Copywriting Archives - Page 19 of 52 - Jim Connolly Marketing

My new service launches today. And it’s exactly what you need.

By Jim Connolly | July 5, 2016

I have a new service launching today, to help you attract more sales, customers or clients. It’s something readers have asked me for again and again. Today, it happens!

Here’s how it works, including the fee.

The right words

In business, the right words inspire people to take action. Expertly composed copywriting builds trust. It motivates people to buy from you, hire you or contact you. It turns passive readers into paying customers. And it’s worth a fortune to you and your business.

The wrong words

The wrong words lack the motivational impact of high-conversion marketing copy. They lose you sales and stop you attracting new clients. And this happens every time someone reads your marketing.

Just think what that’s costing you: People who would have hired you, bought from you or contacted you were not motivated to do so. You offer a great service, so these people would have been happy, long term customers… if your marketing copy hadn’t let you down.

You can’t afford to keep losing out like that. The cost to your business is huge. No. It’s bigger than that.

Most business owners understand this

I bet you’re one of them. These are the business owners who fully understand that they’re leaving money on the table, potentially a fortune, by relying on ineffective marketing copy.

And they’re not happy about it! They want expertly written, persuasive marketing, which compels their prospective customers to hire them or buy from them.

Their challenge is this: They have no idea who they can turn to, for the super-effective marketing copy they need.

If you are one of these business owners, I have some fantastic news for you!

From today, you can hire me to write the marketing content you’ve always needed. The kind of marketing that turns more prospective customers into paying customers.

How does it work and what is the fee?

Once you have decided to proceed, here’s a snapshot of what happens:

I start by sending you a questionnaire. This will allow me to get the core information required, in order for me to do the best work possible for you.
After you return the questionnaire, we’ll arrange a call [phone or Skype] to discuss your project. This is extremely useful and ensures I know exactly what you want and need.
I’ll then create the initial draft of your marketing copy, followed by a call to discuss it with you.
I then make any required adjustments and send you the final draft for your approval.
Note: I will personally create your marketing content. I will also be your point of contact throughout and will look after you, every step of the way.

That’s just a quick overview, though every client’s needs are a little different. It’s all about providing you with the most powerful, persuasive marketing content possible.

The fee?

Here’s the fee, quoted in UK pounds.

There’s a one-off project start-up fee of £350.

Then there’s a flat rate of £950 for each page of content. A page is anything up to 800 words in length. For example; a sales page for your website, a marketing letter, a marketing email, a call to action message for your newsletter, an advertisement, marketing copy for your brochure, etc.

Remember, high converting marketing content works for you over and over again, making it an exceptional investment.

What next?

Simply use the form below to arrange an initial chat with me. I will happily answer any questions you have.

I look forward to hearing from you.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

How to turn your blog into a Customer Magnet!

By Jim Connolly | June 24, 2016

This is a very important post. If you want to get more business, feedback and recognition from your blog, this could be exactly what you need to know.

The post was inspired by an email I received from Shannon. She kindly gave me permission to share part of it with you. Here’s the core challenge she wanted help with, along with my answer and lots of tips and examples to help you build a successful business blog.

Here’s what Shannon wanted to know:

“I’ve been blogging for close to three years now. It’s been frustrating to say the least! […] I have no idea what I’m doing wrong and I’ve followed the advice from [she mentioned a very well known blogging site] totally. I’m just about ready to quit. Can you take a look at my blog and tell me what I’m missing?”

I did take a quick look at her blog and it’s exactly the same as countless other business blogs, following the same, general blogging advice.

Here’s what the challenge is and how to resolve it!

Blogging is exceptionally effective

I’ve worked in marketing since 1987 and nothing I have used, studied or witnessed, comes close to the marketing power of an effective blog. Period.

So, why has Shannon and the vast majority of business owners, seen such poor results?

Without doubt, the main reason is that blogging is often touted, incorrectly, as the written equivalent of painting by numbers. In other words, you follow a set of rules and success will follow. This myth persists because it’s repeated by well known bloggers, selling generic courses and programs on how to grow a successful business blog.

