Author Archive
How content marketing “renews the contract” between advertisers and consumers
Posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 3:24 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Marketers must think like publishers and broadcasters, and strive to provide the value and credibility for which consumers used to turn to publications and shows.
Does spelling matter? Special K thinks not
Posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 10:21 AM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Will a spelling mistake lose you customers? Let’s look at a real case.
How swear words might improve your marketing
Posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 8:38 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Research suggests that a few obscenities can make you (and presumably your marketing and website content) more persuasive. But be careful: experiment first in material that reaches an audience already on your side.
Nest positive emotions to excite prospects
Posted on Saturday, December 20th, 2008 at 10:12 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Have you ever been angry with yourself for being jealous? Or upset with yourself for feeling anxious? When this happens, the emotions become intertwined and difficult to unravel. It’s powerful. And useful.
Write more effective ads on your competitors’ budget
Posted on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 at 10:26 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Don't always write from scratch. When results matter most, analyze your competitors' high-performing campaigns, copy their success, and innovate to exceed it.
SocialAds: The worst-kept secret in marketing
Posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 11:58 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Forget the Microsoft deal. The real sign of Facebook’s maturity? Its new PR tactics, now featuring announcements of important upcoming announcements and information strategically leaked to highly trafficked blogs.
Optimize email content to strengthen service and trust
Posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 5:27 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Transactional email messages, such as shipping confirmations, provide an opportunity to improve customer satisfaction and strengthen relationships. But most transactional email content is poorly optimized, leading to poor usability—and many emails incorrectly flagged as spam. Optimizing email content with a clear "from" address, a relevant "subject" line and user-focused body content can help you address many of the issues that undermine your messages.
Write “about us” content that works
Posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 4:01 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
“About us” content is generally better than five years ago. But users have higher expectations, and many sites fail to describe themselves in a paragraph. Usability guru Jakob Nielsen suggests that you can optimize your “About Us” content with a clear homepage link to “About Us” pages, a clear tagline on the homepage, a summary of one to two paragraphs on the “About Us” page, a fact sheet following the summary, and detailed information in separate pages.
How to read minds (to write powerful copy)
Posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 2:39 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
There’s a good chance you’ve made this mistake. (I have. Repeatedly. And for years.) If you’re like most people, you write what’s in your head. Maybe it’s an idea. Maybe it’s a description of your company or product. Well, writing from your perspective can be great for your diary. But it’s self-destructive for your marketing. Instead, you must write from your customers’ perspective.
Why calling yourself “better” is worse
Posted on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 1:21 AM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
As I write this, Toronto’s oppressed by overwhelming billboards for telecom behemoth Bell. They blare statements like "Internet just got better" and, beside the iPhone-like Samsung Instinct, "Way cooler." If you’re new to copywriting, your first instinct might be to copy these ideas for your internet marketing. After all, if Bell invested so heavily, it must be using proven techniques—and testing them to death. Wrong. If you follow this approach, you’re not only hurting your own business. You’re actually helping your competition.
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