Award-winning journalist and freelance copywriter, Susanna K. Hutcheson, presents news, thoughts and ideas on the world of business, marketing, copywriting and much more.

Online Catalog Copy is Often Very Bad. What Can You Do About It?

A lot of Web sites picture products similar to a print catalog. In fact, they are online catalogs. Most often the pictures are fine. But you can only tell so much about an item from a picture.

Most of the copy on these sites is terrible. The catalog copy blocks don't make the visitor understand the product or get the feel of it. The copy doesn't make them want to buy the product. Yet it's been my experience that most people with online catalogs are loathe to pay a copywriter what he or she is worth to construct copy that will sell the products.

Here, for example, is the copy on one site that pictures an attractive leather purse. The picture is good, although it doesn't show the inside or give you any views but one.

Duh! Boring. That's not going to sell me on this bag. And do I care how many have been sold? I don't think so.

In its defense, the site gives the following information about ALL of its bags.


Unfortunately, that's not good enough.

Now eBags.com, which is one of my favorite spots and where I get most of my bags is somewhat different. Let's say I'm looking for a Messenger bag. I see one that looks good. I see the picture and this text:


Now when I click on the bag that interests me I get a nice big photo that I can maneuver and see various views and almost feel. Then I get the following copy block:


Now I'm not saying that's the best copy block in the world. But it's enough to let me know if I want to buy the bag or not. Of course, eBags has reviews of its products. And that helps a lot in making a purchase decision.

Writing catalog copy is an art. And online copy needs to be every bit as carefully constructed as a printed catalog.

People with online catalogs are well advised to hire a copywriter who knows how to write copy blocks for products. The bottom line is, spending some money up front will pay big dividends. Saving pennies often loses dollars.

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Susanna on 02.28.06 @ 10:46 AM CDT [link]

Keep the Rights to Your Copy --- You May Need them Sometime.

Many copywriters allow a client to pay half upfront and the balance on delivery. While that's fine if you're dealing with Fortune 1000 companies or firms you know about, it's not a good idea on the Internet. I always charge my full fee in advance and it's served me well for over a decade.

But there are times when a client will stiff you by a credit card charge back or some other method. That happened to me one time.

So what do you do in these cases? Well, I've outlined some things you can do in previous posts so I won't repeat them here. But one other course is to resell the copy you wrote for the bad client.

Most people, including some copywriters, do not know that the copywriter always owns the copyright to all copy he or she writes unless he transfers it in writing to the client. The only exception to that is if the copywriter is writing for a company as as employee. In that case, his employer owns the rights. (Ask your attorney about this before you take my word. Laws may differ in different states.)

But here we're talking about freelance copywriters. You own everything you write forever! (Again, there are exceptions. Check with your lawyer. Know what rights you sell.) So when a client stiffs you, you're free to resell the copy in most cases unless you've sold or given away your rights. You can redo the copy to fit it to the needs of the new client or sell it as is explaining to the new client what's happened.

If the bad client uses the copy, he's probably breaking the law. He's using your copy and that's against copyright law. You can take him to court if you like. But he has no rights whatsoever to that copy unless you were foolish enough to transfer rights to him or if you signed a Work for Hire agreement, which is never in the interest of the copywriter.

There are times when it's fine to transfer rights to a client. If you trust the client and you are paid well for your work, it's fine. But your work is a creation of your mind. You own it. Be very careful what you do with it and who you allow to own it if you choose to transfer it.

Your copy is yours. You work hard to create it. So use it for all it's worth.

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Susanna on 02.27.06 @ 04:50 PM CDT [link]

How Important is a Tagline or Slogan and Should You Have one?

I recently read a post in a group discussion that read in part, "I have a (type of business deleted) Business. When I first started, I didn't think a tagline was important. Since then, I have been trying to think of something to use, to make me a bit memorable at networking events."

Like this person, a new business soon discovers it needs a tagline. It needs something to set it apart. No, a tagline alone won't do that. But it's a must-have and a good way to start.

A good tagline or slogan sets you apart. It makes the brand memorable. There are exceptions, of course. Google and Yahoo don't really need taglines. Everyone knows them and their brand; everyone knows what they are about. But they're in the minority.

