How to stand out in a crowd

creativeblogger · 04-23-2009, 06:41 AM

Marketers and copywriters who promote their services usually do so following a tried and tested formula which involves listing benefits to the client at the start of the sales letter or Ad.

Can you see what’s wrong with this yet?

They’re all doing the same thing, pretty much the same way so one ad looks very much like the next.

What’s your USP, do you have one? If you have a unique selling point get it across early, before the client click away from your ‘looks like every other’ copywriting’ ad.

Yes the client needs to be sold on all the great things you can do for them fast.

Yes the benefits you can bring to their marketing campaign and their wallet needto be stated clearly straight away.

Right?

Wrong!

I’m a consumer too and as a consumer I want to know what a person’s credentials are very early on.

I want to know quickly, what qualifies you to do anything for me. As a consumer ‘experience and real results’ is what has me sold, not ‘talk’.

Talk is cheap afterall.

Lots of marketers talk a good talk but that’s all it is..talk.

The ‘talk’ masks their lack of real success and experience which is why they can’t highlight it. ie…they have none.

If you are a wanabee marketer, be aware that when a client is switching between ads to find the best person for the job, both ads might contain those same benefits early on. The same benefits that you see on a billion freelance writer ads.

Therefore what makes the difference in that case is credentials or your USP.

If you have some and the other marketer does not you’ll be the one contracted.

Benefits are very important, but if the client came looking for those benefits, they already know what they are, what they don’t know is anything about you.

So actually selling yourself first is a important feature of 'self' promotion.

Good luck

David Raybould · 04-23-2009, 07:37 AM

Leah,

That's interesting...

But are you seriously suggesting
that "tried and tested" copywriting
and marketing methods should be
abandoned in favor of telling the
reader all about yourself first?

creativeblogger · 04-23-2009, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Raybould

Leah,

That's interesting...

But are you seriously suggesting
that "tried and tested" copywriting
and marketing methods should be
abandoned in favor of telling the
reader all about yourself first?

If your tried and tested ad is the only one a client will see, it's gonna work, but what are the chances of that these days?

I myself always check out three or four people before I settle on one and if all four have identikit copy what am I to do?

How do I differentiate the good from the bad?

I will be looking for credentials, and the sooner they are made available to me the better.

The ones with credentials do tend to write about them first. They hype themselves up good and proper with

'look what I did for so and so'

These are American cw's, in the UK it's very different, the credentials are laid bare early but less noisily

I'll try to post some examples.

creativeblogger · 04-23-2009, 07:58 AM

This CW I just found actually weaves in her experience with the benefits but the bulk of her opening lines (header) and paragraphs is about her experience and credentials.

(as you noted me own copy, use of the word 'I' is not seen in her copy, clever lady

)

Copywriter | Award-winning copywriter and copywriting services, 20 years experience

This bloke (and I don't like him much but he does rather well in the world of cw)
http://www.orangebeetle.com/

Talks about nothing but himself for quite a long time and does indeed use the word 'I'

And his style is much more in your face.

But the common thread is they both do talk about themselves, their experience and their successes first and these are very successful cw's.

Warrior Globetrotter · 04-23-2009, 08:05 AM

I think it is important to test, try the "tried and tested" way and try other new creative ways to write your pitch and see what works best for you.

creativeblogger · 04-23-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warrior Globetrotter

I think it is important to test, try the "tried and tested" way and try other new creative ways to write your pitch and see what works best for you.

I agree, and I have done

I actually find the

'write naughty articles' along with a nice picture against a pink background, works for me. But I'm not sure that's something that can be duplicated.

I am always bemused when someone offers me a serious project on the strength of an article they read about penis size.

Maybe it's the humor in the post that convinces them I have something?

David Raybould · 04-23-2009, 08:36 AM

It's true that proof and a USP
are essential, but they too are
part of the tried and tested
marketing arsenal.

That's just marketing 101.

The bottom line is, with stuff
like marketing, if something's
being done a certain way by
so many people, chances are
it's working.

Sure, some originality and
variations can work wonders,
but if you start messing with
the fundamentals and you don't
had a solid grasp of them, it's
probably not going to end well.

