I love ads. No, really – I do.

I watch movies for the previews, I watch TV for the commercials (OK, I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials). As a marketing consultant I pay attention to ads in a way that most people don’t.

I save ads. I have a portfolio of business cards. I have a file folder of my favorite direct marketing pieces, magazine ads, and newspaper ads. I love ads that make me laugh, ads that I can relate to, and ads that really grab my attention.

I recently wrote a blog post About Business Cards. As I was flipping through my business card portfolio one word came to mind, “boring.” So many cards were dull and looked just like the one next to it. In this over-communicative era, it is more important now than ever that your ads stand out!

The business cards got me thinking about the other marketing material, marketing collateral, and ads that I love. Here are a five of my favorite pieces from my files. (Yes, your opinions will vary. This is just a small sample of ACTUAL ads I have received. I am a 27 year old female and mother of one. – These ads worked on me.)

Maybe this one is just so effective on me because I have four sisters; I can relate. This ad addresses a woman’s never-ending search for the perfect pair of jeans. If your sister wants to steal these, they must be goooood.

“The two words every crazy-busy, socially overachieving multitasker wants to hear.” When this came in the mail I knew they were talking to me. I swear, whoever designed this studied both demographics and psychographics. They knew what would make me open this mailing. The inside is a pop up of the phone “Palm Pixi.”

“We’d like to apologize for just how effective Vicks Vaporub can be.” What a combination. This ad has a great emotional appeal. What parent wants to see their active child lying listless? It also clearly shows how effective their product is.

This postcard actually was addressed to me! It says, “Welcome Terra Fletcher.” The back looks like a handwritten postcard welcoming me to the Grand Canyon and Smoky Mountains. What can I say? People love seeing their own name. I’ve seen a similar idea that put the recipients name on the front license plate of a sports car. That’s the stuff that fuels daydreams.

“Will the Internet kill magazines? Did instant coffee kill coffee?” This effective, logical headline got me to read the entire ad. This ad is simple, but a different kind of simple – not as visual as most of these ads, but easy on the eyes and it addresses the question advertisers have been asking themselves.

By the way, none of these are ads I’ve designed. I have (in my humble opinion) put together some pretty great pieces for myself and for my clients. The hardest part for me to design a marketing piece is when I’m limited by the company I’m working with. We are so worried about offending, being misinterpreted, or NOT looking like everyone else – that our ads are BORING! Don’t be afraid to be bold. Be different. Get noticed.

A really inspiring resource is Outrageous Advertising, That’s Outrageously Successful by Bill Glazer. It’s a really easy read with lots of images.

What are your favorite ads? Why do they work? And importantly, do you remember the company associated with them?

By:  Terra L. Fletcher, owner Fletcher Freelance – business writing, marketing, and public speaking

Content marketing has always been important in conveying authority status in business. But the term itself is newer given its rise during the social media age because of the ease of creation, consumption, and interaction.

Today let’s talk about what content marketing is, why building authority status matters, and then five examples of how content marketing can help you become a recognized authority in your niche or industry.

What is Content Marketing?

“Content marketing” is a slightly misleading term. While sometimes the content is used directly for marketing and sales, more often these days it’s used in a PR capacity. And that’s the area of content marketing we’re talking about here — building and managing a reputation and relationships based on a perception of authority.

To do this you would use various types of content to showcase your expertise in your specialty area. You would offer content that attracts eyes or ears, and that in many cases leads to direct interaction with your target audience. It leads to respect. People share your content or spread the word to others. In exchange you get more and higher quality traffic and backlinks, you build valuable relationships and expand your network, and you make yourself known as an expert source. While the direct goals are networking, image management, traffic, and links these things often ultimately lead to increased sales. The marketing benefits are just indirect in many cases.

Why Authority Status Matters

Authority status has always mattered in business. But it’s almost more important now because the Web allows everyone to have a voice. While it can make it easier to get heard initially, it can also lead to a lot of noise and so much competition that it’s difficult to become recognized as a serious expert in your niche or industry.

Why would you want that expert or authority status? Because it leads to trust. And when people trust you they visit your website more. They listen to what you have to say. They tell others about you. They link to your site. And they’re more likely to buy from you.

5 Types of Content Marketing to Build Authority Status

What kinds of content can be used in content marketing to help you build and maintain authority status? Here are five examples.

