Rock Solid Writing » sample writing

Long Copy or Short Copy?

David Denis — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:37:50 +0000

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:

They infer that because some people don’t like to read long copy therefore there is no one in any circumstance that might be willing to read long copy.
They forget that their own entirely subjective feelings on the matter don’t carry the same weight as hard facts – such as the actual sales numbers generated by the type of copy in question.

There are projects that require just enough copy to pique the reader’s interest and drive them on to where they can find more detailed information. There are also copywriting assignments that need to include every piece of information about the product in detail. The difference is in the kind of product and the business model. Here is how Bob Bly puts it.

…But long copy often out-pulls short copy when:

You are marketing information products or other products that are sold by telling stories or conveying ideas.
You are generating a direct sale … via mail order … rather than just generating a lead or inquiry.
The reader is unfamiliar with your product and its benefits. You are demanding payment with order. The prospect has to pay up front with a check or credit card. He cannot order the product on credit and get an invoice he can choose to pay – or not pay – later.
The product is complex and therefore requires a lot of explanation.
The product is something people want rather than something they need – it is a discretionary purchase.
The product is expensive, representing an expenditure the prospect is likely to consider carefully before ordering.

The beauty of Bob’s more sophisticated approach is that he is not relying on untested emotional assumptions and one size fits all solutions.

He is basing his view on actual numbers. He knows that regardless of his personal feelings (or yours) about long copy, in these situations the numbers show that it sells.
He is tailoring the length of the copy to the need of the project. How much information do you need to SELL this product? Whatever that number is, that’s what you write.

When it comes to copywriting, always remember that the entire and sole purpose of the exercise is to sell stuff – not satisfy critics.

A competent copywriter understands this, and will write the type of copy (and the length of copy) that will get the job done.

Standing out in the marketplace

David Denis — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 03:14:58 +0000

It is axiomatic — everyone knows that every business must have a website. The trends are clear that more and more people are going to the web to engage in the market place. If you want customers to find you, if you want to effectively call out to them and be heard, you must begin with a website. If you don’t understand this, see my post on Google’s e-book Zero Moment of Truth.

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…?”

That display is your website. The keywords help them see you. Your content is the bushels of beautiful fruit that entice potential buyers to stop their mad clickfest and actually learn about the value that your company offers. The single common key to making this whole thing work is CONTENT. People come to your website for the useful and clear information – just like shoppers stop by your stall for the freshest fruit and vegetables.

Your content could be video, audio or photos. But the type of content that will do the bulk of the heavy lifting is your writing. The copy. The text. The words.

Your visitors will quickly size up your website and make a decision about whether it offers them the information they seek or not. If your content is clear, compelling and accessible, there is a good chance they may spend a few minutes listening to what you have to say.They will watch your video, look at your photos. They will spend the bulk of their attention on your text. If they like what they read, then you have an opportunity to continue to engage their attention. This is where you offer twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. This is where you provide free articles in exchange for their email. This is where they may even pick up the phone and call you. Perhaps they will even act to place an order there and then.

It all starts with the usefulness and clarity of your content.

It ends there too, because it’s the rest of the content that continues to move them down the buying path.

Invest in quality content. Spend good money for the best writing possible — writing that informs, excites and most of all, writing that sells.

Your Zero Moment of Truth

David Denis — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:07:40 +0000

Google recently published a pretty compelling e-book called “Zero Moment of Truth” (ZMOT).

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.

Moreover, it takes place with both consumer driven businesses and in the business to business environment. Think of how many times in the last month you did research on the web before actually engaging with the vendor or retailer.

The question this raises is “how are we dealing with the ZMOT?” Are we engaging with the customer where they are, at the point where we can have the most influence, or are you still hoping to jump that train only after it has already left the station?

I think the significance here is not that traditional forms of promotion are going away – although some may be. It is clear, however, that we need to be engaging prospective customers at that ZMOT point if we hope to make the most of our marketing efforts.

What these solution-seeking people need most at the ZMOT is information that is

Clear
Relevant
Compelling
Easy to find

Content. That’s what the pundits mean when they say “it’s all about the content.”

