KickAss Copywriter

Are you still plunking down money on marketing that doesn’t, directly, put money in your pocket?

That won’t seem like a silly question to direct response copywriters and marketers, but it may feel a bit vague to some business owners.   
For those of us, who have discovered and highly believe in direct response — offline or online — we try to help our clients to always spend advertising and marketing dollars on the kinds of marketing you can truly measure.

If you just pay for a glitzy ad to be written and designed and then pay for the space in a spiffy publication, without making a direct offer to buy, you’re not doing direct response.

By its very name, it’s the kind of marketing/advertising that asks for the sale.  So, you can judge the success or failure of it by how many orders you get, right?

This, IMO, is the only kind of marketing that makes any sense to any business, unless perhaps you’re Coke or Microsoft.

Why does anyone care about ‘image’ or ‘branding,’ anyway?  Making profits is not about you, your business or your products.  It’s only about your customers!

No one really cares about all the techno-babble about how your widget is built.  All your prospective customers care about is, “What will this product do for me?”

So, in all of your marketing, tone down the features of your newest widget and focus on how it will alleviate the pain of your customers.  Or how it’ll make their lives easier, sexier, faster or more fun.

You’ve probably all heard it before, but it’s still true.  The only station a consumer is tuned to is:  WIIFM.

Always do these Things in your Marketing … 

1. Answer their question, “What’s in it for me?”  (WIIFM)

2. Tell them why they should believe you.

3. Tell them how much it costs.

4. Tell them how to order right now. 

5. Tell them they only have a limited time to order.

6. Tell them you only have a limited quantity.

7. Then, tell them you’ll refund their money, if they don’t like it.  

Tell them these things in everything you print or put online!

If it don’t bring in the bucks … don’t do it.

If you need a kickass copywriter and marketing strategist to help you out with these kinds of things that SELL … I know where you can find one.

Here’s to making the phone ring, the server crash and the cash register ka-ching!

Carolyn

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com

Are you getting and keeping customers the way you’d like to?

Are you making yourself the star in your own show? 

If you, the business owner or CEO, are not the STAR … you’re not getting and keeping all of the customers you should be.

What do I mean by that?  I mean that you should be selling YOU … not your products or services!

Let’s face it, most of the time there aren’t that many real differences between one product and another. 

One dentist is about the same as another.  And one automobile does pretty much the same thing as the others do …they all run on some kind of fuel, have 4 tires, windows and doors, yes?

So, the thing that sets one product or service apart from the rest is YOU. 

Have you developed a unique character that folks will really like, trust or find amusing?

Are you a bit edgy?  Are you funny?  Do you have some kind of quirk that your customers would be drawn to – IF they knew about it?

People Buy From You Because of YOU!

In my copywriting business, I am the KickAss Copywriter, and my tagline is:  Where Mediocrity is Outlawed.

Since I’m from Texas, originally, I chose a Western theme.    And I have a donkey kicking out the “m” (for mediocrity).

This works for me because I’m a straight-shooter, my word is my bond, and I won’t settle for just “OK” copy for my clients. 

There are many good copywriters out there, in addition to the greats we all know and respect.  And, I’m sure if you develop a relationship with them, they’ll do a fine job.

Those who hire me are impressed with my work, but they are more interested in WHO I am, as a person-ality.  Because I infuse my copy with personality that folks like to read.

Have YOU adopted a personality that keeps your customers enthralled with you? 

A Story of the Man Who Dared to Be Waaay Different …

I have one client in Belgium, who sells projection screens.  His latest addition is a sleek, sexy, black piece of furniture that totally contains the screen when not in use.

And at the touch of a button, the screen ascends skyward.  Impressive.  And it’s 80″ diagonal. 

I’m calling this, “The Seducer in a Box.” 

Why?  Because there is a well-known factor – the WAF – that we have to address.  The WAF is the wife approval factor, which his audience (men) all know and must adhere to!    J

Its first entre’ will be in a black, sleek, sexy brochure.  When it’s on the web site … I’ll reveal it for you!

You see, this owner knows that men are crying out for help with the WAF.  So, he’s answering the call … with “The Seducer in a Box.”

