When you visit a website, what keeps you on the page? When you receive a direct mail content marketing promotion in your mailbox, what motivates you to open it up and read it? Think about what causes you to want to know more . . . read more . . . take action. Then, think about your prospects and customers. Does your content come alive when they read it? Does it inspire them, motivate them or encourage them to take action?

If you’re feeling like your content is slowly fading into retirement and needs to be revived, here are six pointers to help you bring your content back to life. They’re easy to follow for any marketing promotion – from brochures and direct mail to emails and website content.

How to Bring Your Content Marketing to Life

Write A Compelling Headline for Content Marketing Pieces

Touch their emotions, fill a need or paint a picture and you’ll capture your readers’ attention. Which one of these headlines captures your attention: “How to lose weight.” OR “Announcing 10 remarkable ways to stay in shape without exercising daily.”

“On the average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy.” – Advertising pro David Ogilvy

Use an Attention-Grabbing Opening

In his book, Breakthrough Advertising, my mentor Eugene Schwartz wrote, “Your headline has only one job—to stop your prospect and compel him to read the second sentence of your ad.”

How can your headline grab and hold their attention? Consider using a startling statistic or a thought-provoking question.

Deliver on The Promise in Your Headline

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Whatever it is you offered in your headline, be sure to address it in your piece. If you don’t deliver, beware. You may upset your customers, and bad news travels faster than good.

“News of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many ears as praise for a good service experience.” (Source: HelpScout.net)

Make Your Content Inviting to Readers’ Eyes

This is a pet peeve of mine. When I see long paragraphs I cringe. Make your content easy for your prospect/customer to read by using short paragraphs, bullet points, sub-headlines or numbered lists. This Rocks Digital post highlights 7 tips to help make your content inviting to readers’ eyes:

Use an Image

Whether it’s a photo or a video clip, images capture people’s attention. Here are 5 free image sites to help you rock your marketing: https://www.rocksdigital.com/best-free-social-media-image-sites/

“Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images.” (Source: jeffbullas.com)

Don’t Forget That Call To Action For All Content Marketing

If you’re blogging, your call to action can be as simple as “please share your thoughts in the comments section below.” If it’s a sales page where you’re selling a product online be sure to tell readers what you want them to do, such as “click on the buy now button,” “email us,” etc. It may sound obvious, but it’s important that you convey a clear message and make it easy for your prospects and customers to respond.

Remember, these six tips apply to all forms of marketing communications. If you’re not already using them, no worries. Just be sure to start doing so now.

Breathe Life into Your #Content #Marketing with These #Tips from @DebraJason #RocksDigital
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Have a tip you want to add to this list? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Yes, that’s the question – a question about content copy length that’s been asked over and over again: Should I write long copy or short copy?

More often than not, I hear many of my writing clients say, “Our prospects are busy and they won’t read long copy.” My response is usually: If your message resonates with them they will read on.

“Just Right” Content Copy Length

And, I add that it’s important to write as much as you need to in order to get your message across. When the content of your copy pushes prospects’ buttons and reveals a solution that makes their lives and/or jobs easier, it motivates them to take action.

I was therefore stoked when I came across the infographic below by Neil Patel called “How much copy should you write on your homepage?” posted on QuickSprout’s blog.

I was thrilled to see the section that said, “Make the page as long as it needs to be. It requires as much copy as is necessary to help people complete the task at hand.” This gem is in alignment with my own philosophy of writing copy.

Content Copy Length Guidelines Also Apply To Print

Plus, I love that Neil referred to my mentor, Gene Schwartz, and his States of Awareness I shared here on the Rocks Digital blog and which are also covered in Chapter 3 of my book, Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget™.

While Neil’s post refers to homepage content, I will add that these guidelines apply to print materials such as direct mail sales letters as well. When you’re looking at sales pages (vs. “home” pages), you may find those that run on and on (i.e., printed out it might be 15–20 pages) can get cumbersome indeed.

When you sit down to write your own copy, always keep your goal and your audience in mind. Then turn to some of the points highlighted in this infographic. Use them as guidelines, and you should do just fine.

What is the right #content copy length? @DebraJason gives you the answer! #Marketing #RocksDigital
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Have a tip you want to share about copy length? What has worked for you? Long or short? Please comment below.

