Charlie Creative Blog

There are scads of question-driven copywriting templates available. In fact, you can study the best of these to learn the basic elements of a sales letter. But fill-in-the-blank copywriting is like a dance where everyone’s wearing the same suit. It’s our differences that make us appealing. Effective copywriting highlights these differences and presents them to a specific audience. Finding the essence of your subject takes hard work, long hours and careful conversation. Your copywriting is vital to your success. Be sure to cover the proven elements of the sales process. Then, allow the right message to evolve from ensuing research, discussion and reflection. If you just fill in the blanks your prospects might go home with the wrong product.

The purpose of a tag line is to clarify and enhance your business message. Though tag lines seem like details, they play an important role in marketing. A good tag line can evoke an emotion and even induce your audience to buy from you. But be careful. Countless tag lines attempt cleverness and end up muddling the message. Some of the most functional tag lines answer the following questions:

1. What do you do?
2. Who do you do it for?

If you have a non-descript company name (like Charlie Creative) answering those two questions in your tag line shows your value. Keep your tag line short and specific, but if you have room add in a benefit. This way, your potential clients will know what you do, whom you do it for, and why it matters. Pretty good for an eight-word sentence.

Market research brings you closer to understanding the needs and desires of your chosen clients so you can serve them better.

Here are six steps you can take to get acquainted.

Actually, no. You do what’s right for yourself and your business based on the needs of a strong market. You don’t have to specialize, but there are compelling advantages to it.

The definition of an expert is someone who specializes in an aspect of a specific field. In transportation a bus driver is an expert: she specializes in driving a bus. Hiring an expert makes people feel good about working with you. They’ll even expect to pay more for your services.

After all, you’re doing work you love and doing it well. So, if you want to make more money doing work you love, specialization is a practical choice. It’s true that when you specialize you turn off some people. It turns out that’s not so bad. It strengthens the connection to your ideal market. The more specific your brand message, the more you appeal to the people you wish to serve.

I read a webpage today that said: Amateurs do what they enjoy; professionals do what it takes to make their businesses work. That’s a popular view. If your business doesn’t bring in profits you have no business, right? You see this in start-ups all the time. Someone has a great idea but they fail to connect it to a market. It’s heart breaking to see and frustrating to experience.

But here’s the thing. When you’re fully engaged in your business your company thrives because you bring forth your best efforts. It’s not an either/or question. Making your business work is a given. Among other things, you’ve got to connect your idea to an eager market. But a business that’s driven by personal interests thrives.

Branding is a relationship between the personal interests of a company and the personal interests of a niche market. Without personal interests on both sides there’s miscommunication and profits fall. Professionals do what it takes to make their businesses work… they also share personal interests with their market.

Studies show the more you give away the more you sell. Today, for instance, I bought a product Online because they gave me a 15-minute audio sample right in the sales letter. I felt comfortable because I could tell what I was buying. Even if I hadn’t made a purchase today, I would have bookmarked the page and returned later. This happens all the time. People aren’t always ready to purchase on their first website visit. But if you answer specific questions and provide useful material people will feel good about you… and they’ll remember. Your job is to keep them coming back. What can you give away that will help people decide to buy your product or service? What can you regularly change or update on your site so people return to see what’s new? Does a blog come to mind? A podcast? A video blog?

Too often commercial websites are written with no audience in mind. But business is based on two-sided relationships. So are websites. Good websites have personalities. They’re written with the understanding that both sides matter in a relationship. Get to know your audience and write for real people. Make your writing conversational. Anticipate questions and make clear points. Use your personality and tell a few compelling stories. Surprise your readers and give them meaningful content. In other words, fill your website with the fresh, lively conversation you’d like to have with your clients. Go on, sharpen your pen. They’re waiting for you now, all ears and bright smiles.