Copywriting – Page 12 – Express Writers

10 Authorities on Copywriting

December 31, 2020January 23, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Inexperienced copywriters tend to think that creativity is the gift from above that automatically determines the quality and effectiveness of their content pieces. In reality, efficient, target-oriented copy that actually works is a complex 1,000 piece-puzzle requiring multiple skills, time, talent, passion and lessons learned over the course of a few days, months of years. Novices may also tend to think that what’s been done before (with excellent results) should always be stolen, borrowed, reinterpreted or recycled to come up with new meanings. The Valuable Lessons Provided by the 10 Most Inspiring Pioneers of Copywriting In reality, the basic principles of advertising highlighted by the biggest names in this industry haven’t changed much. Here are 10 authorities on copywriting offering valuable lessons that can inspire and enable you to squeeze more out of your web content. Victor Schwab. Victor Schwab ((1898 – 1980) started in this business as the secretary of Maxwell Sackheim, who was employed by Rathrauff & Ryan. After improving Sackheim’s copy in a radical manner, he got promoted to copywriter. In this position, he became known as the very best direct mail-order copywriter in history. His excellent results were influenced by in-depth research and ample testing. He tested virtually every single aspect related to his copy, including layouts and calls to action. Schwab was also the genius who advanced the idea that first-hand copy should illustrate the promoted product in action, to allow the prospect to understand its benefits and crave for it. Eugene Schwartz. Eugene Schwartz (1927-1995) follows a similar approach, explaining that copywriters could achieve their daily goals by exploring and exploiting the overwhelming desires manifested by consumers. Headlines such as“Give Me 15 Minutes and I’ll Give You a Super-Power Memory” reflect the honest, transparent trade established between buyers and sellers, based on the principle “you give me what I want and I’ll give you what you need,” which is still applicable today. Rosser Reeves. Do you really think that brand uniqueness is an innovative concept guiding the strategies of modern online marketers? Sorry to disappoint, but it isn’t. Rosser Reeves (1910-1984) coined and perfect it before it was cool. As an inquisitive man with multiple interests, Reeves reached the conclusion that advertising should depend strictly on hard-sell strategies. Known as the “Prince of Hard Sell” according to Copyblogger, Reeves has promoted quite a few brands that we still know and love today, such as Viceroy or Colgate. He firmly believed that copywriters could make any product recognizable and increasingly popular by highlighting its unique selling proposition. Robert Collier. Some people speak just to hear the sound of their voice, while others write for the sake of writing. Both tactics are equally dangerous and inefficient. According to Robert Collier (1885-1950), one must come up with a string of ideas based on the effect that they want to trigger in their readers. In his masterpiece entitled The Robert Collier Letter Book, this copywriting authority unveils the key to writing direct-mail letters that actually reach their target. According to this source, before putting pen to paper, you should identify the ideal emotion (pride, anxiety, flattery or envy are excellent choices!) that you wish to awaken in your readers and act accordingly. Leo Burnett. Why waste time and money researching and buying products that are plain boring? Wouldn’t you rather focus on finding the real gems that make your life just a bit more interesting and enjoyable? This is one of the ideas highlighted by Leo Burnett (1891-1871), who advises fellow copywriters to accentuate the drama associated with the product or service that they’re representing in order to make it more desirable. This gifted and highly successful American advertising executive and founder of the prestigious Leo Burnett Company, Inc. has provided a simple piece of advice that may just represent the Bible of modern copywriting: “Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” According to Business 2 Community, Burnett also highlighted the importance of authenticity and believability in this industry, indicating that the truly successful copywriters are the ones that are able to think like a potential client. According to another important lesson offered by Burnett, creativity is the end result of curiosity about life in all its forms. Unlike the Prince of Hard Sell, Burnett affirmed that there is no such thing as “soft sell” and “hard sell”, specifying that there are only two approaches that one should ever factor in: “stupid sell” and “smart sell.” Mel Martin. You may be tempted to think that some of the best-selling products represent the success of marketing tactics associated solely with positive emotions. In this case, what do you think about anxiety? Anxiety is not necessarily a negative feeling. As long as it can fuel your boldest aspirations and stimulate you to perfect yourself, this emotion actually has strong positive connotations that Mel Martin knew how to explore. What happens if you’re not the best golfer? Or the best chef? Or the best teacher on the Planet? You work harder and buy the products that support your rapid ascension. In short, you basically use the clever technique of exploring an old anxiety to advertise your product, patented by Mel Martin. Martin wrote headlines such as “For golfers who are almost (but not quite) satisfied with their game — and can’t figure out what they’re doing wrong,” unleashing the power of audience referencing and making its readers believe that his copy was actually crafted to solve their unique problems. David Ogilvy. Known as the Father of Advertising, David Ogilvy was the well-respected wizard of words. Promoting the idea that the best concepts come from a well-informed subconscious, Ogilvy took this thought a step further. He underlined the importance of the testing phase, suggesting that there is no such thing as a safe bet in advertising. He also provided useful guidelines on how to write magnetic headlines, indicating that irrelevant and/or tricky constructions will automatically be ignored by people who are often … Read more

