Persuasive Online Copywriting
Two FutureNow Seminars, 6/2-3 in New York City
Who: Bryan Eisenberg, Holly Buchanan, Jeff Sexton and select members of the FutureNow team.
What: Our most popular seminars return to New York City for this exciting two-day training event. Get first-hand advice from FutureNow’s leading experts in online conversion, persuasion and customer focus.
In order to keep things relaxed and ensure that guests have a chance to get all of their questions answered, class size is limited, so act soon!
Choose one seminar and save. Choose both and save big.
Persuasive Online Copywriting is co-led by two of our most popular writers, Holly Buchanan and Jeff Sexton. Learn how to make the words you use online more persuasive and speak to a variety of segments and customer motivations at the same time. Not only for copywriters, past guests for this class have included C-level execs, marketing directors, entrepreneurs, and others who just want to improve their online communication skills. Packed with practical, real-world examples and “how to” exercises, the focus is on giving you simple-yet-effective techniques that you can implement right away to persuade visitors to take action. (Read more about this workshop.)
- Monday, June 2 | 9 am - 5:30 pm EST
- Only $695 until May 9th ($795 after)
Call to Action, led by Bryan Eisenberg, best-selling author and co-founder of FutureNow, is based on the Eisenberg brothers’ best-selling book, “Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results.” You don’t need to be an expert in web analytics, web design, usability, social media, and search engine optimization to appreciate this seminar. Bryan will show you how Persuasion Architecture makes sense of these disciplines by merging your business goals with the goals of your visitors. If you want to boost online sales and conversion, this one’s for you. (Read more about this eye-opening course.)
- Tuesday, June 3 | 9 am - 5:30 pm EST
- Only $795 until May 9th ($895 after)
As an added bonus, Bryan will discuss themes from his forthcoming book, Always Be Testing.
When: June 2-3, 2008
Where: New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania | 401 Seventh Avenue at 33rd St. | New York, NY 10001
Why: Because you know that in order to get results like these, the words you use, how your website is structured, and knowing what to test is what makes all the difference. Besides, New York in June is a beautiful thing.
Early Bird Discount: Register here by May 9th to receive $100 off admission for each single seminar or $300 off when you register for both!
Group Discount: Want two or more of your staff to attend? No problem. Just register everyone at the same time and save $50 per additional person when you register.
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What is Web Copy and How Should I Use It?
Pearce responded to our “Ask the Experts” post, looking for a definition of “web copy.”
If you look up its definition, copy refers to any “written matter intended to be reproduced in printed form” (e.g., “The text of a news story, advertisement, television commercial, etc., as distinguished from related visual material”). The word was originally used in the context of the printing press, but it essentially means the same thing online.
Since all copy is content, but not all content is copy, some people separate the two. They use “copy” exclusively to mean text that is written to persuade visitors to take action. “Content,” meanwhile, doesn’t imply an intent to persuade. (For example, think of a website that features celebrity news Content, with a page urging visitors, via persuasive Copy, to subscribe.)
So, “web copy” refers to any and all words published on your website. And without it, your site looks something like this.
I don’t know if this is all that helpful for Pearce, but here’s what is important…
Web Copy is different from Offline Copy.
Offline copy (like a billboard) isn’t interactive. Web copy (like what you read on this blog) is. Web copy needs to be formatted in easy-to-read chunks. It’s hard to read a lot of copy online. Break up your copy with headers, subheaders, short paragraphs and bullet points.
Web copy has a powerful advantage over offline copy: Hyperlinks.
Hyperlinks create persuasive momentum. They provide a clear pathway for your visitor to accomplish his or her goals, and your business to accomplish your goals. What actions do you want your visitors to take? Your website should be planned with visitor goals and company goals in mind. Use your web copy to answer your visitors’ questions, address their objections, and provide hyperlinks that move them toward the actions you want them to take.
How do I plan goals for my website?
Pearce’s second question (”"Do you have any ideas on how to come up with goals for college websites?”) helps illustrate where web copy fits into the overall process of planning, building, and optimizing a website.
