Joe Robson
The Copywriter
who 'Gets the Net'

"Issue 109   Nov 19th 2003"
Published by Joe Robson http://adcopywriting.com  
Founding Member of 'The International Council of 
Online Professionals'  http://tncinfo.com/icop.htm  
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Previous edition is at http://adcopywriting.com/digest/108.htm 

Please forward this Newsletter to friend - Thank You!

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1. Just Thinking ....

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Hi, glad to have you here:-)

Ramblings are short this time around. I got so carried away that I've created an article from them - see section 2.

Hope you get something from the articles today. There's 4 by me, and a particularly informative one about the pros and cons of Copywriting for Search Engine Optimization. It's by fellow Brit Phil Craven, and is one of the most informative articles on the subject I've come across. He's also got an extremely informative site, so a visit is well worth while.

5 Articles makes the newsletter rather long, so I'll shut up before I get carried away again:-)

Till next time ...

Keep smilin',

Joe.

PS. Before I go, I must tell you about the amazingly easy to use graphics software I've used for over a year (the header graphic for this newsletter was created in just 5 minutes). It's so good I've just purchased the upgrade for it. You can get a free trial of Xara Webstyle 4  at http://tncinfo.com/xara.htm 

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2. Article ... "Long Or Short Copy? - The Endless Debate"
By Joe Robson http://adcopywriting.com 

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I've seen so much stuff these past few weeks on the evergreen
subject of whether long copy or short copy produces better results, I thought it appropriate to expand on my tutorial at
http://adcopywriting.com/Web_Tutorial_W2.htm 

I've seen the usual posts in forums from people who say they are
turned off by long copy. It sucks. It's hype. It's not necessary!

Yeah right! And so the debate goes on. And on. And on.

But it's no coincidence that the biggest exponents of 'short copy at any price' are not Pro Copywriters. Perhaps they feel that Pro Copywriters write long Copy to justify large fees. Heck, if we could churn out nothing else but short sharp sales messages we would.

That is, short sharp Sales Messages that SELL every time!

Sales Copy should be as long as it needs to be to SELL the product. No more - and certainly no less.

Look, the only way to PROVE to yourself which is best, is to write 2 versions and test them! Because no matter how good your Copy is, you will NEVER please everyone. Never!

And just because YOU don't like something doesn't mean everyone
thinks the same. The object of marketing is to target your best
prospective customer and offer THEM what they want. Not what YOU want to offer them!

When I owned an Auto Dealership, I drove Jaguar, Mercedes, BMW,
even a Rolls at one time. I've always preferred a luxury, large engined motor car for my own personal use.

But the people in my catchment area - my target market - could only afford an average priced, average sized, family car like Ford, Nissan, Toyota.

So that's what I offered them - by the bucket full!

Back to the long/short Copy debate ...

Why do companies like Time Life spend millions on 15 minute TV
Infomercials, if they thought they'd sell more music CDs with a 20 second ad?

Because they've tested!

Why does the QVC shopping channel take an hour to sell 15 items,
if they could sell more by giving a brief description of 100 products an hour on our TV screens?

Because they know that the more you tell, the more you sell! But
if you tell it in a boring way, short Copy will fail just as miserably as long Copy.

Incidentally, if you want to study how the experts create more benefits and USPs from a simple widely available product, watch those QVC people in action. That's why my wife spends a fortune with them:-)

Rant over. Until it raises it's head again:-)

================================
You Can Reprint this article in its entirety if you include this resource ...

Joe Robson Writes Sales Copy That SELLS - Period!
http://adcopywriting.com   http://newbieclub.com  
http://headlinewriter.com   http://guruspeak.com  

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3. Article ... "How To Solve The Copywriter's Biggest Problem" By Joe Robson  http://adcopywriting.com 

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I've written and spoken about this subject many times, because it is so difficult for many people to 'get it'.

Even some people think they get it - but don't!

USP - Unique Selling Point.

So I make no apologies for going back to the subject because it is SO vital to the success of any Marketing Piece.

