Darren Contardo's Netrepreneur

Writing Great Copy

Anybody can write right? ;)

Nope! Writing great copy is a science, an art, a unique gift that not many people have...or care to learn. Advertising copy is different than regular writing because there are specific principles and practices to keep in mind. Here are just a few of them to remember when writing:

1. Establish the promise to the reader in the headline or PPC Ad
If your product or service helps a customer do something in particular, then say it right out in the headline. Then use the rest of copy to explain how or what that actually is so they can rationalize their purchase. Oh and please use differentation when you do.

2. Keep you headline to 5 words if possible.

3. Keep subheads or deck to 1 sentence, 2 at max.

4. Use pull quotes and captions to tell the story as people like to read between the lines.

5 Close with a call-to-action at the end of article to continue the consumer purchase cycle.

6. And as mentioned before, write for different personas and personality styles.

Great Copy Promises and Delivers

Anybody can write right? ;) Nope! Writing great copy is a science, an art, a unique gift that not many people have...or care to learn. Advertising copy is different than regular writing because there are specific principles and practices to keep in mind. Here are just a few of them to remember when writing: 1. Establish the promise to the reader in the headline or PPC Ad If your product or service helps a customer do something in particular, then say it right out in the headline. Then use the rest of copy to explain how or what that actually is so they can rationalize their purchase. Oh and please use differentation when you do. 2. Keep you headline to 5 words if possible. 3. Keep subheads or deck to 1 sentence, 2 at max. 4. Use pull quotes and captions to tell the story as people like to read between the lines. 5 Close with a call-to-action at the end of article to continue the consumer purchase cycle. 6. And as mentioned before, write for different personas and personality styles.

Great Copy Promises and Delivers

Anybody can write right? ;) Nope! Writing great copy is a science, an art, a unique gift that not many people have...or care to learn. Advertising copy is different than regular writing because there are specific principles and practices to keep in mind. Here are just a few of them to remember when writing: 1. Establish the promise to the reader in the headline or PPC Ad

Brand building: Print VS Web

So you have a new brand and you want to build it? What to do? Well, we all know that web is cheaper, but print looks cooler. What's better? The answer? Both...

A recent study in Australia suggests that Print Advertising has better brand recall than Web does, however, Web content goes deeper and still has significant brand recall. The important thing that the study notes is that the tactics (rules) aren't the same. Large hi-res images, flashy graphics, and repetitive brand names won't work online. In fact, they will probably annoy your prospect, especially if they're waiting for a page to download. More importantly, the web is best used for utilitarian type functions. Translation: task-oriented...Get what you want and leave.

"Memory for Advertising and Information Content: Comparing the Printed Page to the Computer Screen" (Psychology & Marketing, August 2005).

A recent article on MarketingProfs by Gerry McGovern breaks down the study quite nicely.

One critical thing to remember is that Search will compliment your print ad for brand building and your web site for information gathering, since your prospect won't feel the need to remember the exact URL since Search will help them find what they're looking for. This leaves a great opportunity to use PPC to ensure you get your prospects to your Site and convert them.

So in summary, you can see that both Print and Web are good ways to build your brand. One's very creative and traditional where the "old" right-brain rules apply and the other is very tactical and (my personal favorite) measurable way where the "new" left-brain rules apply...RIGHT-BRAIN MEET LEFT-BRAIN.

Know Your Copyrights

I found a great little article from Workz on copyrights. Take a peek, it's worth the time. On a side note; if you have a great idea and can't afford a trademark on your design or name I have a quick and cheap solution. Ready? Here it is: mail it to yourself via registered mail. If someone claims to be the orginator of your idea (but really isn't) your little envelope will hold up in the court of law. Oh, keep your letter sealed too, otherwise it won't be worth a "lick".

Is Content King? If you

Is Content King?

If you want a website that will generate traffic and keep people interested, then you have to go for content. Even online stores need content to persuade their visitors to convert to buyers. Basic buying behavior suggests that a person does the following:

1. Problem Recognition
2. Awareness of "your" solution (sees an ad of yours or word of mouth)
3. Interest (digs for information at this point)
4. Evaluation of alternatives (look for like products/services) to see if anything is better
5. Purchase decision
6. Post-purchase satisfaction/remorse (this will dictate if they buy again or go to the competition)

As you can see, the "interest" step is critical to nail on the head in order to persuade your visitor to take action! If you don't answer their question, they'll go somewhere else to find it. Remember, your competitor is just a click away (or search query).