November 30th, 2011
A recent survey conducted by MYOB found that over 55.3% of businesses went bankrupt in their first year of operation. Businesses go bust for lots of reasons but according to the survey, over 77% of those businesses that went bust didn’t have a website. Mmm, could be a clue as to why they didn’t survive.
I run copywriting workshops and seminars around the country and I often run a poll by asking: “Who is happy with their website?” Only a few game devils dare to put their hand up. The rest? Well, it appears they’re just ‘making do’ until they have time to focus on their site.
And that’s the thing – no one has time to focus on their site yet for most businesses, it’s the first point of contact their customer sees – so why wouldn’t you make it a priority?
If you have a website and you’re just ‘making do’, here’s a couple of suggestions to get you moving:
- Google your competitors and see where they come up – if they come up on page one, chances are what they’re doing is working so you may like to take a closer look to see if you can learn a few ideas from what they’re doing.
- Google your business using some basic search terms that your customers might use to find you, and see where it comes up on the search results page – if you’re on page two or beyond, you’re in big trouble. You may need to engage an SEO copywriter to help you improve your ranking.
- Attend a course in SEO copywriting so you can learn how to write optimised copy that will improve your search rankings. Like anything, it takes time to learn but once you have that skill under your hat, you’ll never have to employ an expensive SEO copywriter ever again.
- Consider adding a newsletter sign-up to your home page so that any visitors passing by can sign-up to receive your information. This is vital if you want to build a database. Without an email sign-up facility, all those hard-won visitors will just leave and chances are you’ll never see them again – what a waste!
- When creating a newsletter, don’t just give it a boring old title like Spring Issue or Volume 2 – give it a nifty title that will have them salivating. They’ll only sign up if you offer them something that’s relevant and valuable – make sure the title reflects what they want to receive.
Tags: advertising, australian school of copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, copywriting, copywriting courses, marketing, SEO copywriting
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November 16th, 2011
I recently had the honour of my article being published in ‘Working Women’, published by Women’s Network Australia.
It’s titled ‘Simple Tips For Finding Your Ideal Clients’.
The first step to finding ideal clients is identifying who your ideal client is and sticking to that plan. It is better to target a small group and get 50 per cent of them rather than target a massive group and get none of them. Niche your product down to attract a particular group and you will discover that marketing your business is not only easier but much cheaper as well.
Read more here: http://www.womensnetwork.com.au/page.cfm?PageCode=FindingIdealClients&site_id=1#ixzz1dpv6RNf7
Tags: advertising, australian school of copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, business copywriting, copywriting courses, copywriting services
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October 21st, 2011
I was recently interviewed by the dynamic Ludwina Dautovic from Red Tent Women about ‘How to create great content for your website’.
If you need to rank highly on Google (and let’s face it, we all do), these tips will be invaluable. Best of all, you don’t need to be a skilled copywriter to get results.
Check out some of the tips – you’ll be surprised at how quick and easy it is to create content that people will really value and want to share with others.
www.redtentradio.com
Tags: australian school of copywriting, business copywriting, copywriting, copywriting services, copywriting training, marketing, sales
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September 1st, 2011
Bernadette Schwerdt
The Copywriting Coach
Every week I have at least 2-3 coaching calls with students. I enjoy them because I get to see what techniques they’re using, what’s working for them and what’s not.
One of the things I see that never ceases to amaze me is that people submit work on a particular topic and yet they have not even read the chapters in the manual that relate to that very topic. For example, the topic might be ‘how to write headlines’ and yet their work does not reflect any of the principles outlined in the chapter.
Not reading the chapters is counter-productive for budding copywriters. Here’s why:
- It takes them longer to write copy because they are relying on their instinct or experience, both of which may be limited.
- Their work does not meet professional standards because they are not using the basic principles laid out in the manual.
For example, one of the first things we always do when preparing to write copy is list the product’s features and its corresponding benefits. We use the ‘which means that…’ link phrase which teases out the key benefits. From there, we add headlines, sub headlines, an offer, link words etc to build the copy up. Of course, it goes without saying we know what market we are targeting to start with – we can see them, hear them speak, understand their needs and concerns.