Here's a recent email to me, and my answer. It will make a LOT of sense if you read my tutorial on the subject first, as reference to it is made in the email. It's at http://adcopywriting.com/Tutorial_3_USP.htm   ...

-------- Begins  ....

Joe,

I came across your website and just subscribed to your newsletter. I just read one of your articles, and I either I disagree with your example of a USP, or I misunderstood your explanation...

You mentioned the example of the loaf of bread that said "Suitable for vegetarians" on their package as being a USP. However, since many other breads contain no animal fats, as you pointed out, how can this selling point be "unique"? Just because they are the only ones highlighting this attribute does not mean the attribute is unique to them.

What do you think?

Pete

-------- My Answer ...

Hi Pete,

The whole point I was making - and the point that most people do not 'get' - is that a benefit has to be PERCEIVED to be unique in the eyes of the customer in order to come across as a USP.

To actually BE unique is almost impossible unless it's a new revolutionary product. So a copywriter must create a benefit which is 'perceived by the customer' as being unique - or at least very rare.

In many cases this is done by making a major point of a benefit that your competitors do not mention. THEY don't mention it because
everyone else has it.

So if no-one mentions it, customers are not aware of it - until one guy makes a point of it and then it becomes 'unique' in the customer's eyes.

To the average bread buyer, if 'no animal fat' is buried away in a corner of the package. it isn't seen and a vegetarian will miss it.

But 'Suitable for Vegetarians' on the front of the package 'suggests' that it's unique.

That is until every other bread maker does the same with their labeling!

For instance, at one time food manufacturers in the UK at least, used to state something like '95.2% Fat Free' on their foodstuff product.

Then someone began stating 'Now Contains Less than 5% Fat'.

This gives the 'PERCEPTION' that it's low in fat - a USP. At least to the majority of potential buyers.

Now of course they all do the same, so the USP has disappeared.

But I've seen labeling which states 'Now Contains Less Than 2% Saturated Fat" even though the TOTAL fat content may be much more. The total fat content breakdown is listed on the pack of the package to comply with food regulations.

Hope that clears it up Pete.

Keep smilin',

Joe.
PS. This is an ongoing problem with most people. So I may just mention this in my next newsletter.

Ends
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So to sum up. Finding something totally unique about a product is
sometimes impossible. So you have to bring your reader's attention to a benefit which he/she PERCEIVES to be unique.

Let me relate a real life example ...

A few days ago my wife and I went shopping for a table-top bread baking machine. We've never owned one before so we were total 'bread machine newbies':-)

There were six on display varying from $60 to $200, so we called over a salesman to give advice. He was no expert, but with hundreds of products to sell we didn't expect him to be.

Then my wife pointed to a particular machine and said "that's the one for us - it's ideal".

She pointed to one of the benefits listed on the side of the box

"Overnight timer enables you to bake bread overnight - have warm,
fresh bread for breakfast".

A USP!

But the salesman almost blew a sale by pointing out that all the
machines on display did the same thing, but "They don't say so on the box". What they did say was "Delay Timer".

I wonder how many people buy that particular machine because of it's PERCEIVED unique ability to bake bread overnight?

-------- Web Copy Example.

I own a Publishing license for some excellent headline writing software. I'm not the only one who sells it, but on my Website at
http://headlinewriter.com  I tell the reader that all the headlines for the Web page they are reading were created with the software I am selling. That's unique.

I also tell the reader that even though I am a professional Copywriter, I have so much regard for the software that I purchased a license to sell it, and put my reputation behind it. That's unique.

So to stand apart from the competition ...

1. I use my own Copy - not that written by the software developer
and used by other license holders.

2. I PROVE the software works by using it to create the Web page
headlines and subheads.

3. I tell the reader I'm a Copywriter who believes in it so much I'll stake my reputation on it.

4. I include some quality and relevant bonuses that the author does not.

That's 4 'perceived' unique benefits - or USPs.

But the biggest USP of all is in the main headline itself ...

Rather than tell the reader they will be able to create powerful
headlines, I make a point of telling them that the software will
create ...

