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Jan
30

The true power of raw emotions in your writing

By | Copywriting, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Writing

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The past couple weeks have been rough for me.

Some very personal things happening that I won’t get into right now.

But what I do want to talk about is emotion.

Pure emotions that strip you down to the core.

The kinds guys don’t like to talk about…

…but girls typically freely share.

Ya, those ones.

Those are the ones I have been going through lately.

They drain me.

But the inspire me too.

Some of my best writing happens when I am in that raw emotional state that I love to hide from others.

Words flow through me unlike any other time.

I don’t know where those words come from… but they sure feel good to put down on the paper.

Tapping into those emotions is one of those secrets of the best marketing campaigns in the world.

When you can feel the tears well up when you read “In Memory of Blue” on the Saddleback Leather Site
(http://www.sbackleather.com).

That memoir he wrote on his dog blue is THE MOST DISCUSSED PAGE on his blog.  He gets DOZENS of comments, emails, and Facebook posts about that page.

Much like my “Ode to Entrepreneurs” article I sent out last week
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/an-ode-to-entrepreneurs-3/…

              …I wrote that in a raw emotional state that truly made me blank out the actual writing of that article.

When I was finished, I shook my head and realized I had just written something without thinking.

It came from the heart.

…and people are commenting on it daily.

YOU need to tap into those emotions.

Find something, anything, to get yourself fired up and in that unprotected state.

Then pour your words onto the screen or pad of paper.

Magic happens there.

Miracles too.

Find it, nurture it, and feed it.

Emotions are the KEY to fantastic marketing.

Dig yours out and let them free.

…as tough as that is for guys like me.

Try it, please.

Troy

PS: Telling a great story is an excellent way to start re-discovering your emotions.  Finding the stories that make you cry, or laugh hysterically, is a learnable art and craft.  It makes your emails shine and your website magnetic.

The home study version of the Story Selling Coaching Class is ready this week…  Get yours through this link

https://responsivedm.infusionsoft.com/app/manageCart/addProduct?productId=274

(for full details of everything you get – minus the actual live coaching – go to http://www.storysellingtips.com)

Jan
25

The curious case of the “bespoke brief”

By | Copywriting, Email Marketing, Writing

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Another bizarre email request came through my blog today.

I wanted to share with you the email I got, and the unusual lessons that are inside.

First, I get lots of requests through my blog contact page.

Some of them are for helping with marketing campaigns, others are asking for money, some are joint venture requests, and then other times….I get this kind of nonsense.

“I hope you are well. {NOTE: no personalization – shows a lack of real effort or research on who actually writes for the site.  It would take about 2.3 seconds at the most to figure out my name}
After reading your blog, I think you may be interested in a project I run that would be great for your site.

{NOTE: if they truly read my blog, they should have put something in here to prove that they did, and didn’t just hire someone to do this en masse}

We are looking for partners that we can place a page of our high quality editorial content with, in which the article will be written directly to a bespoke brief produced by you. In exchange we would like to place a link back to one of our blue chips client’s sites.

{NOTE: ‘Bespoke brief’?  Who talks like that?  I sure as hell don’t! Nor would I EVER recommend you do.  I had to think about what it actually meant…and any time you ask someone to get out a dictionary to decipher your message, they are done…toast…vamoose…later gator.  Never try and impress people with your creative use of big words.  It doesn’t impress anyone}

{NOTE: So they want to put one of their clients content pieces on my site, with my endorsement, and a link back to their client’s sites?  Wow! I am so excited!!!  What an amazing opportunity for me.  I am such a lucky guy and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for me! What am I waiting for…this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. YEESH.  That is the best they can do, is it?  There is truly NOTHING in it for me with their offer. Put crap up on MY site with a link back to some other person’s site…how enticing.  How about I write my own content and link back to MY products, services, or recommended resources? Go figure.}

We endeavour to produce the highest quality content for our partner sites. I can assure you that all of our clients are recognised corporate brands, so the quality of your site will not be affected by the link within it.I’m sure you receive many e-mails similar to this, offering services at the lower end of the quality spectrum. {company name} Limited have worked on a high end proposition, we are content providers not spammy link builders. Please visit www.{removed for privacy}.com so you can get more of a feel for who we are and what we do.

