SEO: Do it yourself web site copywriting tip.

Posted by John Park on Nov 7th, 2008
2008
Nov 7

seo copywriting

Recently, I heard an interesting comment from a business owner in VA who had just launched a new web site.  He said “This is so frustrating.  I spend all this money and when I type in HOME REMODELING IN VIRGINIA at Google, I don’t come up at all.”

 

That’s when I asked him “Does it say HOME REMODELING IN VIRGINIA anywhere on your web site?”  There was a pause on the phone.  He eventually answered “No, I guess it doesn’t.”  I didn’t need to go any further.  He already knew what I would say.

 

How can Google, Yahoo or MSN find the phrase your prospects are typing in if they do not exist on your web site?  So much of SEO (search engine optimization) relies on common sense.  It is this kind of simple logic that is often abandoned just because it’s the “Internet.”

 

This event gives me a good reason to offer a tangible SEO tactic you can implement yourself.  As a follow-up to my earlier post “SEO is not an event.  It is a strategy“, here is one powerful search engine optimization (SEO) tool you can implement yourself.

 

Writing for a web site is very different than writing for a brochure or some other kind of traditional marketing collateral.  In fact, if you read a well written SEO’ed web site, your initial reaction might be to suggest word changes, omissions and maybe even complete rewrites.

 

( SEO Do It Yourself Tool – Effective SEO Copywriting )

STEP 1:  Identity a list of keywords or phrases you would most likely type in to find your type of business at a search engine.  Create this list and prioritize them in order.  This list should be no longer than 10 keywords or phrases.

 

STEP 2:  As you write copy for your web site, utilize these keywords as much as you can without sounding grammatically incorrect or ridiculous because of overkill.  The artform is writing it in a way so that most readers will not notice your overt SEO attempts.

STEP 3:  As you implement step 2, be sure to prioritize the quantity of use by the prioritizing you completed in Step 1.  For example, you should try and use your top 3 keywords or phrases much more than you would use the last 3 keywords on your list.

 

More to come about SEO in future posts…

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Marketing So Absurd, It Becomes Memorable

Posted by John Park on Oct 27th, 2008
2008
Oct 27

marketingchickenstock

 
Because Halloween is just around the corner, there are some really creative advertisements on TV, Radio and the Internet.  I heard an interesting one on my drive home today.  The ad was promoting chicken stock.  You’re probably thinking “how do you make chicken stock interesting?”  Well, this particular advertiser’s suggestion was to give out chicken stock instead of candy this year for Halloween.  The whole premise was that candy is so “yesterday” and if you really wanted to be cool and be part of the “in-crowd”, you would give out cans of chicken stock to the kids as they enthusiastically say “trick or treat”.
 
As I was listening, I had a grin on my face because I had recognized their strategy.  Now, we all know what would happen if you actually did what they suggest.  You would be removing rotten egg and apple debris from your front door for at least a few days after Halloween.   The marketing angle is so absurd, it becomes memorable.  Of course, they don’t expect for you to actually follow through.  They just wanted you to get a good laugh because it is such a ridiculously absurd idea.  And, if they really get their wish, some people might even blog about it.  Can you imagine if you were given the task of advertising chicken stock?  Well, whoever thought of this angle was up to the challenge and hit it out of the ballpark.
 
Executing this marketing angle is not easy because humor and absurdity has to work well together.  But if you can hit the right note, the advertisement will become incredibly memorable and many people will become your unpaid ambassadors.  And because of this absurd radio ad, I will always know that this place has great chicken stock.
 
If you’ve read more than a few of my posts, you know that I like to point out marketing homeruns whenever I come across them.  The advertiser I am praising is Trader Joe’s, a specialty neighborhood grocery store with 250 locations nationwide.  KUDOS!
 
 

Eyeballs and Call-to-Action Advertising Tips

Posted by John Park on Oct 22nd, 2008
2008
Oct 22

call to action advertising

 
Having many choices presented to you is often a good thing.  However, there is a specific situation when choice should be limited.  When creating an advertisement, one of the biggest mistakes made by businesses is to cram everything and anything they can on the ad.  This need to fill every corner and crevice creates a scenario where it is almost impossible for the perspective buyer to determine what the true CTA (Call to Action) is.
 
