Yeah, I get them all the time. You probably do, too. The infamous email from an alleged digital marketing service: Dear Sir/Madam, Despite having a good design, your website is not showing up on Google for your market's keywords … Or something to that effect. Obviously, they haven't been to my website. They would know in an instant that I'm NOT a madam. Last I checked anyway. And they don't know my target market, either. I know that because I DO show up on Google (page one of the SERPs, in fact) for my target market's keywords… B2B … [Read more...]
Ad Copy 911 – Emergency Response
A marketing director called me the other day. His company was in dire need of a copywriting EMT (Effective Marketing Technician). According to him, his staff writers could write good words. But their marketing messages were crashing, not pulling many leads or sales. He lamented that their copy wasn't working and needed "refined," whatever that means. Really, it didn't need refined. It needed to be resuscitated. Here's a copy of newsletter ad he sent me: Although ACME Presses specializes in creating fully customized turnkey … [Read more...]
Make a New LinkedIn Connection? Go Straight for the Juggler… NOT!
Ok, I know. It's the jugular you go after, not juggler. But… you're reading this because you wanted to make sure, right? Maybe you were curious, or just wanted to poke a little fun. That's Ok. If you're reading this... Mission accomplished. At first, this major blunder bugged me to no end. Probably bugs you too. But now, I actually welcome the immediate sales pitch after I accept a connection request on LinkedIn. You know the kind. You accept a connection request and the person INSTANTLY follows up, trying to sell their services. … [Read more...]
Think I’ll PAS On That One – Twitter Sharing
Sometimes, I'll find a great update/article on LinkedIn that strikes a chord. If I find it quite useful, I'll PAS it along. (If you're in the B2B or industrial manufacturing industry… it could be yours.) And no, I didn't spell pass wrong. I did mean to write PAS. It's an acronym (which I normally shun) that stands for a sharing/headline formula: Problem Agitate Solve If your update links to an article that's useful — that solves a real problem — you'll catch my eye. And I'll likely PAS it along. Here's how that … [Read more...]
I Didn’t Hear Them Knock …
But, I had a feeling someone was at the door. Must have been someone there because the cat was peeking through the mail slot, howling like a banshee. By the time I got there, though, they were gone. I think I saw someone strolling around the corner. Sometimes they leave a door hanger. But often, the only thing I see is their footprints in the lawn. So, I have no idea who they were or what they wanted. I'm not too worried about it. They probably didn't have anything I needed anyway. But, if my house was a B2B website, I'd be … [Read more...]
Lead Gen: Is Your Content Gated … or Barricaded?
It's role-playing time. In your role, you have a great business with a new, rock star product. You need to get more exposure for your new product to generate interest and drive sales. That's always the case with new products. My role is that of an experienced web copywriter. So it just happens that you and I meet by chance in the local café. As we talk, sipping our Swiss Mocha lattes, your new product comes up in conversation. As you describe it, your eyes light up. It's easy to see you're excited. But suddenly, you look … [Read more...]