To find your website’s goals and use copy to support them, ask yourself these three questions:
- Who is my audience?
- What actions do I want them to take?
- What information do they need in order to feel confident taking action?
Pearce should look at all the different types of visitors who might come to a college website (prospective students, current students, faculty, alumni, people in the community), then map out what each of these visitors is trying to accomplish. What questions are they asking? What information are they hoping to find? What information would you most like each of these groups to see?
For Pearce, this involves looking not only at his visitors’ goals, but the goals of the college itself. (Do they have a new program they want to push, a special event, or a special benefit that prospective students would love?) Once he has this information, he can plan pathways and provide information that is relevant for each of these types of visitors.
All pathways should lead toward an action you want your visitors to take. After all, how can you measure success if you haven’t defined what success looks like?
Thanks for the questions, Pearce!
. .
[Editor’s Note: Got a question for FutureNow? All you have to do is “Ask the Experts“.]
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Written by:Holly Buchanan
Can’t Make it to San Francisco? Ask the Experts Now
Even if you can’t make it to our upcoming seminars (3/27-28 in San Francisco), we still want to answer your questions about copywriting and website optimization.
Now’s your chance to ask Jeff Sexton, Holly Buchanan and Bryan Eisenberg anything you want!*
Jeff, Holly and Bryan will respond to your questions in the comments section below. And if you really hit a nerve, we’ll answer you in the form of a blog post.
Priority will be given to first-time commenters, lurkers, and anyone else we don’t get to hear from enough.**
. .
*For best results, try to keep it about copywriting, customer relevance, persuasive web design, online planning, conversion optimization, customer personas, web analytics, split testing, or multichannel marketing in general. 
**We know you’re out there, but our web analytics reports are boring conversationalists. 
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Written by:Robert Gorell
Persuasive Online Copywriting Seminar, San Francisco
Who: Spend the day with two of our most popular Persuasion Architects, Holly Buchanan and Jeff Sexton.
What: Learn from the experts about making your copy more persuasive and speak to all of your market segments. Not only for copywriters, past attendees include C-level execs, marketing directors, entrepreneurs, and others who just want to improve their online communication skills.
This one-day seminar is packed with practical real world examples and “how to” exercises. The focus is on giving you simple yet effective techniques that will improve your ability to sell online. The goal is to show attendees how to implement these techniques the very next day on their own websites.
A few of the Persuasive Online Copywriting topics we’ll cover…
- How writing for the Web is different from other mediums
- How to understand your audience
- Writing for diverse customer segments
- Proper Web layout
- Writing for the screen and formatting for maximum readability
- How to set a voice and tone that engages your visitors and helps them take action
- Writing effective navigational buttons and links to gain persuasive momentum
- How to write more persuasive product descriptions
- How to ensure your content is found via search engines
Where: Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport — San Francisco, CA
When: Friday, March 28 (8:30 - 5:00 PST)
Why: The surest way to improve your website’s conversion rate, average order value, number of leads generated, and even how it reflects your brand, is by improving your choice of words. If you want visitors to take the next step, you must persuade them — and to do that, you must understand how they wish to buy. This course will help you do all that, it’s only one day, and it’s in San Francisco.
More Info: Read more about the seminar and find out how to register today.
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Save Hundreds Off Our Upcoming West Coast Seminars
Just a friendly reminder to West Coast readers to take advantage of the early registration discount for upcoming events in San Francisco…
Call to Action - March 27, 2008
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Call to Action is led by the incomparable Bryan Eisenberg, best-selling author and co-founder of Future Now, and is based on the Eisenberg brothers’ best-selling book, “Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results.” This seminar presents the principles of Persuasion Architecture and the tactics of conversion rate marketing, and will help you understand the roles of web analytics, web design, usability, social media, information architecture, and search engine optimization in the context of conversion rate marketing. Read more about this seminar. |
Persuasive Online Copywriting - March 28, 2008
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Persuasive Online Copywriting is co-led by two of our most popular writers, Holly Buchanan and Jeff Sexton. Come learn from the experts about making your copy more persuasive and speak to all of your market segments. Not only for copywriters, past attendees in this class include C-level execs, marketing directors, entrepreneurs, and others who just want to improve their online communication skills. Read more about this seminar. |
Take both and get a discount
Want a bigger bang for your buck? Be sure to check out our Early-bird Special (for early registration), the “House Combo Special” (a discount for registering for both classes), and our Group Special (a discount for multiple sign-ups).