1. Blogging – Publish articles highlighting your expertise with tips, advice, commentary, etc.

2. Newsletters – Publish authoritative content much like you would on a blog. But use it to build a subscriber list that could come in handy when promoting products and services later.

3. Guest posts / features - If you don’t want to launch your own online publication, write guest articles for others. That can mean anything from guest blog posts to feature articles for trade publications.

4. Webinars / e-courses – One of the best ways to demonstrate expert knowledge in a subject area is to successfully teach others. Obviously you should have credentials and experience to back that expert status up before you attempt to teach anyone else. It’s one thing to show people what you’ve done. It can be much more convincing when you teach them how to do it too. Webinars and e-courses give you ways to do that.

5. Video and audio series – We sometimes focus on the written word when we think about content. But content includes much more than that. Run a video blog or Web series for example. Or how about a podcast or Internet radio show? These can give your content marketing a more personal touch.

Content marketing can involve any kind of content — writing, images, video, or audio. It can involve online or offline content. You don’t have to use all content types. Choose the ones that are most valid for your niche or industry and your target audience. And stick with it. It’s unlikely you’ll build a reputation as an expert source of information in a very short period of time. You have to consistently provide quality content to “prove yourself.”

What are your favorite types of content marketing? Has a certain content format proved more beneficial than others in building your own authority status? For me, blogs have provided incomparable benefits. Share your own tips and stories in the comments below.

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Blogging can be a lot of fun. But what happens when you run out of ideas? Then it can become frustrating and more difficult to want to sit down and write. Don’t worry! No matter how much you’ve already covered in your niche, there’s always something else to say. If you’re feeling stumped for blog post ideas, let this list inspire you. These blog post ideas can be adapted to any niche, so give them a try!

Here are 20 things to blog about (or types of blog posts) that you can use on any blog when you’re out of ideas:

1. Share news — Search the news engines and see what’s going on in your niche or industry. If there’s news, share it with your readers. You could write a detailed post, or even just link to the news source and write up a brief summary.
2. Comment on news – If you have an opinion on one of those news stories you found, link readers to the original news, and then write up a blog post sharing your own viewpoint on the issue. It can be a great way to ignite some cross-blog or comment discussions.
3. Write a review – Every niche has something that’s available to review. Go to your library or bookstore and pick up a book that might be of interest to your readers. Review it. You can also review services, products, or even other websites and blogs!
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   Conduct an interview – Just because you don’t have something to say at the moment doesn’t mean others in your niche don’t. Find a credible source, and interview them about a niche or industry issue. Bonus — you’ll get to network with go-to sources in your niche!
5. Write a “top” list — Some people love them and some people hate them, but top 10 lists (or whatever number you want) can bring in links and traffic. More importantly, they can give you something to blog about when you’re feeling a bit stumped. For example, you could share your top 10 tips for “insert whatever your readers want to learn how to do here.”
6. Write a resource list – These are usually longer than top ten types of lists. They compile a large number of resources that readers would be interested in all in one place. For example, if you run a blog on blogging, you might list 100 places to find free blog themes. On a PR blog of mine, I created a “big list of free press release distribution sites” because it’s something a particular segment of my audience frequently looked for. Your audience is looking for something too. Help them find it.
7. Assemble a round-up post — Another list-style post, round-ups are often done weekly or monthly. Basically you put together a list of links to other blog posts recently posted in your niche. Sure, it’s a bit of a cop out but it keeps your blog fresh, brings your blog to the attention of other bloggers in the niche, and gives readers access to other material they might find interesting. I like these because they’re a way to show readers trends in what bloggers in a certain niche are talking about during a given week.
8. Answer a reader question — If you get reader questions via email, consider answering them publicly on your blog instead of responding to the email privately. You can remove the reader’s personal information (or share it if they don’t mind). This not only gives you something to write about, but it stops you from having to answer the same questions privately over and over again.
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   Answer a non-reader’s question — Don’t get many reader questions of your own? That’s okay! Look at answer sites like Yahoo! Answers or LinkedIn’s Q&As. Also look at comments left on other blogs in your niche. What are people curious about? What do they want to know? Share the answer to common questions on your blog, even if they’re not from your own readers. Chances are that some of your readers have the same questions, and they simply haven’t asked yet.
10. Update an old post — Do you have an old post that’s a real gem, but it’s so buried in the archives that no one sees it anymore? Consider updating it with fresh relevant information (especially if any details are outdated), and then change the post date so it goes to the front page as a new post again. Note: you might not want to do this if it’ll affect your permalink and incoming links and traffic, and you should probably note that it’s an update so long-time readers know why it seems familiar.
11. Highlight old posts – If you don’t want to, or can’t, update an older post you can still create a new post that brings it to the attention of newer readers. For example, if you run a business blog and you have a bunch of posts on handling the start-up phase, you might create a new post that serves as a hub linking to all of them (maybe with a summary of each).
12. Rant. Rant. Rant! — Does some issue in your niche or industry seriously get under your skin? Tell your readers why! Don’t be afraid to rant once in a while. Just know your audience’s tolerances for it before you do so you don’t get too offensive for your readers.
13. Have a cross-blog discussion — Did another blogger in your niche say something that caught your attention? Why not blog about it? Conversations in the blogosphere aren’t limited to the comment function. If you have a lot to say, link to their post so your readers can see it, and then post your own thoughts. Cross-blog debates can be fun, but it’s okay to share a post you fully agree with too. It shows support for an idea and another blogger.
14. Take a look at Twitter — Even if there’s no “official” news in your niche at the moment, that doesn’t mean there isn’t buzz about something going around. Do a search on Twitter and see what people in the niche are talking about. Then contribute with a blog post of your own (or highlight some interesting tweets).
15. Ask a question — We already talked about answering questions that others have. Why not ask your own? Asking a question in a post is a good way to build reader involvement, and you might get some new perspective on an industry issue (which might inspire another post!).
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    Get visual — Is your blog mostly text-based? Do something different and share a video or a photo that might interest your readers. It doesn’t have to be your own. For example, you might embed a YouTube video. Just make sure you have rights to share something like a photo before you do (a credit link alone doesn’t make it okay — or legal).
17. Get personal — Why not share a personal story with your readers? I’m not talking about something completely unrelated, but rather your own individual experiences with a situation in the niche. For example, if you blog about Web hosting and you recently went through the process of moving your site from one host to another, that might be an interesting story to share with your readers.
18. Find out what readers want — Use a tool like the Adwords keyword tool to find out what people are searching for in your niche. You might just find some interesting post ideas in there that you wouldn’t have otherwise considered.
19. Share a blog update — Write a post that looks back on the history of your blog. Talk about what you’ve done, how it’s evolved, and where you’d like it to go.
20. Publish a guest post — If you still can’t think of anything to blog about, consider accepting a guest post from someone else in the niche. Generally this means giving them a link back (it’s a marketing tool from their perspective), but you’ll get fresh content for your readers.