Even companies the likes of Nike, Microsoft, Ford Motor Company, Avis Rent a Car and just about every other business of any importance has a tagline. Now some are far superior to others. The one Microsoft uses (or did use --- I don't know if they still do) never did make any sense to me. "Where do you want to go today?" What does that mean and what does it have to do with Microsoft? Well, I'm sure the people who came up with the tagline know. But I sure don't. And the one they had about "degrees of separation" --- what the hell was that? What did it mean to the average person? How many people know or care about degrees of separation?

The Nike tagline, however, is great. "Just Do it." Three little words that speak volumes. It says to people of all ages and in all conditions to just get out and live. Have fun. Get healthy. Get fit. No, it doesn't have anything to do with shoes or clothing. It has to do with a lifestyle, with action and health. So that's the image we have of Nike. We don't see shoes. We see a certain lifestyle that we want to attain. And in order to attain that lifestyle we do what? We buy their shoes.

Here are the Top Ten Jingles or Taglines of the century according to Advertising Age:

TOP 10 JINGLES OF THE CENTURY

1. You deserve a break today (McDonalds)
2. Be all that you can be (U.S. Army)
3. Pepsi Cola Hits the Spot (Pepsi Cola)
4. M'm, M'm good (Campbell's)
5. See the USA in your Chevrolet (GM)
6. I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener (Oscar Meyer)
7. Double your pleasure, double your fun (Wrigley's Doublemint Gum)
8. Winston tastes good like a cigarette should (Winston)
9. It's the Real Thing (Coca Cola)
10. A little dab'll do ya (Brylcreem)

TOP 10 SLOGANS OF THE CENTURY

1. Diamonds are forever (DeBeers)
2. Just do it (Nike)
3. The pause that refreshes (Coca-Cola)
4. Tastes great, less filling (Miller Lite)
5. We try harder (Avis)
6. Good to the last drop (Maxwell House)
7. Breakfast of champions (Wheaties)
8. Does she ... or doesn't she? (Clairol)
9. When it rains it pours (Morton Salt)
10. Where's the beef? (Wendy's)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

* Look Ma, no cavities! (Crest toothpaste)
* Let your fingers do the walking (Yellow Pages)
* Loose lips sink ships (public service)
* M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand (M&M Candies)
* We bring good things to life (General Electric)

As you can see, these taglines speak to an image. They speak to something the consumer wants. They make you feel a certain way about a brand. Above all else, each makes the company memorable.

When writing a tagline look at billboards and start noticing taglines and slogans. Which ones make you think well of the company and remember it easily?

Then look at ads in magazines and newspapers. What taglines are most meaningful and which ones are just generic and useless?

Write down everything you can think of about your business. Think of things that "relate" to your business and write all this down. What benefits do people get from using your product or service?

Make a list of the top 25 or 30 things that are important. Cut the list down to 8 or 10 of the most important things you want to say. Now eliminate repetition or things that aren't really that important about your product or business. Cut your list of words or phrases down to 3 or 4 basic themes.

Based on your final selection, make up some taglines to consider. Keep them short. Use simple, common language. Don't try to show off your vocabulary.

Writing great taglines isn't easy. It's just like everything else, it looks easier than it is. One would think that coming up with three to five or so perfect words would be easy. Try it. You'll soon discover it's not. But give it a try.

Do you need a tagline? If you're a doctor or lawyer, an accountant or someone like that, no. But if you're in the average business like most of us, yes. If you want your business to be memorable, you need a tagline.

Item of Interest.

Bill Gates made an important statement about censorship of blogs and Web sites recently. Read the text here. It proves that while some sites may have to take down material it will still get out --- perhaps even faster.

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Susanna on 02.26.06 @ 08:49 AM CDT [link]

Rants and Raves, This and That.

This won't be a very informative column today. But if you're interested in rants and raves and this and that you might want to stick around. Talking about sticking around, guess who has been spending hours and days and taking up lots of bandwidth stalking my site trying to find something to base a lawsuit on?

Ah, but the truth is an absolute defense. I'm sure his expert lawyer who has also been paying my site lots of visits knows that.

Talking about the truth, when we give an opinion is that the truth? I wonder.

Back in the seventies I wrote an editorial in my paper about abortion. Well, I think that might have been the first time in history when the Church of Christ and the Catholic Church --- not to mention my mother --- agreed on anything. They all wanted to boil me in oil. They came down to the paper in mass to tell me off and then wrote a letter to the editor talking about "the young writer."