'Cash Pulling Sales Copy Headlines, Ebook and Article Titles, PPC Teasers, eBay & Ezine Ads, Envelope Teaser Copy, Classifieds And More.'

That's 'perceived' to be unique!

That's also 5 USPs created from nothing!

Perhaps these are the reasons why the site enjoys such a tremendously high conversion rate!

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You Can Reprint this article in its entirety if you include this resource ...

Joe Robson Writes Sales Copy That SELLS - Period!
http://adcopywriting.com  http://newbieclub.com 
http://headlinewriter.com  http://guruspeak.com 

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4. Article .... "SEO Copywriting, a.k.a. 'search engine
optimization copywriting' or 'search engine copywriting' by Phil Craven.
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What is SEO Copywriting?

SEO Copywriting, or to give it its full name, search engine optimization copywriting or search engine copywriting, is the technique of writing the viewable text on a web page in such a way that it reads well for the surfer, and also targets specific search terms. Its purpose is to rank highly in the search engines for the targeted search terms.

As well as the viewable text, SEO Copywriting usually optimizes other on-page elements for the targeted search terms. These include the Title, Description and Keywords tags, headings and alt text.

The idea behind SEO Copywriting is that search engines want genuine content pages and not additional pages (often called "doorway pages") that are created for the sole purpose of achieving high rankings. Therefore, the engines cannot possibly view SEO copywritten pages as undesirable, and the rankings they achieve tend to be as stable as those that are achieved by other search engine optimization techniques.

Practitioners of the search engine copywriting method recommend around 250 viewable words per page, with one, or at most two,
targeted search terms strategically placed within the text and other on-page elements.

SEO Copywriting strengths

One thing that can be said about search engine optimization copywriting is that works for suitable websites and for suitable search terms (see below). SEO Copywriting can achieve rankings that tend to do well across the search engines, although no page can do equally well in all engines.

It is sometimes said by practitioners of search engine optimization copywriting, that the method tends to maintain its rankings as the engines tweak and change their algorithms, whereas other methods produce less stable rankings.

This can't be true. If 2 pages are in the top 10 search results; one getting there by the SEO copywriting method and the other by
different search engine optimization techniques, they are both there because they match the engine's criteria (algorithm) quite well. When the criteria is changed, the match that each of them had is necessarily changed. The matches could become closer to, or further from, the engine's criteria. Whether each page goes up or down in the results depends on what changes have been made to the engine's criteria. It is a matter of chance, and not a matter of whether SEO copywriting was used or not.

SEO Copywriting weaknesses

Competitive search terms

The technique only works for search terms that are not particularly competitive. Competitive search terms are those where many people are trying very hard to gain the top rankings for their sites. Casino, s. e. x, insurance, health and hotels sites are among the most competitive, and there are many other topics where people fight for rankings. For medium to highly competitive search terms, other, more vigorous, methods are needed.

Suitable sites

Not all websites are suitable for SEO Copywriting. Many simply don't have sufficient text on their pages, and adding text would spoil the design or nature of the sites. Also, some sites that do have sufficient text sometimes don't want to be forced into changing what is written on the pages, just for the sake of the search engines.

Cost, and the limitation of targeted search terms

SEO Copywriting is a time-consuming process, and professional SEO copywriters are not cheap, therefore the cost of each page is significant. Since each page can target only one or two search terms, it would usually require a good number of pages to be made-over in order to target all the required search terms.

Tied to a copywriter

What happens when a website owner finds it necessary to alter the text on a page that has been worked on by a professional SEO copywriter? It can't be done without either ruining the costly
SEO work and, with it, the page's rankings, or re-hiring a professional copywriter to redo the work once the changes have been made.

Slipping in the rankings

If a page is successfully optimized by SEO Copywriting, and is ranked in the top 10 search results for its targeted search term, then the optimization was worth the cost. But what happens when someone else decides to optimize a page from a different website for the same search term? If their optimization technique is successful, and the page gets into the top 10, the #10 page will slip to #11 - and off the first page of results. Then suppose another website does the same thing...and another...and another. Sooner or later, the successful page will slip from the first page of search results. As soon as people decide to optimize their pages for the chosen search terms, existing top 10 pages
are on the way down. Then what?

