Let’s start at the very beginning. A very BAD place to start…

Are you ready to hear my story? Yes? Are you sitting comfortably? Everyone been to the toilet have they? Right, OK. I’ll begin my story. This is my story,  and it will be told by me. So here we go. My story, by me, starting…now. Ah-hem. OK, I’ll start at the beginning of the story, going from there right through the middle sections and all the way to the end. Oh…most of you are looking very comfortable indeed now, and a good many of you have decided to close your eyes to help you concentrate better. Very good. So let us begin…

No. We're not there yet.

Hey, congrats for making it to the second paragraph – a true vindication of your powers of concentration and determination. I feel flattered.  But many of your fellow readers have probably fallen by the wayside by now, and clicked off somewhere else. Just as they do when they read a piece of marketing writing that requires them to get ‘sitting comfortably’ first. And so beginneth today’s lesson: Don’t wait till they’re sitting comfortably – hit ‘em with what matters early on.

You may have heard that marketing writing should tell a story. It has to grab attention, create interest, draw people in. Yes true enough. But you must still be wary of the ‘once-upon-a-time’  approach, even if you are writing what we call ‘long copy’. Whatever the length of the piece, you want your readers pretty clued up after the first few lines. That means known what you’re selling and how it relates to the reader’s needs.  The rest is persuasion. And call to action.

So check through your marketing lit. Does it take people on too long a journey first? Or are you not sure? Bung it on down and I’ll take a look. (Cos I want you to live happily ever after. Really I do.)

Doug

Have a *&%$£!% brilliant Christmas!

Christmas greetings to all my family, friends, colleagues, admirers, competitors and enemies.

Bad language is always a bit of fun when you’re relaxing with friends, which is why I thought you’d enjoy this. Steven Pinker uses the furore over Bono’s acceptance speech at the Golden Globes (“This is f—ing brilliant!”) to deliver a scholarly but engrossing presentation on swearing. Everything you wanted to know here to improve and polish your bad language.

We’re on on hols now, so cool Yule to you all.

Doug

‘Welcome to my website’ is not a proper headline

Put that at the top of your home page and I’ll send my copywriting heavies to have you horsewhipped.

A headline on a home page is an opportunity. What is it? Yes, that’s right. All together now, it’s an opportunity. So…use it, dopey!

Your headline says hello to all the nice people who’ve come to see you. And it says ‘stay here nice people, cos I’ve got something that I think you’ll want.’

Because of your headline, all the nice people will stay to read what you’ve got to say next. So make it sing to them, sexily, like their favourite X-Factor finalist.

(Otherwise you’ll have Gary Barlow dissing you: “Look, it’s obvious you’re passionate about your bespoke business solutions. But…you just can’t sing!”)

When you’re writing the body copy of your site, keep the ‘call to action’ firmly in mind. This is not necessarily a ‘buy this now’ command.  That’s your ultimate aim, but the call to action here is more likely about which bit of the site you want them to head to next.

If you then bog visitors down in words, the only place they’ll head is off. So no big blocks of text. No excruciatingly difficult-to-understand sentences. You’re not writing a novel here, you’re selling.

More on the body copy later. For now just work on your headline.

Does your home page have a good one? Or have you seen some you like on other business sites? If yes, please share them with us here.

Right, now where did I put that horsewhip?

Pudding, proof thereof…

Smart pudding?

We ‘talk the talk’ but can we ‘walk the walk’? You decide. Click to see the latest edition of Best Bits - and  if we’re putting our preaching into practice.

Then give us your feedback: good, bad, ugly!

Best,

Doug

Guest Post by Babs Saul: Can ‘cookie cutter’ internet marketing work for your business?

My guest blogger Babs Saul has been working in the internet for nearly 20 years. Where internet marketing is concerned she knows as much as anyone and is well worth listening to if you are planning an internet marketing campaign.

As Babs explains here, strategy must always come first. But it must be your strategy, to meet the distinctive needs of your business and your customers.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

A friend’s recent Facebook update got me thinking about the abundance of online marketing expertise with which we are surrounded.

This friend was telling us about the ‘Squidoo lens’ her latest ‘expert’ of choice had advised her to set up, and how it would be great for her website – almost as though she’d been given a magic wand which would take her business to another level.

Now that advice may have been good, but I do wonder if she’d really thought enough about what she wants to achieve with her marketing and which of the many, many internet tools will help her with that.