There you have it — 20 blog post ideas that can work on virtually any blog! I hope you found something useful. Do you have ideas you’d like to share with other bloggers in addition to this list? Leave a comment and let us know what you do when you can’t think of anything to blog about.

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We’ve already established that linkbait is not a dirty word. But how can you make it work for you? More specifically, how can you create successful linkbait for your blog or website when it seems that everyone on the Web is doing it these days? After all, isn’t the point to stand out?

Yes. Yes it is.

Fortunately linkbait can still be very effective, and it’s still possible to stand out amongst the crowd. It’s all in how you look at it.

The Two Types of Linkbait

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Linkbait is often talked about in a negative light because of one type of linkbait — the sensationalist variety. These are articles and blog posts that use very hyped up headlines to get your attention and attract almost automatic links and sharing (because let’s face it, sometimes people really don’t read past the headline). For example you might see a post called “Facebook Now Commands 41% of Social Media Traffic.” The key with these types of posts is that the content rarely backs up the title’s claim (and you can see a more detailed breakdown of that issue in the post linked above).

But hold on. Before you judge linkbait too harshly in general, remember that there’s another type — a more effective type in the long run. That type of linkbait is the good old standby of “quality content.” Let’s focus on that for a bit.

What Makes Quality Content Linkbait Material?

The idea of linkbait is actually much older than the name. There have always been two sides to the content game, both competing for eyes (and usually ad dollars). Think of the differences between a serious newspaper and your favorite gossip rag. “Linkbait” is just the same thing taken to the Web. Can the sensationalist variety work? No doubt. But for most sites, getting a reputation for hyped up headlines that you don’t deliver on means it won’t work for long.

At the same time, simply writing decent content isn’t enough. A lot of people are producing quality content. To make linkbait effective, you have to go beyond that basic “high quality” status.

