business
How to Win Support for Employee Generated Content
If you’re a marketing manager, chances are that you’re already sold on the benefits of employee-generated content. It’s a potent sales tool when used correctly. The problem is, getting your fellow employees to actually create content is hard. They’re busy with their own work, stressed, and… wait, isn’t that your job anyway? Moreover, even when ... Read more
How Important is the KLT Factor in Selling?
Used car salesmen — ya gotta love em’! OK, you don’t. But you do have to admire them from a marketing standpoint. Why is that? Because they completely trample one of modern marketing’s sacred cows — the know, like, trust factor (i.e., KLT factor). They seem to run on nothing more than bluster, moxie, and ... Read more
My First Crack at Opening a Business
What follows is a snippet of an article I wrote for Bplans. It details exactly where I went wrong in my prep work for opening a business. My guess is anyone who’s explored striking out on their own will see themselves in this piece. It’s a lil’ embarrassing: When I first mentioned my plans to ... Read more
Lesson Learned from a Self-Inflicted Craigslist Scam
I’m a direct response copywriter. I sell — via the written word — for a living. And I’ve come to think of myself as savvy and borderline impervious to pitches. Which probably explains why I got knocked down a peg last week. You could (but please don’t) say I had it coming. Lemme explain… Scam ... Read more
What Makes a Good Copy Writer? Five Traits to Look For
If you’ve ever shopped for a copy writer, for a one-off project or for a full-time role, you know how hard it can be to choose one. After all, while good copy writing is not an esoteric art, it’s also not common knowledge. Quite often, the persuasion elements of copywriting are hidden from the untrained ... Read more
Do Copy Writing “Trade Secrets” Really Exist?
Do copy writing trade secrets really exist? Put another way, is writing copy “not generally known or reasonably ascertainable” by a novice? The answer, like so many other questions in business, is yes… and no. Yes: copy writing is definitely not generally known by those outside of marketing circles. Ask them what copy writing is ... Read more
2 (Sneaky) Design Problems of Poor Lead Gen Content
Despite what some marketing “ninjas” claim, most lead generation content doesn’t KILL IT (!) right out the gate. In fact, tracing a sale to stand-alone lead gen content (for any product more than $100) is about as common as finding a frog with wings. You see, just as selling anything substantial in-person can’t be rushed ... Read more
How Media Coverage of Politics Can Ruin Your Business
One of the um… interesting… things about media coverage in America is the fixation on politics, especially the office of the President. Take big city newspapers for example. They reserve the front page almost exclusively for the Chief Executive and a few celebrity politicians. They hang on every (meaningless) word that spills from their mouths. ... Read more
How to Sell to Subscription Service Customers
SaaS, pronounced “sass” (as in sassy), is a Silicon Valley acronym for Software as a Service. Personally, I’m not a fan. Sounds too much like the A-word (a synonym for “donkey”). But they had to come up with something because the business model didn’t really exist a few years ago. Now, it’s a gazillion-dollar industry full ... Read more
How to Sell a Job Opening
HR departments, recruiters, and employers themselves generally do a terrible job of selling a job opening. Need proof? Hop on LinkedIn, Indeed, or Monster and have a look. Pick a posting at random and behold: The warmed over, boilerplate language The near absence of enthusiasm The rampant use of clichés The contemptuous, “don’t call us” ... Read more