The quality of your content, therefore, will have more and more impact on the quality of your marketing results. Pay attention to that. You customers (and those who decide not to be your customers) surely do.

I encourage you to download the ebook. Read it. Then figure out what you can to do engage your customer at the ZMOT.

The Copy Judge: Does your Copy Sell?

David Denis — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:40:39 +0000

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.

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I just can’t help it. My default position when writing marketing copy is Selling Mode. To paraphrase Peter Drucker, the only reason for a business to exist is to create customers. Marketing copy exists for the same reason – to move the reader closer to becoming a customer. Anything less is a waste of time, space and money.

I have an advantage in that arena over some other copywriters. After all, I got my start in business by selling educational books door-to-door during the summer to earn money for college. I spent many years selling and training salespeople in the basics of retail selling. For about 7 years I dealt directly with business owners and managers selling professional development workshops. By now, it’s hard not to think and speak in terms of features and benefits. I’ve learned to word things in ways that decrease resistance, win people over and communicate value.

That selling experience transfers into writing.

So take a look at the copy on your website and in your other marketing materials. What do you look for to insure that it has a selling orientation? There are four basic qualities to look for.

Attention

Does each page or section have a headline? Does it make them want to read more? Is it unambiguous and direct? Does it state some benefit, offer some news or provide some compelling reason to read further.

Clarity

Is your copy organized so that it is easy to follow? Do section headings allow for quick scanning of the content? Does each section and paragraph include a compelling lead that sums up and drives the reader deeper into the content?

Beware of being clever or funny at the expense of clarity. A direct statement that is clear is far more preferable than a genius play on words that will be obscure to any part of your audience.

If anything about the copy is confusing, that creates a barrier. As the saying goes, “eschew obfuscation.”

Benefits

Your readers really want to know just one thing – “what is in it for me?” So give real benefits attached to the features of your product or service.

For instance, you may offer a free consultation. Be sure to explain that this allows your customer to evaluate your services without fear of losing money if it isn’t right. Don’t leave it up to your reader to figure out the benefit. Put it on paper for them.

Ask

Just as in selling, you can give a fantastic presentation, but if you never ask for the sale you leave money on the table.

In copywriting, that means telling people in clear and direct terms exactly what you want them to do. It may mean a huge button that says “Click here to place this in your shopping cart.” It may mean writing “Call this number now to set up your free consultation.” Leave nothing in your instructions to chance — the more painfully ridiculously clear, the better.

Place action opportunities everywhere and feature them prominently. Don’t make readers hunt for your phone number or for the response form. Make action easy. Remove obstacles and see better results.

That’s the basics elements of selling-oriented copy. Make sure to create every marketing piece with this in mind and you will be creating much greater return on your marketing dollar investment.

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This article is written by David Denis owner of Rock Solid Writing. Visit the website at http://www.rocksolidwriting.com
David is a freelance writer for hire offering powerful web content, marketing copy, sales letters, white papers, case studies, newsletters, sales scripts, and more.
To learn more, or request a free consultation click here or visit http://www.rocksolidwriting.com/schedule-your-free-copy-consultation/

I Believe in Writing…

David Denis — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:00:47 +0000

I believe in writing, the word, the page, the well crafted sentence, the well formed phrase. I believe that strong design makes anything look good but it’s the writing that gets the job done.

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.

I believe in writing to sell and not merely to describe. I believe that features have benefits, and that your customers need what you have, and that it’s my job to tell them so.

I believe in delivering more than my clients want, and making it better than they thought it could be, in less time than they thought it would take.

I believe in writing.

Rock Solid Writing Does it Again

David Denis — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:46:57 +0000

Marijane Shufro over at Fletcher and Wilder Communications just posted a very nice recommendation of my recent work on a website they are creating for Pinnacle Rock Mechanical Services. You can see it on my LinkedIn profile.

This was a fun project because we really turned up the juice on the original concept.