Here are some things you can do to turn your quality content into successful linkbait, no matter how much competition you have:

• Take a new approach. — Want to write a piece on a hot topic for your blog, but you’re afraid it will just get lost in the mix? Make it stand out by taking a different approach. Find a new twist to the story, or try covering the topic from a different angle or perspective, even if it’s controversial (especially if it’s controversial).
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  Make people laugh. — People love to be amused. Take a normally serious topic and find a way to make it funny. If you put a smile on people’s faces, you’ll have a better chance of having them pass it around.

• Back up your claims. — In more serious linkbait posts where humor isn’t really appropriate, make them fact and source-heavy. Don’t just make a serious claim. Link to a lot of other reputable sources to help prove your point. Not only does it make your own piece more authoritative (and therefore more worthy of links), but you might get the attention of people you cited, and they might help spread the word by tweeting about or linking to your post as well.
• Add visual elements. — The Web is full of text-based content, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want to cover a topic where that’s all people can find, do something different with your presentation. Create a video. Design an interesting infographic (people love these things — just put your stats or other information into a visual display that helps to make your point).

These are just a few things you can do to make your already high quality content work more effectively as linkbait. Worry less about the competition and the fact that everyone is out there trying to get links. Worry more about finding ways to keep your audience’s interest and in the long run they’ll stand by you, link to you, and share your site with their own networks and audiences.

What’s your favorite type of linkbait? Do you intentionally focus on linkbait creation, or does it happen more organically for you because you’ve always focused on quality and making your site stand out? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo by TrueFalseFilmFestival

Storyboards are visual aids generally used when creating a movie. They lay out the major action within different scenes of the film and make a movie look like a graphic novel while in its pre-production stage. This helps the director and cinematographer plan out the various shots needed to make an interesting and well thought out film that is unified in its presentation and has scenes that work only to push the movie forward.

So what does that have to do with a blog? Have you ever thought of your blog as a graphic novel or movie, with each post as its own scene within the overall ‘movie’?  Or even thought of each post as its own mini film in a series of shorts? You can easily do so by drawing out some rudimentary panels (representing your individual posts or categories) on a whiteboard and adding to it occasionally. It doesn’t have to be very complex and you don’t have to be an artist to achieve the desired effect.  There are some very compelling reasons to do this including:

Storyboards can keep a blog focused: If you have a business blog then you have a single, unified purpose for blogging. But within that purpose there are a lot of small, offshooting topics that may seem unrelated to the umbrella purpose. If you storyboard your blog, you can figure out how to keep all topics united and relatable to others so that you present a collective experience to your readers rather than a frenetic disarray of opposing themes.

A storyboard can help flesh out the climactic point of each post: If you are attempting to effect social change, professional growth or other compelling movement with your blog, then you need an exciting climax within each post that gets your readers moving and works to the collective message. By storyboarding your individual posts as well as your overall blog you can help to figure out the most compelling points for the climax and you can plan the post-by-post build-up to them so that they will have the most impact possible and not just get lost in the overall noise of the blog.

Storyboards can help your blog posts work together to move the blog forward: Your blog is going to grow professionally as you do. With a storyboard, you can make sure that all your posts work toward that growth in a sensible way that makes it easy for your readers to not only witness the growth but to also enjoy it with you. Your storyboard can help you map out the best time and way to create these posts to accomplish your goal.

A storyboard can help you explore different angles of your post: Sometimes, looking at something in a different way than you are used to helps you see your point of view and others differently. When you create a storyboard for your blog or posts it can help you anticipate criticisms that others may have and help you refute other points of view within each post in an efficient way.

Remember, your storyboard doesn’t have to be stick figure drawings relating to your posts, it can simply be a visual resource to direct your blog. This can consist of something as simple as a flowchart. As long as you have a changeable visual element directing your blog you will have better control, clearer communication and more consistency.

When a new visitor lands on your website, what’s their reaction? Does your website instantly gain their trust? Or does it have the opposite effect: causing the visitor to think you’re a spammer who’s going to rip them off?

A lot of this will be determined by the copy on your website. If your website copy includes the mistakes in the list below, you’ll look like a spammer, and visitors won’t convert into customers.