Of course, they couldn't sue me for my opinion. I'm sure they would have loved to. God help you if you disagree with anyone, especially a church. Of course, three decades later I think my opinion might have been wrong. But three decades later no one still really has the answer so have we progressed at all?

I have less opinions now then when I was young. I now know that I know much less than I did in my twenties and thirties. It's amazing how smart we tend to think we are in those two decades of life. Life becomes less black and white as we grow in life. We discover life is a shade of gray. And as a journalist I was taught to be objective. So I tend to see both sides of a story clearly. That can present lots of problems. But it does make one a good writer.

Talking about lawsuits --- have you ever thought about what a lawsuit really is? Of course, basically it's the way to give a lawyer a living. But what a person really wants to do when he sues you is take a gun and shoot you in the head. But let's face it, that's not nice. It's not legal. And it's awfully messy. So they file a suit and hope to relieve you of some money and in general make a nuisance of themselves. I have lots of lawyers in my family and I know how they love lawsuits. What a lot of crap. I'm glad I opted out of that career.

And so it goes.

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Susanna on 02.24.06 @ 07:29 AM CDT [link]

Using Direct Mail to Drive Traffic to Your Web site. It's a Marketing Method that Works.

Some marketers get so caught up in online marketing that they forget the value of direct mail. Direct mail can accomplish many things for you. It can get you leads It can get you orders. It can drive traffic to your Web site.

Let's look briefly at each of these.
Direct mail can get you leads.
Direct mail has been used for decades to get prospective customers and clients to send in a form or pick up the phone and call for more information. At that point the business will do its followup in whatever manner it chooses. Some businesses send out a brochure and fulfillment letter. Others make a phone call to the prospect. Others make an in-person call. There are still other follow up methods.

Since direct mail is targeted you are sure to get your message to just the right people. That is, of course, if you have a good list and you mail at a good time. There are many variables where any advertising is concerned.

Direct mail can get you orders.
Just about every magazine uses direct mail to get subscriptions. I've written six to eight page letters plus a lift letter and other inserts for magazine sales messages. Nothing works quite as well to get orders for many businesses.

Direct mail has been used for centuries to get orders. It worked for our grandparents and it works for us. I'll be the first to admit that direct mail has lost some order-pulling power to the Internet. So that's where we look into . . .

Getting traffic to your site from direct mail.
There are thousands of prospects who will never know about you if you depend on the search engines. There are millions of businesses online. Only 10 can get on the first page. Only 30 can get on the first three. And even if you get there, you probably won't stay.

So your best bet is to use a powerful, well-written, hard-selling one or two page direct mail letter to get folks to visit your site. When you get them there, if your site is well written and presented, easy to navigate and ready for business, you'll get their orders.

Keep in mind there are people you would probably never get to your site without using direct mail.

So make direct mail part of your marketing strategy. It is a sure-fire way to drive traffic to your Web site.

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Susanna on 02.23.06 @ 10:15 AM CDT [link]

Chargebacks and What Some Merchants Do to Combat Them.

I've discussed an online business person who chargebacked just under $5000, his total fee, and left me holding the bag. In those previous articles I also included some clauses that can be used in agreements to protect yourself. I unfortunately did not use an agreement.

First, let's look at what a credit card chargeback is. Here's what Dr. Merchant of Dr. Merchant Business Services says (the misspellings and misuse of words are his, not mine.):

Here is the full article.

Certainly you need to check with an attorney about the right clauses to use in your own agreements and on your Web site. I'm only providing some samples and some wording that other businesses use in their own quest to keep these chargebacks down and to punish those who wrongly chargeback what is owed the merchant.

World Net has a chargeback clause that I like. I'm posting a portion of it below:

The full text can be read here. This is Worldnet, Inc. Terms of Service for ScubaSpots.com.

SearchSystems.net has another good clause. It reads in part:


As you can see, the chargeback issue is a serious one and one that all businesses take seriously. This is especially hard on service companies as one cannot get back his time or talent for which the client owes the service provider money. Amazon can accept a returned book. But those of us who sell services cannot take back the hours spent or the service rendered. Would a lawyer allow a chargeback if one was unhappy with his services?

Notice that these clauses refuse to give refunds.

PayPal . . . not your friend.

PayPal is especially notorious for giving in to chargebacks. Here is one interesting account that you might want to read. There are other such horror stories on the Internet.

