And that’s where Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps by Susan Gunelius comes in. Step-by-step, Gunelius shows you how to build good copy. She gives solid examples, showing the difference between mediocre and great writing.

In each section she gives a fictional company case study to show small business owners how to apply the principles she lays down. After reading each chapter, you’ll know how to apply quality copywriting principles to your work.

If you can’t afford a copywriter, this book will help you improve your own writing. And if you can afford to hire one, this book will help you know what to look for in a copywriter’s portfolio. And it could help you when you’re hiring a copywriter, too.

Also included at the back of the book are even more examples. There are real-world and sample ads and campaigns so you can try to use the same tactics to boost your own business. The book is full of great information. Gunelius writing is clear and easy-to-read. She doesn’t talk down to readers, as she’s clearly there to help them. To help you.

If you’re struggling with placing effective ads and having a low response to marketing campaigns, take a look at this book. I don’t think you can go wrong by picking one up.

Disclosure: I read a review copy of this book which I requested directly from the author.

image: Amazon.com

Post from: Bizzia

Which is why, when I went to our local warehouse store, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a package for neck cream. In big letters — a font you could see from several feet away — was the product’s catch phrase:

Got turkey neck?

I was flabbergasted. I had to wonder what customer would actually buy the product. No woman I know would be caught anywhere near a product with that on it. If a woman is vain enough to want cream for any neck waddle she may have, she certainly wouldn’t want to advertise it by buying something that announces it so… nondescriptly.

While packaging like this may garner attention at first, is it really the attention you want for your product? Think hard about the message you are sending to your customer. Does this send the message that you respect your customer? That you want to help them? Or does it just say that you are trying to embarrass them into buying something they think they may need?

image: Becky Scott

Post from: Bizzia

“With the Buddy Media Platform,” explains Buddy Media’s CEO Michael Lazerow, “agencies can now provide a full suite of social marketing capabilities, including Facebook Pages and Twitter management, in a meaningful and measurable way that deepens client engagements.”

Buddy Media is a well-known name in the social media world. Many companies are jumping on the Buddy Media Platform including MDC Partners, Converseon, theKbuzz and VivaKi.

“Having access to an intuitive, easy-to-use set of social media tools backed by Buddy Media, which has an outstanding track record of customer success, is incredibly valuable,” said Jeff Flemings of VivaKi.

For marketing, social media can be tricky business. If you are looking for a solution to make it easier, give Buddy Media Platform a try.

Social Media (Image: Flickr)

Post from: Bizzia

3 Ways for Businesses to Take Full Advantage of Facebook
Here’s a great listing of three different ways you can use Facebook for your business. John gives some good ideas on how to make the best of your Facebook experience.

Internet Marketing for Smart People
I don’t link a lot of e-courses, even though there are tons out there. But when a free offering comes from someone with a good reputation, you should definitely check it out. So if you want to learn more about internet marketing from one of the best, check out the free newsletter from copyblogger.

BlogWorld Expo Recap: Day 1
Lisa gives recaps of some of the sessions she went to at BlogWorld last weekend. You’ll find some gems in there, so check out Day 2 and Day 3 also.

Who’s more important: the division president or the customer?
One thing that bugs me when I go to the store is employees who complain about work, their boss, other customers, or their co-workers — in front of me. I find it highly unprofessional and it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to hear you complain, because it usually means you’re so busy with your conversation that you’re ignoring me. Your customer. So Steve’s post here about making sure your employees treat customers the same as the company big wigs hits a bulls eye for me.

Did anything stand out to you over the last week or two? Let us know in the comments.

image: morgueFile

Post from: Bizzia

The story spread all over Twitter and other parts of the web as concerned people retweeted the original story. Who wants to be separated from their child at the airport, confined to a security area? It hit an emotional nerve, especially with parents across the web.

Concerned about potential public relations damage, the TSA blog posted a video showing footage from the woman’s screening. And suddenly, the story makes a decided turn in favor of TSA. The video — while not complete — shows most of the screening and the woman’s child is either on her lap or next to her in a stroller the entire time.

The TSA Blog Team also posted the rebuttal to Twitter, actually sending tweets to many of the people who had retweeted the original story.

After the video was posted, Nic, the woman who claimed TSA broke its own policy, eventually responded to the story. She says that footage of her phone calls while in the security holding area, and the time when her son was in a separate area, is missing. But that is “being handled between [her] family and the TSA.”

Sometimes people tend toward exaggeration or hyperbole when they’re upset. Is that the case here? We can’t be certain. What I find interesting is that the TSA posted footage of the incident (which the woman states is actually her and her son) on their blog and on their YouTube channel.

In the midst of a potential PR nightmare, TSA (fairly) swiftly responded with their side of the story.

Are you monitoring social networking sites so you can respond in a crisis? Social networkers don’t take weekends off, so make sure you have a way to check in or get notified if something immediately needs your attention. Make it part of your PR or marketing plan.

Post from: Bizzia

Pay for Quality
While it’s easy to make a cheap flash banner, paying for a professional done flash banner is almost always worth the money.

Make It Interactive
If a flash banner offers interactive capabilities, studies have shown that web surfers are much more apt to notice it.

Don’t Be Too Intrusive
You want your flash banner to be noticed, but don’t go too far. Web surfers don’t like it if the banner interrupts what they are trying to do. Also be sure to make sound optional.

Variety
Don’t put all your eggs into one flash banner. Use multiple flash banners for your marketing needs and keep track of the conversion rates to figure out which ones are the best.

