copywriting tips - Express Writers

5 Ways to Avoid Becoming Boring & Trivial With Your Content

December 31, 2020April 28, 2015 by Adam Oakley

How often do you stumble across low-quality written material with no real message or meaning while surfing the net? How long does it take you to dive in the pool of diverse web content to bring the most original and inspiring ideas back to the surface? The truth is that the Internet is flooded with the worst kind of writing: uninspired, thrown-together, no-originality content. We’re talking about the really boring, trivial content that could only stimulate you to shut your computer and take a nap. Boring, Trivial Content Is Your Brand’s Worst Enemy Low-value content will never support your marketing goals for a number of reasons. First of all, today’s prospects are savvier than ever and know how to differentiate thought leaders from players who share the herd mentality and have nothing new of exciting to say about their company or their products. Secondly, they have a short attention span and a zero tolerance for writing that fails to answer and address their needs, questions and demands and only makes them waste time in front of their computer screen. How do businesses entirely avoid this pitfall? How do they get creative with new stuff? 5 Ways to Kick Trivial and Boring Content Ideas to the Curb If you’re striving to find the simplest answers to the questions I just asked, keep reading. I’m listing the 5 easiest ways to replace unremarkable concepts with written gems that will boost your readers’ interest and loyalty. Write with Your Audience in Mind. The truth is that you don’t have to waste all your time trying to craft content pieces that are loaded with bells and whistles. Sometimes, the more you try to adorn your writing, the more you lose your focus and get farther away from the real substance of the message that you’re trying to convey. Therefore, as Hubspot points out, even when you’re working on educational content, you can upgrade your copy by making it respond to the questions and concerns of your audience. For instance, let’s assume that your services have been contracted by a company selling automotive supplies. By answering a very mundane question related to a popular topic, such as vehicle maintenance for example, you would actually be creating high-value content that would be assimilated with great interest by your targeted audience. Let Social Networking Websites Be Your Guide. When it comes to crafting interesting content, social media platforms are your number one ally and one of the most amazing sources of inspiration that you could ever ask for. Just think about it: social networking websites represent the natural habitat of thought leaders and influencers who are constantly recruiting faithful virtual ambassadors. This is the place where companies go from small and obscure to big and successful in record time. Need another reason to poke around Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn? In this case, think about the fact that these websites are the major platforms where quality, relevant and original content can instantly become a viral sensation. Some of the freshest stories shared through these channels can inspire your writing and help you stay far away from boring, trivial content. Use the Best Tools to Get Inspired. Sometimes, the most trivial concepts are born out of excessive boredom, apathy and a dangerous lack of inspiration and motivation. What can you do when you’ve struggling to overcome a case of writer’s block? Should you still be praying for inspiration after your fifth cup of coffee? Here’s a simpler alternative that can help you put pen to paper and let those clever words flow smoothly: use a wide range of free and almost free online tools designed to inspire your new content pieces. Content Marketing Institute has recently published a long list of such aids that can take your writing to a whole new level. Options such as Ahrefs Content Explorer tool, Topsy, Hubspot Blog Topic Generator or Ubersuggest are the best choices that you should explore to come up with exciting topics for your blog and avoid uninspiring ideas that could only make your readers yawn or raise an eyebrow while bouncing off your page. Plan Ahead. Last minute decisions and successful content creation shouldn’t be a part of the same sentence for a very simple and logical reason: as a goal-oriented small business owner, you should know how, when and how often you should satisfy your readers’ cravings for premium content. In other words, proper planning and a smart, well-balanced editorial calendar are everyday essentials that can tighten the bond with your audience, while also optimizing your content flow. These two key elements will also help you avoid the tension, confusion and sense of powerlessness that could make you resort to cheap, yawn-inspiring content, which you may be tempted to use as time-fillers to give your audience something to chew on while you’re working on a new recipe for content success. There are several prominent content strategy tools, such as keyword research for example, that could offer you the expert insight you may require to start and follow a detailed editorial calendar that would ultimately enable you to achieve a rich online presence and a deeper connection with your content-hungry audience. Don’t forget that brainstorming with new staff members could offer you the finest food for thought that you could ever dream about adding to your content menu. Ask your client manager to attend these sessions to find out what kind of topics they would like to add to your editorial calendar. After dealing with clients all day, client managers are the team members who usually come up with the most spectacular content ideas that have what it takes to please and stimulate writers, readers and clients at the same time. At the end of the day, it becomes obvious that good old teamwork will never go out of fashion, especially when it comes to organizing brainstorming sessions revolving around creative concepts that can be rewritten and reinterpreted in countless ways. Employ Expert Writers. At some point, … Read more