As for the 2 UK copywriters,
I didn't think either site was
great. I'm sure they're
successful, but from the text
on their sites I'm not convinced
either of them could write
their way out of a paper bag.

creativeblogger · 04-23-2009, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Raybould

It's true that proof and a USP

As for the 2 UK copywriters,
I didn't think either site was
great. I'm sure they're
successful, but from the text
on their sites I'm not convinced
either of them could write
their way out of a paper bag.

I don't like the sites either, but they are successful, especially the annoying guy in the kilt. He's a 6 figure (or was) copywriter.

I think the majority of the ads don't work and the ones that do, work for the people with an already established reputation. But I could be wrong.

nadal · 12-07-2010, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Raybould

It's true that proof and a USP
are essential, but they too are
part of the tried and tested
marketing arsenal.

That's just marketing 101.

The bottom line is, with stuff
like marketing, if something's
being done a certain way by
so many people, chances are
it's working.

Sure, some originality and
variations can work wonders,
but if you start messing with
the fundamentals and you don't
had a solid grasp of them, it's
probably not going to end well.

As for the 2 UK copywriters,
I didn't think either site was
great. I'm sure they're
successful, but from the text
on their sites I'm not convinced
either of them could write
their way out of a paper bag.

Hi I am agree with you. Proof and USP are the essentials for marketing and copywriting. The success of the copywriter depends too much on the content of the site. Your content should be unique and informative.

Steve The Copywriter · 12-07-2010, 02:47 AM

I've actually done what Leah suggested for a few of clients in very crowded markets.

I put the "credentials" in the deck copy, a johnson box or the first lines in the Ad.

I took the view that we would hit the target audience with the headline - but they would immediately be thinking "why should I listen to you?"

They were expensive press ads - so I didn't test them - but the response's were excellent.

Oxbloom · 12-07-2010, 06:30 AM

My first instinct, as somebody who occasionally hires copywriters, upon viewing those two suggested copywriters' webpages:

1 - The orange guy would probably make the first cut, based on the fact that he got my attention, and clearly knows how to create an ad that does the same. I'd worry about picking apart his style later, when I was making a final decision.

Quick glance to me looks like he's angling to a niche...jaded entrepreneurs who've been burned by freelancers with their heads stuck up their arses, and are now ready to spend a little more to get a real pro.

That'll either connect with you, or it won't...which isn't a bad way to construct copy. I imagine he's got a nice enough conversion rate when someone who was burned chasing a $47 sales letter comes across his pitch.

Ultimately, he probably doesn't get my dollar because I'm not sure his pitch is focused enough. Looks like he's trying to play up the rock-star, rebel, in-your-face angle at the same time as the "I'm the solution if you're tired of messing around with amateurs" angle, and I'm not sure how compatible the two are. But he gets some props for having an angle and going for it.

2 - The woman who started by telling me HER experience rather than how she could address MY need? I never would've gotten to the first sentence of her pitch.

From that header she clearly spent a lot of time and effort on, it looks to me like she does banner ads. Which in turn look to me like the sort of ads I ought to consider running ONLY if I'm a fortune 500 company more worried about my image and my branding than about selling product. And then, I shouldn't really be wasting my time with banner ads anyway; I should be doing media buys.

The web is a direct response world, and this looks an advertising house copywriter who lost her way. Nothing I see there would convert worth a damn, and any of it would be crushed h2h against a simple black and white sales letter. Can she even write a headline?

Who knows? Maybe she could do the job. But she'd never get to find out with my dollars, because everything there from the pitch, to the structure, to the focus, to the layout...I just don't see how any of it manages to grab anybody.

When the first three sentences I see are: "I'm experienced," "I'm experienced," and "Here's some name dropping for you," I'm thinking that this woman doesn't know how to pitch, AND she's going to charge me an arm and a leg. Run away!

Oxbloom · 12-07-2010, 06:44 AM

Anyway, the bigger point is this:

I think this is terrible advice.

The "same old tired routine" has copywriters jaded a bit, but it still works like gangbusters in the world at large. The bold, attention-grabbing headline, and the bullet point benefits filled with sense-popping imagery DO still get responses in a world filled with milquetoast offers like our friend the lady copywriter.

