KickAss Copywriter

Are you still doing any kind of marketing that can’t be measured? 

If you are, I’d like to encourage you to stop it right now.

As the widely-acclaimed Dan Kennedy says, you should ask this question of your agency or marketing guru, “How will we know how many dollars were derived from this media or method?  If there is no good answer there’s only one good decision.”

If you’re still pumping money into branding ads or anything else that does not allow you to MEASURE results, you have no idea whether there even is an ROI or not, do you?

I’m a strong advocate of Internet marketing, such as email marketing, autoresponders, SEO and PPC.  Affiliate marketing, of course, allows the same kind of measurement.

And, if you don’t have a good in-house list of folks who have opted-in to receive interesting, relevant information, you may want to check out Tellman Knudson’s List Building Club.

When you’re at a place where you need specific, measurable marketing pieces, by all means hire a competent copywriter.  Whether you need B2B copy or B2C … find a good one and keep them!   

A real professional copywriter will get to know you and your audience very well.  She/he will learn all they can about your competition, too, in order to differentiate why/how you’re better.

She’ll craft your message to your specific audience, based on understanding the real reasons they want your product/service, and then she’ll compel them to take your desired action.

So if you have a web presence and sell products or services, you need an email campaign to drive traffic to a landing page that converts.  It’s as simple as that.    

Your email campaign, btw, can be just text or simple html.  Both can be successful.  It’s the sales message and the irresistible offer that matter most.

If you don’t have a viable autoresponder series in place, that automatically sends out a series of emails to new people on your list, as they come on board, you’re losing out on a BIG, measurable marketing opportunity.

And what about upsells?  Once you drive traffic to your landing page, via email, SEO or PPC and you get their ‘opt-in’ email address, in return for a valuable complimentary gift and …

are you also offering them some kind of compelling ‘upsell’ that makes sense to them?

If you’re not taking advantage of up-selling opportunities, you’re also leaving money on the table.

And, you must make sure that when you send out an html email promo, that the landing page they arrive at will have the very same graphics as the email.  (Congruence)

Studies show that the abandon rates are greater, when the landing page is not exactly like the email they just saw a second earlier. 

Yep, they say the responses are better, if there are some of the design elements repeated … just much better, when they’re exactly the same as they saw in the email promotion.

Why?  Readers will not even take .5 seconds to guess whether they’re in the right place.  If it isn’t immediately clear as glass, they’ll leave.

9 Steps to Ensure a High ROI on Measurable Marketing …

1. Know your audience.
2. Speak directly to their deepest, emotional triggers.
3. Make your message crystal clear & convincing.
4. Instill trust, credibility and believability in the copy.
5. Make your offer something they can’t live without.
6. Make your price very fair and believable.
7. Make the process/path they follow to buy very clear and easy.
8. Maintain the same graphic treatment everywhere.
9. Provide an excellent guarantee/return policy that makes sense.
10. Offer one or more up-sell items, when appropriate, and with good taste.

So, if you’re a business owner, CEO or in charge of marketing for a big corporation, I hope you’re using some of the highly measurable direct marketing avenues. 

I didn’t touch on direct response, using snail mail, which still does very well, of course.  (Just ask Dan Kennedy.)  You just have to wait a while to measure results, whereas with the Internet marketing methods, it’s much faster.

We’ve become so spoiled to the ability to test, evaluate and test some more online that some of us just can’t wait for the mail anymore.    
Here’s wishing you the BIGGEST, measurable marketing successes in 2008 and beyond.

Carolyn
The KickAss Copywriter
http://www.kickasscopywriter.com

What’s your idea of success?

There are many ways to look at success, from physical, emotional
or spiritual health perspectives — to a financial health POV.

I’m one of those people for whom my physical, emotional and spiritual conditions are SO important that I’ve had to actually earn the importance of having a robust financially healthy life.

Then I finally realized that creating financial success is not the antithesis of ‘being spiritual’ at all!  But it took me a long time to get here.   

Growing up in a small town in Texas, in a strict fundamentalist religion, I was taught “… it is more difficult for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Now keep in mind, this notion was held true, right along with segregation and that “if God wanted us to be together, He’d made us all the same color.”  (Actual quote from my Dad that I heard from childhood through teenage.)