Don’t delay! We have to limit the number of participants, so these events sell out quickly!
Call To Action Seminar - March 27, 2008
Early-bird Cost $795.00 (SAVE $100) prior to 2/29/08; $895.00 after.
Improve your conversion to increase your sites revenue potential
Register Now (link takes you to our event registration site)
Persuasive Online Copywriting Seminar - March 28, 2008
Early-bird Cost $695.00 (SAVE $100)prior to 2/29/08; $795.00 after.
Write to your customers needs to drive more results.
Register Now (link takes you to our event registration site)
Sign up for Both Seminars and Get A Discount
Early-bird Cost $1340.00 (SAVE $180) prior to 2/29/08; $1520.00 after.
Maximize the impact of increased conversion and persuasive copy.
Register for Both (link takes you to our event registration site)
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Written by:The Grok
Sinatra and Social Proof: Rethinking the 4th Deadly Claim
“If Oprah uses it, it must be amazing.”
Now, you may disagree with that statement, but there’s no arguing with the sales boosts and success that Oprah’s “Favorite Things Show” routinely bestows upon her selected items. And while this falls more nearly under the principle of appeal to authority than social proof, the mental shortcut involved is largely the same — it’s what Chip and Dan Heath coined the “Sinatra Test.”
When Frank crooned, “If I can make it there, I’m gonna make it anywhere,” he was using the same mental shortcut, one where a single symbolic examples is enough to establish credibility. An example supplied in the Heath brothers’ book, Made to Stick, was an Indian shipping company that handled the Harry Potter book launch, thereby establishing their credibility for any shipping job.
So what does this all have to do with the 4th Deadly Claim (”We’re #1“)? I suggest you use a variation on — or an implied — Sinatra Test to leverage social proof for times when you don’t really have the numbers make a frontal assault on the “#1” position.
Here’s how it’s done…
Step 1: Take the problem your product solves and find groups or niches who are particularly known for encountering that problem.
As a real life example, I’ll use Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, since they already use this technique. The problem they (allegedly) solve: The need to strengthen your immune system in the face of increased exposure to germs. The groups and subcultures who face this problem on an extreme scale? Teachers, frequent flyers, parents of young children, and nurses come to mind, right?
Step 2: Show your popularity with most — or, preferably, all — of these niches.
And how does Airborne do this? First the product is almost synonymous with “Created by a School Teacher.” And second, the company actually provides a “Who Uses Airborne” list on their Website.
Frankly, I think they broaden out the list a bit too much, but what they do next is perfect: They provide testimonials from exactly the groups on this list; a soldier, public speaker, Junior High School teacher, etc.
None of this is groundbreaking. In fact, the only thing that separates this technique from a simple endorsement is the use of groups rather than individuals (or official governing bodies), but the result is significantly more credible than a blanket claim to being the #1 or fastest-growing product.
So, there you have it. When tempted to use the 4th Deadly Claim, you can always dance the Sinatra/Social Proof Two-Step.
[Editor’s Note: Think Jeff’s posts are #1? Want to get concrete advice on your Web copy? Jeff will be teaching our Persuasive Online Copywriting seminar on January 14th in sunny Orlando, Florida, where you will learn how to fine-tune your online message.]
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Written by:Jeff Sexton
Are Your Words Saying What You Want Them To?
“Words schmords. What’s so important about words? Images — that’s where it’s at. It’s all about the images, right?”
I hear that often. And yes, images are important. Very important. But don’t write off the word (no pun intended). Words change entire battles (see also: “withdrawal date” and “surrender date”). Which is easier to support, “affirmative action” or “racial preference”? Politicians understand the power of words. Marketers are also taking notice.