Copywriting Success: The 4 Ways Denny’s Grand-Slams Content Marketing

December 31, 2020January 19, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Sassy and smart – it is the way of the Internet and Denny’s knows it! This brand is a perfect example of how to create amazing content whether on social media or advertisements bringing in people from a wide demographic. We’ve all seen at least some part of their successful ad campaigns throughout the years, but how did they become so successful again? 4 Ways Denny’s Just Makes Their Content Irresistible…Mmm, Breakfast Anyone? Let’s take an insider look at Denny’s and their incredible approach to content marketing & overall copywriting, making them the champion of breakfast food! 1. Denny’s Began Reinventing its Brand. Before we get to the different things that make Denny’s remarkably successful with copywriting, let’s focus on what made them get to that point. Denny’s used to be an incredible place for family and friends to eat at, complete with that fun diner flare. However, it eventually lost its spunk and began going downhill. This is the point in a business’s life that can either mean it will disappear forever or the owners can come out fighting and be stronger than ever. This is just what Denny’s did. A few years ago, the eatery began with a Super Bowl ad offering free breakfast for everyone in America and included a value menu to spark more interest. However, the business knew it couldn’t stop there. In 2011, Frances Allen, the chief brand officer, realized that the brand needed more emotion and spunk to get going. It was around this time that the restaurant started reinventing its brand and became what we all know now. They said “so long” to irrelevance and are now a powerhouse and inspiration for copywriting and content marketing. This shows just how important it is to reinvent your brand. Yes, you like it the way it is, but if it isn’t working, then you need to start making changes. If you are hesitant, just look at Denny’s; it is now wildly successful and everyone wants to go there at some point. Don’t hesitate to reinvent your brand if it isn’t working right now. Changes here and there can really impact your business in positive ways! 2. They Have a Sassy Social Media Approach. When you think of a restaurant that sells breakfast food, you don’t see how it can really have a great social media approach. However, Denny’s proves this wrong with a hilarious, sassy approach to social media. They have a wide variety of posts they send out from hilarious one-liners to emoticon filled stories. They also started a hashtag #poorjack to tell the story of a robotic car named Jack that drove itself to a specific location. The restaurant’s social media pointed out that the car drove past so many Denny’s on the way but was deprived of enjoying delicious breakfast food. Poor Jack Image: a car named jack drove itself to CES but how many denny’s did he pass on the way, unable to enjoy, his happiness denied? #poorjack — Denny’s (@DennysDiner) January 5, 2015 They utilize multiple social media channels, and always hark on current pop culture trends that are likely to resonate with audiences more. You can check them out at Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and Twitter. Denny’s is a great example of how fun, relevant social media usage can boost your engagement, and reach a wider audience. Relevant content is a great way to make sure you create a great place for engagement for your audience. This can be on social media, but also in your blogs. Who can forget the ever-relevant Hobbit menu from Denny’s? Relevancy and fun are great when creating unique content that is sure to help engage your audience. Waffman: thanks to reports of a new walkman we’ve had to rush out our Waffman project. not even sure what it does yet, smh. pic.twitter.com/WdVqY0Ftgr — Denny’s (@DennysDiner) January 6, 2015 First Words: 3. Utilizing a Web Series to Reach Young Adults. Denny’s also knows the audience that is going to help make them more successful – young adults. College-age individuals are more likely to frequent this establishment because of affordable prices, good food, and it is usually open at perfect times for the college-age crowd. Because of this, Denny’s undertook a campaign to reach out to this demographic. You can easily see this with their social media campaign, but they also did a whole web series for young adults. The series features an alumnus of Saturday Night Live interviewing different celebrities as they sit down to enjoy a meal together. It is a great chance for witty one-liners and things that will resonate with a young adult crowd. This is a great example of reaching out to various demographics. Denny’s can obviously resonate easily with older crowds, especially appealing to those who enjoy diners, but they realized young adults were being widely missed. Take a look at your demographics and see if you are missing any group that could find your company interesting and helpful. You might be surprised at how limited your scope is, so take a chance a broaden it. 4. Denny’s Reaches Out to More than Just English Speakers. Denny’s also knows that they need to reach out to wider audiences that aren’t just English speakers. The restaurant created a Latino Facebook page for their Spanish-speaking costumers. They interact with them and reach out to a demographic that can easily be overlooked in marketing. Spanish is the most popular non-English language spoken in the United States, which makes it wise to create Spanish ads and social media campaigns. This goes hand-in-hand with Denny’s reaching out to young adults. They saw a demographic that was being overlooked and changed their campaign to reach it. Again, take this to heart and see which demographics you might be missing and consider adding a Spanish (or different language) branch to your company, especially if you are based in America. This will help you reach … Read more