The polar opposite is actually true: The CLOSER you follow the same general format, rules and techniques as everyone else, the LESS likely you are to achieve anything worthwhile from your blog.

Here’s how I created one of the world’s most popular marketing blogs, using a more individual approach.

I didn’t SEO my posts

I decided to write for my readers, not Google. This gave me the freedom to express my thoughts, rather than SEO my thoughts.

Shannon’s blog posts are written using SEO software. This means they are often too long, just so she can reach her minimum SEO word count and keyword density. Posts that should be information rich and 250 words long, are filled with fluff to make them more SEO friendly. It has totally robbed her of her voice and individuality.

Google likes it. However, it reads like crap. As a result, Shannon attracts drive-by traffic, rather than client enquiries.

Tip: Read this – Stop writing for Google. Really. Stop it!

I didn’t guest blog

I focused on building my readership, by producing the most useful content I could and then made it extremely easy for people to share it.

This approach works even better today than when I started in 2008, thanks to the popularity of social networking sites.

Many bloggers waste their best material on other people’s blogs, because their blog guru convinced them it’s a great idea. Guest blogging is one way to build your readership, but certainly not the best. [Or the second best.] Shannon told me that she has guest blogged a lot, with nothing to show for it.

She’s not alone. People tell me similar stories all the time. And it’s heartbreaking.

The solution is to build your own platform. Put your best stuff on your own turf. If your content is useful enough, 1 reader will get you 1 more. Those 2 readers will do the same. Before you know it, by turning up regularly with useful information, you will have built your own community of engaged readers. A subset of them will go on to become clients.

Just don’t sell yourself short. Don’t be someone else’s unpaid content provider!

I removed comments

It was almost exactly 3 years ago, in summer 2013, when I removed the commenting feature from my blog. Blog commenting is a vestige from the days before social networks. It was also a huge time suck for me, as I often got 2500 spam comments a day.

It was still a tough decision though. The only other person I knew who’d done it was Seth Godin, and he had a very different reason. But it was the right thing to do. So I did it.

Back then, I was attacked. Social media gurus said you HAD TO have comments on your blog or it wasn’t a blog.

Today, the mood is changing.

Since I removed comments, other popular blogs including; Chris Brogan and Michael Hyatt, have followed suit. Top news sites have done the same, including CNN, Reuters and ReCode. And they’re absolutely right.

My point is that you need to question perceived wisdom. Then if you believe something needs to change, do it your way. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you. Be prepared to lead. We need more leaders.

Shannon has comments enabled and she gets very little feedback. Many comments are from people trying to get backlinks or score free advice from her. This lack of so-called social proof, does nothing to enhance Shannon’s reputation. It also makes her blog look like a ghost town, when prospective clients check her out.

I didn’t pump my posts with buzzwords

Disrupt, ruckus, growth hacking, big data, intersection… buzzwords like those fail twice.

Firstly, they make informed people cringe.
Secondly, they confuse the uninformed. That’s a bad idea if you want people to understand your message!

Shannon’s blog uses lots of content marketing buzz words. This, combined with the keyword loading she does for her SEO, means readers have no personality to connect with.

I made 1 rule and stuck with it

I made a rule, which I have stuck to since 2008. It’s simply this:

I will only publish a post when I have something useful to share and I’ll make sure I find something useful, often.

This means I often write when it’s easier not to. I also update older posts daily, to keep the information relevant. Blogging is a primary business activity for me, rather than something I fit in. As a result, I write when I’m extremely busy, when I am tired and even when I’m not feeling great.

Your rules

The Internet is packed with sites that offer largely the same, general advice on how to build a successful blog.

You should avoid it.

Their advice seems to make sense, until you consider that by following it, you become invisible – lost in an ocean of millions of other bloggers using the same, general advice.

If you’re following what they say, you will be able to identify with Shannon’s situation.

In short: Your blog needs to be as individual as you are. Otherwise, you’re invisible.

Tip: This post asks an important question: Bloggers: Are you 1 question away from 10,000 daily readers?

How often should you publish blog posts?

By Jim Connolly | June 12, 2016

marketing blogs, content marketing

Karen from Delaware emailed me with a question earlier.