Look at word choice in products. “Oil of Olay” dropped the “oil” due to today’s negative connotations of having oil in a beauty product. They now go by “Olay.” And, as Advertising Age points out, after losing share for eight years, Crest revitalized sales with their “Pro-Health” line of products.
Pro-Health has reached $100 million in sales, adding about two share points for Crest, according to Information Resources Inc.
Words are powerful. That’s why it’s so important to understand what your words are really saying.
Are your customers hearing what you’re saying?
Spas finally got smart and realized marketing services to “pamper yourself” wasn’t a great idea. The word “pamper” is negative. It implies you’re selfish, frivolous. What woman wants to feel that way? So spas now market services that “rejuvenate.” They promote wellness products. A good masseuse no longer asks, “How was the massage?” or “How was the session?” He asks, “How was your treatment?”
Our team was working on a persona for a client. The phrase I’d written was, “She will be disappointed with anything less than a full carat diamond.” A suggestion was made to change it to, “It had better be a full carat diamond.” Here’s the problem: We instantly dislike this persona. The term “better be” implies insistence, dominance, a threat.
Most golf sites are geared toward men. Look in any gift section copy and you’ll likely see “Here’s a gift for the golfer in your life. He’ll love this golf video.” Sounds perfectly normal. But what message is this sending to female golfers? One word change could let your female golf customers know you acknowledge and value them (”Here’s a gift for the golfer in your life. They’ll love this golf video.”)
I wrote recently about Deloitte’s efforts to reach out to female clients. Yet their instructions to employees was to “Bring along your subordinates to the meeting.” The very use of the word “subordinates” let women know male hierarchical communication style is alive and well.
On a similar note, I read a Wall Street Journal article about the most important qualities in CEO’s. The article refers to “hard” and “soft” skills. Interesting that all the “hard” skills are more typically associated with males and the”soft” skills are more typically associated with females.
Here are five CEO traits that correlate most closely with business success at buyout companies — and five that score lowest, according to University of Chicago researchers.
Traits that matter…
• Persistence
• Attention to detail
• Efficiency
• Analytical skills
• Setting high standards
…and not so much
• Strong oral communication
• Teamwork
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Enthusiasm
• Listening skills
Communication was labeled as a less important “soft” skill. They seem to have separated out “oral.” Most CEO’s have to be able to communicate both in writing and in person. My question is, since when is communication soft? If you’re going to succeed as a CEO, you MUST have direct, clear, concrete communication. You must communicate not only with the people who report to you, but with your entire staff, your customers, and the media.
Look at some more of the language:
“We found that ‘hard’ skills, which are all about getting things done, were paramount,” says lead author Steven Kaplan, a professor of finance and entrepreneurship. “Soft skills centering on teamwork weren’t as pivotal. That was a bit of a surprise to us.”
Once again I have to ask how “hard” skills are associated with getting things done and “soft” skills are about, what, not getting things done? Granted, this is language from a research study. But imagine if a company used this kind of language? What message would it be sending to its female employees? I’m sure in the surveys they didn’t apply loaded labels like “hard” and “soft” to skills. It would have tainted the results. (What self-respecting CEO would admit using “softs” skills in their job?)
Now, I hear some of you grumbling out there (”There’s nothing saying hard skills are male skills and soft skills are female skills. You’re just making that up so you have something to gripe about, Holly.”)
True, there isn’t a direct comparison. But I guarantee you, our cultural biases cause us to make subtle connections.
How else could our own individual bias affect what we hear? Check out the comments on this fascinating post from the Pain In the English blog about the meaning of “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley. Some people swore it was about romantic relationships with women:
Hmmm… I had always thought that he was saying that without a woman you’ll have no tears, or, in other words women = pain and suffering…
or
It means that if you don’t have a woman, or you’re not involved with people emotionally, you won’t cry.
Other people swore it had a different meaning:
It means: No woman, don’t cry. Women in the trench town ghetto had a hard life, this is a song of comfort and tribute to the people of that community.
or
I do think that it means: “hey woman, please don’t cry”, something softer, a kind of advice…..