How Under Armour Wins At Copywriting: The 10 ‘I Wills’ of Content Writing

December 31, 2020January 16, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Chances are that you have heard of Under Armour. They are well known for their ultra-warm athletic clothing, serving not only athletes, but those who are looking for top-quality clothing for multiple purposes. Under Armour has nailed their branding image through quality products and catchy copywriting and motivational phrases. Business owners take note: Under Armour has dominated their niche, and here’s how they did it. Under Armour’s Target Audience Defined Half the battle of a successful marketing campaign is to understand your target market. Throwing your products at the wall to see what sticks can lead to disastrous results. With that said, Under Armour’s audience is defined as athletes, those who want top-of-the-line clothing, and even those who see Under Armour as a status symbol. Under Amour’s grasp on their target demographic helped pave a pathway to success, but their work still wasn’t done. The next step of Under Armour’s branding success was establishing a connection to their athletic audience. Hitting Home Runs With Athletes In order for Under Armour to successfully connect with their audience, they needed to get inside the head of athletes. What do athletes want in their apparel? What motivates them to continue training? How do they manage to push through pain or being uncomfortable? Motivation Comes From Within … or From a T-Shirt Almost every athlete knows that your ultimate source of motivation comes from within yourself. However, that doesn’t mean that athletes can’t use a little help every now and then. In order to give athletes a boost during their training, games, or competitions, Under Armour incorporates copywriting that scores big both on and off the field. Experiencing The Power of ‘I Will’ Under Armour’s slogan has gone through a transition as of late. Originally, the athletic apparel powerhouse frequently used Protect This House. This context could have been taken several ways: protecting the playing field of your home base, or protecting your body by exercising and keeping it healthy. Today, Under Armour’s mostly operated under the catchphrase I Will. In fact, there was recently a lawsuit settlement between Under Armour and Nike, with Nike using the I Will catchphrase on some of its products. Using The Motivation of ‘I Will’ Under Armour strategically uses their slogan to I will to help motivate almost any athlete. Here are several examples of how the megabrand incorporates their slogan into key motivational phrases — mostly screen printed on T-Shirts. I Will Change The Game I Will What I Want Attack I Will I Will Never Quit Protect This House I Will I Will Crush My Personal Best Show The World I Will These are just a few examples of how Under Armour incorporates their slogan to motivate athletes. Under Armour uses the power of branding, top-notch copywriting, and quality clothing to score with their audience. I Will Learn From Under Armour When it comes to capturing your audience and creating killer content, there’s a thing or two we can learn from Under Armour. Whether you are just starting out on your content strategy or you are looking for a few pointers, let’s look at the ways that we can connect to our own audiences with Under Armour’s guidance. Tap Into Your Core Audience As a marketer, sometimes it is hard to step outside of your own mind and into the head of your readers. However, we see here that this is exactly how Under Armour was able to become so successful. Here are a few tips to help you connect, really connect, with your readers. Ask more questions. You might think that you know what your audience wants, but until you ask, you might not really Don’t be afraid to ask probing questions. Ask your audience what exactly they need to solve their problems, and what persuaded them to look into or buy your product. Conduct a split test or review your Google analytics. Don’t always assume that your audience favors your how-tos or in-depth guides. Your entertaining or humorous posts might be the content that is pulling your audience in. To get a thorough understanding of what your audience is valuing the most, you will need to split test a few pieces of content, or simply review your analytics for traffic patterns. Use your best customers as resources. It goes without saying that your best customers see the value in you. Pick their brain and find out what exactly it is that the value so much about your product or service. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. One of the key branding traits that Under Armour nailed is zoning in on one particular target market. There’s nothing wrong with servicing a niche; in fact, it can work out better for your business in the long run. The 10 I Wills For Winning With Copywriting Now that you have an idea for how you can connect to your audience, your next obstacle is to write some top-notch content that kick starts your sales. When it comes to writing content that resonates with your audience, be prepared to put your best foot forward — and do it with a plan. 1. I Will Meet My Audiences’ Needs With My Content In the world of content, it is almost never about you. The purpose of developing content is to satisfy the needs of your audience, whether it is through answering questions or providing relevant information on a regular basis. Whatever your audience is seeking, it is up to you to be the go-to source for their needs. 2. I Will Produce Content Of Top Quality If you really want to get the most out of your content strategy, producing top quality content should be at the top of your list. Your content should always be 100 percent original, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and exclusive to your company. 3. I Will Educate My Audience With My Content One of the latest Google Panda updates put an emphasis on educational content. As far as quality content is … Read more

12 Ways to Write Awesome, Useful, Engaging Content

December 31, 2020January 9, 2015 by Adam Oakley

From the outside, content marketing might appear simple. Great writers sneeze and create compelling blog posts, right? It’s not that hard. The reality is, however, that even the best writers in this industry have to build their skills. It’s like becoming a world-class weightlifter: you don’t just go out and do it. You work at it, for years, and you eventually get good. One of the largest challenges for writers in the content marketing industry is learning to create engaging content readers want to interact with. It’s easy enough to write meaningless fluff, but compelling material? That’s another story. Luckily, this is a learned skill and, like all learned skills, it just requires practice. 12 Tips for Crafting Audience-Friendly Content So, you want to create useful content that converts clicks into customers? You’ll need to start planning for it. Here are the steps to take: 1. Start With Curation One of the very first steps to writing useful content is learning to curate it. The more you understand what your audience likes and dislikes, the better you’ll be able to create it for them. What’s more, discovering what is hot and trending in your industry plays a crucial role in helping you understand the needs of your audience, which will make you a better writer down the road. To get started curating content, invest in a streamlined curation tool like Scoop.it. Scoop.it eliminates the manual labor from the curation process and can save you hours of searching for the right content. Remember: curating content is all about finding the best content in your industry, but you can’t stop there. Give your writing muscles a flex by adding your unique commentary or perspective on the article before posting it for your readers. 2. Poll Your Readers The next step in discovering what your audience is looking for is going directly to the source. Writing engaging content starts with answering customer questions. Before you can answer those questions, though, you have to know what they are. This is where polling your readers or searching through question-and-answer sites can be invaluable. If you’ve never polled anyone before, start with social Q&A websites such as Quora. Quora is a popular social platform chock-full of user-generated questions on nearly every topic under the sun. Once you’ve found some questions you think would resonate with your readers, turn them into blog posts. If you want to poll your readers, turn to your social profiles. If you’ve been considering writing about a particular topic or idea, ask your readers what they think of it. Is there something they’d prefer to read about? Do they have any questions for you? Figuring these things out in advance is a great way to create truly custom content for your readers. 3. Use Industry Tools For More Topic Ideas Struggling to come up with catchy blog topics? Hubspot offers a free blog topic generator that is great for idea mining and can help you get out of a creative rut. All you need to do to use the tool is insert three nouns that relate to your industry, and the blog topic generator spits out a list of ideas. As with anything, a little common sense goes a long way with selecting your topics. Not every option will apply to your industry, but the topic generator does a great job of inspiring useful content ideas and can give you a lot to work with. 4. Read Competitor Content Believe it or not, your competitors are an excellent source for content ideas. If you’re having trouble coming up with topics that will be useful for your audience, comb through the comments of a competitor blog. When you do this, you’re looking for unanswered questions that your competitor’s customers are asking. Once you’ve found them, take these unanswered questions and run with them on your blog. Want to take your competitor research a bit further? Browse through a competitor website and take note of what you see. What do they have that you don’t? Do you notice anything missing? This is your opportunity to fill in content gaps on your website and, thus, provide more useful and relevant content for your audience. 5. Pay Attention to the News Another source for locating in-demand topic ideas is news sources. Depending on your industry, news topics can come from a variety of sources. A great starting point for general news is Google News, where nearly every industry has some form of news to report. Beyond Google News, look into popular industry online magazines and other relevant publications. Reddit also contains a fair amount of news-like material, but use your best judgment with this source, since not all content is fact-checked and verified before publication. 6. Use Your Headlines as a Hook When it comes to writing engaging content, it all starts with your headline. Even if your piece is well-written, it might never reach its full potential if the headline isn’t on point. So, how exactly do you write compelling headlines that encourage your customers to read your content? Think in numbers. According to Moz, 36% of customers prefer “number” headlines over other types of headlines. Take this blog post for example, with X Tips for Useful, Engaging Content. Use numbers to create helpful advice pieces, or to showcase lists in ‘Top X’ format. Solve a problem. Offering a solution to a problem in your headline will get customers clicking to find more information. Ask a question. A surefire way to write engaging and useful content is to answer questions. In fact, 11% of readers prefer these headlines to other types. Remember: 80% of readers will never get past your headline, so it pays to make it as useful as possible. To check your headline’s strength, use a tool like AMI’s headline analyzer, which judges your headline based on its intellectual, empathetic, and spiritual word saturation. 7. Go Long When it comes to writing engaging blog posts, longer is better. Studies have shown that long posts that have at least 1500 words earn a higher ROI than shorter posts. Long blog posts also keep your audience on … Read more

