Blogfeeder - The Copywriting and Marketing Blog from Wordfeeder.com

O Holy Night

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your family from Dina at Wordfeeder.com and all the Merry Elves of 24 Days of Blogging.

Blog Copywriting Tip 24: Listen to Rudyard Kipling

Dear Gentle Blog Readers,

The first ever 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas has reached a final crescendo. I'm thankful to all who have been eagerly following along with my copywriting tips as we explore the many ways to inspire and delight one's blog audience while advertising our respective trades AND feeding scraps to the search engines.

Today I actually just wanted to share my favorite poem with you on Christmas Eve. It's "If" by Rudyard Kipling. I remember we had to memorize this poem in fifth grade. At the time, I had no idea what it meant, nor did I care to learn. But years later it would prove to be incredibly inspiring to me as I embarked on my own personal journey cultivating a copywriting business using the tools and talents I had acquired over the years.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate, and thanks for following along with Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing! See you in  2008!

Blog Copywriting Tip 23: Give 'Em What They Want

So how will you find out what it is that "they" (your target customers) want? Just ask them. I know this can be difficult. But when you open yourself up to feedback, suggestions, and yes, even criticism from the people who buy from or are considering buying from you, there's only one thing that can happen. You'll improve your products and services and make more money. Oh well, I guess that's two things... but you're following me, right?

Let's cover the basic steps of how to find out what your customers want and how you can deliver it to them. 

1. Make a list of questions that you burn to ask your clientele. If you're doing this correctly, the intial questions that you jot down should spark other questions.

2. Revise the questions so that the answers are as measurable as possible. For example, if your question is "How much are you willing to pay for a coaching ebook?" there are still many parameters that need clarification. So revise it to "How much are you willing to pay for a coaching ebook that is 50 pages long and includes advice, guidance, and a series of comprehensive questions designed to help you map the ideal life for you?" Be sure that the answers are as concrete as possible also. 

3. Narrow it down to 10 or 20 of your top questions (depending on how long you'd like the survey to be).

4. Visit SurveyMonkey.com where you can plug your questions right into their instant survey formatting machine.

5. Advertise on your blog (as well as other forms of media such as press releases, your company newsletter and so forth) that you will be conducting a survey and appreciate feedback from your clients and readers.

6. Once the results are in, post them live if you like. At the very least, closely examine the answers to the questions and how this impacts your current business model, product array and marketing strategy.

Warm up on your blog right now. Think of ONE question that you'd like to know about your target audience and ask away. For example, let's say that you have two versions of copy for a sales page you've created. You really don't know which one will generate the most interest. Why not just ASK for feedback? Most people are happy to provide - and the response you receive will be invaluable for your business.

Blog along with us during 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas from Wordfeeder.com Copywriting.

Our Merry Band of Bloggers is located at http://wordfeeder.com/24-days-blogroll.htm

Ave Maria

When I was in high school, my best friends and I started a tradition of attending midnight mass together. My one friend Caroline's mom sang in the choir and we'd go and cheer her on for her very distinctive alto voice. At the end of the mass, a woman would emerge from the back of the church and stand up front to sing Ave Maria. I knew the Schubert version of the song, but the first time I heard this lady singing the Bach-Gounod version in her rich Soprano voice, it was like I died and went to heaven.

I can't find a recording of this on Youtube that meets the quality I'd want to share here. But I did find an amazing cello performance of the song by John Michel on Wikipedia. If you click the link, you can experience the joyful exultation with me! This song is so powerful.

Click to hear Ave Maria: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Gounod)

(you have to scroll down the Wikipedia page to find the play button)

Blog along with us during 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas from Wordfeeder.com Copywriting.

Our Merry Band of Bloggers is located at http://wordfeeder.com/24-days-blogroll.htm

Blog Copywriting Tip 22: Give Thanks

Blogging is every bit a social activity as it is a focus on you and your company philosophy and core abilities. So, when you can, cork the me-stream and open the Other People valve. A.K.A. Stop talking about yourself and instead honor the good people who made you who you are today.  

If you think about it, we all should be on our knees thanking God each time we meet someone new who isn't a "lifeblood sucker". Your blog can serve as a megaphone where you take a moment to blast out a kind word on behalf of those who have enhanced your life in even the smallest of ways.

That said, let me give you my starter list of copywriting pals to be grateful for: 

Ann Zuccardy - the ONE client who gave me Ultimate Freedom over her marketing. I cannot remember having more fun in my life than while working on Vermont Shortbread Company's holiday pages. Glorious!

Heidi Caswell - just an all-around sweetheart, cheerleader and supporter. Heidi has a gift for seeing the beauty in all things, and that comes across in her photography. She also creates beautiful blog designs at a very wallet-friendly price. 

Lori Davis - A faithful pal, reliable work partner and success motivator. Lori has brought many wonderful people into my professional life. And there's nothing better than wakin' up with Lori D. on the DavisVA.com blog.

David Bohl - a dynamic coach and business expert... one of the great thinkers of our time who displays boundless energy, healthy curiosity and an unmatched enthusiasm for all the wonderful things life has to offer. I've had the pleasure of creating some amazing things together with David. 