Here is another interesting article in Send2Press about PayPal and chargeback "fraudsters".

. . . developing

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Susanna on 02.22.06 @ 01:43 PM CDT [link]

Clients Who Want to Tell You How to Do the Job and What to Do With Them.

If you're a copywriter or consultant or someone who deals with clients, you've no doubt had clients who think you can't make a move without them. No doubt they know their business and you certainly need to take their knowledge into consideration. But you do that anyway. Right?

Some clients tend to think they know everything and they feel the need to keep their eyes on you and their hands around your throat. Who needs 'em?

Here's what I do when I sense that a prospective client is going to be way too high maintenance for my taste. I simply tell him that I run the show where the copywriting is concerned; that I educate him on how to use the copy to its best advantage; that I gather all material in my own way.

Then I make him an offer to do the job at a price about twice what I would ordinarily charge for a regular client who would not be apt to give me near the trouble and demand nearly so much of my time. In other words, an intelligent client who knows when to leave a professional alone. I still give the hard-to-deal-with client his value because he'll want more of my time then an average client. I'm simply making sure he pays for it.

I do this for two reasons. First, if he still wants to hire me (and in a way I hope he doesn't) he pays a fair fee for it and I get paid for his high maintenance. Second, I make it very easy for him to turn me down and save me what would probably be a future of problems and the need to take lots of aspirin.

This usually only happens with businesses where you have two or more very big egos in business together. You find yourself in the middle of these massive egos and you never can really please either one because they're trying to prove to each other how important and how valuable each is. He does this by nit picking consultants and outsourced help and attempting to micromanage --- something I do not allow.

As I've said in this space before, most clients are great people. They know that I know my job and they let me do it and we're both happy. But there are a few clients who can make your life a living hell. You know them. You have them or have had them. Am I right? Those are the clients that you're really better off without. But if you must take them on, get lots of cash to pay you for all the trouble you're in for.

The thing about money is it makes being miserable more tolerable. And you're going to be miserable if you take these clients on. So get paid damn well.

Susanna on 02.21.06 @ 05:20 PM CDT [link]

When Giving Away Advice is Profitable and When it's Costly.

Yesterday I told you that giving away advice on a board such as MarketingProfs.com is a good way to get business and exposure. And that's very true. But I want to expand just a bit about giving away your services.

Many people are under the delusion that they should get everything they can think of free on the Internet. They think that because the Internet started out as a socialist tool used by academics to exchange ideas. Then it expanded to a more capitalist tool but yet much remained free. Lots of news is free and newspaper subscriptions are down close to fifty percent.

But the Internet is now gearing up to become a 100% capitalist tool and that's a good thing. So giving away a portion of your services is good only to a point. The New York Times, for example, now charges for some news and popular columns. And the good ol' Wall Street Journal was never free. Good show!

I'm in business to make money. I'm not altruistic and anxious to give away my services because I'm a nice girl. Nice girls, after all, finish last. And even as a kid I sold lemonade to thirsty neighbor kids and I even made them listen to stories I'd written and have them pay for the privilege. So I'm not going to give away my hard come-by knowledge and skill.

But I will, in order to expose my business and my skills, give away just a hint of my value. A hint. Never the real stuff.

Most people love what they do. And they love to throw ideas around and show off their knowledge. But don't show off too much. You never get paid for what you give away. And, frankly, people don't value what's free. The more they pay, the more value they put on a product or service.

I recently paid $125 for an ebook. While I don't think it was really worth that much, I put more value on it than some of the books I pay $17 for . . . some that are perhaps worth a good deal more.

So here's my point. Join these groups. Give advice. Show your skills. But be selfish. Be smart. People should not expect to get a lot of professional help for nothing. Give away just enough to whet people's appetite for your skills or to show off your skills to others in the group who may be prospective clients. But don't be foolish and give away a lot of your time and effort. We are capitalists. We are not socialists. At least those who read my writing are capitalists. I doubt anyone reads a Hutcheson article who isn't a capitalist because I'm all about making money.

The naughty little boys in my day had a saying, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk free." Well, that was an ugly thing to say but boys can be downright ugly. Their point wasn't lost on the girls who were smart enough to get the boy across the Oklahoma line where you could get a quick marriage. The smart girls got what they wanted before the boy got what he wanted. My point? Don't give away the milk. Make 'em buy the damn cow. As a side note, smart girls today aren't all that interested in getting the bull. But I digress.