Fascinating stuff. Same words, two totally different interpretations. My guess is that our own personal experience may influence the meaning we take away.
What’s the psychological impact of the words you use? What are you saying? What is your audience hearing?
[Editor’s note: If you’d like to learn how to chose your words wisely, join Holly at the Persuasive Online Copywriting seminar on January 14th in sunny Orlando, Florida. She’ll be one of the instructors, and there will be plenty of time to discuss ways to improve your online copy and branding. Accordingly, we’re keeping the class size small, so early registration is recommended. Sign-up by this Friday and save $100!]
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Written by:Holly Buchanan
The 7 Deadly Claims (Part 2) — “Easy to Use”
What’s the real cause of your online visitors’ anxiety?
Answer that and you’ll take the first step toward invigorating your Web copy instead and ignoring weak claims like “easy to use.” Because “easy to use” isn’t so much a claim as it is an assurance, you can’t strengthen it until you know which fear you’re facing.
Visitor fears generally fall into two categories:
1.) They doubt their abilities. For instance, a fear created by a product that allows them to do things they previously couldn’t.
2.) They doubt their motivation. For instance, an anxiety generated by a product designed to streamline or enhance an activity they already do might play into their fears of managing time or resources.
Imagine the difference between selling a franchise or work-at-home solution to a first-time entrepreneur and selling an exercise program to a desk-bound worker. Doesn’t ease-of-use take on two dramatically different connotations? Still, “easy to use” makes no distinctions, so it’s an impotent claim either way.
Once you’ve figured out the fear you’re truly dealing with, here’s how to transform that flaccid cliché into solid, persuasive assurances, starting with the fear of time:
Address the time/resources issue head on.
- Quantify how long the set-up or familiarization process takes. Give an exact time until the person can do ____. “23 minutes to your very own blog” sounds a lot more substantiated than “Easy to use!”
- Specify which steps are automated. Think of this as Ron Popeil’s famous “Set it and forget it!” assurance. Time I don’t have to pay attention is time gained. So, what does your software or gizmo do by itself? Tell me.
- Help them visualize how your product or service will steady their lives. Make them experience being in control of their time and their tasks, insofar as it relates to your field. An analytics tool that presents actionable metrics and graphs will be far more effective in actual use than an “easy to use” tool that presents unfiltered data. Make me visualize the ability to take decisive action based on your widget’s feedback.
- Show how it’s part of an easy routine. I love my knife sharpener because I can leave it on the counter and strop my knives every time I go to put them back in the block — it takes all of 30 seconds per knife. Occasionally I have to actually sharpen them, and that takes an extra minute, but my knives stay sharp and I don’t have to schedule a trip to take them down to the knife sharpener. There’s no big block of time I have to devote to it. Does your product fit this mold?
Tackle the skill/abilities issue indirectly.
- Qualify for whom the product or service is easy to use. People will doubt their own abilities far more readily than an entire group’s. Make them identify as part of a group first, then say your product or service is easy to use for members of that group. “If you’re already a member of MySpace, Facebook, or LinkedIn, you have all the experience you need to use FamilyTree 2.0”
- Show how their current skills translate into using your product or service. This is another variation of “If you can ‘X,’ you can ‘Y.’” For instance, “If you can create a Word document, you can create a blog post. Since our editing tool uses the same commands and icons, you’ll be blogging in no time.”
- Provide an “or [blank]” guarantee. For instance, “We’re sending you a direct hotline in our welcome letter. If you haven’t created your first electronic scrap book within 18 minutes of starting, call us and we’ll walk you through the steps or refund your money on the spot.”
- Show the thing being used in action. This way, customers can verify each step, the complexity of the steps, and the necessary background knowledge. There’s a reason infomercials are so effective at selling do-it-yourself products. In this case, seeing really is believing.
Just remember, “easy to use” won’t reassure visitors — and a visitor with doubts usually clicks away, fast. If you want her to buy, you’ll have to give her credible assurances that are tailored to her real anxieties.
