Short And Sweet? Long Copy Isn't Always Bad Copy

According to Stephen King, the secret to successful writing is to "take out the bad parts." Sounds straightforward, doesn't it? But many marketers and writers confuse brevity with concision. They think the mark of good writing is that it's "short and sweet." That's not it at all.

How many times have you heard marketing pundits praise writing that's "short and to the point?" While that's often a good standard, it can be dangerous if carried to the extreme.

Why? Because it's not about the quantity of words, it's about the quality of your word choices. Long copy, short copy. It doesn't matter. A recent Marketing Sherpa study showed how one ezine publisher signed up subscribers by the tens of thousands for their latest newsletter with a 945-word offer letter! Almost a thousand words! Long by almost every standard, their letter generated a whopping 12.5% response rate.

How did they do it? For starters, they didn't confuse brevity with concision.

Brevity means being short, or brief.

Concision means packing more power per every square inch of copy, or expressing a great deal in few words. It means using passionate, focused, purposeful words. Put plainly, concision means you eliminate unnecessary words while still communicating your point and achieving your desired results. If it takes you a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand words to make your point concisely, so be it.

And that's the tricky part. Most marketers and writers are adept at ensuring reader comprehension. But in their zeal for brevity, they cut out the part of the message most likely to convert readers into customers. They eliminate the parts which will result in the desired action or effect.

Here's the rub: In order to be concise, you've got to "take out the bad parts." You've got to say everything that needs to be said, but you've also got to train yourself to be a ruthless editor.

What does a ruthless editor do?

1. Uses one word instead of two wherever possible. A wanderer isn't "without aim;" he's "aimless." Handwriting isn't "difficult to read;" it's "illegible."
2. Eliminates most adverbs. Words like "literally," "really," "very," "actually," and "extremely" are unnecessary clutter more often than not.
3. Makes the reading easy without being lame. This means having good transitions, using elements like story, metaphor, and good illustrations, and creating a helpful structure using bullet points and signposts.

So, marketers and writers of the world: Stop paying attention to word count, and start paying attention to word power. Use as many words as necessary. No more, no less. It's that simple, and that complicated.

How To Radically Improve Name Recognition Through Storytelling

Seth Godin is a marketing genius. I can say this because 1)he is, and 2)I'm in no way affiliated with him or his business. In a recent blog entry of his, he defined marketing as "figuring out how to tell a story that spreads with the resources you've got." I don't know if I could have said it any better. Believe it or not, marketing is just another form of story craft, that age old tradition of captivating audiences and committing interesting and entertaining information to memory. Find out what makes a good story, make sure your own story measures up, and then spread that story with the resources you've got.

So, let's look at a few things that make a memorable "story that spreads."

1. A good, memorable story doesn't simply consist of fascinating characters and a riveting plot. While you certainly will need those things to have a first class story, so much of the art of story craft depends on other qualities such as ingenious writing, remarkable imagery, and emotional satisfaction.

2. The first line can make or break you. I just read the New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci's Hour Game. This was his first line:

The man in the rain slicker walked slightly bent over, his breathing labored and his body sweaty.

This was his third line:

It was never an easy thing to tote a dead body through the woods in the middle of the night.

Now, I ask you, which would make the better first line? Which sentence arouses more curiosity, captures more attention, and makes you want to keep reading? How did his editors let this glaring mistake pass them by?

Considering that many readers of your marketing message won't make it past the first line, that first line better be a whopper. Whether it's in a direct mail campaign, a sales letter, a website, or a company brochure, it better make them want to keep reading.

3. A good storyteller knows his audience. You probably wouldn't read The Lord of The Rings aloud to your two year old, and your grandmother may find The Poky Little Puppy far from challenging. Pick a story and a marketing message appropriate to your target audience. The more targeted your story, the more memorable it is.

Now, how does your own story measure up? Are you telling it to the right audience, getting people's attention, and crafting it with care? Does your story serve up emotional satisfaction, striking imagery, sound writing, worthy characters, and a spellbinding plot? Think about it.

3 Simple Tips for Creating Eye-Catching Testimonials

We've all seen them. An excellent testimonial grabs attention, solidifies your brand, and convinces customers of the value of your service or product. But sometimes getting those quality testimonials can be like pulling teeth. Short of hiring a copywriter to write them for you, how are you supposed to get your clients and customers to write these perfect testimonials? Here are 3 simple tips for creating those eye-catching, business-winning testimonials we all want:

1. Pick the right people. Choose clients or customers who've told you how much they love and appreciate your service. Keep your eyes open. Enthusiastic customers or clients write enthusiastic testimonials. Make sure these people represent your target customer, too. If you're targeting small business owners, a testimony from a Fortune 500 executive won't have the same impact.

