World Copywriting Blog

Avoid Copywriting Sloth: How A Change In Moscow Drinking Habits Points To A Big Mistake Too Many Copywriters Make

I just spent some time with a Russian friend of mine who hadn't been home in over 20 years.  She just returned from a two-week visit to Moscow.

She was surprised how things had changed.  She was especially struck by the fact that people in Moscow restaurants don't seem to drink nearly as heavily as the did in the past.

So what?

Here's what:

The standard assumption most people make about Russians is that they are heavy drinkers.  That they would just as soon toss back a jigger of vodka as blink their eyes.  Even Russians, like my friend, assume this, based on behavior they have observed in the past.

How many assumptions are you carrying around about things that were so but no longer are?

When you're writing copy, you need to come butt-up-against the current experienced reality of the people you are writing to.  And reflect that reality as the context for your copy.

So, if for some reason, you were writing to a target audience of Moscow restaurant-goers...

... and you made off-handed reference to the heavy drinking that occurs at dinner...

... they would get the immediate impression that you have no idea what you're talking about.

(If, that is, what my friend observed is the case across-the-board, which I assume it is.  Again, a somewhat risky assumption - but, she spent time with relatives who live in Moscow and I'm guessing she probably talked to them about what she observed, and they confirmed it's a new trend.)

Now, your target market may not be restaurant-goers living in Moscow.  Fine.

But are you relying on clichés or outmoded realities to create rapport and develop credibility with your prospects?

If so, your copy might pack as much punch as... an empty shot glass.

So, check it out.  Talk to people who are in your market and living today's realities, today.  Sober, systematic research is one of the secret weapons of all the best copywriters I know.

And it's yours to share.  Just add a little legwork, elbow grease... and stir.

Have a good (and informative) weekend.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Unique Business Identity: A simple, POWERFUL way to have your business stand out from the crowd

Have you ever wondered, “What can I do to set myself apart from all the other businesses that prospects are comparing me to?"

It's the number-one question smart marketers ask themselves.

Because, at the end of the day, prospects are going to make a choice.  And if you're going to be the one they choose, then you need a to give them a compelling, quick-to-grasp reason to do business with you.

Just last week, my friend Terri Lonier asked me about how to set a business apart from its competitors on a teleseminar for people who are starting up new businesses.

The answer I gave her doesn't apply solely to start-ups. If you're in business, it could very well apply to you.

There are all kinds of complicated ways to demonstrate your appealing uniqueness in a few words.  Most of these ways intimidate the daylights out of people trying to use them.

"I think sometimes people get paralyzed at this step," Terri said on the teleseminar.  "They simply don't know what could be unique about their business."

(She knows whereof she speaks.  Terri is CEO of Working Solo, Inc.  She's consulted to hundreds of businesses, from the largest to the smallest.  She's been featured in every major business publication, and on every major business TV show, that you can think of.)

Anway... I came up with an answer that I think cuts through the anxiety and nonsense that many "experts" are happy to burden you with. 

It's unapologetically blunt, but it's quick and it's proven to work. My approach gives you a powerful way to set your business apart.

First: Your business doesn't have to be that different from others like it.  In fact, you're better off, 99% of the time, if it's not.  People like to buy from businesses that seem "familiar" -- in other words, a lot like other businesses.

Second: You need to know your customers, and potential  customers, well enough to know what really pisses them off about businesses in your industry.  Specifically.

Third: If you will take the bold step to do the opposite of one or more of the annoying, or disappointing, or asinine things that almost everyone else in your industry does, that alone will set you apart... and that can get you droves of new customers.

It can also let you legitimately charge a higher price and have people happy to pay it.

Some simple examples:

Say you have a dry cleaning business.

If you are the only one in town to pick up and deliver dry cleaning, same day, no extra charge, that would be all you would have to highlight in your marketing.  You could charge pretty much whatever you want.  Just don't charge extra for pick-up and delivery!

Or... let's say you have an organic dry cleaning process. "Organic dry cleaning.  Clothes last longer.  No harsh chemicals.  Friendly to the environment."  Everything else could be "standard" in your business and you'd have a huge number of customers.

Or... have you ever lost a button, or gained or lost a few pounds?  (Do bananas grow on trees?)

So, how about: '"Free alterations for our customers." Treat them nicely, and they'll come back just for the cleaning.

Here's the bottom line: One crucial difference, that is meaningful to your customers, is all you really need to set your business apart from the crowd.

And let your business rise above your competitors, when it comes time to count the profits.

Cheers,

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

P.S. I wanted to mention that the very best way for a business to stand out from the crowd is to have someone in the business be the author of a book.

You don't even need to have a literary or information-based business to cash in on authorship.

For example, I know a guy who was a mortgage broker. The year before his book came out, he made a respectable living.  The year after his book came out, his income doubled.

But he went through so much strife and confusion that he decided there must be a better way for people to get books published and available in bookstores.

So, as it turns out, he left the financial world and became a publisher himself.  His name is David Hancock.

And, what's even better, he's doing a seminar with me next week.  It's all about how to get your book published.  Yes, your book.  Without the seemingly endless hoops the publishing industry is used to making its authors jump through.

We've still got a few seats for our seminar left.  It's going to be great.  We've got three guest speakers, including a recent addition (entrepreneurial authoring expert Glenn Dietzel) whose info I haven't even had time to put up yet on the Web site.

So, you ask, what's our unique selling point about this seminar?

Hmmm...