The post Does Content Copy Length Motivate or Immobilize Your Readers? appeared first on Rocks Digital.

As a savvy marketer you know that it’s important to understand who you’re talking to before you begin marketing. However, understanding your ideal client involves more than knowing their demographics or even their lifestyle information. You must know how aware they are of your products and services.

What does your prospect know about what you offer and the satisfaction that it delivers to them?

Just like a promotion that speaks to single women 45-55 years of age most likely won’t catch the attention of teenage girls, a headline that works to a market in one stage of awareness will not work to a market in another stage of awareness.

Identifying Prospect Awareness

With the help of my mentor, the late Eugene Schwartz – a veteran direct response copywriter – here are four awareness levels from his book Breakthrough Advertising:

1. Fully Aware

This is the easiest market to address. Your prospects know about your product – what it does – and know that they want it. They just haven’t gotten around to buying it yet.

2. Not Completely Aware

They know about your product, but aren’t completely aware of everything it does, or not convinced of how well it does it, or haven’t yet been told how much better it does it now. This, according to Mr. Schwartz, is “the great bulk of all advertising.” Some examples of headlines written to this state of awareness include: “Joy – the costliest perfume in the world” or “At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in a Rolls Royce is the electric clock.”

3. Less aware

Your audience either knows or recognizes immediately that they want what the product does; but don’t yet know that there is a product – your product – that does it for them.

4. Completely unaware

This is the most difficult market to address. These folks are either not aware of their desire or need – or they won’t honestly admit it to themselves without being lead into it by your message – or the need is their own secret that just can’t be verbalized yet.

How aware are you when it comes to understanding how aware your prospects are of the product/service you have to offer?

Give this some thought as you’re putting together your marketing plan. Then, when you’re ready to sit down with your creative team, you’ll be equipped with the information you need to pass on to get a great job done.

4 Levels of Prospect Awareness and How They Drive Your #Marketing Approach @DebraJason #RocksDigital
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Please share your thoughts in the comment section below because I’d love to hear from you.

The post Are Your Prospects Aware? Four Awareness Levels You Need Understand to Market Better appeared first on Rocks Digital.

When you think of marketing promotions, a newsletter may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, it can be a great tool for building and nurturing relationships with clients and prospects.

As Lila Freilicher explained in her article “Newsletters Can Build Your Reputation,” “It will develop your image and uniqueness as an industry leader and your reputation as a company offering quality products and services. And a well-thought-out newsletter can be used as a direct marketing device to build business and make a sale.”

By combining a little public relations, image-building and selling, newsletters provide useful information. And, information is the key word here.

Creative consultant Don Hauptman explained, “As has been observed more than once, we live in an Age of Information. In this world, there exists a species we call ‘information seekers.’ These people need specialized data. . .”

Newsletter Content

A good promotional newsletter offers mostly valuable, worthwhile information to its readers. Depending on which newsletter specialist you talk to, they’ll advise you that anywhere from 1/10 to 1/3 of it may be geared towards promotion.

Newsletters are not as aggressive at selling as other marketing tools such as direct mail packages or online sales pages. Yes, they may promote your business, but they’re not hard core sales tools. I, for one, make it a point to pack my newsletters with information my readers can use and keep any “sales pitch” low key.

Consider the words of consultant Herman Holtz. In his book, Great Promo Pieces (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), he says, “Of course, your newsletter is promotional literature. You created it to help market your company’s products or services, and the content is therefore necessarily advertising, even if low key or soft sell.

At the same time, since you characterize and publish it as a newsletter, it cannot be 100 percent unabashed advertising matter. That would immediately destroy its usefulness. You must publish some material that is worthy of appearance in a newsletter and is definitely slanted to the reader’s probable direct interest. . . .It cannot be a pure sales letter, brochure or advertising circular.”

Target Audiences

Before you ever begin producing your newsletter you must be clear on its purpose. First of all, who is it going to?

• Customers and prospects.
• Sales force.
• Employees.

In her book, Creating and Producing the Perfect Newslettes (Scott, Foresman and Company) Patricia Williams reiterated the importance of identifying your audience. She asked, “Who are your readers? Identify each group of readers that you want to reach with your newsletter. . . . you need an accurate profile of your readers, which will help you zero in on content and on the image your newsletter should project for your organization.”

