As a copywriter, I love exploring the nuances of language and finding the one word that will hit the point home–because despite what the thesaurus says, no two words mean exactly the same thing. And sometimes, changing just one word can make a HUGE difference. Case in point…I recently heard a new radio ad for [...]

People often use dating analogies when they’re talking about getting clients and when you think about it, a ton of similarities exist. So here are some marketing lessons from an online dating site… 1. Whether it’s an online profile or your website, visitors usually don’t know a single thing about you–and they’re pretty skeptical. After [...]

When it comes to killer marketing, the Kennedy Glazer folks are usually at the top of the list. And when it comes to “lost” customers, it’s no exception. I let my subscription to the No BS Marketing Newsletter lapse a few months ago and recently received a 6 x 9 envelope touting the No BS [...]

First of all, “One” is supposed to be a number…as in: “One love, one life, when there’s one need in the night…” as the U2 song goes. “One” should NEVER be used as a pronoun. Especially when you’re writing something you actually want prospects and clients to read. (Or anyone to read, for that matter. [...]

Last week Deidre Hughey of The Buzz Builder interviewed me about the 7 Deadly Sins of Web Copy for her Author Buzz radio show, and then we took a few questions from listener’s at the end. Wanna listen? Here it is: (I have to warn you though–I had bronchitis when we recorded it, so my [...]

“There’s a 19th century mustiness that hangs over the semicolon,” says William Zinsser in On Writing Well–one of the best all-time books on writing non-fiction. And that quote that pretty much sums up the problem. Semi-colons (;) reek of mind-numbingly dull term papers. So 99% of the time they have NO business being used in [...]

Here’s a great example of what NOT to do with a postcard. Postcards can be a very affordable and effective direct mail piece–done right. Or even mostly right. This one, however, is nowhere close. There’s… – NO headline to get your attention – NO problem or solution being addressed – NO real offer being made [...]

Humor is a great way to make a message memorable–if it’s used wisely. Often the humor eclipses the message instead of underscoring it. Sprint Nextel’s new “Wedding” commercial is a great example of doing it right. There are actually a few others in the series but this has to be my favorite–I can’t decide whether [...]

You can reach far more prospects if you’re not the only one out there touting your services. That’s why referrals are so great–others are essentially out there marketing for you. But you can also seek out referral partnerships as well. One of the strategies from last week’s 5 Ways to Get New Clients Now call [...]

Good copy also has to have good copy design (aka cosmetics). Two key purposes of copy cosmetics are: Make the copy easier and faster to read Emphasize important points you want the reader to “get” So here are some common crimes I see when I’m reviewing copy: ALL CAPS. It’s fine to use all caps [...]