1. Using spammy words—There are certain words that immediately set off the spam alarm. Limit your use of words like:

• Amazing
• Secret
• Free
• Millions
• Opportunity
• Winner
• Prizes
• All New
• Bonus
  

2. Having a lot of exclamation points!!!—Nothing screams “scam!” like excessive punctuation. If your copy is littered with dozens of exclamation points, you’ll instantly scare off a lot of new visitors. Contrary to what some people believe, exclamation points don’t make your copy more exciting or interesting. Truly interesting copy doesn’t need to rely on cheap punctuation tricks to make it more compelling.

While we’re on the subject of excessive punctuation, another thing that drives me nuts is the overuse of ellipses. I understand that…ellipses can create a…a more conversation pace…but when you overuse them…it gets annoying…and it looks kind of…spammy.

3. Telling a way-too-good-to-be-true story—We’ve all come across landing pages where the author tells some remarkable story about how the product being sold helped changed his life forever. You see this a lot with supplements, like weight loss pills. The stories always sound way too good to be true, and instead of convincing you to buy the product, they actually raise your B.S. detectors, causing you to get too wary to place an order.

Make no mistake. Stories can be very powerful sales tools. Some of the most famous sales letters of all time used stories to suck readers in and to convert them into customers. However, if your story just isn’t believable at all, it won’t convert readers…it’ll scare them away and ruin your image.

4. Colorized text—Another technique used on a lot of the spammier landing pages is to use different font colors throughout the copy. You’ll see red headlines, important phrases throughout the copy bolded in blue text, and everything else written in black. It looks absolutely terrible from a design perspective, and it instantly feels like spam. I can say with 100% confidence that I’ve never purchased a product from a website that uses the colorized text trick.

5. Stuffing it with keywords—You don’t see this as much as you did in the early days of SEO, but it still happens fairly often. Amateur SEO copywriters will stuff their copy so full of keywords that it’s virtually impossible for a human to read. If your copy reads like this…

Our Houston bike shop is the best Houston bike shop in Houston. Come stop by our Houston bike shop for all your cycling needs. Our Houston bike shop is cheaper than other Houston bike shops, and it features a wider selection than any other Houston bike shop

…then you’re guilty of keyword stuffing. The best SEO copy is copy that pleases both the search engines and your human visitors. It integrates the keywords seamlessly into the content, so that the human isn’t even aware that your page is optimized for the search engines.

Is your copy guilty of these mistakes?

Blogs are great. They inject a certain amount of personality into our day — often more than we’ll find in more formal writing. While I won’t try to paint all blogs into a box, I want to talk about blogs that involve sharing insight and opinions. They could be personal blogs, niche blogs, or even business blogs — just ones sharing opinions as opposed to strictly information and how-tos.

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I sometimes wonder if bloggers in general share enough information openly. I don’t mean that I want them to share all of the deep dark personal details of their lives either. I mean, do we really say what we think? Or does fear hold us back?

Don’t get me wrong. There are definitely more than a few bloggers out there who are willing to speak their minds. They don’t worry about being judged. Unfortunately though, a lot of bloggers do. They love to blog for one reason or another, but they’re not quite comfortable with the fact that blogging means putting themselves, and their thoughts, on public display.

Here are a few ways I see fear burrowing its way into some of my favorite (and least favorite) blogs:

1. People hold back and don’t take firm stances on the issues they talk about. –
   

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   Not every debatable topic has to involve deep commentary. But if you want to share your opinion, then share your opinion. Don’t tip toe around the issue because you’re paranoid about hurting someone’s feelings. Should you come out and bash someone? Not unless there’s a damn good reason, and even then it’s probably better to attack what they’ve said or done rather than the person themselves. That said, don’t be so afraid to offend. Having an opinion pretty much automatically means someone is going to disagree or feel differently, and that’s okay!
2. Bloggers spend too much time in the echo chamber. – This is one of my biggest pet peeves about bloggers. Some simply stay within a “safe zone” — they only share opinions if they know their buddies will be there to back them up. Rather than saying anything original, they play it safe by echoing what others have said instead. It gets old, and fast. Don’t be afraid to be original. Don’t be afraid to be first.
3. People aren’t who they say they are. – I can understand some of the concern. Some people do legitimately have to worry about losing clients or losing their job.I feel for them. I really do. But when that fear becomes a muzzle and they either pretend to be someone else or they lie about their background to their readers, I have to wonder where the value of their blogging actually is. Why blog if you can’t be yourself? Okay, maybe it’s just for sheer amusement. But why blog about your opinions if you can’t lend those opinions any credibility by being honest about who they’re coming from? I suppose those bloggers could at least use a pen name to try to keep work separate from their blogging (a pen name, not a completely new persona — that’s where you start to cross a line, although that line is yours to draw as individuals). I do this to a limited extent. I don’t go out of my way to try to hide who I am. Yet on some blogs (even other blogs on this particular site) I blog under my initials instead of my full name. In that case it’s because I specialize in a certain type of writing and I want to minimize the crossover in search engines. If you use a pen name, I wouldn’t discount your blog entirely. But it would still be nice as a reader to know something true about you (like your general experience in the topic area you’re blogging about).
4. Bloggers delete their posts. —
   