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

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

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

Driving Social Media Engagement: 13 Copywriting Hacks

June 19, 2024November 13, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Social media engagement is not only vital to your content marketing, but it can also be extremely fun. When you get people commenting on your posts, re-tweeting your content, and sharing your Facebook posts, you might go ahead & do a little jig. Social media engagement is what can propel you from just another business to a viral sensation, as we’ve all watched over the last few years. But how do you get great social media engagement that not only brings people to your website, but also helps you on the road to viral content? Let’s take a quick look at a few quick copywriting hacks that can help you out! 1. Follow The Four C’s. Isn’t it nice when someone not only gives you some great tips, but also gives you an easy way to remember the tips? Well, Buffer does just that with a great blog post about driving more social media engagement. What are the four C’s? They are: Clear Concise Compelling Credible Let’s unpack this for a bit. What does it mean to post clear, concise, compelling, and credible content on social media? It means that you need to make sure your audience knows what you are talking about, but you need to keep it short. Longer posts on social media might get your post skipped over, and Twitter doesn’t allow for lengthy posts! You also need to have content that is compelling so that you get shares, likes, and comments – engagement. Credible content is vital no matter what content it is; this will help keep you as a trusted source, instead of one that people question. 2. Name A Problem And Solve It. Another great way to drive engagement is to name a problem that is common for your readership, and answer or solve it. When you state the problem, make sure to agitate it a bit before solving it. This can get more people to read your post. You don’t want to give too much away, but this is a great opportunity to get your social media content shared, which can bring in more clients. 3. Follow The Four U’s. In the same Buffer article I mentioned in point one, another great formula is the four U’s. Again, this is a great way to remember an important and helpful formula and is great when you go about crafting a Twitter post. Just what are these U’s? Let’s take a look! Useful: If you don’t tweet something useful to your followers, you are likely to be skipped and not receive much engagement. Urgent: Urgency on social media can really help get the clicks and shares from your clients. Unique: You want to make sure you stand out from your competitors, so offer something unique that people will enjoy seeing. Ultra-specific: Being specific can really help with writing Twitter posts. Specific posts can help you stay within or below the 140-character limit. 4. Curate Some Incredible Content. Social Media Today says that when it comes to driving engagement on social media, you need to make sure you are curating some great content for your various channels. You want to keep things fresh and interesting for your viewers, which is why content curation is key to having a successful campaign. Consider having a bookmark folder of great content ideas for your social media campaign. This helps you keep it all together in one, organized location. 5. Use Those Memes. When it comes to social media, you have to make sure you are staying up on the latest trends. This means, don’t hesitate to use memes. If you take a quick glance at your Facebook or Twitter feed, you will see that many people seem to enjoy memes quite a lot. You can create your own by finding meme generators or using stock images for your own quotes or jokes. People like to share images, and you will find that you get more engagement on images than on posts without any pictures. 6. Make Customer Involvement Easy As 1-2-3. When you have something such as a giveaway, make sure it is easy for your customers to get involved. You don’t want to have them jump through numerous hoops to get to the place they want to be simply because they are likely to leave. If you encourage people to follow you on social media for an entry into the giveaway, you might see that you get an increase in social engagement and more people following and sharing your items. 7. Give Shout Outs To Customers. One thing that sets social media apart from any other form of marketing is how you can make it personal, according to Social Media Examiner. You don’t have to get chummy with people, but simply by doing something such as giving a shout out to a customer can really boost your engagement. A shout out is simply just mentioning your client by name or Twitter handle, and thanking them. You will find more people are willing to use your company if they see that you are willing to talk to or give a shout out for others. When you give a shout out, make sure you do something that isn’t too generic. Give it a personal, friendly feel! 8. Hold Live-Streamed Google Hangouts. Another way you might be able to increase engagement is to live-stream your various Google Hangouts you have with clients or coworkers. You can give a talk on a particular subject, linking to a live video of your discussion. When you do this, make sure that people know that they can send in their questions if you want to encourage discussion. This can be a great way for customers to ask important questions and get a live, personal answer from you! 9. Use Quality Images And Videos. Quality is not just for written content but is also for image and video content, as well. According to Jeff Bullas, high-quality images can help you stand out from your competition. … Read more

