Say What You Mean

Have you ever gotten an email meant to sell you something, but you had no idea what they were selling? I have. I've gotten emails so filled with jargon that they may as well have been speaking ancient Greek.

Your business has its own vocabulary. For lawyers, we call it "legaleeze". Whenever you hear someone telling you the small print, you know they are talking legal jargon and it often doesn't make sense. The same is true for my business of writing. POD means nothing unless you want to "publish on demand."

It is important to look at your written communication to your customers and see it as they will see it. Are you using acronyms that only you will know? Are you using intellectual sounding terms that will have no meaning to your customers?

The point of communicating with your customer is to get them to understand what you have to offer and then to purchase that product or service from you. It is not to show how smart you are through the use of your giant or obscure vocabulary. You must speak your client's language. You must motivate them to do something, such buy a product or request more information. You must meet their needs.

If you currently have a written marketing campaign, look it over and be sure that it is written in your customer's language. TAFN, (That's All For Now, for those that don't speak text!)

[If you have written materials that you'd like to have edited, or if you are creating materials from scratch, feel free to contact me. I'd love to help. teribclark@gmail.com)

Immediate Credibility With a Book

Do you want to be an authority in your field? One of the fastest ways to do this is by writing a book. Being the author of a book commands the respect of your peers and your customers. It gives you and your business credibility – instant credibility.

Perhaps you will want to sell your book. Perhaps you will just want to use it as a free offer or a thank you. Perhaps you will use it to inform potential clients about what you do and how it will benefit them. Whatever the case, a book can be a great boon.

You may be thinking, “Me? Write a book? About what?” Your industry, that’s what. Or a particular niche in your industry. You have the knowledge, experience, and passion for what you do. Let others know about it!

Your book is not likely to be a best seller (though it could be). The likelihood is that your book will appeal to a narrow band of people, but that’s ok. Your business only applies to a narrow band of people. Reach out to them and show them how you can solve their problems.

A book of this nature does not have to be a tome. Just 40 to 60 pages will do. If you write just 500 words a day, you can have your book finished in a month.

How can you make sure you write your book? Here are a few tips:

1. Commit to the project. Keep track of what you do each day and make a time each day to write. 
2. Perfection is not the key. Once you’ve actually written the book, you can edit and clean it up.
3. Start with an outline. What topics do you want to cover? What subtopics can you think of to go with each topic? What order of topics works best?
4. Don’t worry about publishing options until you get your book written. There are many different “print on demand” options available. It is easy to get a book for $4 or less with as little as 50 printed on the first run.

A book is not going to make you wealthy in the short-term, but it can certainly add to your bottom line in the long term. Get started today!

(If you still feel like a book is beyond your capabilities or if you feel you don’t have time for a book, feel free to contact me about possible ghostwriting services: teribclark@gmail.com)

Have You Considered a Survey?

Email is a great marketing tool. It is fast, targeted, and effective. If someone has asked to be on your mailing list, then you can rest assured that they want to hear from you. The question becomes, what do you send them?

One idea is a five to six question survey. Ask them about something related to your business. You could ask them about their recent experience with your company. Maybe you have a product that could use some feedback. Perhaps you are considering a new product and want to do a bit of market research. 

After the survey, write a sales offer for completing the survey. It could be a great discount on one of your most popular products, a coupon for any purchase, or even a free gift with their next order. Think about your audience and what would appeal to them.

This is what I would call a ‘twofer.” Two for the price of one. Not only do you learn valuable information about your business, but you get sales you would not have had otherwise. 

Another option is to send an email with a link to your survey. After they fill out the information, your customer will get an email with their coupon or code for the offer. An excellent source for an online survey is www.kwiksurveys.com. To see what a survey might look like, you can go to http://kwiksurveys.com?u=CreateaSurvey.

Don’t underestimate the power of email or the power of a survey. Understanding your client’s needs and wants, as well as providing them with great services and products for that knowledge, is a win-win situation.

Your Press Release Part 3 - Be Targeted

Finally, targeting the media is just as important as targeting your market. Special features writers, columnists, radio show hosts, special interest publications, and specific programs are particularly beneficial for two reasons.