Mr. Funnyman: 3 Key Ways Stephen Colbert Wins at Copywriting

December 31, 2020December 14, 2014 by Adam Oakley

In a “why so serious” world, we desperately need people who bring laughter to our lives and Stephen Colbert is one of those humorous champions! Along with people like Jon Stewart and John Oliver, Colbert has created an amazing network of satire news that both informs audiences of major news stories while mocking major media establishments. For those who don’t know, Colbert is the host of The Colbert Report where he discusses everything from current events to nerd rage about various films. His achievements include being a political satirist, a mega, well-informed nerd, and comedy show writer. He even showed up in one of the installments of The Hobbit since he is a major fan of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. Come 2015, we will all get to watch Colbert without a major cable package when he takes over for Letterman on the Late Show. Colbert is quite an expert at copywriting and I am sure you can learn a thing or two from the comedian. Let’s take a look at a few awesome things that are sure to inspire you! 1. He’s a Social Media Powerhouse With 7.19 million Twitter followers, Stephen Colbert constantly proves that he knows how to use social media. He is an absolute powerhouse and many won’t deny that when he tweets, all of his followers re-tweet. He uses social media to inform followers about who will be on his show, which helps remind people when to tune in. He also uses it to connect with his fans and to prove just how funny he can be. Whether it is a joke he unnecessarily breaks up into three posts or a sarcastic remark about the latest news story, he proves that being funny and active on social media is both easy and successful. What can you learn from Stephen Colbert’s winning social media strategy? Here are a few takeaways you can use: Work on cultivating a following on Twitter and other social sites. Your postings will only work if you have a following, and you can only grow larger if you encourage your following to share. You can this by encouraging people to follow your social sites via your website, blog, or email campaigns, as well as business cards. Always stay with the trends. Something that makes Colbert easy to re-tweet is that he is always focusing on things that are currently trendy. This is a great way to build and maintain a following and get more engagement on social media. Create entertaining content for your followers. I will focus on this a bit more later on in the post, but we all know that Colbert wins at content because he is such an amazing entertainer both on and off screen! 2. He Focuses on Building a Loyal Fan Base Everyone knows that Colbert has a rather large and loyal fan base, but he had to create and maintain it. How does he do this? He works to create a loyal fan base by constantly engaging with his fans and making fun activities for everyone. In the end, he is able to gain help from this base when it comes to charitable organizations and other fundraisers. He continues to build on this base and work to maintain it each and every day with social media and through his show. This is a great example of how important it is to build your customer base and make sure it is a loyal one as well. While you won’t have the draw that Colbert does, you can do things like engage with clients on social media and send out emails in other campaigns. You can ask for clients to fill out surveys to help make your business better and offer incentives for helping out. In fact, offering freebies just for a customer being your customer is a great idea and can make anyone feel appreciated. By doing something like this, you are creating a greater chance of boosting your revenue and also having a great base when you want to raise funds for various charities during the holiday season. 3. He Uses Humor with Copywriting in the Best Way Possible The most obvious thing that Stephen Colbert does with copywriting is he uses humor in the best way. Humor is something many people enjoy, and when used correctly, it can really help boost content. The majority of Colbert’s content is humor based, but he knows how to use it for various trends and knows when and how to deliver the right punch line. You don’t have to be Colbert to use humor in your content though and you don’t have to go to his level with it. You can use sarcasm, silly jokes, or whatever type of humor you feel is appropriate for your content, the time, and your clients. A few tips when using humor in content are: Avoid offending your client base. Sure, some of Colbert’s humor can be offensive to different people when it comes to politics, but he does a good job of staying away from incredibly offensive jokes. Make sure the humor fits your brand. You don’t want to get too off base with your humor. Make sure it matches your brand and your already-established voice. Make your jokes very obvious for the audience. The written word can make it very difficult for people to know just what you’re saying and many times people can misunderstand. This can cause a lot of problems that you want to avoid so make sure everyone knows you are joking. Hire someone who is funny. This will make sure your jokes come across well and that they truly are funny! In Closing, Make Them Laugh, Make Them Laugh, Make Them Laugh! Whether you need a laugh or want to learn a few more marketing tricks from the comedic genius, Colbert is a great resource! Tune into his show if you have Comedy Central or follow his various social media sites to keep up-to-date. … Read more

