by Steve Manning

Words. They’re everywhere. We hear them, speak them and read them all day long. So why is it so hard to write them down sometimes?

Whether it’s an important email, business letter, article, web page or advertisement, most of us have experienced writer’s block at some point in time.

Although you may be a good writer and have an idea of what you want to say, it can be extremely difficult at times to put pen to paper – or should I say fingers to keyboard.

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by Steve Manning

As a business owner, it’s natural to want to tell the world who you are, what you do and why you’re the best. So when it comes to writing marketing or advertising copy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of only talking about “me, me, me”.

I’ll break this to you gently…your potential customers don’t really care about you.
(insert gasp)

Why? Because all they care about is what you can do for them.
(I know. Those selfish so-and-sos.)

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by Steve Manning

If you run a business, chances are that you’ll have to produce a sales letter at some point in time. Whether it’s to launch your business, a new product or to attract more sales, a well-written sales letter can be an extremely effective tool in your marketing mix.

However, it’s easy to get it wrong. There are a thousand ways to ensure your sales letter is scrunched up and thrown in the bin. You name it…boring headline, poor grammar, long sentences with no point, hidden messages, no call to action, lack of perceived benefits for the reader…the list goes on.
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by Peter Crocker.

I recently moved to one of those touchy feely fruity phones. Hardly a significant event, until I discovered many thought I’d been sucked in and paid a premium just to carry around a logo. Had I fallen for the marketer and ignored the engineer?

According to people in the know, there are smart phones that deliver a better performance for much less. And I’m sure there are.
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by Steve Manning

I have a problem.
I seem to be including smiley face characters in more and more of my emails these days.
Most times, it’s quite upbeat.
Other times, it’s just a cheeky wink. :-)

All pretty harmless stuff really. Why do I do it? Well, mainly for the following reasons.
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by Steve Manning

What drives someone to buy something? The simple answer is that they either want it or need it. But there’s more to it than that. Every purchasing decision has an underlying motivation that we, as business owners, marketers or copywriters, need to identify.

You see, whether you’re selling clothing, microwaves or insurance, there’s a common set of reasons why people will buy your product or service. Once you identify and understand these reasons, you’re well on the way to unlocking the secrets of effective selling.

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by Steve Manning

Last month, I looked at 7 essential rules to writing effective web copy.

I’ll now share my remaining 6 rules to help your web copy shine. (more…)

by Peter Crocker

Up until last year I thought giving clients a gift at Christmas – or at least a card – was a sure-fire winner. It turns out there is a very passionate divide on the subject amongst business owners.

In response to my newsletter last year called four unique corporate gift ideas, 75 commenters jumped in to have their say.

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by Steve Manning

Writing website copy is a unique skill. It’s totally different to writing copy for brochures, newsletters and reports. Why? Because your web copy needs to attract, engage and persuade someone in a matter of seconds.

After all, if a potential customer doesn’t like what they see, they’re out of there with the simple click of a mouse button. And guess where they’re heading? That’s right – straight to your competitor’s site.

Therefore, there are some essential rules that you must adhere to when you write web copy.

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by Peter Crocker

We’ve all said things we regret. In the real world, a sincere face-to-face apology and explanation can usually put things right, but in the virtual world our words can take on a life of their own.

You may have heard of the dangers of text messaging under the influence (TUI). Also known as ‘intexication’, TUI can result in mistaken messages being sent and things said that are deeply regretted in the cold light of day. One example I read about was an amorous text message meant for boyfriend ‘Dan’ accidentally going to ‘Dad’ with the press of a wrong button. Not great!
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