all soon be under control. I’m sure our Rotary Club will spend a fair bit of time focused on helping with the rebuilding of so many communities, there will be much to do over many many months.
But back to today’s event.
Mostly our discussion at Platinum2Mastermind was on the wonderful and profitable subject of copywriting. As Mal said during his opening presentation …
Copywriting is the greatest
money-making secret on the planet
for business owners.
I couldn’t agree more of course! Having the ability to put compelling, persuasive words on paper (or crafting a message into a number of other media) is what brings people to your door — and makes sales.
Know this, and you can use your copywriting skills to really get maximum attention and response to your messages.
A “quick” example
For instance, just last week, I was able to create two emails to clients that brought us in about 9 extra orders. For the campaign we did, and the price of the product, that represented about 40 percent extra response — from just 30 minutes of time.
I don’t have exact stats here (until I’m back in front of our admin computer), but watching fax after fax arrive from 85 minutes after sending the email (I do have that stat here!) was quite enjoyable!
There are lots more examples I can give you — however I picked this one to show you how quickly you can apply your skills to start making money from your prospects or customers.
For earlier runs of this same campaign, up to half of the orders received arrived after a reminder email … if we didn’t undertake this step, we’d miss out on half our profits!
And in the past it’s given us a net ROI (cost of the campaign versus net profit) of a whopping 1832% –
that’s more than $18 returned
for every $1 invested!
It’s great to have the skills to be able to do that quickly and at times very effectively to make sales!
So my Copy Tip for you today is this:
Remember that your copy skills are essential for profitable results your business. That’s even more important in tougher economic times — as your competitors retreat into their shells, you’ll be armed with the skills to lessen the impact on your bottom line.
Even if you’re not going to be doing all the copy yourself, you really do need to know good copy from bad.
Your commitment to read my Copy Tips, plus the resources I share from some of the masters of marketing and copy — shows that you do already recognise how important this skill is to you.
I congratulate YOU on your interest in copywriting!
It all leads to more profits, more quickly and more effectively.
So Mal’s right — that’s the foundation for the best money-making secret on the planet!
Copy Tips: A Surprising Consideration For Your Guarantee
Did you notice I haven’t numbered today’s tip?
We’ll I’ve been on the road for several days (and 4 more to come) keeping my mind juiced with mastermind groups and some really high end coaching. I’m a constant student of this craft and know that to be successful I cannot work in isolation … that’s why I keep up with fellow copywriters online and also get to live events (at least monthly) … being a pro copywriter, live events really are a “media” anyway, and should always be on the schedule!
So … I will just be giving you a short, sharp mini tip — along with some reports about the events I’m at (more about the events in a moment).
Instead of rushing through a few regular tips in my plan while I’m “on the road”, I’d rather make sure my regular content is as fresh as it can be (that’s me being fresh too — not after two plane trips and a very late hotel check in at Sydney!) … and each post stuffed “as full as a goog”!
(What’s a goog you ask? It’s Australian slang for a chicken’s egg).
So I’ll get back to regular full Copy Tip posting on Friday.
Because I simply can’t post half-hearted Copy Tips … I don’t write these by deadline or word count — I pour as much good info into them as I possibly can!
Mastermind Events
In the meantime, I’ll let you know of what’s going on at Mal Emery’s Platinum2Mastermind group (I’m looking forward to giving my presentation to Mal’s group on Thursday) and give you a couple of bits from the just-completed very first weekend meeting of Pete Godfrey’s Private Wealth Group (wow, has that exploded onto the scene! The first get together was super-charged!).
So here’s today’s mini tip …
It’s about guarantees.
It actually fits in with our current tips on TRUST, in a slightly different way.
It’s a reminder from Dan Kennedy that he wrote in The Ultimate Marketing Plan:
Remember, prospects are always skeptical … even about guarantees!
So while a strong guarantee uses risk-reversal wording and tactics to help remove an obstacle to buy (by providing at LEAST a full refund) … you also need to prove and clearly articulate that your guarantee is believable — that you’ll honour what you say and come good on your promise to refund if the case arises.
It was a great point to remember about the skepticism of prospects… and that’s the mini tip of the day!
Copy Tip 42: 13 Ways To Build Trust With Video
An early start today before I head off to some face-to-face events — firstly, with Pete Godfrey and his new private coaching group (first meeting) and then 4 days in Sydney at Mal Emery’s Platinum2Mastermind meeting (Think Tank on Monday, and then 3 days at Platinum). I plan to finalise my Platinum presentation on the plane!
