by Peter Crocker

Is Twitter a sign of society’s shrivelling attention span and trivia obsession, or does it provide the strict discipline we need to distil our thoughts into focused nuggets?

We’ve previously explored the all-important 30-second elevator statement and discussed the benefits of a catchy one-line business tagline, but with the irresistible rise of Twitter, is it time to perfect the art of communicating in 140 characters?

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by Peter Crocker

It’s fair to say that ‘getting out there’ and business networking – online or offline – is not something that comes naturally to me.

Truth be told, if left up to me I’d slouch alone in my home office all day listening to folksy music with headphones on and ignoring the telephone.

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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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by Steve Manning

Whether you’re a copywriter, designer or event planner, receiving a good brief from your client is essential in delivering the best possible job for them.

Confusion often occurs when a poor brief is given at the start of a project. Valuable time can be wasted because the work parameters weren’t agreed upon from the outset or you weren’t clear on your client’s objectives. This inevitably has a negative impact on both the end result and the relationship with your client.
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by Steve Manning

Well, of course you do. We all need to shower and change our clothes. But what I mean is, do you carry out de-briefs on your work?

If you’re like me, you probably finish a job and move quickly onto the next one. This is fine because it means that business is good and the mortgage is getting paid.

But it also means that a key part of your business is being overlooked – the de-brief.

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by Peter Crocker

Writing for the web is not the same as writing for a brochure or magazine. There are many essential differences that you need to consider. Here are 23 simple tips I’ve picked up over the years.

According to usability guru Jakob Nielson, reading from computer screens is 25% slower than reading from paper, and 79% of readers scan the content of a website rather than reading the content word by word. Web copy also has the ability to be interactive and obtain a direct response from the reader. (more…)

by Peter Crocker

Here’s a quick experiment that will speak volumes about your online presence. The results may be inspiring, frustrating or ho-hum all at the same time. I call it window shopping the competition.

Here’s how it works. Hop onto www.google.com.au and type in the main keyword related to your business, along with the name of your suburb or region. Also check the ‘pages from Australia’ button.

Go on, I’ll stop writing until you get back. As an illustration, I entered landscaping Bendigo.
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by Peter Crocker

A recent experience reminded me just how many businesses make it unnecessarily difficult to be found by their prospects. In a world that’s increasingly obsessed with Google ranking, let’s not overlook the basics of self promotion.

I’m in the market for an automatic driveway gate. But with hundreds of options online, I decided to take an old-fashioned walk around the block to see some gates in action. While I had found some good options on the internet, it was hard to tell exactly what I was getting.

After about 10 minutes of walking I’d found three gates that were just what I wanted. They were the right size, colour and design. I thought, “Job done”. I’ll get the name and number of the suppliers, give them a call, get a couple of quotes and I’ll be all set.
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by Peter Crocker

In my web browser, I have a folder called ‘business websites I like’. It contains random sites that, for one reason or another, drew me in. Looking back at the list, they have three ingredients in common that make them effective business websites.

These are: clarity, intelligence and personality.

Spending time on an effective business website is like listening to an engaging speaker. You can tell they know their stuff and talk about it in a way you understand. You’ve never met, but feel as if you know them.
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by Peter Crocker

In Flying Solo’s recent survey, you told us online marketing strategies such as websites and social networking were among the top ways to find new clients. Yet only 53% of us soloists have a website we’re happy with.

Delving deeper it turns out that of the soloists who had a website, only 40% had done search engine optimisation (SEO) and less than 18% felt confident that SEO was working for them. (more…)

by Peter Crocker

Selling products or services direct to customers is all good and well. But could you be missing out on a potentially larger and more lucrative marketing opportunity?

In the past I’ve done a lot of work on channel marketing for IT companies. Put simply, channel marketing involves selling through partners or resellers rather than direct to customers. (more…)