For purposes of this post, you’ll read about those newsletters that are targeted to customers and prospects. Small business advertising specialist Cynthia Smith said, “. . . newsletters build up a relationship with customers and prospects that is invaluable.”

Customer Newsletter Reasons

Here are four reasons to develop a newsletter to this particular market:

1. To follow-up on inquiries and qualify potential customers.

Let’s say you have the world’s best widget to sell. However, experience has shown that usually 6 months to a year may pass between the time of a prospect’s first inquiry and the time they actually buy. Do you just sit back and wait? NO.

Stay in touch with your potential customers and determine if they are indeed serious buyers. How? If they’ve opted-in to your e-mail list, send the newsletter via e-mail. Or, with the overload of email in inboxes these days, consider “snail” mailing your newsletter.

2. To increase perceived value of a membership.

I think just about every organization I’ve ever been a member of has provided its members with a newsletter.

Maybe that’s because a free subscription adds value to a membership, especially when the newsletter is well-written and informative.

Newsletters are also beneficial in influencing the opinions and attitudes of their readers. Look in your inbox and/or mailbox and you may find a newsletter from your local Humane Society, Hospice, or another local non-profit.

3. To establish positive, long-term relationships with your customers and stimulate repeat sales.

After a customer has purchased your product or service, don’t just shake their hand and send them on their way. A newsletter is an excellent way to stay in touch – emphasizing how you value their patronage.

As Freilicher pointed out, “The newsletter maintains a steady flow of communications with customers throughout the years. It shows all customers – even those who have strayed – how valuable they are and that they haven’t been forgotten.” Last year, I had that experience. A former client called, needed assistance and said “I am always reminded of you when I get your newsletter and this last one came at a time when I really needed your help. The timing was perfect.”

Newsletters also encourage repeat sales by giving you the opportunity to recommend accessories that enhance the performance of the product/service your customers bought or introducing new products/services available since you last saw them.

4. To uncover new leads.

If you’re a member of an organization or association you may already receive newsletters from various businesses. It’s likely you’ll hold onto a newsletter if you are the least bit interested in the topic.

And, when you finally need the services of that company you may actually call them (it’s happened to me). Through their newsletter they’ve proven themselves knowledgeable so you’ve already developed a sense of trust in them (and we all know about building that KLT Factor – know, like and trust).

#Newsletters build the KLT factor: Know, Like Trust says @DebraJason #RocksDigital
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What are your thoughts about newsletters? Are you using them? Please share your comments below because I’d love to hear from you. Thanks and here’s to your sweet success.

The post Why Every Business Needs a Newsletter and How to Get Started appeared first on Rocks Digital.

When teaching an online program about copywriting, I received an email from one of the group’s participants. She asked, “How can I tap into my writing ability?” I said, “You awaken the copywriter within.” Let me explain . . .

Every morning, I listen to a guided meditation from Deepak Chopra. Every few months, he co-hosts a 21-Day Meditation Challenge with Oprah Winfrey. If you’ve never participated in one of these challenges, I highly recommend it.

One of the meditations was about the “Miraculous You.” And one day while I listened, this idea for a blog post came to me. Yes, thoughts pop up constantly while meditating and after many years at it, I finally learned that it’s not about quieting the mind, but just allowing it to be.

After finishing my session, I began to write. In response to “How do you awaken the copywriter within you?” I decided the answer was fairly simple.

Be yourself.

In my humble opinion, life is about relationships (and so is marketing), but first, there is the relationship with one’s self.

Be genuine and realize it’s okay for the world so see who you truly are. I think some of the most captivating content I’ve seen lately comes from heartfelt and authentic professionals who are okay with being transparent.

Being transparent helps your prospects and customers feel closer to you – an essential step in boosting sales with trust and integrity.

Some of the transparent professionals may not even consider themselves marketers or copywriters. But, what they do is bring their sincerity and honesty to the table.

Deepak Chopra said “If you’ve been caught up in an anxious search for love, happiness or anything else. You can let go of the struggle and endless quest for self-improvement. And, instead, begin to open to the awareness of who you really are.”

