The blog
Where does good copywriting fit in the modern marketing mix?
29th October 2010 | Posted in Search engine optimisation
If you’re using email, Twitter, Facebook or any other online tool for marketing, does that mean you don’t need perfect writing? Is it now true that the speed at which messages come and go mean that volume is more important than quality? If you opt for fast and furious rather than well-crafted content, you put […]
Want visitors to actually read your web page?
29th September 2010 | Posted in Web content
Text still rules when it comes to attracting attention. Big headlines, short paragraphs and smaller fonts for full content could be the key to keeping readers interested right to the bottom of the page. One of my favourite content gurus, Gerry McGovern, has recently picked up on some Eyeball research about what people look at […]
Express your brand platform with the right words
23rd June 2010 | Posted in Branding
Do you have a set of words that you meaningfully associate with your brand? Do the words help you carve out a niche in the market? Do they really reflect your aims? This is the thinking that we saw on “Mary, Queen of Shops” on UK television last night – using words to express the essence of […]
Over-friendly copy can be a real turn-off for your audience
4th May 2010 | Posted in Branding
As it was a traditionally wet Bank Holiday in England here yesterday, we forsook a visit to the traditional Steam Fair on the village green and took a trip instead to a traditional stately home. This manor house with its origins in the 14th century is owned and managed by a national preservation organisation, which […]
Do you really know what your email audience wants to read?
19th February 2010 | Posted in Marketing communications
Interestingly, it seems that what marketers think is valuable as email marketing content isn’t necessarily what technology buyers want to see. According to report from MarketingSherpa (content available only for a couple of weeks), there’s quite a bit of difference in perception of what achieves clickthrough. Here are a few email marketing suggestions based on their findings: […]
Do you have time for blog writing?
10th February 2010 | Posted in Blogging
We all have good intentions. And certainly producing a blog two or three times a week as recommended by those who know is a pretty major good intention. Finding the time to write and write well is tough. MarketingSherpa has come up with 6 tips to help with blog writing. Not surprisingly, as I’m a professional copywriter, I’m […]
Is brand awareness always good for sales?
18th January 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized
In the UK we currently have two ad campaigns for insurance price comparison web sites that really stick in your mind. One has been winning plaudits for originality and humour, while the other has won the title of most irritating ad of last year. Both have achieved high brand awareness, so does it matter whether the campaigns […]
How do you spread your news?
5th January 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized
Once upon a time a press release was printed, stapled together, and mailed out to all and sundry in the hope it could be included in a magazine’s news pages. As an editor, I would receive tens if not hundreds of these releases a day. As we were a small publication, we didn’t have the […]
Direct mail still works
26th November 2009 | Posted in Marketing communications
Direct mail is often seen as the poor relation of more instant, Internet-focused marketing. Yet a recent survey found that 56% of marketers believe that direct mail still can influence top executives in organisations. The move towards online marketing is continuing though, driven partly by green concerns, and more recently by the UK postal strike. According […]
Yes, grammar does matter!
18th November 2009 | Posted in Editing
I have just read a blog on 28 tips for successful sales copy. (That’s a lot – people usually just stick with ten or even five Top Tips.) I totally agreed on 27 of the points, about understanding the product, targeting the message to the audience, and selling the benefits rather than the features. There […]