If the sliding pages were professionally SEO copywritten, there is nothing else that the technique can do for them, or if it can, the whole costly copywriting process must be redone. Adding one or two instances of the target search terms isn't merely a case of typing them in somewhere, because the final text still needs to read well for the site visitors. Again, the website owner is tied to a copywriter.

Summary

SEO Copywriting is good when:-

there are not many search terms to target the search terms are on
the low to middle end of competitiveness money isn't a problem, or if it is your own website you don't mind the text on your pages being frozen (if money does matter)

Otherwise, 'search engine friendly' techniques should always be done as a first measure, and real search engine optimization should be done for the search terms for which 'search engine friendly' techniques are unsuccessful.

NOTE:
Competitive search terms are not necessarily those where millions
of results are returned. They are those where people are competing hard for the top positions. There's a big difference.

Copywriting Tutorial

This article is about SEO copywriting and not about copywriting in general. Copywriting is a specialized field, which has the ability to make a website successful - or not. Those of us without that skill can flounder along or we can enlist the help of one of the best in the business. This copywriting tutorial is the best that I've found on the web, and I thoroughly recommend reading it. http://www.adcopywriting.com/Tutorials_List.htm 

SEO copywriting and normal copywriting don't always mix very well, but it is worth taking the time to integrate them as far as is possible. After all, SEO copywriting will help to bring people from the search engines to the website but, if the website fails to sell itself or its products to those people, there isn't much point in them coming.

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Article by Phil Craven of http://www.webworkshop.net/  The Website filled with information and articles on Search Engine Optimization.

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-------- "Still Waiting To Build Your First Website?"

Joe Robson's First Website Builder has been used by thousands of people in 107 counties around the world. And the recently released new version V2.1 contains even more tutorials and custom designed software that makes it even easier! That's why it sold over 500 copies in the first 7 days   http://newbieclub.com/builder 

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5. Kwik Tip.... " There's A Gold Mine On Your Hard Drive"

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There's a good chance that you never read the free copy of
Scientific Marketing on the Web that I gave you when you subscribed to this newsletter.

That's OK, I do it all the time, because when we get something for nothing we tend to put little value on it ...

Download and forget!

In the Essential Reading section of my website I used to recommend three or four copywriting books which I've had in my own personal library and which were on sale at Barnes and Noble.

But I had to remove one of the best of these books for a very unusual reason. It became available as a free download.

It's called' Scientific Advertising' and it was written by Claude C. Hopkins in 1923. Don't laugh. Hopkins INVENTED Direct Response Advertising. He is the undisputed Guru and Founding Father of modern advertising.

His methods were so advanced that they still thrive today in just about every area of marketing. So advanced in fact that this 80 year old book is still in print today. Here's an extract from his own Foreword;

'My words are simple, my sentences short. Scholars may ridicule my style. The rich and vain may laugh at the factors which I feature. But in millions of humble homes the common people will read (my advertising) and buy. They will feel that the writer knows them. And they, in advertising, form 95 percent of our customers.'.

Sound familiar?

There's a saying that the best things in life are free. Unfortunately there are so many useless give-aways on the Net that we tend to put little value on them.

This book is different. It costs nothing because it's now in the Public Domain. But my copy - called 'Scientific Advertising on The Internet'- includes my comments and links that give examples of how his writings are so relevant to the Web. So if you haven't already done so, take time out to read it. If you've lost it you can download again with this link http://adcopywriting.com/dl/advertise.exe 

Sorry Mac owners, but I don't have a PDF version.

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---------- "Kudos"

My thanks to Bob McElwain for his excellent profile of me on his Website. Though I am slightly embarrassed to give you the link, I will anyway:-) http://sitetipsandtricks.com/joe_robson.html 

While you're there, sign up for his excellent newsletter. I've been reading it for some years and never fail to read it - ever!