As we’ve discussed before, and in my last tip, it can be easier to be persuasive and get your message across in person.
That’s why we have our events like the ones coming up … the value of the “in person” networking and get togethers; that’s why politicians would much rather make a speech before a large, live crowd at a big political rally (the enthusiasm of some of the crowd can raise the enthusiasm of the rest of the crowd — to make you more convincing).
So when our copy reaches our prospects — in print or online, and it’s just words on paper or words on a screen … it is harder to be effective.
One way to improve the impact of the message is to use video.
Online, you can just embed a video in your message — and with services like YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler, Google Video and countless others … the job is a whole lot easier, cheaper and faster than it used to be. And the bandwidth is better, so the use of video is more acceptable as the download times are much less tedious.
Offline, you can include a DVD (or video tape) … and depending on your prospect and the value of your customer’s business (and your conversion rate – you must know your maths to know if it is worth it!), you might be able to include a premium such as a DVD player, portable player, iPhone size multimedia player or the like — to really get attention!
Again, the cost of production and the technology readily available to do a competent job with inexpensive tools, means that it’s quite simple to add this to your offline marketing.
For example, many phones now have video built in suitable for what you’d need. And many small pocket-size digital cameras also include video that’s high enough quality for your needs.
(The video example below was just from my small Canon digital camera).
How It Helps
The best thing about video is that it engages more senses in your prospect — they see an animated/moving visual and hear your message — and don’t just have to read it. Engaging more senses means you can help “connect” to prospects whose process information using more dominant visual or auditory senses.
Also, your message is most likely perceived to be more believable and genuine because people can see and hear it — the visual images appear much less orchestrated and the chances of you editing/changing what people might say about you seem a lot less likely in these formats.
And for many people, reading is not their preferred method of getting new information! Lots of people like to be entertained by television and the cinema rather than necessarily read a book. If you are a fan, would you rather watch the Super Bowl or read a book about the game?
Video can use strong powerful, emotional visuals and match that with powerful audio … or it can be just as persuasive as a “raw” looking customer testimonial.
For example, I use video testimonials (only 2 so far, but more to come!) on my “Success Stories” page. Take the first one for instance, from Focus Health and Fitness owner Travis Fitzpatrick. Here it is, to save you jumping across:
What Travis says in the 1 minute and 41 second video is not now just something to read, but something to see and hear as well. You see him in “his environment” — at one of his business locations — in his work gear. It’s a lot easier to confirm visually that Travis is a genuine bloke than if I just had a written testimonial on the page.
Video Content?
As you can see from the example above, a testimonial is ideal content for using video. This could either be on webpage or on a DVD (or even just on a popular video site like YouTube, with a link back to your site).
Testimonials are easy to capture — and later on in the Copy Tips series I’ll share with you Nineteen Ways to Use Testimonials and Seven Ways to Capture Testimonials!
(We’ll even look at why something like a digital camera is a better way to capture the testimonial than more dedicated video cameras).
Here are some more ideas for video content …
- You can review your products — talk about them, turn features into benefits, get people to see and hear more about it before making a decision to purchase. There is a MASSIVE opportunity here to really get video-based product reviews onto websites — helping remove the anonymity barrier between your product and your prospect.
- How about on-the-spot interviews with customers — not just a testimonial, but their input and feedback … people love to give their opinion!
- You could produce a customer newsletter message via video — short, succinct, easy to watch and quicker than reading
- As many online marketers do — you can deliver a sales message via video: again, seeing a real person helps develop a relationship and helps build trust and rapport
- You can “open” a product and show people exactly what’s included “in the box” — you could, for example, if you were selling an information product online, use this to highlight how much physical stuff is in the box … the overwhelming value in your offer
- You can deliver video-based tips and advice — again, having a talking face helps prospects relate to a real person
- You can show highlights or a complete speaking presentation — helping show your expertise and position you as an expert in your industry
- If you or your product have been on television, you might use video to show an excerpt for prospects to again see you in a persuasive, expert role
- You could simply have a video diary to just open up your relationship with your customers. I keep thinking of Ed Dale chasing an echidna in one of his 30 Day Challenge video posts last year!
- Other than testimonials, you can show how customers use your product. Sell sheds? Put a video into action showing the myriad of ways people use them to add value to their lives. Sell wedding speech services? Have videos of your customers receiving accolades for their entertaining speech.