“I’d love for you to post on your blog every day like Seth Godin does. Is there a strategic reason why you don’t?”

That’s a good question. The answer is that you need to match your publishing model to the business model behind your blog. Allow me to explain.

My publishing model

It’s easy… very easy, for me to publish something every day. However, my business model doesn’t require me to keep tapping you on the shoulder [reminding you I’m here] with daily posts.

Why?

I market just 2 services via my blog. There’s a limited number of clients I can work with and every post generates client enquiries.

Daily publishing, [which I did a few years ago], caused me to receive way too many enquiries. The huge momentum created by daily publishing is disproportionate to the few additional posts I was publishing each week.

If I decide to change the blog’s business model, so my income is primarily from the sale of products or advertising, I will need to adopt a daily publishing model of at least one post a day. It’s all about getting the balance right for what you want to achieve.

The daily publishing model

Whatever his motivation, Seth Godin uses a business model that rewards daily blogging. His blog is a kind of single author book store. Every post displays a carousel [on the left of each post], which is stacked with around 20 or so books.

His superbly written, daily posts are what create traffic to his book store. Visitors to his book store are also extremely well targeted, because the topics covered on his blog match those in his books. If you like the posts, you’ll love the books. Seth’s daily publishing model also pre-markets his books, by referencing new books in his posts long before they are published.

So…

You arrive on Seth’s blog.
If you like Seth’s posts, you may buy a book.
If you don’t buy a book, you may still decide to share the post you’re reading with your social networks.
By sharing the post, others will visit Seth’s blog.
They too may decide to buy a book or share the post.
A cycle is created, which is fed by daily content.

That model clearly rewards daily publishing. Fewer posts would equal less traffic, fewer subscribers, fewer shares and fewer sales.

Getting your balance right

The key take-away here is this: Your blog publishing model should support whatever you want to achieve. So, choose the best frequency for your business, rather than copy what someone else is doing. Their approach could be totally wrong for you.

If you’d like to get more from your blog or you’re thinking of starting a blog, here are a few free resources to help you.

Here’s how to launch a successful blog.

This explains how to make your blog stand out and build a large, valuable readership.

Ever wondered if you need to write long blog posts or if short posts are OK? Well, here’s the answer.

This is a list of 7 blogging mistakes, which you need to avoid.

How to overcome Writer’s Block

By Jim Connolly | June 2, 2016

Have you ever suffered with Writer’s Block?

If you write a newsletter, produce scripts for podcasts, YouTube or you publish a blog, it’s likely you struggle sometimes to produce the volume and quality of written content you need. Here are some proven ideas to unblock your writing and make you massively more productive.

I hope you find it useful.

People who struggle with Writer’s Block tend to fit into one of the following groups:

Some of them struggle to find things to write about. They need ideas or inspiration.
Others know what they want to write about, but find it hard to get their thoughts on the page.
And some people have challenges with both of the above.

Let’s take a look at those challenges and how you can overcome them.

Writer’s Block: Finding something to write about

Here’s some good news: There’s no excuse at all for business writers, who say they can’t find topics to write about.

At least there won’t be, after you know what I am about to tell you!

To uncover a limitless supply of relevant topics to write about, you simply need to do the following:

Look in online business forums or Facebook Groups and Linkedin Groups, for the most frequently asked questions from your marketplace. Then write about your answers to these common, pressing questions. Obviously, you should stick to questions related to your industry. This will provide you with countless, relevant topics.

If finding things to write about was causing your Writer’s Block, that will get you unblocked.

Writer’s Block: Finding inspiration

What if you need inspiration to write, yet you work in a small niche where there are no forums or groups discussing common problems? When this happens, we can learn a lot from artists.

Think about it: Unblocking Writer’s Block is not so simple for artists. How does a poet, storyteller or lyricist find inspiration for what to write next? Fortunately, there’s an answer. When we examine the most successful and prolific writers, we find they are driven to write by their passions. Anger, bliss, love, loss, loneliness, confusion, fear… these are all powerful subjects that have inspired writers for centuries.

When my pal Nile Rodgers and his friends were refused entry to Studio 54, they wrote a track about it. Initially called “F*#k off!”, it was later renamed “Le Freak” and became one of the biggest dance tracks in history. See below. [If you can’t see the video, click here.]