We see John Carlton-esque headlines all the time, so they tend to slide off our backs a bit. But the average person sees Yellow Pages ads, TV commercials, and whatever kind of shlock they put in Cosmo a hell of a lot more than they see a screaming, bold-faced headline that seems to have been plucked straight out of their own brain, and custom designed to get them into the pitch. Copy like that still shocks, impresses, and converts.

Good old reliable D.R. methodology is still the exception in this world, not the rule. And that's why it still works when done well.

04-23-2009, 06:41 AM	#1
creativeblogger Active Warrior Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Posts: 64 Thanks: 5 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers Marketers and copywriters who promote their services usually do so following a tried and tested formula which involves listing benefits to the client at the start of the sales letter or Ad. Can you see what’s wrong with this yet? They’re all doing the same thing, pretty much the same way so one ad looks very much like the next. What’s your USP, do you have one? If you have a unique selling point get it across early, before the client click away from your ‘looks like every other’ copywriting’ ad. Yes the client needs to be sold on all the great things you can do for them fast. Yes the benefits you can bring to their marketing campaign and their wallet needto be stated clearly straight away. Right? Wrong! I’m a consumer too and as a consumer I want to know what a person’s credentials are very early on. I want to know quickly, what qualifies you to do anything for me. As a consumer ‘experience and real results’ is what has me sold, not ‘talk’. Talk is cheap afterall. Lots of marketers talk a good talk but that’s all it is..talk. The ‘talk’ masks their lack of real success and experience which is why they can’t highlight it. ie…they have none. If you are a wanabee marketer, be aware that when a client is switching between ads to find the best person for the job, both ads might contain those same benefits early on. The same benefits that you see on a billion freelance writer ads. Therefore what makes the difference in that case is credentials or your USP. If you have some and the other marketer does not you’ll be the one contracted. Benefits are very important, but if the client came looking for those benefits, they already know what they are, what they don’t know is anything about you. So actually selling yourself first is a important feature of 'self' promotion. Good luck
	Pain Free Marketing

04-23-2009, 07:37 AM	#2
David Raybould Top Gun Copywriter War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Old London Town, United Kingdom. Posts: 1,224 Thanks: 155 Thanked 606 Times in 147 Posts Social Networking	Re: How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers Leah, That's interesting... But are you seriously suggesting that "tried and tested" copywriting and marketing methods should be abandoned in favor of telling the reader all about yourself first?
	Millionaire-Creating Copywriter...http://www.DavidRaybould.com Site Not Converting? Want More Money? PM me or Email Me Here. I can help

04-23-2009, 07:58 AM	#4
creativeblogger Active Warrior Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Posts: 64 Thanks: 5 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	Re: How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers This CW I just found actually weaves in her experience with the benefits but the bulk of her opening lines (header) and paragraphs is about her experience and credentials. (as you noted me own copy, use of the word 'I' is not seen in her copy, clever lady ) Copywriter \| Award-winning copywriter and copywriting services, 20 years experience This bloke (and I don't like him much but he does rather well in the world of cw) http://www.orangebeetle.com/ Talks about nothing but himself for quite a long time and does indeed use the word 'I' And his style is much more in your face. But the common thread is they both do talk about themselves, their experience and their successes first and these are very successful cw's.
	Pain Free Marketing

04-23-2009, 08:05 AM	#5
Warrior Globetrotter Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 73 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Contact Info	Re: How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers I think it is important to test, try the "tried and tested" way and try other new creative ways to write your pitch and see what works best for you.
	Domenick is the lead programmer for the Wordpress plug in... SG Pop Under...helping bloggers increase their subscriber counts all over the world.

