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5 Ways to Avoid Hype in Your Copy | Creative Inspiration

Avoid-Hype-in-Your-Copy-Creative-InspirationCopy is salesmanship in print, but does it have to be that of a greasy used-car salesman? The answer is, “No!” Follow these 5 tips and watch your prospects’ trust level rise.

1. Make it believable.

Face it – we are just smarter nowadays than we were several decades ago. In fact, we’re jaded. We’ve seen it all. Bought the miracle pills (and felt stupid for believing the charlatans). We all know it’s impossible to lose 25 pounds overnight. So why even go there? Once you lose credibility, you’ve lost your prospect’s attention, too. Respect your prospect with honesty and you have a much better chance of doing business together.

(Psst. A great way to build trust is to actually reveal a flaw in your product. We all know nothing is perfect – so show us where it’s not and we believe in you.)

2. Easy on the adjectives.

Great copy is “verb-heavy,” not laden with adjectives. In fact ad man great, Leo Burnet (of Green Giant ad fame, among others) wanted to discover why 62 of his ads failed. So he had his staff analyze them.

Here’s what he found – of the 12,758 words in the 62 failed ads, 24.1% were verbs. His conclusion – if the failed ads had more verbs, they probably would have done better. Take my advice. If you haven’t already, go to Amazon and buy Richard Bayan’s copywriting thesaurus, Words that Sell. And keep it by your desk when writing.

3. Write in your prospect’s language.

Make sure you understand their particular jargon. For example, in general, chiropractors have a bit of a rivalry with medical doctors. But chiropractors are “real” doctors. If you slip up and say otherwise, you have alienated them. But you would only know that by deeply studying your target market.

4. Write to one person with the “tarketing” technique.

To really sound sincere and empathetic, do what I call “tarketing”. That’s taking your target market’s demographics down so far that you’re actually referring to just one person. (See, a target market is a mob or plural while a “tarket” is ONE PERSON or singular.)

Corporations take this approach all the time. For example, Volvo’s tarket is a 35 year old mother of two. (Does that mean men don’t buy Volvo’s? Of course not!) When you use the tarketing technique, not only is your writing more concise, but your reader connects with you on a very deep level. After all, you’re talking directly to him or her.

5. Think from the prospect’s point of view.

You have to do your due diligence if you want to avoid the hype. This is where summoning up a little creativity goes a long way. Once you’ve got your targeting technique in place, really drill it down.

Get deep inside your prospect’s head and ask yourself some of these questions:

What magazines does he or she read?
What restaurants does he or she go to?
Does your prospect take vacations?
Who did your prospect vote for for president?
How would your prospect describe his or her life if they ran into a childhood friend they haven’t seen for 10 years?

Are you beginning to see just how deep you can start to go? The more you think about who your target market is and what this person is like, the more you are able to get into your prospect’s head.

The best way to avoid hype is to genuinely connect with your prospect through prewriting research AND respect. You’ll be rewarded with customer loyalty and many more sales.

Author Resource -> Copywriting guru Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been helping entrepreneurs and copywriters get their marketing messages razor sharp since 1999.

Get free access to 5 tips to turn your “blah” sales message into red-hot copy that ROCKS… at  RedHotCopy.com

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How to Set Up a 7 Day E-Course | Business Inspiration

An e-course is a sequence of emails set up to be delivered automatically without any effort on your part after the initial set up. Just set it and forget it. Setting up a free e-course is a great way to keep your services on top of mind and educate people about what you can do for them.

I highly suggest you subscribe to other people’s e-courses in your field and study what information they offer too.

HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED

STEP ONE: Outline your topics. First you have to figure out what you think people would want to know about. Do a brainstorm exercise where you limit yourself to 5 minutes (use a timer). Write down all the topics you can think of on your area of expertise. Then edit down until what you have left is what you think is most relevant. For example, here’s the basic outline of my free e-course on copywriting.