Focus on the things about your business, which you are most passionate about. A great place to start is to look at the problems that your product or service solves for your customers. For example, if you save them money, save them time, help them be more productive, make them healthier or wealthier… write about it. And write with passion. Regularly!

Tip: You don’t wait for inspiration to arrive. You command it to appear!

Writer’s Block: Getting your words “out there”

Some people fear what will happen when they share or publish their work. They often disguise this fear by calling themselves perfectionists. All perfectionism is rooted in fear. Fear of criticism, to be precise.

This fear leaves them seeking a perfect scenario; where everyone likes what they produce and no one criticises it. Because this balance is impossible to achieve, they produce nothing or play it safe and produce nothing worth reading. That’s what causes their Writer’s Block.

Thankfully, there’s a way around this too. Those who fear criticism need to start by accepting that nothing of value is universally liked. They need to understand that as creators, they have a decision to make.

Here’s the decision: They can either be criticised or they can be ignored. And in business, being ignored is not a viable option. The most successful business owners have learned to dance with criticism. They can’t ignore it, but they know it’s an inevitable part of being successful; both as a writer and business owner.

For example, most people do not own an iPhone. They don’t watch the number 1 TV show and haven’t bought this year’s number 1 bestselling book. All of those things also have critics, who vocally dislike them. However, it doesn’t stop them from being successful. That’s because you can’t have insiders [buyers / clients / readers], without outsiders [critics].

Writer’s Block be gone!

For most people reading this, the answer is simple: To beat Writer’s Block, write about the things your marketplace wants to know and the things you’re passionate about. And do it regularly. What you will find is that the more you write, the better you become and the easier it gets.

Yes, if you’re doing it right you will be criticised. So embrace criticism as an indicator that you’re on the right track and that people are noticing you. When you see criticism this way, it becomes something you welcome, rather than something you strive to avoid. This also makes writing a great deal easier.

I hope you find these ideas useful. More importantly, I hope they inspire you to get writing and overcome Writer’s Block.

What you need to know about the stupid people who don’t hire you

By Jim Connolly | April 4, 2016

I heard a business owner earlier making an amazing statement. Here’s what he said, along with a massively valuable marketing lesson.

The business owner was being interviewed on local radio. They asked him how his business was doing. He replied that it was really struggling. When they asked him why, he replied:

“That’s simple. The marketplace is too stupid to understand how good my service is, so they hire cheaper providers”.

I guess that’s one way to look at things.

He was wrong. Very, very wrong!

Clearly, when prospective customers are failing to understand the value of the services you provide, it’s your job to build a better, clearer marketing message. Writing the marketplace off as being stupid is… well… stupid. It also shifts the focus away from the business owner [who can fix the issue] to the prospective customer [who can’t].

Some far more useful alternatives

If your prospective customers are failing to understand the value you bring, there are lots of things you can do. Here are just a few.

Make sure YOU are 100% clear on the value of your service. Check that you’re offering a compelling reason why prospective clients need what you provide. Demonstrate the extra [whatever] you offer, which they can’t get from a competitor. Note: If you can’t explain why they should use your service over a competitor’s service, you’re not ready to market your service yet.
Hire a professional marketing copywriter. This is the least expensive, fastest and most effective option. You pay a professional to style your hair, right? You pay a professional to look after your teeth too. So, pay a professional to create a compelling marketing message for your business.
Tip: If you think your business isn’t worth hiring a professional for, get a job.
If you insist on creating your own marketing message, try being clearer. Cut the fluff from your message. Get to the point. Embrace brevity.
Tip: Don’t write your web copy for Google. Really. Don’t!
Then test that new, clearer message on a selection of prospective customers. See if they have a clearer idea of the message you want to convey. If they understand it, others are likely to understand it too.
If they still don’t understand your message, try explaining things using more forms of media. So, if it was originally a written marketing message, add video, images, graphs or audio.

There are more customers and clients out there than you could ever need. Plus, it has never been easier to reach them. This means you never need to settle for a business that’s under performing.

It’s 100% within your control.