We’re also building a ‘men’s-only club’ out of this.  Members will get a T-Shirt to tout their BIG Screen-dom.

Since he’s International, we fully expect it to cause a World-wide fire!

How’s THAT for Personality-Marketing??

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com

With a plethora of products and services just like yours, why should someone buy from you, instead of one of your many fine competitors?

Is it because your products are that superior?  Probably not, because most products (and services) have to perform the way they’re supposed to … or the companies are out of business sooner or later!

Is it because of your amazing offer or bonuses that buyers get when they buy from you? 

Well, a great offer is absolutely imperative and bonuses are a great inducement to get folks to take action right now – especially online.

So, is that the BIG secret?  Nope, not so fast!

How about your guarantee?  Now that’s another component that all savvy product marketers understand they MUST have, in order to make their prospects feel comfortable enough to buy, right?

 That’s right.  But, that’s not the real differentiator! 

All things being equal, then, what prompts the prospective customer to buy from you, instead of all the other clamoring voices out there, vying for his/her money?

Drum roll, please?  It’s YOU! 

You are who they buy from.  They buy from you (or Joe Schmo) because you have allowed them to see YOU … the real you.

And they like you.  They like the way you talk to them, the way you understand them.  You have humanized the buy-sell dance, elevating it from a cold, impersonal ‘give me your money and I’m off’ transaction.

So, I’m suggesting that whatever you’re selling, it is YOU that your prospects and customers are buying.  (After you take care of the basics.)

The question, then, is HOW are you presenting yourself to your prospects?  What is your personality?  What is it about you that would endear you to your prospects? 

Are you a bald man, with a blustering, commanding voice, who is hard, but fair?  Were you a high school drop-out, who picked himself up by his own bootstraps to create something to be proud of?  Then use that! 

Will it appeal to everyone?  No, but the ones it will appeal to will buy from you again and again.

People had rather buy from those they like than to buy from those they don’t like or don’t even know, wouldn’t you agree?

 Bottom Line:  In all of your advertising and marketing, make sure your personality comes through in everything that’s written or said about you.

http:www.kickasscopywriter.com

I was having a coaching session with Will Ezell yesterday (www.willezell.com).
 
Great guy!  A direct response marketing millionaire genius, who flies a bit under the radar as well.

And one of the things I mentioned was that I felt a bit silly talking about copywriting on my new blog. 
I mean, with all the heavy-hitters out there, saying just about everything about everything …
what newsworthy contribution can I make, I pondered aloud. 

Staying under the radar myself for lots of years, I’ve recently decided to come out!  

I set up this web site, not sure exactly how to bill myself.  Well, yes, I write kickass copy, but my approach seems a bit different than most, I feel. 

I’m not very formulaic, for example.  And what I mean by that is I don’t have a lot of rules or guidelines that I follow by rote. 

My writing, like my life, is a little iconoclastic. 

I actually look at every single project from a wholistic point of view. 

I look deeper into my client’s mind, his/her product or service, the audience, the key differentiators, the USP or UVP …

and find a kernal of unexplored genius that will set my clients apart.

The truth is, I write from inspiration, which is SO much more trustworthy than any hand-me-down theory or even proven formula from another copywriter.

So, as I’m asking a boatload of questions about the client, their products or services, I’m also getting a sense of who they are.  So, who they are and their unique gifts begin to speak to me.

From here, I’m guided to write, using just the right words, infused with just the right energy to evoke just the right response … whatever that is. 

You see, before something became a rule or a guiding light … it was used by someone, somewhere, sometime … FIRST! 

Right or wrong, I don’t follow the pack just because everyone else does.  I find that boring and more than a little bit cowardly.  Who wants to see another “me too” ad, sales letter or web site?

Put yourself in your prospective customer’s shoes.  Wouldn’t you say, “Surprise me, please!”

And, in fact, in today’s market place, where people are stressed to the max, in information overload and don’t believe most of the crap they hear anyway, you better …

Look, Act and BE Different!

How do I look, act and BE different you ask?   Give me a call and let’s discuss it, shall we?

Till then, if you want to really get noticed … be sure to have kickass copy!

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com