{NOTES: Yes I do get lots of this nonsense…thanks for thinking of me.  Yours is no better and actually may be worse.  Now go away please.}

If you are interested in partnering with us, or have any questions regarding this opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact me.

{NOTE: Can’t wait!}

I look forward to hearing from you.Kindest Regards

…….

Maybe these guys have a great business doing this, I have no idea. The approach they took with this email SUCKED though.  I can’t think of a more useless piece of trash.

Always remember when soliciting new business….the potential customer you are contacting has 2 very important questions they quickly want an answer to:

1) “What’s in it for me?”  This email never once answered that question.  Yet it is the most important one of all.   Put some serious thought into the answer to this when writing emails or approaching prospects.  If you don’t address this – expect them to dismiss your ‘wonderful offer’ much like I have here.

2) “So what?”   Each and every line in your email request (or letter, or postcard, etc) should answer the question.  Put content on my site? So what?  I write my own.  A link back to their site?  So what?  I don’t want to promote some moron I don’t know, trust, or like.

Put some thought into your emails and prospecting efforts.

Please!

Don’t let your email request get caught in a review like this one!

Answer those 2 questions and you will get a much more friendly response than this :O)

Troy

Jan
17

Thick skinned marketing approaches

By | advertising, Copywriting, Direct response, Entrepreneur, Main Content

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Yet again, I truly do wonder why I bother doing what I do.

The strangest phenomenon in my business is client resistance to trying something, anything, new.

For 10 years now I have been selling products online, writing copy for myself and for others, and have built up a solid reputation.

…I’m not perfect and have messed up along the way.

But I have stuck to my ground on using direct response copy and marketing…to avoid promoting the scam artists online…to avoid preaching the get-rich-overnight-bs…and to always test small and roll out big.

There were many distractions along the way that I could have followed, or recommended…

…but I didn’t.

And I CANNOT FIGURE FOR THE LIFE OF ME, why people would hire a copywriter or marketing consultant for help…and COMPLETELY ignore the help given.

It happens all the time.

“Well that’s not the way we do it”

“I’m not comfortable trying it that way”

“It is just too far off from what we are used to doing”

…the excuses are varied.

Marketing and copywriting fears erased here daily

Press the delete button on your marketing and copywriting fears and try something new for a change!

But the problem is the same: thin skin.

I personally am willing to try all kinds of new approaches in my marketing – because I have seen time and time again the breakthroughs that happen there (I just test a weird approach with some Facebook ads the other day on one of my own products and found a wickedly good response).

I also understand that most marketing and copy tests fail.

It’s a fact of life!

Ask any marketing or copy veteran who’s been doing this for a decade or more.

More tests fail than succeed.

But the ones that succeed do so in a big way and MORE than make up for the failures.

…failure IS how you discover success.

So don’t be yet another one of those thin-skinned-entrepreneurs.

Thicken your skin real quick now, ok?

The best way is through testing new approaches and failing.

Try all kinds of things to see what works and doesn’t.

Accept that you WILL get complaints along the way (hint: that’s because you are actually communicating with prospects and clients… you never got complaints before because they NEVER heard from you!)

And when you hire a marketer or copywriter, test out their approaches before cutting them down.

One of those approaches just might dig you out of that massive hole you put yourself in by not communicating with your clients.

Try it… you might like seeing your sales grow faster than ever before.

Ok?

Troy

PS: The quickest way to get thick skin while trying all kinds of new approaches is with my 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com

Packed with daily, weekly, and monthly marketing ideas – crammed with copy-and-paste postcards, letters, emails and sales campaigns you can send to your own list. This is a gem for those who want to succeed in a BIG way this year.

Try it… you might like it.

Dec
20

How to repurpose marketing ideas into your own

By | Copywriting, Entrepreneurial Spirits

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Nothing I love more than hearing a story about someone who hears an idea I shared, and then goes out and does something with it.

I wish it happened more often than it does (or at least than I hear of).