Oh my, the amazing lies and bigotry we have to overcome in this world to come out a whole, loving, tolerant person who embraces everyone as ONE!

So, it doesn’t take a genius to understand how the idea of being successful in the area of money, (root of all evil) was extremely difficult for someone like me to get my head around.

I also know this has been true for countless others, who’ve had the unfortunate experience to be taught such nonsense.

What Do I Think Now?

I think, feel and know that we ALL deserve ALL the good in life, including having money.

While all the money in the world can’t replace the other areas of success, it can sure augment it, don’t you think?

Success in Business …

So, I’d like to use the rest of this post to talk about business success.  Do you ever find yourself holding back, believing somehow you don’t deserve to have monetary success in your business?

Do you, like me, have to constantly battle the ancient negative voices inside your head, echoing some long-lost ideology forced on you, when you were an impressionable child?

Well, just in case you do, this post is for you, while also being for me. 

My answer?  Just DO it!

Be with the unworthy and undeserving thoughts … and just DO it anyway.  I suggest you don’t focus any energy on these two handmaidens of doubt. 

Meaning, just let them sit there, but don’t focus on them, by trying to force them away … that just feeds them and gives them power.
 
5 Ways to Transcend Unworthy or Undeserving Thoughts:
1. Notice they’re there.
2. Don’t give them any power, by focusing on them.
3. Don’t try to make them go away, either.
4. Reprogram deserving thoughts all the time.
5. Just DO what you know to do to achieve monetary success.

Do the Right Thing …

Armed with the knowing that we deserve all the good, including money, then make sure we do the right thing with it.

In our personal and business endeavors, let’s always, always be a good steward with our money.  Never, ever use it to hurt another.  Be true to our word and deliver on our promises.

And, may I suggest if you should need help with marketing strategy and copywriting services that will assure your prospects and customers feel you are genuine and trustworthy, choose a copywriter who also operates on these higher principles.

Your customers will respond favorably to the genuine energy they feel from you, I promise.

Yours in business success!

Carolyn
The Kick Ass Copywriter
http://www.kickasscopywriter.com

If you’re a business owner, I’m sure this will come as no surprise
to you.  That is … after you hear it.

Sounds like a very simple question.  How do you grown your business?

One may say, “Well, I make sure my accountant finds as many tax
write-offs as possible for me to take advantage of.”  Or, “I make sure that my products are constructed of the most sturdy materials available, so I dramatically reduce the number of returns/refunds.”

We could go on and on …

But, according to business-building legend, Jay Abraham, here are
the …

3 simple ways to grow a business:

1. Increase the number of customers.
2. Increase the average transaction value.
3. Increase the frequency of repurchase.

Jay says that if you maximize each one, your business will grow
at an astonishing rate.

So, what are you doing to increase the number of customers?

What are you doing to increase your average transaction value?

Are you communicating with your existing customers, so they’ll
buy from you again and again?

THREE Ways to Grow a Business …

In each of these 3 ways to grow a business, you must communicate with your potential and existing customers, wouldn’t you agree?

If I may humbly suggest, if you aren’t employing the services
of a crackerjack copywriter to fashion your sales messages, based
on knowing your market, your offer, your credibility, proof and
connecting with folks on a deeper, emotional level …

I guarantee you’re leaving money on the table.

Be sure your marketing messages reflect who you really are and
offer plenty of reason for them to trust you. 

Talk about your real past successes and say a bit about why that
is true.

Take the time to fully explain your product and demonstrate how
it will sincerely make the reader’s life easier, happier or more
financially-rewarding.

There are a lot of BAD marketing messages out there. 

Just make sure yours is not one of them. 

Those in the know, hire a Pro! 

Whether you choose me or one of the other fine copywriters out
there … get it done professionally.

There’s an old advertising adage that says, “You have to be the
first out or the best dressed.”

So, if you’re not the very first person to offer what you do,
make or sell … make sure it looks, acts and performs better than
any of your competitors – and you WILL get your share of the business pie.

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com