15 Holly, Jolly Blogging Ideas (BONUS: Getting-Started Intros)

December 31, 2020November 30, 2014 by Adam Oakley

When it comes to content marketing, blogging is always in season. All puns aside, with the holidays right around the corner, you might be looking for festive ways to spruce up your blog in the name of Santa and the spirit of Christmas. There are a lot of holiday blogging opportunities to be discovered—nearly every niche can benefit from spreading holiday cheer right through their blog. Even if you are in the Christmas spirit this holiday season, it might be a bit perplexing as to how you can craft Christmas and the holidays into your blogging routine. If you are stumped on your holiday blogging ideas, we have some creative topics that will put your prospects into the Christmas spirit right along with you. As an extra special something to you, I’m including short intros that you can use to get your new blog topics started off on the right foot. Be sure to note you can’t copy and paste these: that will get you penalized for duplicate content! You can, however, copy and paste and then reword. It’s easier to do that than come up with these off the top of your head. With a new set of seasonal blog topics and fun introductions, you will be well on your way to one-upping your competitors with some very merry Christmas content. Holly, Jolly Blogging Ideas for Business Business blogs can be a bit dry, but it does not have to be that way for the holidays. These fun holiday blog topic can blend into a variety of business blog while giving your content a seasonal spin. 1. Six Solutions For Balancing Your Christmas Budget Most people are all ears when it comes to learning new ways to save money. Christmas time is no exception, where people tend to blow budgets to buy that perfect gift. Offering your audience some solutions on budgeting for their Christmas items can help keep money in their pocket during busiest shopping season of the year. Write your best and most informative money saving ideas to help your readers save some coin. Intro idea for your Christmas budget blog: As shoppers dig deep into their pockets this time of year, many may feel their bank accounts stretch to accommodate Christmas time expenses. You are making your list and checking it twice, but the price tag for gifts, wrapping paper, and seasonal decor continue to climb. Even though it may be Christmas time, there are smart strategies to budgeting wisely while still checking off every gift on your list. Below are our six smartest solutions for balancing your Christmas budget. 2. Ten Years of Christmas Expenses: The Average Family Budget This Christmas blog topic is a little more on the statistical side, but it can still make for an interesting read. Using the research conducted by American Research group, break down the statistics between 2004 and 2014 on the average Christmas spending for American families. Remember to tie in your own expertise and offer insight on why you think the budget has increased, decreased, or stayed the same throughout the decade. There is also a lot of additional information on this report that you can include in your blog post, such as analyzing Internet purchasing trends during the holidays. Intro idea for your Average Christmas Budget Blog: Have you ever wondered how your Christmas budget stacks up against other American families? The American Research Group recently released a report that breaks down yearly expenses between 2004 and 2014. As you can see, Christmas expenses have fluctuated throughout the last 10 years, and the changes typically correspond with the economy and job market. Take a look at the average expenses dating back to 2004, and see how your spending compares to others across the country. 3. 7 Tips For Scoring The Season’s Hottest Gifts While some shoppers choose to spend hours (or days) waiting in line for hot holiday items, there are a few tricks of the trade that can help you get those gifts under the tree this year. Research some of the ways that people successfully snag items before they go out of stock. This might include shopping on some hidden gem websites, strategies on finding early deals, or even include some tips of your own. Intro for your Scoring Hot Gifts Blog: Every year, there is always that one toy or gadget that flies off store shelves faster than the blink of an eye. Shoppers scramble to get the holiday’s most popular gifts with many coming out of stores empty handed. If you have ever experienced this disappointment, we are here to let you in on a few secrets to scoring the season’s hottest gifts. By following our guide, you will have better luck hunting down and snapping up popular presents before it is too late. 4. Best Apps To Help You Reach Your Resolutions in 2015 Aside from singing Christmas carols and wrapping Christmas gifts, many people are beginning to make resolutions for the upcoming New Year. Studies show that only 8 percent of people actually reach their New Year Resolutions, according to Forbes. One of the trip ups to those striving to reach resolutions is lack of organization. As a person who is business-savvy, you probably have a trick or two up your sleeve when it comes to organizational tips. With hundreds of apps that are dedicated to help people lose weight and managing money, showcase some helpful apps that will help those resolution-makers finally meet their goals. Intro for your Apps for Resolutions Blog: Determined to reach your New Year’s Resolution this year? There’s an app for that. One of the keys to successfully reaching your goals for the New Year is organization. Your smartphone can be used as a resource to helping you reach your goals, with endless apps that are designed to help you stay on track for multiple purposes. Whether you are looking to lose weight, manage your money, or travel to unexplored destinations, we have found the most helpful apps … Read more

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: How Disney Does Copywriting