   

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   I’m a big believer in thinking before you speak. I’m also a big believer in transparency, especially on the Web where nothing deleted is ever really gone forever. But fear sometimes drives bloggers to second guess themselves and they decide to delete past posts. The problem is that it discourages community members from getting involved in discussions — after all, they could be removed tomorrow, so why should we waste our time? I’m sure there are some exceptions to the rule, but personally I hate seeing bloggers delete posts. And we do see it. RSS and email subscribers have probably already seen the post, as have recent visitors. It was there. Maybe it got our attention. And then it’s gone. Huh? People delete blog posts for a variety of reasons, but personally I find it kind of deceptive in the majority of cases. If you opened your mouth too soon, then take the heat that comes with it. Write an apology later if you want to. If you made a mistake, tack on an edit with corrections and a note of apology to readers. If you said something hypocritical, don’t try to delete old blog posts to hide the pattern. It makes you look far worse to people who remember what you said in the past. If your opinion about something genuinely changed, then it’s okay to say so. Tell your readers why. They’ll probably appreciate your new opinion more knowing how you arrived at it anyway. We all make mistakes. We all speak out of turn. Take responsibility though rather than hiding behind fear and a “delete” button.

I think it’s more sad than anything else when I see a blog’s path being governed by fear rather than the true personality behind it. Do you see fear playing a role in blogging in other ways? Do any bother you more than others? Do you think most fear is good because it keeps bloggers in check, or would you rather see more open communication on the blogs you read? Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Over the past few years as a freelance copywriter, I’ve worked on hundreds, maybe even thousands, of projects. During this time, I’ve developed a specific copywriting process I use to make sure I cover all of the bases and get my copy the best it can be.

Now, I’ve decided to pull the curtain back to give you a behind the scenes look at my copywriting process. In this post, I’m going to focus on the questions I ask all clients before I begin writing copy. This questionnaire helps me identify the angle I’m going to take with the copy as well as the main message I want to get across to those who read it.

Here’s a look at my copywriting questionnaire.

• Who is your target audience and what is most important to them? Understanding who you’re communicating with helps you better understand what motivates them to buy, which benefits they care about, how they prefer to communicate, and more. The more you know about your target audience, the better you’ll be able to connect with them.

• What do you want people to do when they read your copy? All copy needs to have a clear call to action. That’s why it’s important to identify what exact action you want readers to take. Do you simply want them to subscribe to your newsletter? Or are you looking to make the sale on the spot? Identify the desired action, and write a clear call to action that tells readers what you want them to do.

• Why exactly should customers choose you? Surprisingly enough, this is the question that most clients can’t seem to answer. If you run a business, you better know what makes you different from your competition. After all, if you can’t clearly answer why customers should choose you, how do you expect customers to choose you instead of one of your competitors?

• Is your work guaranteed? Gaining the trust of potential customers is important to earning their business. This is especially true online. You need to do everything you can to build credibility and to minimize risk. Providing a solid guarantee helps customers feel comfortable buying from you. They know they’ll always have an out should the product not meet their standards. When creating a guarantee, make it as simple and straight-forward as possible.

• Do you have testimonials? Again, building credibility with consumers is an important part of closing the deal. No matter how great you say your products and services are, potential customers will never fully take your word for it. Testimonials from satisfied customers act as a nonbiased endorsement of your company. Include testimonials on your website and other sales copy.

• Who are your main competitors? You should always be fully aware of who your competitors are and what they’re up to. You need to identify their strengths and their weaknesses. You need to figure out what you do better than your competitors so you can differentiate yourself and grab market share. Lastly, you should try to figure out if there are any potential customers your competition is overlooking.

Beyond these questions, I also ask specific questions relating to the company and their products and services.