How To Kill Content: Learning Copywriting From Tarantino

December 31, 2020October 24, 2014 by Adam Oakley

No matter your taste in films, you’ve probably heard of Quentin Tarantino. Born in Tennessee, he wrote, acted, produced, directed, even created the soundtracks, and edited more than 23 films. He won two Oscars, two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, two BAFTA Awards, over 100 more awards, and was nominated 97 times. His movies are jam packed with violence, non-linear storylines, and, of course, epic soundtracks. This star is a prime example of how using epic copywriting can boost your views, show people who you really are, and create a dedicated fan base. Just what is this five-finger punch to the heart? Can only the Bride do it, or is this something you can learn and create some killer content ready to make audiences laugh, cry, or maybe squirm? Let’s take a look at what you can learn about copywriting from a Tarantino film. Retro Is Always In – Use Something Familiar in Your Copywriting Cue the seventies disco and begin imagining yourself walking down the streets of California in an awesome seventies suit and tie. In the nineties, this sure was a surprise because many people thought that the seventies were just a thing of the past. In fact, many kids and teenagers thought the seventies were oh-so-boring until Tarantino made seventies fashion and music an absolutely amazing plot piece in his most well known film Pulp Fiction. Just why was this successful? Tarantino used something that was still known, and familiar to audiences. He wasn’t trying to reach out to young audiences, but to those who were in their twenties and older, and he succeeded. This is important to your copywriting because you want your audience to feel comfortable with your content. You will find that it is much easier if you utilize familiar items in your marketing pitches because people will be more likely to click on a link to something that sounds familiar than something they’ve never heard of before. You don’t have to go all retro-glam with some disco playing on your site. Just simply focus on utilizing a few popular memes, work in familiar aspects of your product, or just anything that you know audiences can and will connect with. Details, Details, Details The one consistent truth of any Tarantino film is that each time you watch it, you will find something new. The stories are incredibly intricate with several tie-ins and references. It is easy to lose sight of all of the details when watching, but they’re still there and they make each viewing enjoyable and just as exciting as the first view. This is because Tarantino pays extremely close attention to details. This is one of the reasons his films take a while to be released because he works on them in script form to get every detail, and works further throughout filming and post-development. He wants to make sure audiences have the best experience, and no one can say that he doesn’t succeed at this. Just watch Kill Bill: Volume One a few times in a row and see what new things you notice in each viewing. Many times, you might feel like you can just write rather generic blogs and web content, but this might be something that hinders you from making sales. Sure, people aren’t always keen on Tolkien-like detail, but people do want a bit more information that many companies give. However, the details for your copywriting shouldn’t only be focused on the words, but every aspect of your social media campaigns, your web layout, and any other details that could impact your content. In fact, user experience is a major part of how someone views your content. You can have the best content out there, but if your clients’ experience isn’t a great one, they will leave quickly. Audiences Like To Be Shocked And Entertained While Tarantino focuses on several familiar aspects of films and trends, he also shocks his audiences. This can be through simple story re-telling like Inglourious Basterds or by cutting an ear off in the best way possible such as the scene in Reservoir Dogs. In fact, that particular scene is one that makes everyone cringe; yet the surprising fact is that you never actually see it happen. He blends suspense perfectly with his amazingly written scripts, causing everyone who views his films to feel something no matter what it is. He understands that people don’t just want to be shocked though, he knows that they want to be entertained, which is why his films have some of the best soundtracks out there. Now, when you start writing your content, you don’t have to go to the extreme of cutting off an ear; that would be a little much for your company! However, you can still do various things to shock and entertain your readers and clients. When you shock your clients, make sure it is with things that they will find enjoyable, not something that will overwhelm them. A simple way to shock and entertain is to offer freebies with a service, but not just any freebie. You can give away something that is much bigger than a pen with a name on it, maybe an e-book or an extra product to try. This is likely to shock your clients, and it will bring some pretty great success into your business. In fact, you might find that your clients are more than willing to buy more items from you after receiving great freebies. Entertaining your clients is also important, but I discuss this in the next point. Don’t Be A Square – Share Some Corny Jokes One of the things that really helps set Tarantino apart from other similar directors is the fact that he loves corny jokes. There’s the obvious one that Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction says about the tomato needing to “ketchup.” He also does subtler jokes that are more one-liners, a look between actors, or making a cameo himself. Fans love this and it is something you … Read more