December 31, 2020November 24, 2014 by Adam Oakley

A pair of mouse ears and a big castle – these are internationally recognized symbols that mean that you are about to watch an incredible movie or are heading to the happiest place on earth. We all know Disney, and many of us have gladly watched many of their films. What makes this company so successful and what can you learn from them when it comes to copywriting? Let’s take a look at this powerful and incredible company for some great copywriting inspiration! Disney’s Four Foundational Copywriting Skills Beloved by thousands worldwide, Disney had its early beginnings in the 1920s. Today, it has over 44 resort locations worldwide, hundreds of thousands of products, and is an all-time favorite kids’ and classic movies & animation producer. Let’s take a look at how this very successful company excels in web content. 1. Repurposing Content. If there is one thing any copywriter can see with Disney, it’s that they know how to repurpose content and get the most out of it. Some of the obvious repurposing is with classic fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. While the stories are a far cry from the debauched and terrifying original renditions, the stories still carry some of the same life lessons. In addition, Disney does repurpose their existing content to create great, new content. We get several fantastic films, television shows, and many other things from their repurposed content. What can you learn from this? That repurposing content is possible and is a great idea! It helps you get the most out of your content without making you spend days and weeks on new content. While you won’t be repurposing it to be the next biggest blockbuster, you can still repurpose it for great revenue. Ways to repurpose your content could be to use chapters from e-books as blogs, turning blogs into infographics, and making videos of your existing content. Make sure to take a page from Disney, however, and make your repurposed content unique! 2. Learning from Others to Improve Content. One thing that has kept Disney relevant is how they always manage to change with the times. Often, Disney is one of the first companies to make large steps and if they aren’t the first, they make sure to adapt as quickly as possible. In an attempt to stay up-to-date with current trends, Disney released something known as Oh My Disney, which seems to be heavily inspired by the ever-popular Buzzfeed. This is great for Disney because while they are already quite successful, they know that they need to follow other successful business models to get a wider audience. Creating this site has given Disney fans the easy-to-consume articles everyone loves with Buzzfeed, but with the best flair possible – Disney flair. This shows how vital it is to learn from the trends and improve your content to match them. Buzzfeed is a great place for inspiration to show just how people want their content delivered. Yes, people like longer pieces, but they also enjoy reading those fun “You Know You’re a 90s Kid When” posts. Creating something that meets the trends and is easily shared on social media is important for content nowadays, and Disney jumped on that trend quickly. Take the time to research trends and how they will work with your business. Make any necessary changes to have an incredibly successful content marketing campaign. 3. Epic Social Media Strategy. On top of following the latest trends to improve their content, Disney also has an incredible social media strategy. They have a great presence on Vine, YouTube, and Pinterest, giving fans the ability to look at various forms of social content. On Vine, the company encourages people to create videos for a contest to be featured on the Vine channel, which is excellent advertisement. They also provide great pins for followers on Pinterest such as Disney foods, fun images, and great holiday inspiration. This is an excellent suggestion for other businesses and shows just how effective a great strategy can be. While the company is quite large, they take opportunities to make their fans and followers feel a connection with them. This is a great idea for any company, large or small, giving you the chance to talk with clients and make them feel appreciated. You can have people submit videos for contests, or you can create a collaboration board on Pinterest. Whatever you do, make sure your audience feels connected to you with your social media campaign. You can also learn from some of their social media blunders. In the article referenced above, the writer points out that Disney doesn’t have the strongest presence on places such as Facebook and Twitter, which require more one on one communication. Take a look at their strategy on those sites and see if there is anything you think you should avoid doing. 4. Winners in the Storytelling Field. Another great form of copywriting done by Disney is their ability to tell stories. No matter what it is, this company knows how to get people involved in their films, shows, and parks. It is obvious they tell stories in their films, but the instant you walk into a Disney theme park, you are transported from one world to another and every inch is filled with stories. Their campaigns all have story elements to them, and when they talk about their founder Walt Disney, they always share it in story format. Disney knows that one of the most powerful and effective tools out there is storytelling. You can do the same with your content campaigns. Telling stories is a great way to connect with your audiences, and give them something entertaining. Your story can be about an experience you had, how your company started, or any other idea you have. It doesn’t need to start with “once upon a time” or “in a galaxy far, far away” to be powerful. Take a few of these ideas from Disney and apply … Read more

