Thursday, August 26, 2010

Where Marketing And Copywriting Converge

By Brian Layne

Imagine your competition breaking in to your encrypted network to steal your strategic business plan. But if your marketing was doing things right, all your competition would need is your best sales letter. Why?

Because quality copy will hone into the essence of your business strategy by exposing the right message that reaches the heart of your target market. Demonstrating their buying process. The motivating factors that get them to buy. The features that help place your product BEYOND what the competition can or will provide. The wording that enraptures the market's most valuable customers for maximum life time customer value. And much more.

However: Your competition will find it near impossible to replicate. Why? Because copy is never a collection of creative wishful thinking. Rather, copywriting done right will blend your company's genuine advantages with irresistible brand strengthening benefits though a compelling personal brand story. Your competition can not compete on those grounds.

What Are Your Marketing Objectives? A good copywriter can near effortlessly reel off high quality copy for short-term gains by evolving pre-existing collateral. But beyond that short-term promotional sales uplift, copywriting can 'get at the roots' of your business strategy to support a sustained and 'irresistible' competitive advantage. In Marketing Due Diligence, McDonald, Smith and Ward explain: "Market definition should be described in terms of a customer need, in a way which covers the aggregation of all the alternative products or services that customers regard as being capable of satisfying that same need."

Legendary copywriter Gene Schwartz put it thus: "Your markets sophistication depends on how many similar products, and how many competing ads... the goal is to be at exactly the right place, at the right time, with the right gadget or gizmo - To discover, intensify, and revitalise the desires held by a market. To focus those already existing desires onto a particular product."

The more your copywriter uses a crystal clear copy platform which defines the target audience, the more your advertising will produce high-performance results.

Here's where marketing and copywriting come together. Your copywriter must understand the essence of your company and product to build brand preference and response 'inside the mind' of your target audience.

"Positioning starts with a product. A piece of merchandise, a service, a company, an institution, or even a person. Perhaps yourself. But positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect." - Positioning - The Battle For Your Mind, Al Ries and Jack Trout

Consider beer. First there was just beer. Brands like Miller, Schlitz, Heineken and Carlsberg. Which to choose? But then came Miller Light. A new market category was instantly formed for the market segment concerned about calories and weight. Miller created and owned a new market category. How can your company create and own an entirely new market category?

Your Product Positioning Statement - To really empower your copywriter, work together to select a suitable company/product positioning statement for the brief. Something to the effect of: My product helps [whom?] do [what?], [when?], better than any other product in the world by [how?]. With strong product positioning, your copywriter can produce rock-solid sales messages for you.

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Powerful Article Rewrite Software Tool For PLR Articles

By Todd Harmons

Why do you write articles online? To make money or for fun? Do you get tired of seeing other people make money with writing articles? Do you wish you make the article writing process easier and less time consuming. I would encourage you read the rest of this article rewriting blog to see how I learned how to use PLR articles effectively in my article marketing campaigns.If you're like me you in all likeliness have gobs of 'PLR' content lying around on your computer. It's easy to get in the habit of joining membership websites and downloading everything they have to offer, just because it's there. After all you bought it, so you might as well take advantage of it.

But when it comes time to tweak and rewrite those articles, you'd truthfully rather do anything but that!

Well, I have marvelous news for you. Rewriting articles just got a great deal less complicated!

I've found a unique software system that produces rewriting articles an complete breeze! And unlike most other article rewriting systems that are "a breeze" to use, this one produces articles that people will actually want to read, and it will do it all very quick!

Do I have your attention now? WordFlood could just be the perfect article rewriting tool. It's powerful, simple to use, and currently being offered at a very special price!

But don't take my word for it. Download a free fully-functional 2 week trial run by clicking on the link below and see for yourself! If you have anything to do with rewriting articles, then you're gonna enjoy this little rewriting tool! For more information visit WordFlood. You could improve your article writing results immensely using a article rewriting software program like the WordFlood Rewriting Program.

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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Significance Of Trademark In Cyberspace

By Alex Finn

Any discussion on the requirement of trademark laws in cyberspace invariably leads to the necessity of trademarks for domain names. This is quite crucial in light of the fact that your domain name conveys your identity and also highlights your services to the consumers.

A domain name that is protected by trademark not only helps you to sue persons infringing your mark and making use of it as their personal mark but also protects you from being perceived as the owner of their website that might be making use of an exact or deceptively similar domain name as yours.

However, you should undertake a search on the database of domain names to see if your proposed mark is violating any of the already existing ones. The search must include a close study of marks that are quite similar in spelling, sound or even meaning to the domain name you have chosen for your website. You should file an application for registration only after you are certain that your trademark is distinct enough to avoid any possible violation.

For this objective, it is advisable to take help of a lawyer, preferably a cyber law specialist, who also has a comprehensive knowledge of trademark laws. This can go a long way in preventing future conflicts related to possible infringement.