Read more about the 7 Deadly Claims at your own risk…
- “Superior Customer Service“
- “Easy to Use“
- “Most Experienced“
- “We’re #1“
- “100% Risk-Free“
- “Cutting Edge“
- “Best Value“
[Editor’s note: Is your website easily misunderstood? Sharpen up your virtual sales pitch at our Persuasive Online Copywriting seminar on March 28th in San Francisco. Jeff and Holly will be your instructors for this first-ever West Coast edition of our popular one-day copywriting crash course. Class size is limited so that attendees can get real advice and actually learn something. You’ll even get $100 off if you register by 2/29.]
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Written by:Jeff Sexton
Two Great Seminars, One Great Location
On January 14th & 15th, the Future Now team will be in Orlando, Florida, hosting two of our most popular marketing optimization seminars:
- Persuasive Online Copywriting seminar & workshop — Led by two of our most popular writers, Holly Buchanan and Jeff Sexton. Learn how to write persuasive that speaks to each of your market segments. Not only for copywriters, past attendees in this class include C-level execs, marketing directors, entrepreneurs, and others who just want to improve their online communication skills.
- Call to Action seminar — Based on his 2005 bestseller, Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results, Bryan Eisenberg, co-author of the book and co-founder of Future Now teaches you the principles of Persuasion Architecture™ and the tactics of conversion rate marketing optimization. This seminar helps you understand the roles of web analytics, design, usability, social media, information architecture, and search engine optimization in order to boost conversion by improving the customer experience.
For those who’ve wanted to attend these seminars in the past, but couldn’t make it to NYC, here are two great excuses to spend a day or two with us in a much warmer climate. (Not bad!) These seminars are designed to give you tailored advice on how to boost your organization’s online performance. The goal is for you to leave with specific ideas for improving your business. So, talk your family, boss, or co-workers into it — or just take a couple days by yourself — and learn about the freshest marketing optimization techniques from the pros, with Disney World, Universal Studios, and everything else Orlando has to offer at arm’s reach.
To ensure that you get all of your questions answered, only 30 seats are available for each seminar.
P.S. — As an additional gift for the holidays, we’re taking $100 off the admission price for those who register by December 15th ($350 off if you register for both seminars).
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Written by:The Grok
Online Copywriting 101: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet — Part 2
To those who missed the first lesson, how nice of you to join us…
Isn’t this stuff easier now that the Web’s getting smarter? With a subject like copywriting, there are so many smart people out there, sharing so much information, faster than ever, that it’s important to study all the different ways writers can harness and leverage that power.
That’s what these online writing techniques can do. They’ll help you persuade; to share your ideas and promote your agenda in a way that other people want to hear; to speak without speaking, to customers, would-be clients, or anyone else who should hear what you have to say.
So, pens and pencils down. Let’s get started…
Recap
51.) “Grok’s Copywriting Cheat Sheet Explained” — E-Marketing Performance
Copy Length
52.) “Long Copy vs. Short Copy Tested” — Marketing Experiments Journal
53.) “Gr8t Web 2.0 Copy” — GrokDotCom
54.) “Is Less More in Copywriting?” — Attversumption.com
Word Choice, Formatting & Usability
55.) Perception of Fonts: Perceived Personality Traits and Uses — University of Wichita psych department study
56.) “Revenge of the Pixels: The Battle for Screen Real Estate” — GrokDotCom
57.) “How to Write Persuasive Links” — GrokDotCom
58.) “Oldest Remaining… A Copywriting Tip” — Seth’s Blog
59.) “6 Common Punctuation Errors That Bedevil Bloggers” — Copyblogger
60.) “10 Flagrant Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Stupid” — ZDnet.co.uk
61.) “30+ Tools for the Amateur Writer” — Mashable
62.) “When Developers Write Copy” — GrokDotCom
63.) Before & After — It’s not only the words that count but how they look as well. Fonts
communicate meaning. What’s the right typeface for your text?
64.) Readability.info — Test your website’s reading level by a variety of standards.
65.) “The Blog Readability Test” — What level of education is required to understand your blog? (Sometimes writing at an elementary school level is a good thing.)