My old friend, the late Cecil Hoge, an excellent ad man and author, advised me to write articles and put them in the old CompuServe libraries. (This was in the early days --- pre-Internet.) He said it was an excellent way to get new clients. I did this in 1992. It worked then and giving away information works now. But give away just enough to give yourself exposure. Being selfish is okay. After all, no one will pay your mortgage for you but you. Remember that next time you're tempted to give away what you should charge for. You'll soon know where to draw the line.

Susanna on 02.20.06 @ 06:19 AM CDT [link]

How to Get Qualified Traffic to Your Web site.

It's great to have a wonderful product or service. But unless you get people to your Web site you're not going to sell those great products or services. Of course, I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

But what you may not know are some sure-fire ways to get people who are really interested to your site. Oh, you know about the search engines. You also know that getting in the top ten or even thirty listings is like getting a cat to bark. And even if you get there, staying there is not easy and you have no guarantees. The search engines are fickle and not especially your friends.

And yes, you can buy advertising and that's fine. But it can run into big money.

What I've discovered is that I don't need the search engines or paid advertising. Oh, they have their place and yes they're important to some businesses. But that's not where my business comes from.

I've learned how to easily and quickly get business. Here are some of my methods.

Get 'em to run to your Web site.

Post advice to MarketProfs Knowhow Exchange. I discovered this quite by accident as most good things are discovered. I was getting lots of hits from there and I had no idea what it was. The hits were to one particular article on my site. I decided to investigate this place.

What it is is a forum where business people give other business people advice --- sort of a brainstorming session. It's absolutely free to join. You put up your profile --- a bit of an ad if you word it right. You can also add your URL as a tagline on each message you enter. I get ten to twenty visits from the site daily and I also get clients from those visits.

The next method I use is to place adverts in Craigslist. I usually have at least three running in various cities all the time. And I get lots of business from these free adverts.

I've learned to free myself from the constant need to optimize for the search engines or worry about being banned or getting my hands slapped by big Google who everyone seems to fear. It's quite nice really to know you're not dependent on any one source of prospective customers or clients.

Of course, I get lots of visits from forums I post to also. But only a few of those are really prospective clients. I mean, how many cat lovers really need a radio commercial or Web site copy? But I also post to forums where there are real prospective clients and they very often produce real live clients.

So don't think that your options are limited. Indeed, you have lots of options. There are many ways to get people to your site --- people who are real prospects, who have a keen interest in your product or service. You just have to look around and see what's there. It could be right in front of you.

Susanna on 02.19.06 @ 12:27 PM CDT [link]

The Power of the Blog or Online Magazine and Using it to Replace Your Newsletter.

A couple of years ago I had a pretty decent, very popular newsletter. It was read by a lot of people and most of them looked forward to getting it. Then we all got hit by an inordinate amount of spam and viruses and most of us put up blocks between us and our e-mail --- often losing wanted messages in the mix. But I digress.

I started my online publication sort of on a whim. I didn't know what I'd say. I started a diary as an adolesent girl and quickly lost interest. Maybe it was because my dad unlocked it and read it. Sort of turned me off the whole idea of keeping a written record of my inner thoughts and activities. We didn't have shredders in the fifties and I've always been one to write it like it is. And dad, being a newspaper publisher, was one to sniff out the news at all costs. So there you go.

So back to my online publication. At first I didn't have much to say but I dug up some interesting news that I thought might interest the people who read my newsletter. I also wanted to include information, news and ideas for othe copywriters. But mostly I wanted to share war stories in a casual setting for other Internet entrepreneurs.

Then as time went on I wanted my publication to really tell it like it is. There is no reason to publish if you aren't going to be honest and unique. I was raised in a newspaper family and I've been a publisher myself so I know how to put out a reasonably good rag.

What I discovered as I learned about blogging and rss and all that technical stuff is that this space could nicely replace my newsletter and get a vastly increased readership. I now have it automatically sent out to those who prefer to be notified by e-mail when I post something new. The magazine is listed in many places and indexed in many places. This wouldn't happen with a newsletter.

In addition, hundreds, perhaps thousands of people have rss readers and pick up this publication along with many others.