Is It Magic? How Supernatural Wins At Copywriting

December 31, 2020October 13, 2014 by Adam Oakley

In 2005, audiences were greeted with an incredibly over-the-top show about supernatural happenings. This show, aptly named Supernatural wasn’t really one that had a lot of critical success in the beginning, but that soon changed. The show’s producers and show runners just wanted to make sure they made it to season 5, to wrap up the incredible “end of the world” story they started. However, they soon found out that fans were slowly attaching themselves to the show, and it grew from there. Eventually, the show became a major success amongst loyal fans and found new fans via the ever-popular Netflix. But, how did Supernatural attract these fans? And how is the show still growing their fan base? I am going to take a look at this, as well as how much you can learn from this show to apply to your own copywriting campaigns! They Are Involved In Social Media One thing that this show does very well is utilizing social media to spread news about it, and engage with their fan base. Oftentimes, you see only a handful of show stars participating on social media, and many times they are secondary characters. This isn’t a bad thing, but by having the lead stars tweeting to fans and live tweeting the show, Supernatural has created an incredible presence on social media. Each night the show airs, Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester), Mark Sheppard (Crowley), and Misha Collis (Castiel) will live tweet the entire show, engaging with fans and telling stories. They’ve had several incredible moments with social media promotion, as well as some interesting moments from fans, including the hilarious Mishapocalypse that took over Tumblr. What can you learn from Supernatural’s spooky ability at utilizing social media? People really enjoy knowing that there is a person behind a social account. Many fans follow the show’s Twitter account, but many prefer the actors because they get a personalized view of the show. While you don’t have to live tweet your work day, you can utilize how the actors and show runners handle social media by being personal with your followers, opening up dialogue, and having fun. You can always keep it professional, but consider showing your personality and letting people connect with the person behind the Twitter handle. The CW Knows How To Market It To Their Audience Supernatural makes its home on the CW channel, and it is quite obvious that the channel knows how to market to their audience. The audience is different for each show such as Vampire Diaries or Supernatural, making it vital that they reach people where they are at in order to not lose interest. When it comes to Supernatural, they advertise the most on Tumblr where their loyal fan base spends a majority of their time. This is also a great opportunity for them to reach out to others who haven’t watched the show, yet spend their time on the social site. The CW knows that in order to reach and market to a Millennial crowd, they have to meet them where they are at and that, sadly, isn’t in the dusty pages of a newspaper. The same is true for you; you need to know your audience and you absolutely need to market to them and where they are. You might not be marketing to Millennials, but you can still learn where your demographic spends the majority of their time. This includes social media, but also whether or not your audience is one that reads press releases, white papers or other sources of information you have available. They Utilize The Familiar And Give It A Supernatural Twist Something that many new and old fans enjoy about the show is that they take something familiar and add their own twist to it. For example, vampires and werewolves; they take the original folklore of these monsters, and then add a difference to them to make them adapt to the world of the Winchester brothers. No matter the story, the writers of Supernatural give it a great flair while also making sure to stay true to what audience’s find familiar. How can this inspire your copywriting? You can simply make sure to keep your content familiar. This will be a great way to make sure your content doesn’t stink, as well as giving people something to engage with. This goes for blogs, web content, and social media. Be familiar to attract people to your posts, but add your own flair to it to make it unique to you. This will help make you more memorable to clients and can help you bring in more clients and revenue. One way that you can make sure to stay familiar is to host a giveaway of one of your products. Giveaways are vastly popular right now, and people love winning things; I know that I love when I win a giveaway! You can make a giveaway purely you very easily, yet it is familiar enough to bring in current customers, as well as new clients. In fact, the giveaway might just be what converts your website visitors to buyers. Cliffhangers and Copywriting: They Keep You Coming Back For More The show is now in its tenth season. That’s right, tenth! How did they get so far when they only recently met success? They made fans desperate to know what happens next. They do this through the classic cliffhangers that end shows for the season, but they also utilize internal cliffhangers throughout the season. Will Sam go dark-side? When will Crowley come in with some crazy, yet genius idea? They make fans ask these questions regularly, which is why the fans keep coming back for more. Guess what, you can use internal cliffhangers too! You can use them in your copywriting to make people desperate to read what is coming next. This is a great way to ensure that your readers will not only read a small portion of your blog, web content, or social post but that they … Read more