Yet on so many occasions, this first step – listing feature and benefits, gets overlooked. It is the most basic step and the one that helps us write great copy, but because it requires some sustained thinking, and research, people often skip this step.
Here are the most important chapters in the manual as far as learning the craft of copywriting is concerned.
Chapter 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17.
I encourage you all to revisit these chapters, complete the assignments, and use this information when writing copy for clients. You should have your manual close by at all times to give you guidance. I have it near me all the time, and I WROTE the manual! J Don’t waste time struggling to find your own method for writing copy – use the templates and formulas in the Manual. They work.
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June 29th, 2011
Bernadette Schwerdt
The Copywriting Coach
Offers, or incentives, are designed to make the customer choose you over another.
There are two types of offers – conditional and unconditional. We’ve looked at unconditional in the last blog - now let’s look at conditional offers.
This is when you have to buy something to receive the offer.
For example:
- If you sell bikes, a free bike helmet with every bike sold could be just what they need to choose you over the other bike store across the road.
- If you’re in the hotel venue business, why not offer a free wedding cake when they book their reception with you.
- If you sell flowers, why not include a box of chocolates with every order over $80.
You see, it’s the little things that count and by offering something that the competitors don’t, they’ll always choose you over the others – even if you’re more expensive.
Sometimes people just need a reason to go with your and giving them something for nothing, even something small and inexpensive, is what they need to help them make a decision.
If you’ve just started your business, or you’re already in business but are short of clients or leads to follow up, look out for my next blog. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can build up your database from scratch.
Upcoming courses and events:
1. Copywriting: Writing For Profit
Gold Pack Home Study
Enrol Anytime
http://copyschool.com/writingforprofit.html
2. SEO Copywriting Home Study Course
Enrol Anytime
Introductory Special!
http://copyschool.com/IntrotoSEOandAdwordsHomeStudy.html
(Special Offer: Enrol in the Writing For Profit Gold Pack AND the SEO Copywriting Course and save heaps. To find out more: http://copyschool.com/copy_courses/cat/)
3. One-Day Intensive Copywriting Course – Melbourne
Saturday, August 6, 2011
http://copyschool.com/OneDayIntensiveCopywritingMelb.html
Tags: advertising, advertising copywriting, australian school of copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, copywriter, copywriting, copywriting services, marketing
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May 19th, 2011
 Bernadette Schwerdt
The Copywriting Coach
If you have a website, you really want your visitors to give you their email and name so that you can contact them later on. After all, there’s no point generating all that traffic and not being able to contact them.
But before we move on and show you how to get them to leave their name and email, let’s recap what we’ve covered so that you can get a feel for the process.We’ve:
- identified our target market
- stepped into their shoes so we know what’s important to them
- asked all the questions that they’d want answers to
- prioritized those questions in terms of their importance
- identified the key features and benefits of the product
- positioned the benefit so that it tells the customer what’s in it for them
- created a few headlines to choose from
The next step in writing great copy is to create a compelling offer that the customer will love that will inspire them to contact you.
They may not be ready to buy from you right now, but let’s get them to contact you at least so that you can start the conversation with them.
We all love something for free so why not offer something that’s cheap to provide, interesting to them but more importantly, relevant to their needs.
The best way to do that is to offer them something in return for their personal details.
Now it’s important to know that there are two types of offers – unconditional and conditional.
In this email, we’ll talk about unconditional offers – the ones where customers don’t have to buy anything to get the offer.
It could be as simple as a free trial, an eBook or a DVD.
For example:
- If you run stock market courses, a free seminar is a perfect way to get them to come along to find out more – a ‘try before you buy’ offer.
- If you sell real estate, send them an eBook on “The Top 10 Ways To Choose The Right Real Estate Agent.”
- If you’re a professional speaker, send your prospective client a DVD of a recent presentation you made at a conference so they can see you in action.
All you really want is for them to sign up with you so that you can contact them later and tell them more about what you do.
Having a free offer is the best way to do that.