Blogs and bloggers scare the hell out of people in Congress and the White House and in other high places. Blogs and bloggers can move things not unlike the old media.

There has always been a tremendous power of the press. That's why I attended journalism school and dropped out of law school. There's more power in the written word than knowing copyright law.

The Dynamic Power of the Written Word.

I remember reading my local newspaper one day and buried deep in the middle of the big rag was a one paragraph blurb about some bumbling burglers who broke into Democratic National Headquarters.

"Why the holy hell isn't this on the front page", I yelled out loud to no one. I called my editor and told him to hold our paper over the fold and lead with the story --- get the details and check the facts. Watergate was breaking loose and I smelled blood. So did two young guys on The Washington Post. And because they did, a president toppled and resigned in disgrace.

My little rag didn't make much difference back then. But the one in D.C.sure did.

So my advice to you is simple. If you want to continue with the ezine or newsletter, that's fine. But the online publication is where you should be if you want to enlarge your readership and get your news and ideas out fast.

"The number of blogs on the internet is doubling every five months, according to blog-tracking site Technorati. The total is now around 20 million, with around 1.3 million posts made each day. Most are no more interesting than overhearing another person's telephone call, but there are exceptions that can have a remarkable impact", says Tim Anderson in IT Week.

According to Industry Insights in the Business Courier of Cincinnati, ". . . the business world has seen the potential of blogging, both good and bad. Savvy executives see blogs as powerful marketing and research vehicles. Industry titans such as GM, Boeing, HP, Microsoft and Sun have senior executives who blog, directly interfacing with the public and often reaching huge numbers of people. Jonathan Schwartz, president of Sun, has said 30,000 people read his blog on a good day, and GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz is known for allowing negative postings in his blog."

So you can stay with the old ezine or newsletter if you want. I prefer to put my words where they'll do the most good for the biggest audience.


Susanna on 02.18.06 @ 10:24 PM CDT [link]

Getting Good Leads and Bad Leads and How to Know the Difference.

Since many copywriters read this space I'll write this from a copywriter's perspective, which is easy for me to do. But it applies to anyone who uses leads to get customers or clients. For the sake of this discussion I'll define leads as a source of prospective clients or customers for your product or service.

There are two kinds of leads --- ,b.qualified and non-qualified. Which do you prefer and why?

Many copywriters have a Request for a Quote form on their sites. And a good many of those ask just a few questions. Others ask a lot. Some ask for a budget. Others do not.

Here's what I've found out about the lead system in close to four decades of selling experience. The more questions you ask, the fewer leads you get. But --- and this is important --- the leads you do get will be qualified, they will be better.

For each question you ask on any form you lose someone's interest. But the few who do fill out the entire form and give you a budget are real prospective clients. They're the only ones you should care about.

In our business we get lots of shoppers. We get tire kickers. We get competitors looking to discover our fees and terms. We can't totally eliminate all those time wasters. But we can get rid of lots of them by smoking out prospective clients with more questions and certainly asking for a budget.

For one thing, we as copywriters can't really intelligently discuss a prospective client's marketing needs without knowing what his budget is for any given project. People hate to share that information with us. They feel like we're looking up their skirt and trying to figure out what to charge them. Of course, we know that's not true. We want to know if they can afford us and, if so, what we can actually do for them in relation to their budget. It's that simple.

Let's face it, our time is valuable. And people, if we let them, will take all the time we have and give nothing in return. And it's such a waste of time to give a quote and talk to someone for an hour only to find out he has no money and isn't ready to do anything anyway. We should send him a bill for our time!

So the bottom line is, if you want lots of leads, just ask three or four simple questions. Get their name, phone, e-mail and what they want or something like that. Then later you can get the other information.

If you want a solid qualified lead, however, ask more questions including getting their budget.

Every copywriter is different. There is no right or wrong way to work and whatever works for you is the right way for you to work. I personally hate to waste my time. My form currently doesn't ask lots of questions. But it does require a budget. And if I don't get it on the form, I'll get it in the creative brief. But I'll get it.

People will rob you of your time. And your time and skill is all you have to sell. Be careful how you use your time. It get quickly get away from you and spending it with a non-prospective-client is a real stupid mistake.


Susanna on 02.15.06 @ 09:13 AM CDT [link]

Terms of the Copywriter's Contract --- Added Protection against Fraud.

A month or so ago I wrote about a client who stiffed me by doing a chargeback on a credit card.

I came across a colleague who has a very good clause in his terms. I'm going to share part of it here. I've started using it myself. It's on his Web site and I'm copying it exactly as he has it there.

You might want to consider using this clause in your own agreements and on your Web site. Of course, if you deal with Fortune 1000 companies or local people you know, you don't have this problem. At least it's doubtful.

But if you deal with these Internet entrepreneurs you've never heard of and know nothing about, it's probably a very good idea.

For further protection, visit the ChargeBack Bureau. It's a real eye-opener and you can get protection for your own business against this type of activity.

Know who the Bad Customers are.

Thousands of other businesses like yours share their bad customers' data in this database. When their members receive a chargeback, they enter the customer's information into the database along with a short description of the chargeback case.The database is searchable by all the members, including you. All copywriters should belong to this organization.


Susanna on 02.14.06 @ 05:53 PM CDT [link]

Remember the old 7 Second Rule --- Well, it's Dead. Now it's a SPLIT SECOND.

Hey, you're sexy as hell. You've got it all over everyone else.

Got your interest? At least you're still here and it's been what . . . 6 or 7 seconds? Maybe eight?

For years I've been telling people that they only had 7 seconds to get Web site visitors to decide to stay or go. Well, I may have been right then. But that rule is dead.

A recent study on Web design claims that visitors to a Web site decide if they like or dislike the site in a SPLIT SECOND . . . as the site is loading. Wow. That's an eye popper.

I've known for awhile now that when I go to a site that takes forever to load I generally get the hell of there fast. Like if they use flash, which I detest, I'm gone like a lemon pie in front of a fat man who hasn't eaten for eight hours and there's no other food in the house.

This study follows along with the theory discussed in the popular book from last year, Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking," which recons that people make most major decisions in a split second.

During the course of the study, which was conducted at Carleton University in Ontario and published in the journal "Behaviour & Information Technology," researchers asked subjects to view Web pages for 50 to 500 milliseconds.

The researchers found that subjects formed an opinion about a site in as little as 50 ms and that this initial split-second decision carried over into subsequent opinions about the site.

Where does the copy come in?

I've always told clients to let me write the copy first and to have the design built around the copy. I begged them to keep the design simple and navigation user-friendly and fast. Most of them prefer to do it the other way. They want big heavy graphics and grand design and the copy written to fit in. It ain't gonna' work dude.

If it's true that you've got a split second to keep that visitor, count on a damn good copywriter to give you the words to keep them. Forget the graphics. After all, drudgereport.com gets more hits than just about any other site (with only a few exceptions) and it has few if any graphics at any given time and it's ugly as hell. But it's the words that people want. It's the information, the news they are after.

So you may or may not be sexy. But if you've read this far, my opening at least got you to read this little bit of the great big Web. You didn't stay because you think I'm so great. And you sure didn't stay because this site is pretty. You only stayed because you want this information and I provided it. Keep that in mind when you're dealing with your own split second on your own Web site.

For more information about this study, click here.


Susanna on 02.13.06 @ 01:34 PM CDT [link]

Long Copy or Short Copy . . . Which is Best?

This is a debate among copywriters and marketers alike. Each generally either has a very strong opinion or simply do not have any opinion because of lack of data.

LONG COPY OR SHORT COPY --- THE DEBATE.

Well, here's my view. I don't think either one is better. It depends on what I'm selling. If, for example, I'm selling an ebook for $47 I damn well better write and write and write until I've written every concievable reason why a person should shell out that kind of money for a digital book. Every feature and benefit needs to be described and the visitor must be left wanting the book so badly that he has no choice but to click the "buy" button.

The same goes for software and other similar items.

Now if what I want the visitor or reader to do is to pick up the phone and make a call or to fill out a simple form or subscribe to a newsletter, short copy is best. Make it good strong hard fast copy.

Obviously I've simplified my formula for deciding whether to use short or long copy. It always depends on what I'm selling and what I want the reader, listener or visitor to do.

In the case of long copy, all too often the copywriter needs to add just one more thing to get a higher percentage of buyers. One more killer benefit or one more offer.

But I don't think a copywriter should set out to write either long copy or short copy. My one rule on this subject is to write what it takes to do the job and then shut up. In most cases the hard to sell items and the items that require an immediate purchase or even a return purchase after some thought is where I use long copy. When all I want is a lead, someone to call or fill out a form I use short copy.