The next time you need to write sales copy, try asking these questions. I think they’ll help you find a tight focus for your copy, improving its effectiveness and maximizing your results.

Can you think of other questions that should be added to this list? Share your thoughts in the replies.

Writing headlines isn’t some mystery that’s impossible to understand. In fact, it’s easy to write effective headlines when you avoid these 5 common mistakes.
• Mistake #1: Not communicating a benefit—If you want people to read your copy, you need to immediately let them know what’s in it for them. Buyers are selfish. If you don’t quickly communicate a benefit that they care about, they’ll leave your website for another. So, identify a key benefit of your products or services, and drive that point home in your headline. For example, if you’re selling a weight loss product, your headline could be something along the lines of “How to Safely Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days or Less.”
• Mistake #2: Being unclear—Clarity is a key component of a successful headline. If people don’t understand the point you’re trying to make, the chances of them reading beyond the headline are slim. An easy way to determine if your headline is clear enough is to have someone outside of your company read only the headline. After they read the headline, ask them if they know what the rest of your copy is about. If they’re unable to identify the message, it’s probably time to rewrite your headline.
• Mistake #3: Trying to be clever— Puns and inside jokes almost never work because they’re unclear, and they can make you sound condescending. Don’t try to be cute. Don’t try to be funnier than you are. Like the previous tip on this list says, it’s all about the clarity of your headline. Clever headlines usually aren’t clear.
• Mistake #4: Sounding gimmicky—We’ve all come across headlines that sound a little too good to be true. Here’s an example: Make $10,000,000 a year working 4 Hours a Week! Headlines that sound too gimmicky will cause you to lose credibility, and as a result, it won’t perform up to par. Statistics and How-to’s can be an effective way to make your claims seem more legitimate.
• Mistake #5: Ignoring SEO—When writing headlines for the web, it’s important to try to include your main keyword whenever possible. Optimizing your headline for the search engines improves that page’s relevance for the targeted keyword. Additionally, it can help to increase the clarity of your headline as the keyword clearly describes what the web copy is about. Just be careful that the keyword doesn’t cause your headline to become clunky and difficult to read.

Which headline mistakes would you add to this list? Leave a comment in the replies.

Does your page title need to match your H1 tag, or can you vary them for increased SEO results?

Before we look any deeper at this subject we need to make sure we’re all talking about the same thing. Your page title is the part of the HTML code between the tags and in most browsers, is displayed in either the browser chrome area, or on the individual tab. Your H1 tag is usually displayed on the page as the name/title of the article or post.

From an SEO perspective there isn’t a penalty if your Title and H1 element are the same, however you are missing out on the opportunity to use them to target variations or alternate keywords. Let me illustrate with an example:

Title: How to Choose a Printer for Your Vista Computer
H1: How to Choose a Printer for Your Vista Computer

compared to

Title: Printers: Shopping for a Printer for Your Vista Computer / Laptop
H1: How to Choose a Printer for Your Vista Computer

Notice how by using a variation we were able to incorporate new keywords such as “shopping” and “laptop”. Additionally we were able to get the single and plural version of “printer” and “printers” into the title. Let’s try another example:

Title: Cheap Hotels in Las Vegas
H1: Cheap Hotels in Las Vegas

compared to

Title: Discount Hotels – Las Vegas Cheap Hotel Rooms
H1: Cheap Hotels in Las Vegas

Again in this case we were able to add the hotel/hotels singular and plural variations, as well as “hotel rooms” and “discount hotels”

Of course there is the temptation to go overboard with this technique and add in too many words, such as:

Title: Discount Hotels Online – Cheap Las Vegas Strip Hotel Rooms, Book Online

From a user perspective there are too many words, it looks keyword stuffed, and it isn’t very click enticing. Secondly you break the proximity and position effects. If you can get the words in the exact order of a query that’s the ideal situation, if that’s not possible you to get them next to each other with as few other words and no stop words in between (this is called positioning). In the first example the “discount hotels” and “cheap hotel” were on both sides of the words “Las Vegas” (this is known as proximity). Lastly is the length, Google will start to truncate (chop off) at 66 characters so you want to try and stay at 65 or under whenever possible.

So what are the takeaways from this post:

• Try to use different page titles and H1 tags to introduce singular and plural keywords
• Try to use different page titles and H1 tags to introduce alternate and related keywords
• Place alternate keywords around central concepts to take advantage of proximity
• Keep your page titles under 66 characters to avoid being truncated