The first thought was a simple 6 page site describing the services Pinnacle Rock offers. Not that there is anything WRONG with that kind of approach, but…*snore*

Upon reflection, we decided to scrap the whole idea of having one page on ventilation, another on air conditioning, and so on. Instead, let’s tell visitors to the site (owners and managers in charge of facilities management) what they really want to know.

Will Pinnacle Rock reduce my expenses and make managing my business easier?

Writing to Create Buyers

So I wrote a mini-white paper on how your business could save tens of thousands of dollars through regular maintenance. It seems that equipment and repair expenses typically increase by a factor of 15 or more if regular service is delayed. That’s a huge number that most budget planners don’t account for when they look to reduce budgets by deferring maintenance.

Then we connected with some clients and wrote three absolute killer mini-case studies to DEMONSTRATE how Pinnacle Rock solves real problems for real clients. It makes Pinnacle Rock look like rock stars of the HVAC universe. Of course, it helps that they play like rock stars, and their fans adore them.

That’s what I mean by copy that sells – creating a message that is so clear and so compelling that readers can’t wait to pick up the phone and do business with you. I can’t wait to see how this new site helps Pinnacle Rock grow the business in the coming months and years.

Marijane and the team over at F&W were great to work with. I haven’t seen the design but I expect the finished website should be up soon. I’ll post the link as soon as I get it.

Read. Feel. Act

David Denis — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:17:14 +0000

What causes people to shell out good money to buy something, even something expensive?

It’s not necessarily because it makes sense — although that is important.

The point of decision (buying) is motivated more by emotion than logic. If not skillfully targeted at the right kind of emotion, most appeals will fail to convert into action.

So if you rely solely on overwhelming logic to close sales, you may find that your revenue is not keeping up with your vision. If you keep waiting for people to see the light of your unassailable logic, you will still be waiting long after the cold dead corpse of your business has been picked clean by the buzzards of the auction. What you need to do is light the fire.

Dan Heath of FastCompany explains that emotion, not logic, facts or statistics, is the key to moving people to change. He uses examples of helping people change direction and adopt new habits such as healthy eating or saving money. Imagine, on the other hand, what this means applied to selling YOUR product or service.

Simply put, you cannot merely list features or facts and expect people to make the connections. You must connect those facts to the strong emotions that motivate people to take action. The formula is simple: First people see what they want. Then they feel the need. Then they change.

Applied to writing copy, that formula can be translated as Read-Feel-Act.

That’s the signature quality of truly effective copy.

If your copy needs to create action, rather than simply inform, you must write to touch the heart as well as provide necessary information. One of my mentors put it this way, “People buy (act) based on emotion, and then they justify their action with logic and facts.” Humans act because they want something (love) or wish to avoid something (fear). If your writing taps into either of those primal emotions, you have a much better chance of getting the result you want.

So when it comes to creating your marketing materials or your website, find a copy writer that understands how to really sell you, your company and your products. The best writers get inside the head of the prospect and write copy that throws gasoline on their personal emotional woodpile and tosses on the match. It’s touching that emotional flashpoint that gets things jumping when it comes to your prospects deciding to buy.

That’s why buzzards hate bonfires.

What’s more important — The Cup or the Content?

David Denis — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 01:54:15 +0000

Which would you rather drink:

Fine wine from a plastic cup?
Used bathwater from a crystal goblet?

Many businesses will spend oodles of noodles doing the keyword research and search engine optimization for their websites. They will dump a pile of dough on graphic design with slick flash animation and eye catching layouts. They will dish out the bread when it comes to analyzing their menu structure and site navigation. And they are not wrong for doing so. These elements are critical to making your website a success.

Effective optimization for search engines means your customers will find you. Great graphic design instantly conveys important information about the kind of company you are. Clear site navigation removes obstacles that may hinder your visitor from contacting you or buying from you.

But that’s just the cup. Nobody buys a drink just for the glass. They want the drink.

When it comes to your website, the drink is The Content.