Great Copywriting in Action: The Big Bang Theory

December 31, 2020November 14, 2014 by Adam Oakley

As copywriters, our goal is to make an impression. The businesses enlisting our unique services depend on our skill and talent. And they depend on more than sheer technical knowledge; they cling to our gifted talent, that spark of passion that allows us to be great storytellers. You might say they expect us to make a big bang. So what better show to turn to for great copywriting in action than the successful television comedy called, The Big Bang Theory? Chances are you’ve at least channel surfed past the show. You may have even watched an episode or two. Or you could be an addict because it’s just a fun show. Did you know it dominates the awards? The series debuted on CBS on September 24, 2007. As of September 22, 2014, the show premiered its eighth season, and it’s scheduled to run for at least two more. It’s been nominated and won its fair share of Emmy, TCA, American Film, and People’s Choice awards. In fact, you can see a hefty list of nominations and wins on Wikipedia. But outside of just plain dominating when it comes to awards, what can The Big Bang Theory teach copywriters? If at First You Don’t Succeed… Here’s a little known fact about the show: The original pilot was unaired. It was made for the 2006 to 2007 season, and the network didn’t pick it up. Johnny Galecki (Leonard) and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) were the only two actors from the pilot that made it to the highly successful and network grabbed 2008 premier. You see, the initial pilot was a flop. Behind-the-scenes reels with today’s cast and crew identify several factors for the flop from the original actress cast as Penny to the script itself. There’s a blaring set of lessons for us copywriters in this example: Mistakes Happen: You can’t get it right all the time. Sometimes a great piece of copy just doesn’t work for a client. It doesn’t mean you suck, and it doesn’t mean you’re facing an impossible situation. It simply means mistakes happen. Sometimes we don’t knock it out of the park the first time. Sometimes it’s the feedback from the ‘oops’ that makes all the difference and turns a mistake into a masterpiece. Don’t Give Up: You know the old adage; if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. It’s good advice, but hard to follow. Sometimes that mistake kills our self-esteem. It can even make us question our professional abilities. Don’t let that happen. It’s the quickest path to giving up. If the minds behind The Big Bang Theory had called it quits after the original pilot flop, they wouldn’t be the recipients of seven Primetime Emmy Awards and numerous Golden Globe nominations. A Couple to Learn From One of the most unpredictable plot twists in the series came when the awkward, socially inept, and brilliant genius Sheldon Cooper ended up with a girlfriend. It was even more unpredictable to see how Amy Farrah Fowler fit his idiosyncrasies perfectly. In all their nerdy eccentricity, they’ve become one of television’s beloved coupled. It just so happens that a few of the elements contributing to their “perfect couple” status, according to the HuffingtonPost.com, are applicable to us. #1: Accept the Unsolvable Some problems just don’t have solutions. You cannot realistically expect to solve every client or audience problem, but you can do your best to solve the ones within your power. You are a copywriter, which means you a copy expert. You know how to speak to an audience, and you’re skilled at calling them to action. Put those skills to use, but know that it is beyond your power to solve every problem. There’s a certain amount of responsibility that lies with both your client and the audience. #2: Always Speak From the Heart One of the quickest ways to alienate an audience is to be fake. People can spot fake a million miles away, and they know when they aren’t being treated fairly. In the world of copywriting, it’s easy to get so caught up in the technical side that we forget about the essentials. Storytelling is one of our most powerful tools at our disposal. Speaking from the heart should never be underestimated. Humanizing content is something no program can do, and it separates us from low quality copywriters. We have the unique talent for turning the dullest copy into a viral phenomenon. And our most powerful ally in this fight is our humanity. Always strive to understand your client and their audience well enough to speak from the heart. It will set you apart from other writers, and it will make you an invaluable business asset. #3: An Ironclad Relationship Agreement Rocks We’ve talked about the importance of research in our 7 Ways to Create Content Marketing for Buying Intent. We’re no strangers to the fundamental groundwork that goes into every project we undertake. But we rarely talk about the other groundwork that goes into working with a client. You know the kind I’m talking about—our terms and conditions. In today’s professional world, it’s crucial to have fair and clearly stated terms and conditions. It’s also important to have a working relationship agreement. It ensures that both parties know what’s expected, and it can be the savior when something unexpected transpires. If a potential client bucks your terms and conditions, don’t let it rattle you. As long as you’re offering fair and reasonable terms, a client who bucks them isn’t worth your professional time. Great Copywriting Is Everywhere Dare we say that there isn’t a book, script, play, film, or television show on the planet that is void of great copywriting advice? Unlike other professionals, we copywriters can learn how to improve our craft in limitless ways. The Big Bang Theory is a great example of how the staples that support our ability to be excellent copywriters are well within our control. How will you wield them? Main photo credit: Fanpop.com … Read more

How to Humanize Your Content & Appeal to Your Readers

December 31, 2020November 3, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Did you know that the average consumer is bombarded by over 5,000 advertising messages each day? According to Moz, the daily device user “wields more computing power in their hand than NASA” leveraged to land Neil Armstrong on the moon. What’s more, people make split second decisions about your website—literally split second, as in 1/20 of a second. In an age of now, how do you ensure split seconds count in your favor? Ever heard of humanizing your content? Let’s look at how you can use that in your favor. Humanize Your Content with the Power of You You, me, we’re all human. And as humans, we have a few fundamentals in common. We love, hate, and procrastinate. We’re drawn to stories. We root for the underdog. Most of us even envision better and strive to achieve it. Does your content reflect the power of you? Is it humanized? Humanizing your content is more important now than ever. In this era of social media and constant contact, you don’t want to portray your brand as a cold, faceless corporate robot. You want your brand to be the warm, smiling face that welcomes people with open arms. You want to hand readers something authentic and genuine, something they can connect to—something human. Humanizing your content is not a one-size-fits-all plan due to the fact that every brand is different. What works for Audi or Volkswagen isn’t going to work for Kraft and Heinz. While they’re relatively comparable in size, the auto giants aren’t going to appeal to your family’s traditional cooking or macaroni and cheese nostalgia to sell the latest Audi R8 model. So just how can you humanize your content to appeal to your readers? What’s the secret? Would you believe me if I said there are five? Secret #1: Connect on an Emotional Level It’s nearly impossible to fake being genuine or authentic. Consumers—people in general—are too smart for that. And if you get caught faking it, the backlash could be devastating. For example, imagine the backlash if Dawn was involved in dumping oil or an oil spill Their carefully crafted image of genuine environmental concern, while also showing the power of their dish soap, displayed in videos of cleaning oil covered animals would be decimated. The point is, if consumers realize that your reputation is just a cash grab technique, you will suddenly have a lot to answer for in the court of public opinion. There are several ways to connect to your readers on an emotional level. A great example comes from the brand Always. They recently held a campaign that helped people see their mission to “champion girl’s confidence.” #LikeaGirl became a very successful campaign because it was genuine, and Always succeeded in making their brand seem secondary to the cause. They presented an Always advertisement with Always branding, but the message and the cause of #LikeaGirl remained the primary focus. The gender equality premise created an emotional connection that almost anyone could relate to and understand. You too can use the personality of your brand, your customers, and even your employees to create a genuine, emotional connection. The key is not to do something purely for marketing reasons. It has to be a part of your brand’s culture. For example, it will seem more genuine if you’re making a video of your entire company doing the electric slide if your brand’s personality is already established as a “fun” brand. It’s easier and more genuine for a brand like PlayStation to do a video of their employees having a video game tournament or Nerf war in the office versus a Fortune 500 company like JP Morgan Chase. Secret #2: Listen to Your Customers and Respond with Action Social media has given customers more access to your brand than ever before. And while it’s one thing to have an account customers can interact with, it’s something else entirely to show them that you’re listening to them. People love to voice their opinions, especially when they know it will be taken seriously. Showing your customers that you can listen to what they have to say and incorporate it into your brand’s ultimate goal, or your product, is huge. It helps gain their respect and their loyalty. But it’s not just interaction that matters. Allowing your customers to be your market research source is a great way to humanize your content. Your customers get to interact with your brand on a personal level, and they get to see their ideas recognized and possibly implemented. People are more likely to return to your brand, as well as recommend it, when you listen to what they have to say. Secret #3: Let Your Hair Down Everyone has a sense of humor. Humor is associated with people, not brands. But what if your brand had a sense of humor about itself? If you’re in a so-called “boring industry” having a sense of brand humor is a good way to distinguish yourself. You don’t have to write copy with a joke in every sentence to have a sense of humor. Posting pictures of your employees doing things naturally is good, too. Hubspot, for example, has a rotating stable of employee pictures on their login screen. Poking fun at yourself is a good way to let your brand’s hair down. We all make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are just plain humorous. And let’s face it; mistakes are how we learn. It’s human nature! Don’t be afraid of connecting with your audience by letting your hair down. Share your successes while discussing the obstacles, challenges, and mistakes that got you to where you sit today. Nothing humanizes your content and draws readers in more than that ultimate honesty, that power of your true story. Don’t sit on it! Share it. Secret #4: Just Be Human I know. It sounds simplistic, but it’s something a lot of brands tend to forget. In order to humanize your content the best thing to do is just be … Read more