4 Brands That Nail Copywriting

June 19, 2024October 2, 2014 by Adam Oakley

There is no shortage of studies attesting the crucial importance brand awareness has in swaying a consumer’s choice towards one product or another. We form the deepest attachments to products that speak to us on a personal level and a brand is supposed to do just that, to spark positive associations in our mind and encourage us to relate to it on a deeply personal level. Even though there are fewer consensuses as to what makes a successful brand, many people in the industry would agree it hinges on nailing copywriting. And the best way to do that is to learn from the best. So, without further ado, let’s have a look at 4 brands that totally nailed copywriting and at the strategies they used in some of their most effective campaigns. 1. Apple: Think Different Apple’s iconic “Think Different” campaign serves to illustrate the importance of finding a strong central concept and building around it. Once you hit upon that core concept that you feel perfectly sums up your company’s identity and values, everything falls into place. The 1997 campaign kicked off with an ad featuring short clips of influential 20th century figures, including the likes of Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, John Lennon or Pablo Picasso. The clips were accompanied by a voice-over commentary, read by Richard Dreyfuss, celebrating these people as rebellious, anti-establishment figures, whose boldness and insubordination brought about revolutionary change in the world. The ad ends with a small Apple logo at the end and the slogan “Think different” – the only clue as to what it is actually about. It was followed by a series of black-and-white posters of the personalities featured in the ad (and other iconic figures), with the same logo and slogan. It is worth noting that neither the ad, nor the posters, gives any clue as to the identity of the people they represent. The viewer is expected to recognize them and, through that recognition, is encouraged to feel a sense of community with them. Through this campaign Apple effectively put across the notion that the company was at the forefront of a paradigm-shifting movement, providing a niche product that only the most discerning consumers would appreciate. Another important lesson we can derive from this is that sharing cultural allusions can enhance the viewer’s sense of community and affinity with a particular brand, while implicitly commending him for being cultured enough to “get it”. 2. Macy’s: Believe While Macy’s has the advantage that comes with a long-standing prestige brand, it’s been doing a great job of playing up the nostalgia factor, most notably through its running “Believe” campaign and its iconic “The Magic of Macy’s: 150 Years” ad. Both were launched in 2008, when Macy’s celebrated its 150 anniversary. The “Believe” is based on the famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” editorial, published by the editor of the New York Sun in response to a letter from an eight-year-old girl who asked if Santa is real. Macy’s declared December 6 National Believe Day and, every year since 2008, it has invited “believers” to drop off their letters to Santa in the vintage-looking Santa Mail letterboxes awaiting them at any Macy’s store. And here is where the “Magic of Macy’s” comes in: the company vowed to donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, for every letter received, to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Not only is this a great way to spread the holiday cheer, but it’s also a surefire way to boost your social responsibility credentials. The ad the company used to promote the “Believe” campaign exploits its association with Miracle on 34th Street, hardly surprising, as what the campaign proposed to do was to bank on Macy’s nostalgia capital. Its “The Magic of Macy’s: 150 Years” ad, featuring mentions of Macy’s in popular culture and evoking its involvement in the life of the community (the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, organized since 1924, and its contribution to the annual 4th of July fireworks display), served a similar purpose, reinforcing its association with solid American values. 3. Target: Around for Good While Target has a consistent history of developing original campaigns, the freshly launched “Around for Good” is its first ever campaign to focus on the company’s commitment to the community and to the environment. Through human interest, documentary-style ads like It Comes from the Heart, Target evokes ways it gives back to the community, through the programs it runs in schools and elsewhere. In the words of vice president Jeff Jones, the campaign is meant to build “brand love” and make buyers feel “they’re part of something bigger than a transaction”. This campaign, which “isn’t trying to sell you anything”, ties in neatly with the marketing strategy practiced through its online magazine, A Bullseye View, which is to focus on “behind the scenes” and lifestyle stories, rather than product pitches. This, in turn, is part of a wider trend in brand building, turning from old-school advertising to an approach that emphasizes the personal and social responsibility dimension. 4. Newcastle Brown Ale: Independence Eve While Apple, Macy’s and Target resorted to high-brow cultural allusion, nostalgia and the human interest element, Newcastle Brown Ale’s distinctive ingredients are humor and self-irony. Its “Independence Eve” and “If We Made It” campaigns are excellent examples of clever, tongue-in-cheek copywriting. The “Independence Eve” campaign, launched this year, promoted the Newcastle Brown Ale brand to an American market by “hijacking” the momentum building around the Fourth of July and inviting people to join them in celebrating the alternative, entirely made-up, Independence Eve, on July 3. Alternatively promoted under the #IfWeWon hashtag, the campaign urges people to “imagine how great it could have been and imagine how much beer we could have sold. If we won.” In a series of hilarious spoof ads, featuring Brits Elizabeth Hurley and Stephen Merchant and American thespian Zachary Quinto, Newcastle Brown Ale revisits American trademarks and celebrates “all things British that Americans gave up when they … Read more