Reactions to story from Google Website Optimizer - 7 Free Resources to Get Started

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  So you think you can sell

  http://activerain.com/blogsview/407273/So-you-think-you
  154 days ago in Marketing Maestro Blog · Authority: 1

  So you think you can sell Selling in person is different from selling with the written word. About a month ago I read a post on the Future Now blog entitled 1,000 Tips for Selling Online Without Paying a Copywriter. The guts of this post is that you need to hire a good copywriter if you want to sell. If you expect to market your products or services make sure the words you use sell. I know, you can write well, you know your product or service better then a hired gun but don't skimp on a persuasive direct response writer when it comes to your marketing materials. Remember, you want your copy to grab the reader's attention and walk them to a point of conversion. A good copywriter knows what makes people take action. When people write their own sales literature they often try to communicate everything about a product since it matters to them; but usually forget about what matter to the reader and why the reader should take action. Have you seen sales copy without 'call to action' triggers? I know I have. Do yourself a favor and find a great copywriter who understands direct response marketing and let them take a stab at some of your writing needs. If they are good you won't be disappointed. If you need some recommendations let me know and I will share some of my resources. Posted by Josef Katz on 03/04/2008 05:16 PM
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  Is a picture really worth a thousand words?

  http://www.conversionrate.com.au/201/is-a-picture-really-wor...
  199 days ago in Conversion Rate Web Marketing Blog - Boost your conversion rates for Lead Generation and eCommerce Websites · Authority: 8

  Is a picture really worth a thousand words? March 25th, 2008 We all know that a picture can be worth a thousand words, but it’s not always the case. Words are the most fundamental blocks of our communication. To prove this Jeff Sexton at Future Now asked, “What happens when you take the words away?” Jeff used the website www.netdisaster.com to suck out all of the text from amazon.com. Well we did a little experimenting of our own, and you can see the results here. Take the simple high conversion online shopping and lead generation website apcups.com.au. Here’s a screenshot of it without the words: It’s not very useful. If you look at the site with the words, you get the picture (pun intended). It’s strange that words are so often overlooked in a website project. We often see that copywriting is kept in house or left out of a website project altogether. Others tell us that people don’t read websites, but a demonstration like this reveals that people depend on what’s written! When we are selling a new website in a competitive situation, we usually find that our competitors are only offering a web design and a content management system. Most don’t take any interest in actually creating the content and the copy for the website. Strange really, because it’s the words that actually make the website work. From the author: As a web programmer I have been involved in developing several content management systems. I was hands on in developing our own content management suite called eComMetrix®. What I know from working on hundreds of lead generation and eCommerce websites over 11 years is that there is something far more important in creating a website than the system that you use. It’s your conversion rates and it’s a measure of how effectively the content of your website engages with your website visitors. We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your website you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark™. And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)! Contact us on 1300 248 362to find out how you could boost the conversion rates of your website. Posted in Copywriting, Web Design | No Comments »
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  What is Web Copy and How Should I Use It?

  http://www.grokdotcom.com/2008/03/17/what-is-web-copy/
  207 days ago in Google Website Optimizer - 7 Free Resources to Get Started · Authority: 2

  Pearce responded to our "Ask the Experts" post, looking for a definition of "web copy." If you look up its definition, copy refers to any "written matter intended to be reproduced in printed form" (e.g., “The text of a news story, advertisement, television commercial, etc., as distinguished from related visual material”). The word was originally used in the context of the printing press, but it essentially means the same thing online. Since all copy is content, but not all content is copy, some people separate the two. They use "copy" exclusively to mean text that is written to persuade visitors to take action. "Content," meanwhile, doesn’t imply an intent to persuade. (For example, think of a website that features celebrity news Content, with a page urging visitors, via persuasive Copy, to subscribe.) So, "web copy" refers to any and all words published on your website. And without it, your site looks something like this. I don’t know if this is all that helpful for Pearce, but here’s what is important… Web Copy is different from Offline Copy. Offline copy (like a billboard) isn't interactive. Web copy (like what you read on this blog) is. Web copy needs to be formatted in easy-to-read chunks. It’s hard to read a lot of copy online. Break up your copy with headers, subheaders, short paragraphs and bullet points. Web copy has a powerful advantage over offline copy: Hyperlinks. Hyperlinks create persuasive momentum. They provide a clear pathway for your visitor to accomplish his or her goals, and your business to accomplish your goals. What actions do you want your visitors to take? Your website should be planned with visitor goals and company goals in mind. Use your web copy to answer your visitors’ questions, address their objections, and provide hyperlinks that move them toward the actions you want them to take. How do I plan goals for my website? Pearce's second question (""Do you have any ideas on how to come up with goals for college websites?") helps illustrate where web copy fits into the overall process of planning, building, and optimizing a website. To find your website's goals and use copy to support them, ask yourself these three questions: Who is my audience? What actions do I want them to take? What information do they need in order to feel confident taking action? Pearce should look at all the different types of visitors who might come to a college website (prospective students, current students, faculty, alumni, people in the community), then map out what each of these visitors is trying to accomplish. What questions are they asking? What information are they hoping to find? What information would you most like each of these groups to see? For Pearce, this involves looking not only at his visitors' goals, but the goals of the college itself. (Do they have a new program they want to push, a special event, or a special benefit that prospective students would love?) Once he has this information, he can plan pathways and provide information that is relevant for each of these types of visitors. All pathways should lead toward an action you want your visitors to take. After all, how can you measure success if you haven't defined what success looks like? Thanks for the questions, Pearce! . . [Editor's Note: Got a question for FutureNow? All you have to do is "Ask the Experts".] —————————————————- Running out of ideas on what to test? Download our 10 Tips to Start Optimizing Your Website white paper for free.
• 

  Hire a Copywriter

  http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blogs/marketingmaestro/post/2...
  220 days ago in The Marketing Maestro's Marketing Strategies Blog | Marketing Today - Trump University · Authority: 16

  by Josef Katz About a month ago I read a post on the Future Now blog entitled 1,000 Tips for Selling Online Without Paying a Copywriter. This post resonated with me since I review a lot of sales materials. The best marketing tip I can give any marketer is to hire a great copywriter. I know, you can write well, you know your product or service better then a hired gun but don't skimp on a persuasive direct response writer. If you expect to market your products or services make sure the words you use sell. A good copywriter knows what makes people take action. Remember, you want your copy to grab the reader's attention and walk them to a point of conversion. When people write their own sales literature they often try to communicate everything about a product since it matters to them; but usually forget about what matter to the reader and why the reader should take action. Have you seen sales copy without 'call to action' triggers? I know I have. Do yourself a favor and find a great copywriter who understands direct response marketing and let them take a stab at some of your writing needs. If they are good you won't be disappointed. If you have a copywriter and they leave, hire a new one. This is an important role in your marketing efforts. If you need some recommendations let me know and I will share some of my resources.
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  1,000 Tips for Selling Online Without Paying a Copywriter

  http://play-space.typepad.com/playspace/2008/02/1000-tips-fo...
  249 days ago in PlaySpace · No authority yet

  This article really 'sucks' you in... (Don't panic, NF!) I like tip #1-1000... Keep in mind that this applies to not only our Web assets, but our offline communications, as well. Link: 1,000 Tips for Selling Online Without Paying a Copywriter.

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