Day 1: Overview of copywriting
Day 2: Tips on attracting your target market
Day 3: Features/benefits brainstorm exercise
Day 4: Single most important aspect of writing copy — headlines
Day 5: Keep them reading with the inverted pyramid
Day 6: Copywriting tricks the pros use
Day 7: The Cardinal Rule of Copywriting: Expect to Rewrite

STEP TWO: Go deeper in each subject. Really provide some content here.
Make 2-3 points about each topic. Don’t be afraid to do some hardcore research. Find statistics and trends and use them. Your message doesn’t have to be long, just information-packed. You have the attention of people who “asked” to learn from you. So give them something valuable.

STEP THREE: Tease them till next time. After you’ve educated them, let them know that the next lesson will have something even more mouthwatering. The less specific you are, the more tantalizing the copy. Here are some teaser phrases I used in my e-course. Feel free to swipe versions of them for your own use:

“Hang on till tomorrow and I’ll give you some tips to turn the heads of your target market.”

“In Day 3, you’ll learn the secret method I use in getting copy to sell.”

“Tomorrow you’ll learn the SINGLE most important aspect of copywriting.”

“Next I’ll show you how to keep them reading once you’ve snared them with your headline.”

STEP FOUR: Sign off. End your email like a real letter with a closing like “sincerely”, your name, business and some ways to get a hold of you. Add your website and any tagline you use too.

STEP FIVE: P.S. Alert them to your other products or services. You have something to sell, right? But the purpose of your e-course is to educate and develop a relationship, isn’t it? Don’t worry. You can do both. As long as you’re giving good content, people often like to know if you have something else to buy they would be interested in. For a gentle call to action, I recommend putting a product link with very little text in the P.S. (Studies show that people read the headline first THEN the PS. Weird, huh? But it’s true.)

So to recap. Follow-up is one of the biggest problems in doing business. Autoresponders do it effortlessly.

Author Resource -> Copywriting guru Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been helping entrepreneurs and copywriters get their marketing messages razor sharp since 1999.

Get free access to 5 tips to turn your “blah” sales message into red-hot copy that ROCKS… at  RedHotCopy.com

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Getting in the Mood To Write Good Copy | Creative Inspiration

“Anything the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”~ Napoleon Hill~  “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson~ “Whatever you feed your mind comes to fruition in your life.” ~ Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero ~   If you are in a bad frame of mind, I promise you, your copy will not work. You’re defeated before you get out of the gate, and that is a bad way to start. It’s much better to consciously put yourself in the right frame of mind BEFORE writing copy… or before doing anything really. There are many ways to align your mind before writing. Here are a few that work for me.Write-Good-Copy-Creative-Inspiration

  • Take Care of Yourself First – It’s so easy to let clients, colleagues, friends and family dictate how you will prioritize your day. Just like they tell you when traveling with a small child on an airplane… Put on YOUR oxygen mask first, then your child’s. You can’t be of any use to others if you aren’t breathing (or functioning) well first. Don’t put off what feeds you. It affects everyone around you.
  • Attitude of Gratitude – It is impossible to feel truly grateful for what you have and constricted in the same moment. Each evening I like to think of 10 things I’m grateful for that day. Make this a habit and it will color your world each and every day.
  • Affirmations -Basically an affirmation is a positive statement you say to your subconscious to visualize the outcome you want for your future. I write them on post it notes stuck around my office and on my bathroom mirror. Say your affirmation as if you already have it using the present tense. I’m no expert with affirmations – I just know what works for me.

Example, “I have fun effortlessly writing powerful copy that sells in record time.”