Quality Content – the Magic Elixir

Your visitor has a problem. They come to your site hoping to find that magical cordial that, when swallowed, will solve that problem. The keywords, the graphics and the menus are only the vessels that delivers the magic liquid. The solution to their problem will always lie in the content – and the quality of your content can make or break the site. One taste will tell them whether your site contains Aqua Vitae or dirty water.

This is why it may be a mistake to skimp on your content. Trying to get off cheap may actually be the most expensive solution.

Home Brewed or Made by Masters?

Think twice before delegating the content creation onto members of your staff who already have too much to do. Consider carefully whether your own skills and talents really lie in the area of selling with words. Be very cautious about simply copying all your old marketing material and dumping it into a file you send to your web designer. While you may actually have the in house talent to pull this off, home brew may not be the most efficient and effective option.

Hire a professional to write your web content – but only if your most important criteria is results.

Your writer doesn’t have to be an expert in your industry. He knows how to obtain background information from reading and interviews with subject matter experts. He knows how to listen and consult with your team to deliver the message the way it needs to be delivered.

Hire a writer because your writer will have one goal: to craft the content that will get results for your website. No office politics. No overtime. No distraction from your business. Hiring a writer lets you and your staff do your business while she does hers.

If your writer is any good, his services won’t come cheap, but nobody ever went blind from drinking real champagne. Your customers deserve the best you can give them. Skip the rotgut content and break out the stuff that’s made from the finest words, by the best writers. Your business will thank you.

What Stephen Fry can Teach us about Copy Writing

David Denis — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:00:21 +0000

I am a great proponent of strong words. Weak and colorless language is most often a sign that the writer (or the client who is paying for the writing) is afraid to employ the evocative phrase that tweaks the emotions of the reader. It is true that the use of the especially potent metaphor carries a risk of offending or frightening certain timid souls. These readers are the kind who prefer their evening meal with all the fat, sugar and spices safely removed . The blob that is left behind only seems like food because it is served on a plate.

I prefer to give readers the benefit of the doubt. They are strong enough to handle real meat — barbecue no less. Once getting a taste of real writing they will consume the whole plate willingly (with a side of cole slaw) and digest it happily, their lips buzzing from the zippy sauce.

There is no reason why this shouldn’t be just as true for business writing as for so called “Creative Writing.” In fact, if you want to sell something, your writing must appeal to the senses and the emotional core that is at the center of all buying decisions. For goodness sake, don’t forsake clarity merely to achieve linguistic pyrotechnics, but a couple of firecrackers here and their certainly makes for more interesting reading.

And bottom line, if they don’t read your website, your brochure or your white paper, you will miss the chance to sell them your product or your service.

Stephen Fry goes on a slightly different but parallel rant on language in the video below. His particular peeve is about those who are much more concerned with correctness than they are with actually communicating. This worry arises from the same root as the fear of using language that is just too vibrant. It is all about fear. The pedants Fry talks about are afraid of being “wrong.” The worry warts on my list are just afraid of things blowing up.

I say be brave. Revel in the joy of the bright and fierce turn of phrase. Have fun and fear not the critic or the worrier. Have the courage to harness the horsepower contained in the well-timed explosion of words. The bold act and the direct stroke will win the day.

Epicurean Tea Company Goes Live

David Denis — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:29:17 +0000

Last week, one of my clients published a new website for her small business.

Brenda Martel is refusing to participate in the recession. She is creating her own business selling high quality tea and tea related products, targeting people who are willing to invest a little more to enjoy a far superior experience. A really good cup of tea is one of those pleasures that costs little, but offers great benefits in enjoyment, relaxation and health. I think Brenda may have timed things just right.

The design of the website (by You Promote llc) is intentionally simple — easy to navigate and read. The copy focuses on the lifestyle benefits of fine tea, with a touch of education to help readers view the site as a good place to go for information on tea. We hope to add more educational material as the business develops.

Keywords include many variations on the term “tea” so that search engines read the words in a relevant context. It will take a little time for the website to start reading high on search rankings, but if it’s like other You Promote websites, it should do just fine.

Word has it that the website is already generating some good business — and that’s the whole point of the exercise.