66.) Dafont.com — All the fonts you don’t but kinda want to have anyway.
67.) ConfusingWords.com — A collection of 3210 words that are troublesome for readers.
68.) NoSlang.com — List of commonly misused words
69.) iTools — An assortment of language tools in one place
70.) ConvertCase.net — Accidentally write something lengthy with the Caps Lock on? No problem. This tool converts it for you.
71.) TypeTester — Compare fonts side-by-side
Active vs. Passive Voice
72.) “Activate Your Verbs” — GrokDotCom
73.) “Two Pieces of Bad Writing Advice — And What to Do Instead” — GrokDotCom (Actionable advice on when, where and how to let the passive voice take control in order to protect the subject.)
Writing for Personas
74.) “Persuasive Copywriting for Beginners (And Dummies!)” — GrokDotCom (Engaging different personality types.)
75.) “Eyetracking, Heatmaps & Gaze Plots! Oh my…” — GrokDotCom (Learn how to structure content to write for different personas on the same page.)
76.) “The New Targeting” — Monday Morning Memo by Roy Williams
77.) “Dishing Out What the Customer Really Wants” — GrokDotCom (Engaging different personality types.)
78.) “You Must Unlearn What You Have Learned” — Web Ink Now (Sage advice.)
79.) “If Your Personas Don’t Talk, Fire Them!” — GrokDotCom
Branding + Advertising Brain Food
“Advertising doesn’t create a product advantage. It can only convey it . . . No matter how skillful you are, you can’t invent a product advantage that doesn’t exist.” — Bill Bernbach
80.) “The Secret of Saying Too Little” — Monday Morning Memo
81.) “Accentuate The Negative” — GrokDotCom
82.) “Why Problem Based Positioning is a Psychological Magnet” — PsychoTactics
83.) “Are You Normal?” — Monday Morning Memo
84.) “Targeting Through Ad Copy” — Monday Morning Memo
85.) “The Intrigue Continuum” — GrokDotCom
86.) “How to Make Your Ads Sparkle” — Monday Morning Memo
87.) “Magic Words” — Monday Morning Memo (Yes, there are magic words. Do you know them?)
88.) “The Future of Ad Writing” — Monday Morning Memo
89.) “Ready. Angle. Fire.” — Monday Morning Memo
90.) “Not Everyone Can Withstand Transparency” — GrokDotCom
91.) “Stronger Ads = More Complaints” — Monday Morning Memo
92.) “Refer to an Unseen Action” — Monday Morning Memo
Monetizing Content
93.) “Free Report: Teaching Sells” — Copyblogger’s Brian Clark shows you how to leverage your content into paid offerings. A must-read, must-listen (there’s a free audio ebook as well) tutorial that shows why the Teaching Sells program is a bargain at any price for independent publishers, authors and copywriters, freelancers. It’s not a bunch of hype to sell the full program, though. Even if you just listen to the ebook, you’ll get quite a lot out of it. Clark discusses how to avoid the pitfalls and mind-traps that limit writers in the online space, and how to turn that knowledge into a career that’s real. You don’t have to be a bestseller, but you do have to know how to build an audience. If you’re looking for get-rich-quick schemes, look elsewhere. If you want to know how to get rich as quickly as you can, listen to this free report, then buy Teaching Sells.
Inspiration + Fun
94.) WordCount.org — English words dynamically ranked according to popularity. Very cool.
95.) WordAssociation.org — An ink blot test for words.
96.) Etymologic — “The Toughest Word Game on the Web”
97.) Free Rice — For each word you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice to help end world hunger
98.) “Words and Phrases That Should Exist (But Probably Don’t)” — Squidoo
99.) “The Ad Graveyard” — Daily Report
100.) Lost in Translation — “Babelize” any sentence or paragraph to see how silly you sound after being translated five times over. It’s the “telephone game” gone awry.
101.) Web Economy Bullshit Generator — A proactive keyword initiative spearheaded by Dack.com to help facilitate global ROI for the long tail in a Web 2.0 environment, or something like that.
Stay Tuned…
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