2. Ask the right questions. Don't simply ask for a testimonial! Ask a series of leading, specific questions which will guide your clients or customers in writing a winning testimonial. Here are some good questions you can tweak to your specific product or service:

- Did you have any doubts about this product or service? If so, what were they? Were they overcome?

- How did this product or service benefit you or your business?

- Do you think it will benefit others? If so, how?

- What tangible, measurable results did you experience from using this product or service?

- Was this product or service worth it? Is the cost justified?

3. Shape the testimonial into a convincing form. Take the answers provided and arrange the sentences in a logical order that progress from initial hesitation and doubt to unhesitating endorsement.

Following these simple steps, you'll notice a marked improvement in the quality, power, and impact of your testimonials.

How To Analyze Your Competition's Marketing

In an interesting and helpful follow-up to Monday's post about finding your USP, Marketing Sherpa interviewed the principal of Messages That Matter, Lawson Abinanti and asked him about how to analyze your competition's marketing.

In a nutshell, the first four common-sense tips he outlined were:

1. Isolate direct competitors. “It would be the hated enemies, the companies that you go head to head with in the battles out on the sales front,” Abinanti says.
2. Collect competitor's marketing materials. He said to check their print advertising first because that represents their most current marketing position and the largest expenditure of their marketing budget.
3. Assemble your analysis team. You want to schedule a group brainstorming session with as many folks as possible so that you can really analyze and understand your competition's pitch.
4. Distill the marketing into competitive positions. Figure out exactly what it is your competition is saying, and to whom. What's their positioning statement?

But the real curve ball, for me at least, came in his fifth step, and this is what I think you'll find most handy.

5. Map the competitive positions you discover.

From Marketing Sherpa's interview:

After identifying competitors’ marketing positions, you need to create a map of the competitive landscape to help you visualize where competitors have staked out territory -- and where openings might exist that you can exploit.

Start by logging the results in a table, placing the names of the companies in column headings and then assigning the different marketing positions to rows. Type an “X” underneath each company next to the primary message (or messages) of their ad statement.

Next, turn that table into a graphic. Abinanti has a team member build an Excel application that turns tables into star-shaped charts that plot competitors’ names along or between different legs representing each marketing position statement (see creative samples below). You can also build a chart manually in PowerPoint.

If you find that each competitor is using a unique marketing concept and, therefore, no clear groupings are emerging, consider combining similar ideas into a single concept to see if a pattern exists. For example, in Abinanti’s analysis of the enterprise CPM market he combined concepts such as predictable performance and better business performance to group companies.

A good competitive map will show you where competitors are clustered and which marketing concepts are most commonly employed. From there, it’s back to brainstorming (preferably with the same team who performed the competitive analysis) to determine your own company’s marketing position that will stand out from the crowd.

3 Simple Steps To Find Your USP

Everyone needs one. Not everyone has one. It's the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – the single thing you tout that sets you apart from your competition. Yet discovering a truly unique selling proposition is daunting and rare. Here are some straightforward tips to help you make your marketing message stand out in a crowd.

Study your competition. What are they saying? How are they saying it? You need to know your playing field before you jump into the game. Whatever their message, you want yours to be different.

Be creative. It doesn't matter if your business, product, or service really is just like your competition's and nothing at all sets you apart (although I think this is unlikely). So long as you're the only one saying what you're saying, your message will be heard. I once helped a massage parlor double its response rate on a direct mail postcard simply by highlighting how they served hot teas in their lobby. Almost all the local massage parlors served hot teas, but this was the only one to advertise the complimentary service.

Be unique. Don't succumb to the rudderless, nondescript, “me too” method of business that relies solely on the sheer momentum of the marketplace. Be unique. A local midwife I know saw her business increase by 40% when she began renting out office space to and holding monthly workshops by other like-minded professionals (a homeopathic natural doctor, a lactation consultant, and a yoga instructor). Think of ways you can dress up your product or service, pick one that sounds easy, and then do it.

You are not your competition. So, why are you trying your hardest to look like them, sound like them, and perform like them? Don't follow the throng! Find your USP and multiply your marketing dollars!