There are many more people who I can add to this list but I'll save it for my future acceptance speech at the Cleo Awards. Just kidding!! ;)

Your Turn. Who can you give thanks for today in your blog?

Blog along with us during 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas from Wordfeeder.com Copywriting.

Our Merry Band of Bloggers is located at http://wordfeeder.com/24-days-blogroll.htm

Blog Copywriting Tip 21: How to Offer Your Future Clients Real Value

There's a lot of fretting and nail-biting over what to include and not include in your blog. "What if I give away too much information? What if my competition comes by and yanks my trade secrets straight from my loose, flapping lips?

Trust me, if 100 people come by and read your blog today, you'll get 20 people who actually heard what you said correctly, five people who have a vague idea that they might follow the advice, and one person who actually does something about it.

(No wonder it takes so long to see substantial results from your copywriting and marketing.)

So what I'm saying is, even if you give away every trick you ever had hiding under your hat, there's still no real threat of someone sabotaging your work or spoiling your own sales. You can sell people their own pants if you know how to whip folks up into a wild frenzy. That's accomplished by way of incredible copywriting and marketing. 

So here's what you do to give readers real value. Go back to the time when you were just a cub scout in your industry, watching and listening to what all the expert were saying. Recall the many questions you had, and the late nights you struggled to master new concepts. If you need help remembering what this was like, take a walk back in time and go see what you were blogging and chatting about last year, the year before that (assuming you were a blogger back then).

Write down the top seven questions that you had as a floundering youngling in your own industry. Then "talk to yourself" and share the answers. Go into detail. I can't stress this enough. If you want to snap customers right out from under the competition then you've got to explain things step by step.

To see how this is done, peruse the Wordfeeder.com library of copywriting articles. Do the same for your own business. 

Blog along with us during 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas from Wordfeeder.com Copywriting.

Our Merry Band of Bloggers is located at http://wordfeeder.com/24-days-blogroll.htm

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Blog Copywriting Tip 20: Do a Meme

According to Wikipedia, "meme" is pronounced like "dream" and refers to a "unit of cultural revolution." I'm not sure what that means exactly. But I do know that "meme" blends the words "me" and "theme" and so far the only "meme" I've ever received was a request to share 10 things about me on my blog. 

So that's my next bit of blogfood for you, dear reader. Surprise and delight your audience with a list of 10 Things... and make them a touch more personal than you normally would, assuming you blog for business.

When you're done... tag a handful of bloggers to join in the fun. 

Since I'm here...

5 Things You Never Knew About Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

1. I was born with two teeth, which, according to old Hungarian legend, makes me some kind of shaman. 

2. I can tap out tunes on the piano "by ear," but only the melodies - I have to really work at the left hand. I can do it if I write down the notes and go slow. 

3. I'm soon to be a homeowner. :)

4. I played Mother Gibbs in Our Town when I was a senior in high school and wowed the crowd with my spot-on New England accent. (I didn't know it was a regional accent - I just thought I was imitating the old-time actors from the movie.) 

5. Sometimes people email me to point out the spelling errors in my blog. Sorry, but the clients come first, the self-marketing comes next, and then I feed and care for myself and loved ones. The blog saps the last of my energy. Point out the typos if you must, but if you blog regularly like I do, you'll see what a neverending uphill battle it is. 

Tag! You're it, blogger. Hit me with five things about you.

Blog along with us during 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas from Wordfeeder.com Copywriting.

Our Merry Band of Bloggers is located at http://wordfeeder.com/24-days-blogroll.htm

Winter Wonderland

I don't want to jinx it, but it looks like we may just have a white Christmas this year. I know that many, many people in other parts of the country really got hit bad with all the Extreme Weather and ice. But here, Mother Nature was kind to us, giving us just enough snow to blanket the ground, and just enough ice to create a lovely, shimmering effect. On my way to the bank yesterday, I drove through the downtown area where nearly every house is a Victorian or Craftsman home. I saw kids of all ages, bundled up and "foot skating" around the courthouse square. It was a storybook scene for sure.

Last night we went wassailing (actually we just got in the Volkswagen and drove around) so we could ooh and ahh over the Christmas light displays that so many people arranged with such care. I wasn't able to get photos of some of the really fantastic ones due to being on main roads or a car behind us or something. But I think these definitely capture the spirit. I love this time of year! (And when it's over, can we fast-forward to St. Patrick's Day?)

It's not too late to join us for 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas... just  click the link, sign up and start blogging.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Blog Copywriting Tip 19: Boil it Down

One of my coaching clients has a real knack for "boiling down" the article topics I develop for her into a hearty and satisfying melange of practical advice on her blog. You can do this for your blog audience as well. Simply follow the steps outlined below:  

1. Select an article from your collection that you'd like to develop further.

2. Approach the article piece by piece, starting with the first paragraph.

3. Take the point you made in paragraph one and expand on it in a bog post.

4. Tack on an intro and conclusion if you haven't added these already.

5. Add your sig line and call to action.

6. Publish.

Do this again for the four or six other points you made in the article. Now you've got five or seven new blog posts... all from a single article.

Blog along with us during 24 Blogging Days 'til Christmas from Wordfeeder.com Copywriting.

Our Merry Band of Bloggers is located at http://wordfeeder.com/24-days-blogroll.htm