Web Surfer (Image: Flickr)

Post from: Bizzia

And that means you need to think about what you post on Facebook. And Twitter. And on your personal and business sites or blogs. And in comments on other people’s sites. When you use the same identity all over the place, people start to know you. Recognize your name. Your brand.

If you become somewhat “internet famous” then it’s even more important for you to think about how your actions affect your brand. If you’re seen as dishonest, it will hurt your brand. If people think you’re a bully, that you abuse the “power” you have by having many fans and customers, it will hurt your brand.

Your brand is your business. Your income. If you hurt your brand, you can hurt your income. If you rely on web site traffic for your income, say though advertising, then controversy can actually increase your earnings. But that type of income is fleeting. You can’t sacrifice your long-term goals for a little extra money right now.

Or, at least I hope you’re not.

It can be tiring to always watch what you say, what you do, how you come across to others. And therein lie the perils of building a personal brand. The brand of you. Many entrepreneurs are doing this quite successfully. They don’t attack people on Twitter. Or leave snide comments on Facebook. Or get so preoccupied with trolls that they get mired in the mudslinging.

It’s not easy, but it can be done. Think before you post. Or tweet. Or start that next marketing campaign. Make sure that what you’re doing enhances your brand and your company. Don’t let short-term thinking hurt your long-term success.

image: morgueFile

Post from: Bizzia

Currently, Google remains the king of search. However, there are some interesting challengers lurking in the background. Bing.com has had some very positive reviews. Additionally, there are other search engines — such as Nexplore — that could become heavy hitters in the future.

SEO Marketing Guide’s Mario Rodriguez recently began investigating the growing popularity of Bing and Nexplore.

Said Rodriguez: “We are also planning to poll search engine users to determine the favorite search engine among Google, Bing, and Nexplore. We hope this information will be valuable to SEO professionals as they determine how to best serve their clients in a world where Google may no longer reign supreme.”

Keep your ear to the tracks and be ready to jump on the next trend. For example, if Nexplore becomes popular, learning Nexplore SEO tips would be extremely profitable.

Nexplore (Image: Nexplore.com Screen Cap)

Post from: Bizzia

But I hate that store. I will do as much shopping as I can at the one about 3-4 miles away whenever I can. You see, this store is horribly organized. Items are scattered all over the store and even though I’ve lived near this store for over ten years, I can rarely find what I want with the first try.

It’s not designed well. In fact, it is designed to make customers go to several aisles to get things that should be placed together logically. Yet due to some genius store designer, they break things up so you’ll have to visit more of the store to find what you need.

And it hurts them, as I go to another location whenever I can.

If your web site is not designed to be easy-to-use, if your customers can’t find what they want within a few clicks, if your site search is horrible, your customers will go to your competition. And it’s losing you money.

How you arrange your web site shows how much you care for your customer. Is it designed to give them the information they want? Or is it just there to make you look good so you can say that you have a site? Is it set up for the customer or is it set up for you?

Make it easy on your customer. Give them product information, warranties, prices or sales information right up front. Help them buy from you. Don’t make them click all over your site just to find one or two things. Don’t frustrate them. Delight them.

Show your customer that you want to help. Ask them what they’re looking for. Order your site logically. Study web usability principles. Figure out what makes sense to the customer and organize your site that way.

But don’t hand them over to the competition by having a horrible site. Make it wonderful and make them love you. Now, if only I could get the grocery store manager to apply usability principles, then we’d really have something.

Have you looked at your site from your customer’s view recently? Maybe it’s time to take another look.

image: sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia

This past week I’ve seen a lot of posts about the new guidelines and we’ve already linked quite a few of them. So instead of linking more of them here, I’ve tried to find a few other topics to discuss. But if you find a really great synopsis of the FTC updates, please let us know in the comments.

They’re All Going To Laugh At You
Sometimes we need a little encouragement. This post isn’t going to seem like encouragement — at first. Would you consider someone telling you that people will laugh at you as a pep talk? Keep reading. Because you need to remember that what you’re doing is worth it. That you can handle the failures and keep going. Be a fighter.

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Email Marketing for Your Blog
If you’re thinking about starting or improving your email marketing, read this post. Michael goes into a lot of detail about how you can use email to market your blog. And yes, you can use several of these strategies for your newsletters that market your products and services. Or maybe you’ll get some new ideas from it.

In Social Media, Collaboration is King
When I worked in a customer service call center, I was frequently frustrated. Customers would have great ideas and feedback, but it was hard to get that information up the ladder to the right person. If I could have, I would’ve done something about it myself. That inability to follow up and make things better counteracted customer satisfaction. With social media so popular, and customer feedback so easy to find, you have the chance to change all of that. Seek out customer conversations. Collaborate with consumers. Engage them.

From WTF to WTF – How a Blog Caused a Logo Change for Wisconsin
This just made me laugh. You need to be aware of how your acronyms can be taken. Just like Humvee makers really should have thought about calling their vehicles Hummers, Wisconsin really should have consulted a few more people before going with Wisconsin Tourism Federation. At least they did change it…

Your Social Media Presence Needs Substance, Not Just Style
If you’re going to jump into social networking, make sure you’re using the right tools. Just because Twitter is popular right now, it doesn’t mean that’s where your customers are hanging out. Do the research and find the right place to add substance to your strategy.

Simple and visual blogger code of ethics
While I like the concept, it needs some work. There are more situations than can be represented with these buttons. For instance, if I were to put some of those on my personal blog as-is, I would need several of them. There needs to be a simpler way to do it, like Creative Commons, or some of the categories need to be combined. What do you think?

image: sxc.hu

Post from: Bizzia