Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.

Blog

By

Video: Copywriting To Generate Leads on Linked In

Slide01Like many people who are active on LinkedIn, I get many messages from my contacts – and sometimes from people with whom I have no connection.

Often these messages are helpful and enjoyable – the “good.” The senders become new connections and sometimes clients.

Others invite me to sample some complimentary ebooks, videos, or programs. Those are “okay,” if they’re not overdone and if you’re in the target market.

And every so often I get a message that’s an outright sales letter. It’s bad enough if someone’s doing a hard sell on LinkedIn, but they sometimes add insult to injury with sloppy, lazy copywriting.

This video explains the three types of messages – and how to transform the “ugly” to the “good.” Please reply to this message to let me know what you think!

By

Guest Post: A rant about lazy marketing

smblankpagephrasesAs you know, I rarely accept guest posts in this blog. But Ian Brodie said some things I’ve been wanting to say myself. Lazy marketing is … well, just that. We grab the same cliched phrases everybody else uses. I’ve caught myself doing this myself.

As Ian says, we tend to reach for these phrases when we aren’t sure of what to say – when we’re not clear on the benefits we’re offering or what the target market really wants. So if you insist, “I’m not lazy,” you’re probably right. I find I tend to reach for these low-hanging easy phrases when I’ve been trying too hard to come up with words when I really needed to go deeper into the underlying strategy.   

 

leftquotemarks-smallLAZY MARKETING by Ian Brodie

I hate lazy marketing . 

How many times in the last couple of weeks have you heard about new products, services or even books that are apparently “game changers”?

Or “innovative”? Or “leading edge”?

How many websites have you been to where they promise to teach you “how to quickly and easily…” do something or other? (of course, it’s never quick or easy). Or tell you you’ll soon be “crushing it” or whatever the latest in-phrase is.

Now, the first time you hear these phrases they have impact. Maybe even the third or fourth time too.

But over time, you start to ignore them, or just not believe them. If everything is “game changing” then nothing is.

How about this one: “Learn how to harness the power of referrals to get a flood of new clients for your business”.

Sadly, that’s one of mine. Written a few years ago when I released my first ebook on how to get more referrals.

Now I’m still very proud of the content of the ebook – it stands up well today and is a great guide for professionals who want to get more referrals.

But “harness the power” and “a flood of new clients”? What was I thinking?

Lazy marketing comes from two sources.

Sometimes, the marketer really is lazy. They can’t be bothered writing decent copy or coming up with a decent idea for how to promote their servicea. So they copy what everyone else is using.

Unfortunately, that means what they write becomes invisible. If everything looks and sounds the same, it disappears into the background. Especially true if we’re talking about something like Google Adwords where 8 ads are shown next to each other. Next time you do a search for something read the ads and see just how similar they often look.

More often though, it happens because the marketer hasn’t really understood their target client. They haven’t gone beyond the surface to understand what motivates them and why they might want what you have to offer.

As a result, they’re forced to use generic descriptions and hype to say how good it is – rather than being able to state precisely the benefit their client actually wants.

In my case, I got as far as knowing that professionals are interested in referrals because they want more clients. But I didn’t go deeper than that so I had to use hype like “power” and “flood of clients”.

What I should have done was ask why they wanted more referrals and more clients.

Perhaps their business was struggling and they were in financial difficulties? Or perhaps they were looking to bring in more clients to get promoted to partner? Or maybe the real motivation was because they felt uncomfortable with cold calling and networking and wanted a method they could use that didn’t make them cringe?

There’s usually no “one right answer”. When you dig a little deeper you often find that different people want your services for different reasons. And that’s OK – it means you should market to those different people in different ways.

Perhaps, for example, I could have done a Google Adwords ad asking “Hate Cold Calling? Get More Clients Through Referrals Instead” or similar.

It wouldn’t have hooked everyone. But for those in that situation it’s a lot more compelling than the myriad of unbelievable ads offering a “flood of new clients”.

Have you been lazy with your marketing?

Take a look at your website, your brochures, your online and offiline advertising.