04-23-2009, 08:36 AM	#7
David Raybould Top Gun Copywriter War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Old London Town, United Kingdom. Posts: 1,224 Thanks: 155 Thanked 606 Times in 147 Posts Social Networking	Re: How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers It's true that proof and a USP are essential, but they too are part of the tried and tested marketing arsenal. That's just marketing 101. The bottom line is, with stuff like marketing, if something's being done a certain way by so many people, chances are it's working. Sure, some originality and variations can work wonders, but if you start messing with the fundamentals and you don't had a solid grasp of them, it's probably not going to end well. As for the 2 UK copywriters, I didn't think either site was great. I'm sure they're successful, but from the text on their sites I'm not convinced either of them could write their way out of a paper bag.
	Millionaire-Creating Copywriter...http://www.DavidRaybould.com Site Not Converting? Want More Money? PM me or Email Me Here. I can help

12-07-2010, 02:47 AM	#10
Steve The Copywriter Ads That Work War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: England UK Posts: 739 Thanks: 725 Thanked 509 Times in 315 Posts	Re: How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers I've actually done what Leah suggested for a few of clients in very crowded markets. I put the "credentials" in the deck copy, a johnson box or the first lines in the Ad. I took the view that we would hit the target audience with the headline - but they would immediately be thinking "why should I listen to you?" They were expensive press ads - so I didn't test them - but the response's were excellent.

12-07-2010, 06:30 AM	#11
Oxbloom J.W. Acre War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 440 Thanks: 74 Thanked 244 Times in 139 Posts	Re: How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers My first instinct, as somebody who occasionally hires copywriters, upon viewing those two suggested copywriters' webpages: 1 - The orange guy would probably make the first cut, based on the fact that he got my attention, and clearly knows how to create an ad that does the same. I'd worry about picking apart his style later, when I was making a final decision. Quick glance to me looks like he's angling to a niche...jaded entrepreneurs who've been burned by freelancers with their heads stuck up their arses, and are now ready to spend a little more to get a real pro. That'll either connect with you, or it won't...which isn't a bad way to construct copy. I imagine he's got a nice enough conversion rate when someone who was burned chasing a $47 sales letter comes across his pitch. Ultimately, he probably doesn't get my dollar because I'm not sure his pitch is focused enough. Looks like he's trying to play up the rock-star, rebel, in-your-face angle at the same time as the "I'm the solution if you're tired of messing around with amateurs" angle, and I'm not sure how compatible the two are. But he gets some props for having an angle and going for it. 2 - The woman who started by telling me HER experience rather than how she could address MY need? I never would've gotten to the first sentence of her pitch. From that header she clearly spent a lot of time and effort on, it looks to me like she does banner ads. Which in turn look to me like the sort of ads I ought to consider running ONLY if I'm a fortune 500 company more worried about my image and my branding than about selling product. And then, I shouldn't really be wasting my time with banner ads anyway; I should be doing media buys. The web is a direct response world, and this looks an advertising house copywriter who lost her way. Nothing I see there would convert worth a damn, and any of it would be crushed h2h against a simple black and white sales letter. Can she even write a headline? Who knows? Maybe she could do the job. But she'd never get to find out with my dollars, because everything there from the pitch, to the structure, to the focus, to the layout...I just don't see how any of it manages to grab anybody. When the first three sentences I see are: "I'm experienced," "I'm experienced," and "Here's some name dropping for you," I'm thinking that this woman doesn't know how to pitch, AND she's going to charge me an arm and a leg. Run away!

12-07-2010, 06:44 AM	#12
Oxbloom J.W. Acre War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 440 Thanks: 74 Thanked 244 Times in 139 Posts	Re: How to stand out in a crowd - advice for cw's and marketers Anyway, the bigger point is this: I think this is terrible advice. The "same old tired routine" has copywriters jaded a bit, but it still works like gangbusters in the world at large. The bold, attention-grabbing headline, and the bullet point benefits filled with sense-popping imagery DO still get responses in a world filled with milquetoast offers like our friend the lady copywriter. We see John Carlton-esque headlines all the time, so they tend to slide off our backs a bit. But the average person sees Yellow Pages ads, TV commercials, and whatever kind of shlock they put in Cosmo a hell of a lot more than they see a screaming, bold-faced headline that seems to have been plucked straight out of their own brain, and custom designed to get them into the pitch. Copy like that still shocks, impresses, and converts. Good old reliable D.R. methodology is still the exception in this world, not the rule. And that's why it still works when done well.