Top Blockbuster Movies Hunger Games and The Hobbit: How They Can Inspire Copywriting

August 4, 2022October 30, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Since the 1920’s, movies have inspired us and elicited the most powerful emotions in the human gamut of experience. They have horrified us; made us weep; overjoyed us, and allowed us to escape from the humdrum of everyday life. Movies, like any other art form, are subjective to the viewer and can be interpreted in any number of ways. Writing is much the same way. The truth of the matter, though, is that both art forms are eerily similar in how they evoke emotion and thought in the audience. Copywriting needs to follow this same form, except rather than a fictional movie or the great novels of the past, it needs to inform and persuade. Yet, inspiration and comparisons can be drawn from books that have been adapted for the film format. An increasingly popular way of bringing literature to a mass audience, the two most recent quality examples of this specialized fusion of styles is The Hobbit and The Hunger Games. Both of these adaptations hail from franchises that are beloved all over the world, bringing in millions of dollars in worldwide ticket sales and enjoying massive popularity. With the latest trailers for the third Hobbit movie, “The Battle of Five Armies,” and the next installment of The Hunger Games, “Mockingjay pt. 1,” generating millions upon millions of views on YouTube, it is clear that these holiday blockbusters are shooting for the big ones. Trailers are an excellent form of marketing, especially in the age of Internet news and entertainment (check out the YouTube leaderboards to see more awesome trailers that are huge hits), but this article is going to go over about the specific inspirations our writers can claim from different quotes in the previous two films from both franchises and how they are relevant to copywriting. The Hobbit and Copywriting One of the earliest exchanges between Gandalf, the moral center of The Hobbit and The Lord of Rings, and Bilbo, the film’s protagonist, is not only one of the most hilarious but also one of the best things to remember about copywriting. The Wisdom of Gandalf -Bilbo: Good morning. -Gandalf: What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning or do you mean it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating this is a morning to be good on? -Bilbo: All of them at once, I suppose. This exchange is really quite poignant. It should remind every writer out there that the real gift with the word is to say something familiar in an unfamiliar way. Text can mean more than one thing and this is something that should be kept in mind. Whether it is a detriment or a helpful asset is entirely up to the individual. Gandalf continues to provide wise advice to our copywriters in the most memorable line of “An Unexpected Journey” when he is talking to Bilbo outside of the troll cave after he has been given Sting, his trademark blue-glowing sword. Gandalf: […] true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one. This line rings remarkably throughout the world of Middle-Earth and sets the foundation for the pivotal riddle game against Gollum later in the film as well as the ultimate victory over Sauron at the end of The Lord of the Rings. But it is also quite palpable to many writers, as well. Over time, a writer can become too comfortable with the same routine day in and day out until it gets to the point that their quality begins to degrade and they can no longer keep contracts. This line is good for the writer in that it reminds them to take the chance and do something different, to break the traditional mold and take the calculated risk. Don’t just hack off an idea just because it looks weird. Stirring the pot is essential to a successful writing career. So do it every so often. You just might enjoy it. The Terror of Smaug The second Hobbit film, in contrast to the first, is far more action-oriented. With character development finished, it is time to throw them into a dangerous situation and see how it turns out. In the case of “The Desolation of Smaug,” it is Bilbo’s first encounter with the eponymous dragon in the great treasure horde of Erebor. Their exchange is packed with clever lines that test Bilbo’s ingenuity against a monstrous threat. Pieces of their word game can be taken to heart by copywriters as well. Take this set of lines, for example. Bilbo: I am he who walks unseen. Smaug: Impressive titles. What else do you claim to be? Bilbo: Luck-Wearer. Ring-Winner. Smaug: Lovely titles… Bilbo: Barrel-Rider. Smaug: Barrels! Now that is interesting! This exchange should remind any writer of the power of titles. They can make or break a piece before a reader can even get to the content. The more intriguing a title is the better off your piece will be. This is even more important in the formation of meta titles, which is how people will see what the article is about and decide if they want to click it or not. Never ever underestimate the power of the headline. But headlines alone are not enough. The content beyond carries equally as much weight. Never is this made clearer than in this exchange, again between Bilbo and Smaug. Smaug: Do you think flattery will keep you alive? Bilbo: No, no. Smaug: No, indeed! While content needs to be eloquent and proper, it also needs to be correct. Making claims that are not true will not only destroy the relationship between writer/agency and the client, but it could potentially harm them as well as reader’s look over the page, see all sorts of promises attached to it, and then expect the website to deliver. Genuineness is essential in … Read more