OK.  It's this.

All of the reasons you thought you could never be a published author will evaporate there, like a drop of dew on a hot summer day.

I hope you can make it.

Check it out:

http://www.morgan-james.com/pse

The Continuing Saga of Google's Progress in Taking Over the World

The latest rumor in Silicon Valley is that Google is planning to open an online market that will compete with eBay and Craigslist.

This, according to an article in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle by Benjamin Pimentel.

It's probably only a matter of time before U.S. Government regulators start to put Google under their gumshoe microscope to see if the company is doing something wrong... as its scope of services and influence get wider and wider.

Me, I'm not worried about Google, one way or the other.  But I am impressed.  The service is reported to be called Google Base.  Nobody at Google is talking about it.  Details are sketchy.

Here's why I'm so fascinated:

Once again, copywriting.  It's all about the words.  Little groups of words that lead to bigger groups of dollars.  Whether it's an eBay-like (uh, OK, Google Base-like) description of an item to be sold... or a Craigslist-like help wanted, roommate wanted, or bed partner wanted ad.

Words, words, words.  Hamlet said it.  Google is cashing in.

Are you on the "dividend trail?"

David Garfinkel
Publisher, Word Copywriting Newsletter

P.S.  OK, that was just a little joke.  Actually World Copywriting Newsletter

Bailey Garfinkel Barnes, The World Copywriting Pup, Takes A Break

Yes, he's alive and well.  But the young Scottish Terrier that my Customer Service Manager, Jeanette Barnes, named after me, needed to take a nap.

Here he is, in repose and in all his glory.  Bailey Garfinkel Barnes.  After a hard day of play, he lays himself down and ponders headlines, bullets... and his next meal.

You Can Find Good Copywriting Ideas Just About ANYWHERE... like in this diner...

... in the comic strip Mr. Boffo (10/14/05), for example.

Mr. Boffo and his wife are sitting at the lunch counter, and he is explaining:

"They no longer serve the 'mystery meat' ... it's now 'the gritty, hard-edged pot boiler.'"

~   ~   ~

Stuck for inspiration?  Lift up your head and survey the scene, for, I'm telling you, it's all around you.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

How's this for turning lemons into lemonade? Gallows humor in the galley...

Landing in San Francisco after a United flight from Denver, a passenger reports the following flight attendant's announcement:

"On behalf of all our crew, we realize you have a choice of bankrupt airlines, and we thank you for choosing United.''

-- from Leah Garchik's column in the San Francisco Chronicle

Dog Story: I Can Guarantee You Will NOT Find This Anywhere Else

Introducing...

Bailey Garfinkel Barnes

This terrific pup is a Scottish Terrier.  My Customer Service Manager Jeanette Barnes brought this guy into her house and a number of her staff told her to name the dog "Garfinkel."

Well, there were other people and factors to consider, so Garfinkel is his middle name.

I'm so proud! :)

David Garfinkel
Honorary Uncle of "BGB"
and Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Google Takes Over The World, October 5 Edition

You know, you can't go away for a few days to visit your recuperating Mom and not have convenient Internet access without Google marching a few more steps forward in its impressive and wide-ranging quest.

Friday, Google submitted a proposal to the city of San Francisco to blanket my town with a full-scale, free wireless network to let anyone anywhere (almost) get access to the Internet.

And yesterday, Google announced plans to collaborate with Sun Microsystems, a major Silicon Valley company.  Analysts think eventually this move will pose a serious threat to Microsoft's domination of the office computing market.

More: San Francisco Chronicle article by Benjamin Pimentel.

A Hurricane Katrina Relief Promotion to Learn From

I love David Oreck.  It's not because of his first name; it's not because of his vacuum cleaners; it's because of his approach to advertising.

In fact, in my new book Customers on Demand: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining Profitable Customer Relationships, I single out one of his newspaper ads as a perfect example of the Customers on Demand philosophy in action.

Anyway... I heard a radio ad this morning that really rang my bells.  Before I tell you about it, let me say that I've largely stayed away from commenting publicly on fundraising efforts.  I've made my contributions and the way I see it, they're my business, not anyone else's; and I also believe that what you or others do privately is your business, not mine.

Those who have fundraising campaigns tied in with their businesses ... hey, my point of view, that's their business.  I have nothing to say about them one way or the other.

But... I do have something to say about Mr. Oreck.

Here's what I heard on the radio.  I can't give it to you verbatim; what follows is a paraphrase:

"I'm David Oreck.  I'm 82 years old and in my entire life I've never seen anything like the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has caused to the gulf coast.  Our business offices are in New Orleans and our factory is (in a nearby Louisiana location -- DG can't remember which).  I strongly encourage you to do whatever you can to help people recover from this tragedy.

"If you buy one of our vacuum cleaners, we will donate another vacuum cleaner to someone else in need who has been affected by the hurricane."

To me, this is a great way to do it.  Pay for the radio advertising time to urge people to do whatever they can.  Talk about how the whole thing has affected you and your company, personally.  Make an offer which has got to be break-even to your company at best.

I really do not want this blog to become a scam-bashing forum for stupid or downright unethical counterexamples.  If you post a scathing review of some piece-of-crap ploy, I will delete your comment. 

But if you have any other positive examples about how businesses are using their marketing to help Katrina victims, and you like the way they're doing it -- regardless of whether I like the example or or not myself -- I would welcome you do tell us about it in a comment below.

Hope to hear from you

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter