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Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.

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June 1, 2015 By CathyG Leave a Comment

Convert Website Browsers to Buyers: Lessons from a Bakery

When I write copy for websites, clients often ask, “What about optimizing for search engines?”

Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) can be critical because we need a certain critical mass of traffic to be successful.

But there’s no point in bringing traffic to your site if you’re not already converting. Here are 3 ways to make that happen.

(1) Appeal to the senses.

When I lived in Seattle, I used to walk my dog down a neighborhood street, where we would pass a small neighborhood bakery. We inhaled aromas of freshly-baked buttery treats, made the old-fashioned way.

Notice what happened when I just described the experience. Your taste buds got activated. You probably recalled some fresh baked goodies of your own. Smell is a powerful sense!

You can use word pictures to evoke feelings and awaken your visitor’s senses. Go beyond the visual. Use metaphors of hearing, smelling and touching.

It took me a long time to realize that copywriting was more than a choice of headline templates. Fresh, creative description was what readers craved. Tired old cliches would deaden their responses.

(2) Offer a sample.

I successfully resisted temptation for many months. And I rarely carry a wallet while dog-walking.

Then one day I ran into a friend on a muffin mission.

“I will treat you,” she offered.

Not wanting to be rude, I took home one half of a small pastry…which turned out to be far more delicious than I anticipated.

The website equivalent: a mouth-watering sample – a free report, audio or video, with a promise that will hit your readers’ hot buttons: tips, secrets, how-tos. It’s easy to hold back when you’re creating the free stuff, but it’s a sample. Bakeries don’t keep a special case of day-old, mundane products for samples.

I always feel cheated when I sign up for a “freebie,” only to get a few trite paragraphs followed by a sales pitch.

For instance, I followed one popular guru for awhile. He’d impressed so many people I was genuinely curious about his work.

But I never figured out what he had to offer. His freebie video consisted of his rags-to-riches story along with some stories about his clients. “With just a few tips from me,” he would say, “they are now multimillionaires.”

Yes, I wanted to say, but what did you do? Would this be something I’m comfortable doing? Can I imagine myself working with him?

(3) Follow up.

As I walked past the bakery, I was reminded, “Next time I need a quick thank you gift, I can come here. It’s right around the corner.”

The bakery doesn’t have to go anywhere. It was right in front of me. I couldn’t help seeing it when I walked by.

And while search engines bring traffic, sometimes your best clients won’t find you by searching. They’ll stumble over it. They keep seeing your name. In some business fields, they’re not even looking. They won’t know they want you till they see you.

(4) Look for signs of success.

Alas, I soon became a customer of the bakery. That was easy.

How are you measuring success? Are you looking for signs of a growing list? More sales of a certain product? More mentions on other people’s blogs and social media posts? What indicators really make sense to you?

(5) Make it easy.

My neighborhood bakery welcomed well-behaved dogs and even offered biscuits. So when I was out with my dog Gracie, I could pop in and make an impulse purchase. No barriers!

Sometimes I can’t figure out what I’m invited to buy. I’ve been to so many websites where I couldn’t find a form to order an ezine, let alone an order form. And I usually give up when I’m asked to complete credit card forms for a zero-balance product.

Just that one impulse buy could be the start of a long relationship. I patronized that bakery till I left Seattle.

What are you doing on your website to get visitors hooked? Share in the space below!

Filed Under: website marketing

May 19, 2015 By CathyG Leave a Comment

Website Copywriting Includes Navigation

webpagenavigationMy clients tell me they often delay hiring a copywriter because they believe the web developer will create a menu and choose the pages to include on your website.

But website copywriting includes the nav bar and the way you direct your audience to move through the site. When your visitors view your website pages in a particular order, you send a message that echoes your website content. Your copywriter will help you name your pages and create menus.

This step is critical to your success. Google page rank is influenced by navigation and your visitors will comment on ease of getting around your website.

Most important: When your readers view your pages in the sequence you recommend, they get a clearer message. They also respond to the way you name your pages. Often a fuzzy, ambiguous name will create confusion and we’ve all heard the adage, “A confused mind always says no.
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What do you think? Click on the link below to leave a comment. If you don’t see a comment link, click on the title of this post.

And I’ve got some free copywriting tips to help with your content. Click here for immediate, free access.

Filed Under: Copywriting Tips Tagged With: Copywriting

January 23, 2015 By CathyG Leave a Comment

5 Reasons to Host Guest Posts On YOUR Blog (Even If You’re New)

Everywhere we turn we’re being told, “Write guest posts to grow your audience.”

The top blogs have been swamped with offers of articles. If you operate any kind of blog, whether you’ve a newbie or a veteran, you’re likely to get a canned message from a journalist offering to write a post.

So would you ever say yes – or even go out and actually seek guest posts for your own service business blog? Would you open the red velvet rope and give them insider access to your readers?

Most of the canned messages assume you need content and you’re too busy to create everything you need. But experienced bloggers are more concerned with the quality of content than just filling up space. [Read more…] about 5 Reasons to Host Guest Posts On YOUR Blog (Even If You’re New)

Filed Under: Professional Services Marketing, Professional Services Marketing

October 31, 2014 By CathyG Leave a Comment

Guest Post From Ian Brodie: Show, Don’t Tell

Guest Post from Ian Brodie, a delightful British marketer (people listen to his calls just to hear the accent, which I think is Scots).

Show Don’t Tell

In [a previous] email I said,beginguestpost “When expert filmmakers or writers want you to know that the hero of their story is brave, honourable and trustworthy they don’t tell you they are, they show you. They open with a scene of the hero being brave, honourable and trustworthy”.In other words: show, don’t tell.

Shortly afterwards I had two live demonstrations of how NOT to do it. [Read more…] about Guest Post From Ian Brodie: Show, Don’t Tell

Filed Under: Copywriting Tips

September 22, 2014 By CathyG 3 Comments

Maximize The ROI From Your Teleseminar Guest Gig

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Have you been invited to appear as a guest on a teleseminar or webinar … and wondering how to make the most out of this opportunity?

Being a teleseminar guest is one of the best ways to accomplish many goals simultaneously. You get your name out to a live audience. You get a chance to showcase your skills and talents – your “Fab Factor” that makes you fabulous – without appearing to boast; after all, you’re just answering questions! 

For a service business owner, these opportunities are especially valuable because potential clients want to get to know you. They want to hear your voice and get a sense of how you communicate in conversations, not just on prepared “talking head” videos.  [Read more…] about Maximize The ROI From Your Teleseminar Guest Gig

Filed Under: website marketing

September 3, 2014 By CathyG Leave a Comment

Copywriting Is Like Basketball

handwbasketballWriting copy often makes me think of playing basketball, something I’d like to do in my next incarnation, when I’ll also be six feet tall and coordinated.

Many of us begin by thinking we should write our copy from beginning to end. Begin with a killer opening to draw in the reader. Add bullets. Insert call to action. Create brilliant sub-head. More bullets. Another call to action.

But it’s easy to get stuck writing the sales letter opening. We know it’s important, so we keep polishing. And the harder we work, the more frustrated we become. At least I do, anyway.

So how do we break the cycle? Take the pressure off. Don’t write just one sales opening! Write 2 or 3 in dramatically different styles, to see what happens. [Read more…] about Copywriting Is Like Basketball

Filed Under: Copywriting Tips

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