After 9.8 years in this business I have written hundreds upon hundreds of articles around marketing, copywriting, lead generation and internet marketing.

Just a few days ago I wrote this article about Mountain Woven Money Making Advertisements. It shares the story of a very successful single page ad that sold 26,000 neck ties in a single run.

My friend Marilyn Jenett took that article to heart and has done something beautiful with it.

Something that not only helps you, but helps feed the homeless during the Christmas Season.

I think her awesome headline says it all…

Feed a Homeless Person and Your Spirit  
Through December 31, 2011 for Only $2

http://www.feelfreetoprosper.com/holiday-secrets-ebook.html

Please have a look at how Marilyn took the ideas in that Mountain Woven article and used them to create a lovely offer that helps those in need right now.

$2 is not a lot of money to you and I, but it means a meal to someone who may have to go without.

Give up that next small Starbucks coffee and invest in Marilyn’s generous offer instead.

(actually, I don’t think you can even get a small coffee at Starbucks for $2!… but you CAN feed the homeless with it).

Merry Christmas!

Troy

Dec
02

Biker babes and bad-ass story success

By | Autoresponders, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Writing

1 Comment

I’m a big fan of Sons of Anarchy.

Hadn’t even heard of it until recently, when a friend gave me seasons 1 through 3 on dvd.

Spellbound and a major time vampire.

Sons of Anarchy has turned out to be one of the best series I have ever seen with some of the most powerful, emotion wrenching storylines I’ve experienced.

The best part is that they use some of the same principles I unexpected have been teaching through my emails and in my Story Selling Coaching calls.

A very basic tool that keeps your prospects interested in hearing from you.

…one that grows your business by leaps and bounds over the years if you use it.

Guess what it is?

If you guessed a fantastic story line (something everyone, yes… you too, can create in their marketing), you are correct.

But there is something else other than the main story line that keeps people craving more and addicted to the characters.

Cliffhangers.

Everywhere.

The amazing writers behind this series are masters at creating tension through cliffhangers.

“Will Jax kill him?”

“Will she tell SAMCRO the one thing that will rip the entire club apart at the seams?”

“Will the Doctor be able to save her career… or be subjected to years as a ‘biker-babe’?”

Each episode leaves more unanswered questions in the viewers mind.

Unbelievably addictive…

…and I am not much for watching a lot of tv.

Get this though:

5.8 million viewers per episode

Highest-rated basic cable drama in the US

Emmy nominated

2011 Golden Globe Winner (Katey Sagal… THE best character I think… and a big surprise Peg Bundy could end up to be such an amazing actress. She was also nominated for numerous other acting awards for her role)

 

…much of it through the incredible use of hooks and cliffhangers.

Something you should be working on in your marketing campaigns.

It’s works like gangbusters and isn’t that hard to do when you practice it a wee bit.

I’ve used it for myself and for many different clients over the years.

 …and the clients and prospects LOVE IT.

A great story, mixed into your marketing and personality-driven communication with your clients/prospects… sprinkled with a dash of cliffhanger and BAM, you have a winning campaign.

One they will want more of.

One they will continue to open, read, and act on.

And you know what?

I’m teaching this in the Story Selling Coaching Club.

To find out the full details and to reserve yourself a spot, go to:

http://www.storysellingtips.com

 

Troy White

Nov
30

Best of Craigslist

By | Copywriting, Wacky marketing ideas

2 Comments

I don’t spend much time on Craigslist…but I have recently found some pure GOLD there!

WARNING: What follows is rated R.  Profanity is throughout it.

Consider yourself warned.

BEST. SALES. LETTER. EVER.

here is where I found it (I copied it below)

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/2549849730.html

Best. Roommate. Ever.