I like what my colleague Cindy Schulson says; she puts it this, “Learn from others, but trust yourself. Trust yourself to make the right decisions and that you know what you’re here to do. Embrace who you are and let that show up in your business in a real way.”

Speak from the heart. You can share:

• Your own challenges.
• How you overcame them.
• How you can now help others, who are in similar situations, succeed.

When you do this, you relate to people and people relate back to you. They develop a stronger bond with you because of your common experience.

Sit down with pen and paper (this stimulates your subconscious more than typing on a keyboard) and write. Don’t worry about what comes out, just be real and put your thoughts on paper. You can fine tune it later.

Copywriter Resources

Yes, there are books, videos and blog posts on how to write copy (you’ll find some on my blog). And there are certainly guidelines to follow for writing captivating content that converts your prospects into customers. However, a good beginning – even if you hire a copywriter to write for you – is to look inside yourself. Who is the person you want to be? Let your personality shine through and awaken the copywriter within.

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde

How to Awaken the Copywriter Within @RocksDigital by @DebraJason
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What do you think? I value your feedback so please share your comments below because I’d love to hear from you. Thanks a million. Here’s to your sweet success.

This is an excerpt from Debra Jason’s award-winning book Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget™: How to Attract a Steady Stream of Happy Clients, Make More Money and Live Your Dream. 

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If you had a dollar for every time you heard, “Search engine algorithms change all the time,” you’d probably be a millionaire. Just when you think you’ve aced it and have complete understanding, something changes… again. However, one basic component has remained steady over time, and that’s relevancy.

It’s a word you’ve also heard repeatedly when discussing search engine optimization (SEO). But the question remains, “Is your site relevant and ready for the keyword phrases being searched by your prospects?”

This post isn’t a how-to for achieving page-one Google placement. There’s no magic trick to doing that, although some folks out there may lead you to believe otherwise. But there are some basics for keyword placement that are still vital for ensuring your website is considered relevant.

Captivating Content Captures Searchers

When a client or prospect contacts me asking about their search results, I first ask them what keyword phrase or phrases they’re targeting. Then, I look at their page content and I am often surprised, when I quickly discover the keyword phrases they mentioned are nowhere to be found.

Captivating, helpful content is what drives most searchers to return to their favorite sites. So make sure your site is optimized with the targeted phrases you think customers and prospects are using to find businesses similar to yours.

Here’s a list of four strategic Web page locations to place keyword phrases:

1. Within the actual content of individual pages

Start with quality content – valuable information, related to the matter at hand. The first and last paragraphs are especially good places to consider. While it’s a good idea to use keyword phrases throughout, don’t drown your content with them. A high keyword density is considered “keyword stuffing” by search engines, and that can hurt, rather than help you.

2. The Web page title

This is not the same as a headline. Whether you’re using Firefox or Chrome, (does anyone use Internet Explorer anymore?) you’ll find the title in the top bar of the browser when your page appears. It’s programmed in your HTML code as the TITLE meta tag.

3. Page headlines and headers

Just like a hardcopy brochure has headlines and subheadings, so does your Web page. Make good use of these and insert keyword phrases, when appropriate. Be sure your headlines are formatted with an H1 tag in the HTML, because that’s what the search engines read.

4. Page meta descriptions

The meta title and description are what show up when you look at a page of search results. Your description should encourage a prospect to click through because it offers the relevant information they’re seeking.

Different Pages – Different Keywords

Keep in mind, different pages of your site will be optimized for different keyword phrases. Therefore, don’t use the same page titles and descriptions on every page. Take advantage of the opportunity to create unique page titles and descriptions for each one.

Titles such as “ABC Company – About Us” and “ABC Company – Our Services” don’t offer any relevancy, unless “ABC Company” is a widely known brand and your prospects search for you specifically by your company name.

Check out SEOCentro’s Meta Tag Analyzer. It analyzes and rates your meta title and description tags, and provides data on keyword density.

Remember, the tips posted here are by no means a guarantee to get your site in the number one spot on Google. They’re offered to help you leverage your site’s content to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to relevancy online.

Prospects want information that helps them and provides solutions to their needs. Make sure your content delivers what they’re searching for. Does it?

Four #SEO Strategies Every Copywriter Should Use by @DebraJason #RocksDigital #business
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Have you reviewed your Web content lately? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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