- Get customers to promote you via video! Have a competition and get them to do something fun, record it, send it to you and pick a winner. Put the videos online and on DVD. Remember that viral videos where Google had people passing a printout of the Gmail logo from left to right on video, and then had them all linked online to show Gmail being delivered around the world? They received 1,100 clips from Gmail fans in 65 countries! (see below!)
- Promote an issue you are passionate about. For example, if your company supports a charity, you could have a video showing the ways you provide support, or contribute in the community.
That’s 12 more content ideas (as well as testimonials)!
Next time, we’ll look at using Graphics to help build trust… until then, get your video out and start recording!
Oh yeah, here’s that groovy Google Gmail video:
Copy Tip 41: Nine Ways To Build Trust
Well drats on an Aussie (Ben Graham) not being part of the winning Super Bowl XLIII team, but a very exciting game nonetheless! And I can’t believe how soon Aussie rules will be back up and running for 2009.
Now if you’ve been following my Copy Tips, you’ll know that I often “link” my opening story to the copywriting discussion in the blog post.
And I’m about to do it again!
Today I’m going to link football with TRUST.
I’ve probably watched a few dozen American football games in my life, although of course being an Aussie “foreigner” it’s still a bit of a mystery in terms of strategy and plays. I’m pretty good on the basic fundamentals, but watching the nuances and the plays can be quite mesmerising.
(I must say it looks tempting to play on the defensive line and sack a QB!)
But what amazes me (aside from the money spent on Super Bowl television commercials) quite a bit is the timing of when the Quarterback passes the ball, and a Wide Receiver is already in place to catch the ball and complete a first down or touch down. There’s a lot of trust going on (as it looks to me) between team mates on a successful play — the Wide Receiver races down the field, opponents close at his heels, not looking back at the line of play … he suddenly turns at the very last moment and the ball is already in flight and just a fraction of a second away from entering his hands.
The quarterback, knowing the play, trusting in his training, and his wide receiver, succeeds because he can see, hear and feel what’s going on in the game, can pick the right play to make that best suits the conditions … and set up winning plays to score for his team.
On the web, trust is a whole different ball game (pardon the pun!).
The web is global. And very anonymous.
It’s very difficult to know who’s at the other end of a website.
In “the old days”, you’d transact with people close to where you lived or worked. Your relationship was a lot more “real” than it is now online, where it is mainly “virtual”.
Even when you do get to find out personal information online — it might very well be fake (think ficticious like the lonelygirl15 saga).
Because of the remote, virtual and almost invisible nature of the internet and online transactions, there is a greater need to build trust and relationships … the more your prospects know you, the more they’ll be likely to be persuaded by you and buy your product or service.
So that means it’s essential — especially in online copy — to do what you can to build trust with your prospects.
Equally, this works “offline” too — in direct mail, you can use the same kind of tactics to achieve a similar outcome.
Nine Ways To Build Trust Online and Offline
What I’ll be sharing over the next nine Copy Tips are trust-building tactics and approaches you can include in your copy. These will cover:
- Trust via video
- Trust via graphics
- Trust via testimonials
- Trust via case studies
- Trust via meaningful statistics
- Trust via authority figures and celebrities
- Trust via “admissions”
- Trust via guarantees
- Trust via design
Each of these approaches will offer you additional ways to make your copy seem more trustworthy … building your relationships and your business. And as you’ve read above, you now know why that’s so important.
In the meantime, if you can find me a defensive tackle uniform and a QB looking the other way … crunch!!
Copy Tip 40: Six Language Tips
I’m glad today that it’s ONLY going to be in the low 30′s (high 80′s/low 90′s F) this week after Melbourne’s record heat wave. It’s tragic to think that nearly 70 people have died here in Victoria and neighbouring South Australia during the last week from heat stress, and 30 homes have been lost in bush fires.
We can be thankful we only had power outages at our home office on Friday (part of the “load shedding” to randomly cut-off the power to stop the system over-loading)… no bush-fires, and much to be thankful for.
Anyway, back to today’s copy tips… they’re all about language.
An Australia Day funny email sent to me last week reminded me of the reason for this copy tip.
The email started out … “You know you’re Australian if …”
and had lots of amusing points, including:
- You can translate: “Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas”
- You pronounce Melbourne as “Mel-bn”
- You believe the “L” in the word “Australia” is optional
Know if you’re not the “target audience” for this funny email — Aussies — then you might not understand why some of this is funny.