Date: 2011-08-16, 10:06AM PDT

 

Konichiwa bitches. Are you looking for the most kick-ass fucking roommate that ever lived? If so, look no further. You fucking found him. I’m a 25-year-old professional marketing agent with experience at bad-ass companies in New York Fucking City. That’s right! What you know about experience? I graduated from Auburn University in Alabama, and moved to NYC at the ripe, tender age of 22. After deciding that New York was a stinky shit-hole, I moved back to Alabama to cultivate more professional experience. Why? So I can make millions of dollars and not have to post shit like this on Craigslist.Anyway, so I landed this job with a marketing firm in San Francisco, and I have no fucking clue where to live. Honestly, I’m moving there in 3 weeks, so I don’t give a shit if I have to sleep in your bathtub.

A bit about me: I’m respectful, quiet, clean and I won’t bother any of your shit. If you leave shit out, I’m just like, “Oh fuck I better not mess with this shit, because it’s not mine.” I turn off lights. I clean toilets. Fuck it. I’ll even cook for you. That’s right! My dad is a chef and taught me everything there is to know about cooking southern cajun cuisine. I’ll fry green tomatoes, cover them with marinated crab meat and smother that shit in bearnaise. EVERY. GODDAMN. NIGHT. Don’t eat meat? That’s fucking FANTASTIC! I’ll make a zucchini and yellow squash carpaccio that will knock your fucking socks off.

I also read a lot. I fucking LOVE books. Vonnegut, Palahniuk, Hawthorne. All that shit. I read Tuesdays with Morrie the other day. It’s a sad story, but I learned something about life, love, knowledge and the pursuit of something greater than myself. Fucking smart. Do you like movies? I fucking love them. We can watch the shit out of some movies together if you like, or go get drinks, or work out, hike, play video games or play a game of one-on-one basketball, or I don’t have to talk to you at all. It’s completely UP TO YOU!

Sometimes I play guitar. Are you going to love getting baked and listening to Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd? LIVE? WHENEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT? Of course you are! I’ll take requests and learn any song you like, because I have the voice of an angel and the acoustical stylings of James Fucking Taylor. AWWWWWW SHIT YEA!

A lot of people ask me, “Hey, you’re from Alabama. Are you racist?” And, the answer to that question is, no. I’m not racist or judgmental at all. I love everyone. I’m a secular humanist. I FUCKING LOVE PEOPLE. That’s the only requirement to being a secular humanist actually. You have to like other human beings and want to help them for no other reason than they are human regardless of race, religion or sexual preference. WTF?!!!? Pretty fucking cool right?

I own almost nothing! I’m driving my car from Alabama to California in which I’ll be transporting two duffelbags of clothes, one laptop computer, one guitar, one cell-phone with charger, 8 pairs of shoes, one picture frame, probably some condoms and a shitload of beef jerky and Pringles for the trip. Though, you can expect the jerky to be gone upon my arrival. Unless you’d like me to pick up some on my way into the city. See?! I’m the most considerate person you’ve ever met. I’m offering to buy you shit already!

Am I interested in your pad? You can bet my nomadic ass I am! I only require 4 walls, a ceiling and a floor to shelter me from the elements. Other than that, anything else will be considered a convenient plus. I’m taking being a roommate to the next level. Email me! I’ll hook yo ass up with Facebook links, background checks, credit reports, phone numbers, resumes, references, awards, sexual history, pictures of karate trophies and a list of the top 10 women I’d like to bang before I die. If you want a next-generation roommate who consistently blows your fucking mind with awesomeness, then hit me up. I’m ready to give you money.

  • cats are OK – purrr
  • dogs are OK – wooof
  • it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 2549849730

 

What is the lesson?  This letter is littered with profanity, but it the ultimate example of a passion-penned piece of work. Either this person is a well versed writer, or he has a real gift for the written word that needs to be used for better purposes.

Getting into the writing flow like this person did here is EVERY writers goal.  

When you get there, it flows effortlessly and you really don’t even have to think much of what to say… it just appears in front of you on the screen or on the paper.  It is a magical thing.

THAT is where hugely profitable ads and sales letters are created – and millions are made for the business owner.

Look past the swearing here and note the flow, the passion, and the incredible persuasiveness this letter has.

Lots of good ideas in here for the astute.

My thoughts anyhow.

Troy

PS: There is a whole section on Craigslist for best of ads – some of them are GREAT – this is one of the best though.

Here they are… http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/all/

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