Upon first glance of an advertisement, the primary CTA should be readily identifiable.  CTA is what you want the perspective buyer to do.  Tell them exactly what you want them to do.  Be clear and be concise.  It’s true that some advertisements can have more than one CTA.  Nevertheless, the primary CTA should be found quickly and without hesitation by the perspective customer.
 
So, what is your CALL TO ACTION?  When defining your CTA for an ad, be sure to seek the optimal end result.  For example, would you define Barrack Obama’s CTA as his goal of having you vote?  This is incorrect and a common mistake of stopping short of the finish line.  His actual CTA would be for you to vote for him—not just vote.  In the business world, an advertisement might ask you to visit a web site or call a phone number.  Again, this is an example of stopping short.  Visit the web site or call a phone number to do what?  The desired end result should be stated clearly.
 
Once the primary CTA has been defined, you must now construct your advertisement in a certain way to draw the eyes to it.  In the marketing and advertising business, this is called directing the “eyeballs.”  It’s somewhat crude but it’s straight to the point.  If correctly configured, the primary CTA should be the last thing the perspective buyer sees or reads.  The challenge is to get them to follow a certain path with their ‘eyeballs” until they have arrived at the primary CTA.  Below is an example of how your “eyeballs” might follow a directional path.
 
 
( Correct Example:  How eyeballs might follow a advertisement path )
 
View 1:  Attention getting photo or phrase
View 2:  The secondary attention getting item that ties in with View 1—SALE
View 3:  More detail about the item or items on SALE
View 4:  CTA – purchase now by doing…
 
( Incorrect Example:  How eyeballs might get distracted )
 
View 1:  Various large photos or titles
View 2:  Trying to tie one of the large photos or phrases to determine path
View 3:  Not enough information about the chosen path (little of everything, not enough about one thing)
View 4:  CTA – learn more, call, stopping short
View 5:  GIVE UP!  Buyer doesn’t know what they are seeking.  Too much effort and too much time.
 
 
This is a complex advertising topic, which I’ve tried to summarize in a single blog post.  Next time you’re creating an advertisement for your business, try the formula above.  If the ad has been developed with the CTA EYEBALL PATH in mind, your perspective customers should follow with their eyes to the primary CALL TO ACTION.
 
 

The Basics of Small Business ROI: Part 1

Posted by John Park on Sep 7th, 2008
2008
Sep 7

Roll of the dice

 
Thinking BIG is hard to do when you own a small business.  There are some who may just concede to the phrase, “It takes money to make money.”  As a small business owner, you don’t have to resign yourself to small marketing budgets that lead to constrained dreams.  Instead, just apply some good old fashioned math to the way you’re allocating marketing and advertising dollars.
 
Having been trained initially at large corporations; gathering, analyzing and acting upon statistics and data was second nature to me.  The very thing that differentiates a successful business and a failing one is the ability of the owner to gather, analyze and act upon marketing, adverting and sales data.  These important numbers are often referred to as business trends in large corporations.  You will never find a mid-level manager meeting with an executive without them.
 
Now, there are a thousand ways to look at business trends.  The bottom line is that there are only a few that matter when you’re trying to determine your ROI (return on investment) for advertising and marketing.
 
 
( The Basics of advertising and marketing ROI - The DATA )
 
1)  COST:  What did you spend on the ad?
2)  LEADS:  How many sales leads did you get as a result of the ad?
3)  SALES:  How many sales did you close as a result of the sales leads from the ad?
4)  COST OF SALE:  What did each sale or closed deal cost you? (COST divided by NUMBER OF SALES)
5)  PROFIT or LOSS:  Are you profitable when considering the cost of the sale?
 
 
( EXAMPLE 1 )
 
1)  COST:  $1000
2)  LEADS:  25
3)  SALES:  5
4)  COST OF SALE:  $200 (COST divided by NUMBER OF SALES)
5)  Let’s say that in this example, the advertiser is a car dealer and a sale equates to $5,000 (NET).
 
Conclusion:  You have a formula.  Double, triple or quadruple it in the same ad platform to grow your business.  Keep an eye on the business trends as you apply the formula.
 