(I’ll translate the first one for you in a moment).
Verbally, it’s easy to pick a tourist or overseas visitor at home here in Melbourne: they pronounce our state capital as “mel-born” — with the second half like you’d say “Jason Bourne” — rather than our rather lazy local pronunciation of “mel-bn” (the “bn” is like shortening the word “bin”)!
You get that person as a speaker on stage saying “mel-born” and instantly the audience picks up on it.
It’s noticeable.
And it feels out of place.
It reminds you they’re not “one of us”.
So when an overseas speaker comes along and says “Mel-bn” — or picks on the value of the Kiwi currency versus the Aussie currency — then it’s a great way for them to relate and build rapport … because they’re speaking the language of the audience.
Now here I don’t just mean speaking a foreign language or learning local slang and comedy.
It’s also about the type of words you use in your copy to the audience you’re writing to.
For instance, we do a lot of stuff with the travel industry, and travel agents are our audience.
We use some “travel industry” words they’re used to hearing or reading when we talk to them.
It helps us to create rapport and build trust, because it makes us be more like them.
So they relate more to us and
our message gets more attention!
Now I’ve gotta say that when, for instance, we’re talking to printers — we again use some industry terms — for the “printing industry” — to help get our message across.
And we’re pretty casual about the structure of the copy — writing like we speak — rather than what would pass for an A-grade at high school English.
When I write for other clients to their audience, such as Government ministers and CEO’s of large corporations, the style of writing is different again.
It still aims to get the same persuasive message across to the reader, but it’s more “formal” and “appropriate” for the target audience.
It even has less of a “sales” tone to it, because it’s targeted to the reader’s “WIIFM” antennae — What’s In It For Me — which of course is different for different audiences.
But a word of warning…
You’ve still got to be careful though — I think there’s a difference between being congruent and true to yourself and trying too hard to be someone you’re not.
If you’re that overseas speaker “trying too hard” to be like your audience, it looks obvious and then you’ll fall out of rapport.
You’ll lose ground.
And if you use “industry-speak” and technological terms with the wrong audience, you’ll quickly lose their interest.
Here’s an example.
I was listening to a speaker about 8 weeks ago talk about an investment product (eMini’s) and was selling a package for the audience to invest in as a money making opportunity.
Now, if the audience was full of investors, some of the terms the speaker used — I can’t remember them exactly, but they were things like “decay rates” and several other terms — might relate to the audience.
But this was an audience of entrepreneurs and small business owners — not all of them familiar with the terms.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the room who found some of the terminology confusing.
That loses the interest of your audience.
It’s just the same as if I started talking about printing a project “4/4 imposed head-to-head with a 10mm double cut” … or getting newspaper advertising “EGN, with RHP loading” … or a radio ad “BMD instead of ROS”
Unless you were a printer or familiar with newspaper or radio advertising, you’d probably have no idea what I was on about!
Unless you’re in a room full of people who you are certain know such terms, you’d keep that stuff out of what you say.
And the same for written copy: keep it out unless you know your audience will know exactly what you’re saying.
On local spelling
Another thing to watch out for in terms of “speaking their language” in written copy is using local spelling.
For instance…
US “center” vs. Australian/UK “centre”
or…
US “program” vs. UK “programme”
depending on usage/context. Using the correct spelling helps build rapport (you understand your market, it’s easier to build trust) and demonstrates empathy.
Now here on my blog, written by an Aussie in Melbourne Australia, I use our own spelling just about all of the time when I’m writing. And yet having a global audience, I try to avoid using words (like “fair dinkum”) that might not convey the same meaning for readers who aren’t also Aussies.
Yet sometimes when I’m writing to readers (even just for support tickets for my web host!) based in the US, I’ll do things like change the short date format for 31st December 2008 from 31/12/2008 (as we use in Australia) to 12/31/2008 (as used in the US).
Another good tip: it’d be worth having one of your target audience check your copy!
So now you know …
- Familiar language helps build rapport
- “Industry-speak” helps build rapport
- Trying too hard is obvious and may lose rapport
- The ‘tone’ of your copy will change with difference audiences
- Terminology should relate to your whole audience — don’t confuse ‘em, or you’ll lose ‘em
- Remember to use local customs, spelling and date formats
Oh yeah, almost forgot.
Here’s what “Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas” means:
Darren (Dazza) and Sharon (Shazza) played AC/DC (Acca Dacca) on the way to McDonald’s (Maccas)!