Call to action

  First off, do you know what your conversion rate is? If your marketing is to be effective you not only need to know your conversion rate, you must also understand your conversion goal. Everyone’s conversion goal will be different. It could be: Newsletter sign-ups Brochure downloads Sign-ups for a free trial Email enquiries Phone enquiries As soon as you know what it is you’re measuring, you can begin to track the effectiveness of your website or landing page through Google Analytics. But there is one vital element you need to get conversion and that’s traffic. You can’t have one without the other. Using your analytics you will be able to instantly see how many visitors you are getting, where they are, how they’re finding you, ...

  Whether you’ve got a website and need a revamp or you’re just starting out on  the web there are certain things you need to avoid when thinking about your design. Remember that your website is, in effect, your online shop window. Think about how it will be viewed by your visitors, what they will want to see and what they’ll need to know. Don’t be complicated If a visitor lands on your website they will want to be able to find out what they need to know quickly and easily. If they’re faced with numerous options, confusing navigation and a ‘busy’ Home page they are more than likely ...

  Is your website converting? There are loads of websites out there that look great, have loads of content and, sometimes, rank quite well. But they are missing one thing – they aren’t converting. This is a conversation I tend to have with people far too regularly. It goes a bit like this: Client: “My website’s working really well – I get about 500 unique visitors every day” Copywriter: “Great, so what’s your conversion rate?” Client: “My what?” Argh! There you have it – they’ve missed the number one reason for having a website – converting your visitors into paying customers. That’s why I’ve written this post – ...

  What is the one vital aspect of copy that is often missed? The call to action. It’s true that copywriting is about building rapport with your readers—you have to get to know them, understand what makes them tick and befriend them. Perhaps that’s why people shy away from actually telling them what to do. But if your copy doesn’t shout “Oi! Get in touch and buy now” (OK perhaps a bit harsh) they’ll just swan off and read someone else’s website, brochure, email or letter. So how do you go about driving your reader towards your call to action? Start softly Good copy ...

Most businesses realise that the internet is the place to be these days. It is a vast market place scoured by millions of internet users every day. But that doesn’t mean you should dash out and throw any old website together. If you want a website it should for one reason only – to sell. If it doesn’t do that, it becomes a very expensive brochure. As a copywriter I have used this blog as a way of informing and educating people in how to get the most out of their website. But there are still a large number out there who don’t seem to get it. What’s the point in having a website if… Your website is your online shop window. As ...

If you get it right, email marketing can be one of the most effective marketing tools available to businesses today. Yes everyone’s doing it but that doesn’t mean it’s easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. If you want it to work you must give each email a lot of serious thought otherwise it will simply end up being deleted. Every email must count and convert. That may sound simple enough but in practice it can get complicated. To help you out, here’s my top 3 tips to boost your email marketing conversion rates: 1. Tell them what they need to know You’d be amazed at how many businesses that don’t. Just as with website copy, many companies insist on using their emails as a way of telling their customer ...

  Email marketing is cheap, quick and effective. Plus as most sent today are in HTML you have the added benefit of the hyperlink. This allows your reader to click directly through to your website or landing page for more information or to buy or sign up to your offer. But if you want that to happen your email must be interesting and relevant to your recipients otherwise it will just be transferred to the deleted folder. So make sure it’s appealing by following these simple suggestions: 1. Friendly Just as if you were writing a letter, use a salutation preferably personalised. This personal touch ...

  When creating your website you have to consider several things – your design, its functionality, your message etc. Your unique selling point and the products and services you offer are going to be very individual. But one thing that is fairly standard is the important basic range of website pages. Every page will have a Home Page, About Us, Products/Services and FAQs. They may appear under different names, but each must be optimised for your main keywords. Each page should be optimised for a different primary keyword to maximise your website’s chances of ranking highly. In this post I will take a look ...

Although there are many different uses for the direct mail letter, they all have common characteristics that make them successful. Of course, your list and your offer will also have a big impact on your success rate but the characteristics I will be talking about are those that make the letter powerful, engaging – a sales force to be reckoned with. So, that must mean the copy. How you write your letter will determine whether you successfully engage with your reader. A lot depends on the words you use… Be personal When you are in a face to face selling situation, the first thing the sales person will try to do is build rapport. That is exactly what your letter has to do. Use language that will engage your reader ...

Is there really a difference between producing copy for on and offline purposes? Well, let’s think about that for a moment. What’s the most important thing to focus on when producing sales copy? Your reader. Once you know who you are writing for, what do you have to remember? To sell the benefits of the product or service you are writing about. There is only one question your audience wants answered – What’s in it for me? This is true whether you are writing website copy, brochure copy, newsletter content or direct mail. Essentially the elements for on and off line copy are going to be the same – it should always be focused on your reader. The basic formula There is a basic formula to keep in mind when you are writing sales copy. You may have heard of it already ...

There definitely is one – an enormous one. To give you a clue, it is something you should be thinking about even before you pick up your pen or strike a key on your keyboard. Have you worked out what it is yet? Purpose Everything you write must have a purpose. If it doesn’t, what’s the point writing it? Every piece of copy you write – website copywriting, newsletters, brochure copy, advert, case study, press release…everything has a purpose – it’s there to generate something – sales, leads, interest, traffic… You’ve put a lot of time and effort into it (and quite possibly money if you are using a freelance copywriter) so you must make sure it actually does something. Before you begin to write (or give your copywriter ...

What is unique about your company? What is it that sets you apart from the competition? In other words what is your Unique Selling Point? Before you attempt to write any marketing materials, you must identify your USP. It can be anything, such as: Guaranteed next day delivery worldwide Your product guarantees a boost in intelligence Your product is guaranteed to make people look younger OK, some of those may be a little far fetched, but you get the picture. Your USP must be something that makes your product or service stand out from everyone else’s. Plus, it must be of value to your customer. Flaunt it Once you’ve worked out what it is, flaunt it for all you’re worth. Make sure it goes in your headlines because it will be your most important benefit for your customer. It’s red ...

  Ask any freelance copywriter what is one of the most essential elements in their marketing  armoury, they'll say your call to action. Your call to action is undoubtedly one of the most powerful parts of your copywriting. Let's assume your copy has been compelling enough to keep your reader engrossed to the very end, you have them in the palm of your hand, they're ready to buy so you'll want to make sure your copy ends on a bang not a whimper. 8 crucial desire drivers for your call to action Your call to action has to convince your reader to take action - it's your ...

Finally you've reached the final stage of the AIDA saga. The past few articles have shown you how to grab your readers’ attention, get their interest, and create a desire for your product. Now all you have to do is get them to take action. The best way to get your reader to take action is through the use of testimonials. These are a fantastic motivator and a tool that every freelance copywriter should have in their writing armoury. Avoid the temptation edit client testimonials. They may contain the odd grammatical or punctuation error but this is exactly what you want – it makes them real. Another way is by offering free samples, statistics, a free trial or money-back guarantee. If you have the option of using these why not use them all or a combination ...