You must take into consideration the fact that the domain name that you want to trademark must be more than an ordinary web address to draw users to your site. It must be an identity that differentiates your services from others.

Other than domain names and their possible violation, keyword infringement is a new problem in cyberspace, wherein original trademarks are lifted and used as keywords in ads put up through Yahoo, Google, and MSN, with the obvious purpose of creating a misunderstanding and confusing among the customers.

If the promotional ads help in boosting the sales of the trademark owner, it is not a violation but the problem arises when the infringer starts using such ads for promoting his own product for a commercial advantage.

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How To Hire Article Writers

By Davion Wong

If you feel like you do not have that much time to compose your own essays for your website, then it can be a very good idea if you are going to hire article writers. This way, you will no longer have to compose yourself and you are also assured about the quality of the content of your site. And if you want to produce more essays to improve the traffic that is being generated towards your site, then you might want to consider getting a few people to compose for you.

It is very easy to hire article writers because there are a lot of people who have the capabilities to create very good essays. However, you also need to remember that this is not a very simple task because the success of your business totally depends on this one. Although you may have hundreds of applicants, it is necessary that you pick only the best.

If you are going to hire article writers, you have to make sure that you are going to get only the bets. Of course, it is necessary that they know how to compose essays, reviews, and commentaries. This is very important because you do not want to get someone who is not skilled with these kinds of things. They should also know the basic grammar and spelling rules.

It will also do you good if you are going to look for someone who knows your niche. This is much better because you are assured that he knows what he is dealing about. But if he is really not that good with your niche, then it is enough that he knows how to research.

It is also necessary for you to look for someone who can adapt to varying styles, themes, moods, and format. They should be flexible enough as it is very important that your site is not one-dimensional.

Of course, you should also never forget to see to it that they can meet deadlines. This is very important because you do not want to pay someone who is constantly delayed in submitting his work. The deadlines will actually depend on your agreement.

And lastly, if you are going to hire article writers, you should also make sure that they know your goals. This way, you are assured that they will be able to convey your message more accurately.

It can be very beneficial if you are going to hire article writers but you have to be certain that they are really fit for the job.

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

10 Article Writing Keys For Newbies

By Alfred Lancer

This article on the 10 (no, 11... yes, 11) tips for newbies is not written from the catbird seat point of view of the article host or database manager. Rather it is by and from the perspective of an author who remembers the early misgivings. It is written especially for the beginning article writer. The Tennessee Mountain Man has written and submitted hundreds of articles for publication to thousands of article hosts and database managers and still finds Article Writing his nemesis.

1. Necessity vs Desire:

Articles and Blogs are necessary in today's scheme of search engine indexing. Not what the newbie wants to hear. Just remember what the Bible says, "there has nothing over taken you that is not common to man". That's right! All of us hate article and Blog writing at times, and some of us dread the journey to pen and paper (or keyboard as the case may be) all the time. Many a webmaster would call them "a necessary evil" as they are not generally anyone's best liked house keeping chores.

2. Just Start, It Gets Easier:

First it is sometimes difficult to get a subject or theme and to get the first couple of lines scribbled down. The Tennessee Mountain Man knows authors who literally get sick thinking about the process. Lighten up. Once an author has a starting point and gets passed the initial thoughts, article and Blog writing usually goes fairly smoothly.

The main thing is that you get started. Pick a subject you know something about and just start. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how easily ideasflow. Don't assume everyone knows what you know. They don't. Will Rogers once said, "all men are ignorant, just on different subjects". And, so it is!

3. Good vs Perfection:

Your old English comp professor is not looking over your shoulder. This paper does not have to be perfect. That is not to say it does not have to be on point or to say that it does not have to be correct. It does or at least it should be. But, perfection is not the goal and is, in fact, seldom possible. Too much detail and you run the risk of losing your reader on several levels. Too long and most readers simply don't have the time or interest to wade through the material regardless of how important it is.

4. Blog Length vs Article Length:

Most publishers want a minimum of six hundred (600) words per article - some will let you slide with four hundred (400) words. Blogs can be much smaller. Blogs can and maybe should support appropriate pictures and embedded links.

Just don't over do it. Too gaudy or too slow to load and you have wasted your time, ticked off a potential reader, and probably upset a host who can ban you from their publications. Articles, on the other hand, typically cannot carry these extra touches according to the requirements of most publishers.

5. Format:

Prepare your article in American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. There are many tools from which to choose to get the job done. A search for 'free ASCII editor' or for 'free plain text editors' will provide one with a multitude of free options. Word Press is a popular choice. If all else fails simply use notepad to turn out your masterpiece.

6. Spelling and Grammar:

Once you have your article or Blog run it through a good spell checker and a good grammar checker. Microsoft Word works well for these purposes. Just don't use the MS Word copy for publication of your article. Rather use it's suggestions to make any necessary corrections to your plain text copy. The MS Word copy will work for Blogs although the Computerman prefers other editors.