Is it filled with generic phrases, hype and platitudes?

rightquotemarks-smallIf so, your first step is to think more deeply about your clients and what they really want. Keep asking yourself (or even better, them) the question “why?” until you get to the underlying reason – often a feeling or an emotion.Focusing on that will get you much more attention than the generic copycat marketing we so often see.

Learn more about Ian Brodie here. 

And … what phrases do you think are over-used? Besides the ones in Ian’s article, I vote for “6-figures” and, as Ian says elsewhere, “next level.”

   

By

How NOT to make connections on LinkedIn

2speechbubblessmallHere’s a message exchange from LinkedIn that began promisingly. A fellow group member politely offers to help with referrals.

However, as I reject each suggestion, he responds with a request for a bigger commitment. If you’ve read Influence by Robert Cialdini (one of the classics of marketing psychology), you know that’s backwards. Research shows that when people turn down a big request, they’re more likely to comply with a small one….but not vice versa!

First, he wants to know how he can help me. That’s very nice. But then he wants to phone or skype, and I just don’t have time for those “how can we help each other” calls.

Then he suggests we do strategy sessions for each other. Again, I am just too busy with paid sessions. And I notice his website isn’t up and running.

So after talking about a co-branding program, it turns out he doesn’t even have a brand or a website.

Yes, he could use my help. No, I don’t want him as a client. He’d be a “pain in the arse,” as my friends across the pond would say.

Naturally his name and company have been changed and I edited the dialogue.

MARTIN: I’m Martin and I wanted to introduce myself as a fellow coach and member of the [group].  In this group and on LinkedIn we are here to help each other with ideas and referrals. If there is anything I can do to help create customers, sales or referrals for you please let me know. I’ve been in business for a while now and my company has its own certification and co-branding program so I could be of some help!

Love your website! Especially the cartoon of you 🙂

ME: Thanks, Martin! I mainly work FOR coaches to help with marketing and communication. So if your fellow coaches need a website, sales letter, strategic consulting or any copywriting, I’d be a good resource for them

MARTIN: Cathy, I’m keen to hear more about what you do and who your ideal referral is so I can pass them along when I come across them. How about we get together for a quick skype chat?

ME: Thanks, Martin. My ideal referral is a veteran service business owner (coach, designer, lawyer…usually a solo-preneur) . They want to get more clients from online marketing – often they need a website makeover or a sales letter. I rarely do introductory “get acquainted” calls. My best clients are action-oriented and all the info is on my site. Our first step is a strategy session. I’m actually pretty busy.

MARTIN: Cathy I believe we might be able to help each other out here. I am a big believer in getting video testimonials because it creates a deeper connection to potential clients. So what I’m proposing is that we both take each other through a strategy session in return for a video testimonial. We are both in sales/marketing for coaches so we could learn some great stuff from each other too.

ME: Thanks, Martin! I’m pretty busy with paid strategy sessions and I don’t recommend exchanges. Finally, I’m not sure I’m in the market for what you offer. I looked at “goldcoaching” and found it’s under construction – not a website strategy I’d recommend.

MARTIN: I know it’s not a good look to have the website as it is. I’m in the process of re-branding and didn’t want to confuse people with my previous content. My LinkedIn profile gives a good overview of how I help potential clients however this might make it more clear:

My company assists coaches to charge 5x to 10x more for their services … Unlike the typical expert model, the greatest advantage of this new credibility system is its ability to create a subconscious trust that has your clients closing themselves into your 5k to 50k programs and services.

So Cathy, if you’re interested in how you can position yourself at the forefront of the multi-billion dollar coaching industry with your own Coaching Certification program …

ME: Delete, delete, delete …

copywriting tip for the new year

So, what do you think? Have you had a dialogue like this on FB, LI or ordinary email?

By

Guest Post: Test Your Headlines With Twitter

welcomeguestpost
 

 leftquotemarks-small x

 

Finding exactly the right words to use is the key to getting people to open your e-mails, to click on and share your links. 

One of the best ways to get people to open more of your communications over time is to keep testing and improving your headlines.

