Marketing Writing Resources for Creative Copywriters

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If there has been one constant in the ever-transient paradigm of marketing on the Internet, it is that "content" is the key to attract a steady stream of the uninitiated as well the converts. Good white papers serve to generate awareness about a product/service/organization, and more importantly, cause people to inquire and potentially buy the product/service in question. Get the full story.

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Every year Steve conducts a survey of his subscribers to identify ways that marketers are squeezing more sales out of their direct marketing. Here are some learnings from this year's report. The 10 tips offer new inspiration for direct mail campaigns.

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Mark Twain once said the rumors of his death had been greatly exaggerated. The same may be said for the press release. It's not dead—but its mission has evolved.

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If your company sells complex products or services, you may want to take a page from the high-tech marketers' book. Continue to use conventional collateral to differentiate your solution and demonstrate value. Then, see if you can create independent demand for your unique methodology or business processes. Like with white papers, for example.

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High-tech suffers from terminal seriousness. It's an insidious problem, and it means that most tech companies fail to take advantage of opportunities to stand out. Over 80 percent of everything we hear daily is filtered, and humor helps you to be heard in a crowded market. Get the full story.

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This week, read your answers to the previous challenge: What are the top secrets to creating great online content? Also this week, solve this problem: How does a speaker go about getting more engagements including meetings, conventions, seminars and tradeshows? Join the conversation! Get the full story.

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In competing for a piece of business not too long ago, the author's public relations firm was asked to supply three samples -- of recent clips, bylined articles, and press releases. For two of the three requirements, the issue was an embarrassment of riches. But for press releases, the firm was hard-pressed. These days, it writes fewer and fewer press releases. It just doesn't see them as being as important a tool for PR as they once were. Get the full story.

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Useful and sticky Web sites find out what's most important and relevant to their customers--and then customize their experiences in a meaningful way. By giving customers more of what they want (and when they want it), Web companies can use the power of personalization to increase customer engagement and retention. Here are some personalization principles that work, and Web companies that are doing a great job of applying them. Get the full story.

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This article is a Five-Minute Communication Test: Do you have connectors? In precisely five minutes, you can find out for yourself if your copy on your Web site/brochure/sales letter etc., will be read by your customer from start to finish. It's a simple, yet extremely powerful test.

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In the literary world, "good writing" may be notoriously difficult to define. But on the Web, good copy has two clear, easily understood objectives: It elevates your search engine rankings, and it attracts qualified traffic and holds the attention of your prospects and customers. On the Web, your words carry a lot of weight. Fortunately, you can build verbal muscle, fast. Following are five tips you can apply right now (with a minimum of time or technical hassle) to dramatically improve the effectiveness of your Web site writing.

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In the search engine optimization and marketing industry, there's been a rule of thumb: Longer keyword phrases have better conversion rates. But that's not the whole truth: conversion rates peak at four-word phrases. Here are strategies you should consider when developing keywords for your optimization and pay-per-click campaigns.

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Between getting caught in spam filters or being blocked by ISPs and disappearing in the sheer volume of email that's out there, it's tough to guarantee that your newsletter actually gets into the hands of your customer. Recently, the author worked with a client to improve his newsletter delivery rate by 22%. Read the following case study to see the small changes she made that made such a dramatic difference.

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The best Web sites get to the point. They ruthlessly eliminate waffle and happy talk. They focus on helping people complete key tasks as quickly as possible. The truth is, the Web is a selfish place. People don't have much time. They scan pages looking for something specific. Most people have absolutely no interest in links such as "What We Do" and "Who We Are." They only care about what you can do for them. As Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg write in their new book: "Virtually all Web sites have a persuasive purpose: to get someone to subscribe, to register, to inquire or to buy something." In other words, the crucial measure of success is the actions that have occurred.

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In a world where everything is becoming commoditized, the key to success becomes differentiation. That's becoming more difficult to achieve. Perhaps the biggest differentiation in building a business is service. That retains customers, gets them to buy again and inspires them to become apostles for you. But what kind of differentiation helps you acquire customers in the first place if your product or service appears to be a commodity?

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This week, our regularly featured "SWOT Team" column gets a new name as it becomes the weekly "Marketing Challenge" column. In it, a reader asks: How do I create a big splash on little cash? Readers respond with four excellent approaches. Also this week, suggest your own answers to the problem: What's the most effective ways to reach teens online?

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Sometimes, less is more. Especially when it comes to content. Many Web sites are too big to professionally manage with the number of staff available. There might be a Web team of four people, yet they have a site that requires at least 10 to properly manage. What happens when you have more content than you have people to manage?

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The columnist, author of "Writing Copy for Dummies," recently joined forces with Jon Warshawsky, coauthor of the newly published "Why Business People Speak Like Idiots." Together, the "dummy" and the "idiot" attacked their archenemy, Corporate Bull. What follows are five practical suggestions for shoveling your way out of the doublespeak and successfully into the embrace of colleagues and customers.

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Whether distributed via email or printed and snail-mailed, newsletters are a cost-effective way for businesses or organizations to keep in touch with employees, customers, prospects or association members. The trick, however, is to come up with a strategy to keep readers engaged and the publication's production and editorial adjustments in line with current budgets. Here are five tactics that you can use to make your newsletter more engaging for your intended recipients.

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Don't choose marketing messages based on whim or personal preference. Educate the product team about the three approaches to formulating messages. Work to identify and hone the messages. You'll find that consistently communicating these messages will help brand your product—and, if your product actually delivers its promised benefits, will increase sales over time.

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Examine your press initiative. Do you know your marketplace, and know how to reach each member of it? Are you continually building trust? Are you delivering only what people need, and only in the way they want it delivered? Or are you shooting words like rock salt from a shotgun—hoping some of it will stick somewhere but resigning yourself to most of it becoming additional unread content on a Web site?