Just like the days when you were pushed by Profs, you will find Article and Blog writing skills become easier with time and practice.

7. Publish and Announce:

Once your Blog is ready you may want to use some automatic tools to publish and announce it. First do a search for Blog hosts and select those which best suit your needs. Join one or more and publish your Blog there. Then search for Blog announcers and rss announcers and use them to get your Blog noticed.

Now that you have that out of the way find an article wizard that will post your Articles to free publishers. You can post them one at a time by hand if you are really bored and have absolutely nothing else in life to do. Using an automatic poster you can publish to hundreds of hosts in an hour or so. The only way to go.

8. Patience:

Now, have some patience. Here is where you lose control. Many of the men and women who host articles are timely and your articles will be reviewed within twenty-four (24) to forty-eight (48) hours. But, many others will be days and weeks down the road therefore never date an article - a sure way to get rejected.

9. Rejection - "sorry your article has been declined":

Be prepared for most hosts to reject your articles. Do not take it personally. It usually has little to do with you or your article.

Some databases routinely reject articles for spelling errors when there are none or where there is more than way to spell a word. And, just as in any other endeavor some hosts are simply too lazy and get so far behind, the easiest and fastest thing to do (and perhaps the only alternative) is to reject everything. You will learn who these are over time.

Then there are those who run your articles through the sausage grinder and if they find certain words, irrespective of how they are used, your article gets no farther. These are the people who can't publish the Holy Bible because it contains words that offend them or their readers. Don't worry about these folks who are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly use.

Remember, just as in everything else in life, for every rule there is an exception

10. Keep the faith, and keep cranking out articles:

Since most authors, especially newbies, prepare only one copy of an article against the advice of most seasoned authors it is important that the newbie keep his chin up - keep the faith. That will be easier as more and more of your articles are accepted and published driving visitors to your website while creating those all important back links.

It is not necessary that every host to accept everything submitted to them. After one or two hosts publish your article on any given subject, the search engines tend to penalize you anyway by ignoring additional postings. This is close to spamming and while it could help someone find you, it probably won't. It is not necessarily, the more the merrier. The additional listings will not increase your page rankings or links reported by the search engines. It is more important to get published by hosts with the highest Google page rank possible.

Now, one BONUS TIP for you: Along with "the rejection slip" will usually come a suggestion on how to "fix" your article and a request that you resubmit it. Don't waste your time. While trying comply with one database manager's request you could have written a new article from which you get much more punch. Enough publishers will pick your article up so move on and save yourself some time and heartburn.

Everybody has a thought or idea at least once a day usually at the most inopportune time. How many good ideas have you lost because of waiting? Don't procrastinate! Go! Capture that thought before it is gone forever.

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Collection Letter Writing In Plain English

Usually the best first approach to debt-collection letters is a reminder. If the reminder to pay doesn't work, you may need a follow-up letter. Occasionally, when all else fails, you may need to send a final demand letter that explains what will happen if you don't receive payment.
Checklist

1. Remember that your aim is to recover the debt and keep the customer.
2. Check the amount is right and it's still outstanding.
3. Use a firm but friendly tone.
4. Do not apologize for asking for what is due.
5. Decide how to persuade the reader:

* Benefit to customer
* Fair play
* Easy way to pay
* Penalty
* Legal action

6. Use one of these letters:

* Short reminder
* Follow-up letter
* Final demand

7. Show you are confident they will pay.
Reminder

If a customer has not paid your invoice, the first letter should be a polite reminder. Use a short, natural message to remind the customer and either send a copy of the invoice or provide the information they need to know what to pay.

Use a simple, short message to remind the customer to pay the account now. Often printed on a copy of the invoice or statement, a short card or the shortest of letters is the best approach.
Follow-up Letter

The follow-up letter needs stronger wording that doesn't offend the customer. The best approach is to appeal to the reader's sense of fairness and to give a reason for paying. From the customer's viewpoint, the reason might be to offer an easy way to solve the problem, to avoid a poor credit rating, or to avoid having to pay cash for future orders and so on.
Final Demand Letter

Your aim is now to collect the money due. Don't be afraid of upsetting the reader. You can even threaten legal action. If you do make a direct threat, do not back down. Decide on your approach:

* Sanction
* Legal action
* Debt-collection agency

Whatever strategy you use, make sure you leave room for the customer to pay the debt.

Grammar Software for Collection Letter

StyleWriter is a Word add-on. You click on a button and in seconds it has checked the whole document for the three main obstacles to understanding: long sentences, passive verbs, and hard words. It gives the document a score for the first two, and an overall score for clarity. It is a good choice for plain english writing.

If you need english grammar checking, whitesmoke grammar checker will be suitable for your colllection letter writing

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