It's a formula that works for me. Other copywriters may agree or disagree.


Susanna on 02.12.06 @ 04:54 PM CDT [link]

Google Drops BMW Web Pages because of "Doorway Pages".

All mighty google recently dropped BMW Germany from its index and took its pagerank from a great big 7 to zero.

The action was disclosed in a Web posting by the group at Google, of Mountain View, Calif., that is responsible for monitoring which Web pages will show up in the search engine's list of results. BMW's home page used several well-known Web-programming techniques to describe itself one way to the Google software probes that constantly monitor the Internet but another way to visitors who actually went to the site.

Matt Cutts, a member of the Google group, said the BMW action amounted to a kind of Internet "spam." Google's action didn't affect BMW's English-language Web pages.

What gets me is that BMW Germany got back in the index within 24-48 hours and got their pagerank back. Small sites owned by the average Joe would probably suffer the ultimate google death penalty and never get back in.

Ricoh, the Japanese photocopier and office equipment manufacturer, is the latest business to suffer the wrath of Google, as its German subsidiary's website has suffered the internet search engine's "death penalty".

Ricoh was blacklisted the 7th. Today, the 11th, they're back and have a 7 PR. So it looks like the big boys have a get out of jail card with google but the little guys pay the ultimate price for the same sins.

At any rate, something isn't right. Google's motto is "Do no evil." I think they mean that for everyone else and not for them. Just my personal opinion. But I'm an expert on my personal opinion.


Susanna on 02.11.06 @ 01:05 PM CDT [link]

When Copywriters Give a Guarantee.

I've often wondered why some (though not many) copywriters give a guarantee. Oh, I know why. To get business. But there's no way --- short of doing something unethical or illegal --- that any copywriter can guarantee a specific result.

Yesterday a prospective client told me he hired someone who gave him the following offer:

For $9,700 the copywriter will do the writing of the website, produce video for the site, provide a shopping cart and adversting copy. Also, her work is guaranteed to bring in 100 or more leads a mouth after 6 mouths. She's also charging $600 a mouth for hosting and rewriting as needed.

Now I have no problem with a copywriter guaranteeing to get a job done in a specific amount of time or guaranteeing satisfaction within reason. There are things you can guarantee over which you as a copywriter DO have control.

But no copywriter has any control at all over the specific results a client gets. If, for example, a client has a bad product or service, good copy won't sell it.

And in my opinion any copywriter who offers a guarantee such as the one above is a con artist. You have to do blackhat SEO or something less than honest to get a client that sort of a specific result.

No respectible copywriter that I'm aware of gives a guarantee to provide a specific result. As I say, there are certain types of guarantees you can give. But a result is not one of them.

I'm sorry for this man. In the long run he's going to be the loser in this relationship. And the women who sold him on this is a black mark on us all.

Having said that, however, the man who fell for this scheme is really to blame. People who believe things that are simply too good to be true get what they opt for in the end. Grown people should know better and we're each responsible for our own dealings. But it's still just too bad.


Susanna on 02.10.06 @ 08:44 AM CDT [link]

Can You Negotiate a Fee with a Copywriter?

I see a number of articles on the net about negotiating fees with copywriters. One even says that we copywriters set our fees high so that we can negotiate down if necessary. Well, perhaps there are some copywriters who will negotiate and who inflate their fees so that they can. But it's not professional.

Would your doctor negotiate his fee? I don't think so!

I set my fees according to what is fair to me and the client and what is an acceptable going rate. Unfortunately, all too often, it's more fair to the client than me as he is the one who will make money off my work. But that's another story.

Here's my feelings about copywriters and negotiating. I will never come down on my fee. That's just stupid and it makes clients think if you'll come down once you'll come down again. My fee is set. That's it. I will, however, take some work off the table in exchange for a cheaper fee. I may, for example, take out the free rewrites and changes. There are lots of things a copywriter can take off the table in exchange for a cheaper fee. But the copywriter who simply offers the whole ball park for a cheaper fee is making a major mistake.

It's bad enough that many people don't have sense enough to know that it's the copywriter who makes them money. But when they try and cut your fee down, that's just a deal killer in my books.

Think about it.
Susanna on 02.09.06 @ 07:12 AM CDT [link]