  • Visualization, “Theatre of Your Mind” Style – This technique comes from Dr. Maxwell Maltz of Psycho-Cybernetics. Imagine yourself in an actual theatre complete with popcorn and drink holder. But this theatre is better than a real one because on the screen you can play anything you like. But for copywriting, I like to imagine the success of completing the project, the sales it brings in, the happy clients, etc. I bring the emotion of it to life. I also use my theatre to visualize what I want in my life. It’s powerful for me because it is in a controllable container rather than as random pictures floating around in my mind. Have fun creating your own blockbuster!
  • Write Out Your Success History – Take 15 minutes and write out 30 successes you have had over your lifetime – no matter how big or small. Tap dance in a recital at 3? Put it in. Launched your blog? Put it in. Add everything you can think of, whether personal or business. Then post it where you will see it often. I did this with my Elite Platinum group and they loved it. One of my two business coaches, Matt Furey, put it this way: Intensely Desired Goals + Imagination + Action = Success (If you’re serious about success YOU should also have a coach or mentor in your life. That’s what keeps you sharp and edgy.)
  • Top 20 Lifetime Goals – What do you have planned for the rest of your life? Write down your goals and look at them regularly. It gives them more power when they are written down. If you are too embarrassed to write it, you’re probably too embarrassed to LIVE it. So open your imagination and let ‘er rip!
  • Visioning Board – Create a collage on a large poster board of the things you want in your life now and in the future. Cut out pictures from magazines or newspapers. Print out pictures websites. Draw. Be as creative as you like. You may be surprised at how fast you get them when you face them each day. My Elite Platinum group and I created our own visioning boards this past weekend at our Elite Retreat then explained them to the group. It’s beautiful to watch other people’s thoughts and desires unfold into something physical. I was surprised how important owning a horse was to many of the group – including me. Hmmm…
  • Calm Body, Calm Mind – This is also a technique from Psycho-Cybernetics. You can’t create if you are uptight. You need to be in a relaxed state to perform at your best whether it’s writing copy, exercising, or driving in traffic. Imagine your body is a balloon and slowly release the air (tension). Let your body melt into your chair (or bed if lying down). Tell yourself you have a “calm body, calm mind”. Before you know it, you will. This works immediately under all stressful situations.

Author Resource -> Copywriting guru Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been helping entrepreneurs and copywriters get their marketing messages razor sharp since 1999.

Get free access to 5 tips to turn your “blah” sales message into red-hot copy that ROCKS… at  RedHotCopy.com

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Introducing Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero | New Paradigm Business Owner

Please allow us to introduce you to Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero.  Through her website at RedHotCopy.com, Lorri offers a ton of great products to help you, the entrepreneur, to create amazing content and sales copy for your business!  We will be featuring articles by Lorrie on the Onederous Tribe blog over the coming months.  She has really helpful tips and advice to share with us! I hope you enjoy her posts!

If you would like more information about Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, or her products, please visit her website – RedHotCopy.com

(The following biographical information is quoted from Lorrie’s website:) 

Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero founded Red Hot Copy in 1999 an effort to work anywhere, raise her family, and still make a good living. Her background in journalism and acting prepared her for the creative (and competitive) nature of copywriting. From the moment she discovered the genre, Lorrie was drawn to the edgy, conversational language, the winding persuasive arguments, and weaving psychology throughout the copy.

After studying closely with master copywriters, Lorrie has become a world-renowned and award-winning copywriter with her own unique style. She has an uncanny ability to make her copy bond and build relationships with the prospect…driving them to become loyal customers buying from her (or her clients) over and over again. “It’s almost like she’s talking you through it,” said one client. “Lorrie keeps your attention from the first word to the last.”

From her past reporter days, she is adamant about deeply researching the current industries, trends and competition. In fact, Lorrie coined the term “TARKET” (“target” plus “market”) to explain how to collect research and refine it to speak to a single person in your demographic. In fact her TARKET methodology has become part of the 21st Century marketing lingo.

Lorrie’s words have sold products in a variety of industries including mompreneurs, professional speaking, the seminar business, hypnosis, health & fitness, nutritional supplements, biz op, and entrepreneurial services. After working closely with high profile speakers and entrepreneurs, Lorrie now focuses her passion on educating business owners in reaching the female market.

She is a frequent guest speaker. Lorrie has written award-winning home study courses, conducts world-famous copywriting trainings on how to sell to women, holds live workshops, and authored the original book, The She Factor based on her own She Factor Marketing System.