In my next blog, I’ll demonstrate how Conditional Offers work and why they are equally, if not more, powerful.
Upcoming courses and events:
1. Copywriting: Writing For Profit
Gold Pack Home Study
Enrol Anytime
http://copyschool.com/writingforprofit.html
2. SEO Copywriting Home Study Course
Enrol Anytime
Introductory Special!
http://copyschool.com/IntrotoSEOandAdwordsHomeStudy.html
(Special Offer: Enrol in the Writing For Profit Gold Pack AND the SEO Copywriting Course and save heaps. To find out more: http://copyschool.com/copy_courses/cat/)
3. One-Day Intensive Copywriting Course – Melbourne
Saturday, August 6, 2011
http://copyschool.com/OneDayIntensiveCopywritingMelb.html
Tags: advertising copywriting, australian school of copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, copywriter, copywriting, copywriting services, copywriting tips, marketing
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March 31st, 2011
Bernadette Schwerdt
The Copywriting Coach
How many of us love following up with clients? Not many, right.
Here’s a quick, true story to show you how one phone-call generated $1000 in sales.
I had a call from a lady interested in enrolling in one of our copywriting courses.
She said she’d deposit the enrolment fee directly into our business bank account.
After a while, I noticed that this hadn’t happened. But like most people, I got caught up in other things and promptly forgot about it. When I did think about it, I just assumed she’d lost interest, got busy or chose not to do the course.
However, as I was going back through my diary, I found her number and decided I’d give her a call to follow up.
I left a message and she rang me back the next day.
Turns out she’d misplaced the account number which is why she didn’t enrol.
I gave the number to her over the phone – and voila, she’s now enrolled.
We’re both winners. She’ll get information at the course that will change her life and I have a new client.
What are you and your potential clients missing out on by you failing to follow up?
Tags: advertising, advertising copywriting, australian school of copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, copywriter, copywriting, copywriting services, marketing
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February 15th, 2011
Bernadette Schwerdt
The Copywriting Coach
This headline formula is based on the principle that some expert has exclusive information or insider knowledge that will translate into a benefit for the reader.
Tabloid shows like A Current Affair and Today Tonight use these headlines to promote their shows each night and the viewers tune in by the millions. Here’s why.
You see, no matter what the topic, everybody wants the inside running on how to solve problems. All you have to do is know your target market and then find a problem that bothers them.
For the tabloid shows, it’s mostly about making money, saving money, avoiding a scam or losing weight. The message becomes even more compelling when the message is coming from an expert.
Here are a few examples:
“Little Known Ways To Lose Weight (And Keep It Off ).”
“Little Known Ways To Avoid Bank Fees.”
“10 Things You Need To Know About Car Insurance For Seniors.”
“Secrets of Hollywood Stylists – What You Need To Know To Stay In Style.”
Using our schools entertainment show as a case study, here’s a headline you could use:
“Little Known Ways To Get Free Teacher Manuals Filled With Games And Ideas For Grades 1-5.”
This one could promote a phone retailer:
“Little Known Ways To Save On Your Mobile Phone Bill.”
This one could be used by computer sellers:
“Little Known Ways To Get Free Software.”
This one would be great to promote a conveyancing lawyer:
“Little Known Ways To Save On Stamp Duty.”
Travel agents could use this quite effectively:
“Little Known Ways To Get Free Holidays.”
The next headline formula is so easy to use and you can literally create attention in seconds. It’s called the Numbers headline and I’ll share it with you in my next blog.
Upcoming courses and events:
1. Copywriting: Writing For Profit
Gold Pack Home Study
Enrol Anytime
http://copyschool.com/writingforprofit.html
2. SEO Copywriting Home Study Course
Enrol Anytime
Introductory Special!
http://copyschool.com/IntrotoSEOandAdwordsHomeStudy.html
(Special Offer: Enrol in the Writing For Profit Gold Pack AND the SEO Copywriting Course and save heaps. To find out more: http://copyschool.com/copy_courses/cat/)
3. One-Day Intensive Copywriting Course – Melbourne
Saturday, August 6, 2011
http://copyschool.com/OneDayIntensiveCopywritingMelb.html
Tags: advertising copywriting, australian school of copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, copywriting, copywriting courses, copywriting services, headlines, marketing
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January 7th, 2011
Bernadette Schwerdt
The Copywriting Coach
The purpose of the “Intrigue” headline is to create an air of curiosity about your service and to compel the customer to find out more.