…  This is one area where the numbers can make a huge difference for you. According to Perry Marshall, very small improvements early on in your funnel lead to BIG improvements where it matters – at the top of your funnel where people are buying high-end programs.  It works like this…. if your conversion rate between your free optin and entry level report is 20% but you can raise it to 25% by improving the open rate on the first e-mail – that gives you 25 people eligible for the next level. If the conversion rate between your entry and mid level product is also 20% – that those extra 5 people turn into an extra sale for you.

Making small improvements is a matter of an often tedious testing and tracking process.  But, hours of effort become worth it when you get that extra client in your high end coaching program.

Because it is text based and fast moving, Twitter is an ideal place to quickly test your headlines.  You have access to a large sample and you don’t have to wait forever for feedback.

Here is how to test your headlines on Twitter in three easy steps.

1. Create two headlines that you think will work will for your article or blog post.

2. Tweet both of these headlines out about an hour apart.  It helps to do them in the same part of the day.  i.e. both in the morning or in the afternoon. Because 9am is more similar to 10am than noon is to 1pm.

3. Use your data to see which performed better.  To do this step, you need a social analytics program.  Some of the programs that work well for this are GroSocial (this is what we use at Decisive Minds) or HootSuite.  You can also create a [link shortener] for each headline and track that way.

4. Take the headline that worked better,  come up with a new version and keep testing.

As I always say, rinse and repeat.  Consistency is the key here.  The first few times you play with this, you might only see a very small difference.  Keep working and keep improving and you’ll keep seeing larger differences.  And remember, these improvements create a snowball effect.  Even the smallest changes at the very beginning make a huge difference later.

So, my challenge to you is to test some headlines on Twitter and make some improvements. rightquotemarks-small

 
Michele Scism is a leading authority on social media and online marketing and the Founder of both DecisiveMinds.com and The Global Social Media Managers Association. Her clients call her “The Results Lady” because as a business strategist she uses her signature “Take Action Get Profits” system to help entrepreneurs turn their passion into expert status and then profits. The key to any successful business is visibility and client attraction and Michele’s systems, strategies and business tips are focused on just that.

 

By

Big Launch Tip From Scott Berkun’s Year Without Pants

yearwithoutpantsFor a long time, I’ve been advising clients to begin launches by writing  a sales letter, adding that great copywriting can’t be separated easily from great strategy. Some people get it right away; others dismiss the idea as a sneaky copywriter ploy. And now I’ve found support in a most unlikely source.

The Year Without Pants sounds like a punch line to a bad joke in a comedy show. In fact it’s a pretty interesting book. I suspect it would have more direct relevance for people in corporate life, because the main theme of the book is, “What happens when an executive with traditional corporate experience lands a job at Automattic – the company that makes WordPress.com?”

Scott Berkun spent a year with the company in a unique role. He wasn’t a coder or techie (although he had techology degrees). He was hired to deal with some of the managerial challenges of a growing company. He points to Automattic as a company of the future: distributed workforce, few rules, high dedication, strong culture and of course, total competence.

But here’s the best part.  On page 60, Berkun writes:

“Most features are announced to the world after they go live on WordPress.com. But long before launch, a draft launch announcement is written That sounds strange. How can you write an announcement for something that doesn’t exist? The point is that if you can’t imagine a compellingly simple explanation for customers, then you don’t really understand why the feature is worth building.

“Writing the announcement first is a forcing function. You’re forced to question if your idea is more exciting for you as the maker than it will be for your customer. If it is, rethink the idea or pick a different one.”

For “launch announcement,” substitute “sales page,” which is indeed a launch announcement in the early stages of a product or service before becoming an ongoing sales and marketing tool.

For instance, recently I was working with a client who wants to create an exciting new workshop. Disguising the details, let’s say this program is designed to help women develop their feminine, intuitive side. When we began asking, “Why will the participants be eager to pay? What motivates them to make the purchase?”

Asking these questions might lead to a revision of the workshop sessions and titles. Clients might want to focus on the outcomes of using intuition, such as better relationships and smoother life transitions.

You probably can enjoy a year (or more) without pants – a title that came from a joke among Berkun’s team members – if that’s what you want. And you can enjoy easier, more successful launches when you follow the WordPress model and write the letter first.

I’m happy to help with your sales letter as a writer or consultant. Check out the consulting option here.