First, targeting your release to specific reporters, news anchors, or programs (instead of the newsroom or media entity) increases your chances. While it may require a little investigating, remember that the media are made up of people. They like the personalized approach just as much as your clients do.

Second, targeting your news release is more effective for the purposes of marketing since it will be reported in a medium that caters to your specific target market. Ask: "Where does my niche or target market hang out? What publications do they read? What shows do they watch? What radio programs do they prefer?" Your hit ratio will thus increase proportionately.

The media love to report on stories that inform or affect their specific audience. And if that audience matches your own, you'll know that your story will be noticed by people that are in a more qualified position to buy from you. The more focused you are the greater the outcome you will achieve.

See Part 1 of Your Press Release - Be Remarkable :

http://hiringawriter.blogspot.com/2011/10/your-press-release-part-1-be-remarkable.html

See Part 2 of Your Press Release - Be Original

http://hiringawriter.blogspot.com/2011/10/your-press-release-part-2-be-original.html

Your Press Release Part 2 - Be Original

Being the first in some way is an effective tool that can also help spark more interest in your news release. If you can support the fact that your firm is the first to provide a certain product or service, that your product or service is the first in its category, that you're the first to provide an ordinary product or service in a unique way, or that your event is the first or the largest in its category, you can and should use that information in your news release.

A company claiming to be the best is certainly not a news item. But a company claiming to be the first in some way is. Capitalize on that leadership when approaching the media. Try to sell your story in a different way, possibly with a new angle or twist. Adding your unique experience, even blending your story with a current news item or issue, will up your chances.

For example, someone sends out a news release in which he announces the opening of his new company. Sounds like a trivial story? It's not if that person suffers from a disability. In other words, bring your unique angle into your news release. Give it a human feel. The key is to capture the reporter's interest. It must appeal to him or her and not just the marketplace.

As with many things in life, timing is crucial when sending your news release. Three to five days in advance is usually the right amount of time to ensure the editors can put someone on your story. Mailing a release too early is just as bad as mailing it too late – it will be put aside and forgotten. Deadlines do vary depending on the type of media, so be sure and check with them in advance.

Your Press Release Part 1 - Be Remarkable

Your voice is one of the most powerful tools you possess and using the media is a great way to get your voice heard. The most profitable and often overlooked free publicity generator is the news release. A news release is a brief written summary alerting the local media about your business news and activities. News releases are not only great marketing tools but also far more credible and believable than advertising since they appear to come from an objective third party.

So, what makes a good story? While the answer to such a subjective question can be difficult, here are a few pointers in order to guide you in writing your news releases.

Be Remarkable

Reporters like stories that are related to a current event or issue, or those that have emotional appeal. A news release should provide enough information to generate interest but just enough to incite them to want to know more. In doing so, it is only logical that it must provide good contact information if they wish to follow-up. You would be amazed to know how many news releases fail to mention even the simplest of things, like a phone number or a contact name.

More importantly, your news release must be devoid of any obvious fluff or overt advertising. You need to write it to read like a news story because a news reporter will be using it. Look at it from the reporter's perspective. In other words, write the story for them.

What can a news release do? They can announce important company changes, new recruits or appointments within the organization, recently or soon-to-be launched products or services, and so on. There are many more ways that new releases may be used, including identity branding or pre-empting negative publicity. If you have no hard news, you can create some. For example, if a national organization announces facts that are relevant to your business, you could make a good story by asking local experts for their reactions. In short, it could be anything new -- hence, the preference of the word "news release" over "press release."

Be Specific With Your Marketing Copy

We've all heard the general statements like "Lowest prices" "Highest Quality" or "Best deal." But do you believe it when you hear it? I don't. Those statements are too general. Anyone can say it - in fact, many do.

So, what do you do about it? Be specific. Answer the "why" or the "how."

Are you discounting your prices? Don't just say "Reduced prices." Tell your audience how reduced - 25% off.

Do you have high quality products? Explain why. Made with hand carved pecan wood.

The more specific you can be, the more believable you will be - even if your products are not very different from your competitor's, they will stand out.

Keep this tip in mind when you create an email, article, or sales letter for your business. Find ways to be specific, allowing your copy to be far more effective - or should I say 100% more effective.