So, do you still think quality copy is not worth paying for?
Tip of the hat to Purplefeather Online Marketing
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 That's a lot of reading! In a recent direct response email newsletter from Bob Bly, he writes on “The Truth about Long Copy.” It got me thinking. Many people seem to feel that all copy must be short. These people like to choose arbitrary numbers like 250 or 500 words and apply them as length limits to every writing project. They like to say things like, “No one likes to read anymore.” Or “People are too busy to read long drawn out sales presentations.” My favorite one is when they support their position by stating, “I never read anything that takes me more than a minute.” The Short Copy Crowd is making 2 huge mistakes here: Continue reading Long Copy or Short Copy?
No. Really. It is. And Google is proving it again. They have changed their search algorithm to yield better, more relevant, more useful results for searchers. The bottom line here is that it is more important than ever to focus on the quality of your content. In her article New SEO Rules: See what you are missing Sharon Tisdale Rice writes:
I say “begin with a website” because that is only the start. There are search engine optimization tactics and traffic driving strategies. There are inbound marketing tools and email list building. All of these methods are simply ways to attract potential customers and then engage them. It’s like a farmer’s market. Exciting displays of the freshest produce, colorfully spilling over the crates stops you from wandering by. It looks so good! You are overcome by the desire to squeeze and sniff the fruit, to fondle and thump the cantaloup. Then you ask the farmer “how much…?”
Here is the concept in a nutshell. Any buying experience consists of several “moments of truth.” The classic is the customer standing before the shelf of laundry soap deciding which to put in her basket. Her decision is the culmination of advertising, word of mouth, brand awareness, packaging, shelf positioning, price and a list of other factors. The point of decision is the first moment of truth. The first moment of truth is followed by another when she actually uses the product. And then another when she talk about it with her friends. Each moment of truth is a pivot point for that product’s success. Today, however, we face an additional MOT. This is when we go to the web – on a computer, by a mobile device or some other way – and research. This commonly takes place before we actually go to any store or visit any merchant site or make a phone call. That’s why Google has termed it the Zero Moment of Truth.
A trend that has been going on for more than 5 years now is that consumer copy is getting longer, while business-to-business copy is getting shorter. Why? 1-Business prospects are busier than ever and have less time to read. 2-Consumers are more skeptical than ever so need more proof before they buy.
If you find it valuable, please pass these on to others who might benefit. All I ask is that you include the blurb at the end so people know where to find me. ___________________________________ Continue reading The Copy Judge – Clear and Compelling Headlines  Good copy gives readers plenty of chances to buy Perhaps you don’t write copy, but…you probably could use some useful tips on how to evaluate copy. If you are going to pay someone to write copy for your website, advertising or marketing materials, how can you tell if it’s any good? So begins a series of posts on how business owners, marketing directors and anyone dealing with freelance commercial writers can recognize and evaluate the quality of your copy. If you find it valuable, please pass these on to others who might benefit. All I ask is that you include the blurb at the end so people know where to find me.
I believe bad writing sucks your soul out through your eyeballs, but good writing is the million volts of liquid lightning that you need to inject pulsating life into the corpse of your marketing project. I believe that too many websites read as if they were written by zombies, and too few give you a reason to live. I believe in language that roars, hammers, explodes and pierces. I also believe in words that whisper, shimmer, dance, and tingle. I believe in bold clarity, subtle nuance, transitive verbs, the active voice, the power of Anglo-Saxon words, and the fact that the best writing is wicked hard but looks easy. Writing is not for sissies.
Here are some tips on effective copy from a journal The Graphic Arts, published in 1915. I lifted a few quotes from an article titled “Conspicuous Features in Advertising.” by Henry Lewis Johnson. He writes about advertising when this meant print advertising, and print advertisement of that time seem dense and clumsy to our eyes. Nevertheless, the fundamentals remain. Consider how these ideas apply even today to copy written for the web. Continue reading Copy Writing Advice from the Old School |
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