 
( EXAMPLE 2 )
 
1)  COST:  $500
2)  LEADS:  25
3)  SALES:  20
4)  COST OF SALE:  $25 (COST divided by NUMBER OF SALES)
5)  Let’s say that in this example, the advertiser is a restaurant and a sale has to be at $30 to break even.
 
Conclusion:  This method does not work for you.  Ignore the ad sales rep’s pleading comments about “branding”.  Cancel the ads in this ad platform.
 
 
( Important Notes )
 
1)  Track your numbers on a monthly basis.  It will be too difficult as a business owner for you to track old leads that ended up in a sale.  For example, if you got a lead in January, that lead goes in to the lead column in January.  If that same lead turned in to a sale in March, you will record that sale in March and not back in January.  If you are constantly running your ads, all of the numbers will reflect the reality of what is happening.
 
2)  Business trends should be looked at for a minimum of 3 months for you to track advertising results even if the ad was run only one time.
 
3)  Do not count referrals unless the referral lead or sale was the result of the actual ad or marketing effort.
 
 
( What about BRANDING? )
 
1)  If you value branding for your business, you need to review your business trends for at least 6 months.
 
2)  Don’t justify or accept BRANDING as an excuse for poor advertising or marketing results.  After all, shouldn’t branding result in sales?
 
 
( THE BIG TEST )
 
These are the questions you should be able to answer if you are utilizing advertising/marketing as your primary method of acquiring new business.
 
1)  What is your closing percentage rate?  How many leads does it take to close a deal?
 
2)  What is your COST OF SALE?
 
Knowing the answers to these two important questions will allow you to make advertising and marketing decisions in a quick and logical manner.  Too many business owners review ad buys as if it’s a gambling decision or a simple “roll of the dice.”  It shouldn’t be.
 
 
In PART 2, I will discuss Branding and how Business Trends can be utilized to improve your business.
 
 
If you’re not a subscriber already to Biz Crusader, you can receive my posts via e-mail by clicking here.
 

Just FAB your products and services.

Posted by John Park on Aug 27th, 2008
2008
Aug 27

Elevator Pitch

 

Back when I was 21 years old, I learned a valuable marketing lesson from my then CEO.  I was at one of those week long corporate sales trainings—the ones where they make you live at a Courtyard Marriott to initiate you with the corporate colors (brain washing).
 
The training had pretty much wrapped up and I was in an elevator headed back to my room.  The doors opened and the CEO of the company walked in.  Was this an opportunity or just really bad luck?  At the time, I definitely thought it was bad luck.  After a few words of pleasantries, I could see it in his eyes.  He was going to test the young recruit.  He asked the question… “so, tell me what you’ve learned about our products?”
 
That’s when it happened.  I just started spewing out anything and everything I had just learned during the week.  It was just way too much information and none of it was organized.  After a few paragraphs had rolled out of my mouth (without taking a breath), he finally stopped me and said… “Just FAB it John.  It will be much easier.” The elevator door opened.  He smiled and left.
 
I’ll never forget that moment.  FAB was one of the lessons from the week and I didn’t think to apply it.  Ever since then, I have tried to apply FAB as much as I can as the foundation for any marketing or advertising message.  So, what is FAB?
 
It is an acronym for FEATURE, ADVANTAGE and BENEFIT.  The idea is simple.  Whenever you are describing a product or service for advertising or marketing purposes, just FAB it.  It is the core information you need to cover before all else.  Some people will tell you that all else doesn’t even matter.
 
 
( FAB Structure )
 
FEATURE:  What is it?
ADVANTAGE:  What is its advantage?
BENEFIT:  What is the benefit?
 
 
( FAB, Example – Graphite Golf Club )
 
F:  It’s a golf club.
A:  It is lighter because it’s made of graphite.
B:  You can drive the ball further and improve your game.
 
 
Try this with your products and services.  It will give you focus and a clear way to communicate the value proposition.  Whether you use FAB in ads or in your other marketing communications, it will always serve as a solid foundation.
 
By the way… I am still in touch with my elevator CEO.  We exchange e-mails now and then.  Despite my disaster in the elevator, I turned out to be a pretty good employee for him.
 

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