Here are a few examples:
This one could be used by doctors (if they were allowed to advertise!):
Can You Pass The Cholesterol Test? You Could Be At Risk. Click Here To Take The Test.
This one’s for osteopaths:
How Healthy Are Your Bones? Sign Up For Your Free Bone Density Test Here.
For image consultants:
Do You Know What Colour Best Suits You? Don’t Buy Another Thing Until You’ve Done This Test. Click Here Now.
This one’s for pyschologists:
Are You Scared Of Flying? Cure Your Fear Of Flying In Just 2 Hours.
In my next blog, I’ll show you how to use a formula that positions you as an expert.
Merry Christmas everyone and thank you for your wonderful support and lovely messages throughout the year.
Upcoming courses and events:
1. Copywriting: Writing For Profit
Gold Pack Home Study
Enrol Anytime
http://copyschool.com/writingforprofit.html
2. SEO Copywriting Home Study Course
Enrol Anytime
Introductory Special!
http://copyschool.com/IntrotoSEOandAdwordsHomeStudy.html
(Special Offer: Enrol in the Writing For Profit Gold Pack AND the SEO Copywriting Course and save heaps. To find out more: http://copyschool.com/copy_courses/cat/)
3. One-Day Intensive Copywriting Course – Melbourne
Saturday, August 6, 2011
http://copyschool.com/OneDayIntensiveCopywritingMelb.html
Tags: advertising, advertising copywriting, australian school of copywriting, Bernadette Schwerdt, copywriting services, marketing
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December 9th, 2010
From: Bernadette Schwerdt
The Copywriting Coach
Experts say we’re exposed to over 3000 advertising messages a day so it’s fair to say it’s pretty hard to get people’s attention. However, by using this ‘Attention’ formula you can cut through the clutter and get the focus of the people you’re targeting.
The best way to do this is to mention your target market in the headline. This way, when they’re reading it, they’ll see it straight away and they’ll respond. Sure, you’ll lose people who aren’t in that particular target market, but 50% of 100% is better than none at all.
(I find that business owners are very reluctant to narrow their targeting in their marketing. This is a big mistake. When owners write advertisements that cater for everyone, they cater for no-one. They end up with ‘motherhood’ statements or advertisements that are so broad and generalized, they cease to have any impact.)
Using our school entertainer as a case study, here’s a headline you could have:
“Attention Teachers! Are You Thinking Of Hiring An Entertainer For Your School? Don’t Do A Thing Until You Read This Report.”
Here’s how it works for other products:
This one could promote a bank:
A Warning To The Self Employed: Don’t Take Out A Low-Doc Home Loan Before Reading This Important Document.
This one’s for real estate investors:
Property Owners – 5 Things You Need To Know Before Buying Inner City Apartments.
This one could be used by landscape gardeners:
Tennis Court Owners – Do You Hate Mowing Your Court?
This one’s for recruitment:
Attention Nurses! You Are In Demand. Click Here To Find Out Why.
In my next blog, I’ll show you a headline formula that literally forces people to make contact with you. It’s so powerful you’ll want to use it immediately.
Upcoming courses and events:
1. Copywriting: Writing For Profit
Gold Pack Home Study
Enrol Anytime
http://copyschool.com/writingforprofit.html
2. SEO Copywriting Home Study Course
Enrol Anytime
Introductory Special!
http://copyschool.com/IntrotoSEOandAdwordsHomeStudy.html
(Special Offer: Enrol in the Writing For Profit Gold Pack AND the SEO Copywriting Course and save heaps. To find out more: http://copyschool.com/copy_courses/cat/)
3. One-Day Intensive Copywriting Course – Melbourne
Saturday, August 6, 2011
http://copyschool.com/OneDayIntensiveCopywritingMelb.html
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