When we’re warned that if we don’t do this, that or the other our business will not succeed, we feel the fear of failure  - because we don’t even know what the ‘experts’ were on about in the first place, never mind how it all applied to our business.

Squidoo is one of many checklist boxes that  some ‘experts’ tell us we have to tick. This can be misleading. While a good lens will indeed add a relevant link to your website, there’s a bit more to it than that. And it may not be the best use of your time.

With so many ways to listen and interact with your customers now, it makes sense to have a good think about how best to spend your time and/or money.

The very first thing you need to understand is what you actually want to achieve. Be totally honest about what you expect and want. Then consider the wonders of the world wide web, and see if that can make it happen.

And if it can, how much is it going cost you, either in time or money? With the variety of internet tools, services and marketing options, you need to understand what you can best work with or if you can afford someone else to take care of it for you.

Your understanding needs to include the time needed and your market. Where are your customers, and what are they doing?  Do they have time to spend on the internet? And if so, where do they go? Do they even use the internet?

So sort out your strategy and establish to what level the internet is a realistic part of it. After this, knowing what you want and who is going to buy has to be the first step to getting what you want.

Now of course things are evolving all the time, and for many of us the internet is a wonderful and exciting place, enabling business like never before.  But not necessarily for everyone.

Let us remember that some of your customers do not use the internet at all, while others may use it in more simple ways – to best suit their lifestyle. So know your customers. Only then can you know the best strategy for your online marketing activities.

For more of Babs’ thoughts and advice, visit her site Internet Marketing Strategy.

What every email newsletter needs

Every email newsletter needs…readers. Ones who hang around. Ones who click your links. Ones who take a few minutes to check out your latest issue because they know they’ll get value – either practical, entertaining or both.

So…

Tip No. 1: Make your missive bold yet light- like this balloon I photographed yesterday. We all love to gaze at these things as they float overhead, so keep that thought in mind when you compose your newsletter. Don’t make it too stodgy or full of content. Just a few simple, easy-to-read-and-understand ideas, and some striking, simple visuals.

Keep it light, bold and colourful

Tip No. 2: Grab the headline opportunity. Writing something like ‘our newsletter at last’ is not grabbing the opportunity. Bear your audience in mind, and make the headline ‘them-centred’.

Tip No. 3: Strike an inform/entertain balance. Give people things to think about, but remember, you’re not delivering a conference paper. Give them the teaser paragraph, with a link to the longer piece on your blog or elsewhere.

Tip No. 4: Promote  businesses whose services are complementary to yours. Your partners, or perhaps those with whom you’re looking to work. This is good networking practice, and it also makes your newsletter a little less ‘me me me’ or ‘us us us’.

Tip No. 5: Showcase some of your work. Don’t blow your trumpet too much, but do provide a terse case-study description of what needed to be achieved, and any feedback or results. Think about prospects here and provide a ‘call to action’.

Tip No. 6: Use humour. I know – this can be a bit tricky and you do have to watch for attempted jokes that are either inappropriate or fall flat on their face. But still, grab what opportunities there are to keep things light.

Tip No 7: Be conscious of length, and the time it will take to read your newsletter. So put the estimated reading time at the top, and make clear divisions between the different sections.

So there we are  - just a few ideas. I am sure there are many more too. Have you got any to add? If so, let’s hear them here.

Cheers,

Doug

This marketing email may contain traces of cheese

You’ve worked hard on your marketing e-flyer but don’t send it just yet. First, get it checked for cheese.

You know the cheese I mean. The stuff that oozes through the internet and clogs up  millions of inboxes everywhere, every day. Invites to networking events are some of the worst:

Dear Doug, Suzie Stilton tells me that you might be interested in coming to our next Speed-Schmooze-up for Business Networkers. There’s lots there for you, like tea and coffee for a start. And probably orange juice too! With plenty of Aloe Vera on the side, and don’t forget those cheese sandwiches!

You will be able to meet and pass business cards to lots of other mugs networkers just like you, and you will pick up priceless business ideas from a guest speaker with his own book out.

So, Suzie says come along, because this is aimed right at your industry, be that plumbing or mortgage-broking.

Guarantee! We will give you £200 if you don’t get at least 4 priceless business ideas from this event. All tickets are just about to sell, apart from yours! So see you there!”

Hold the cheese

OK, I don’t want to insult you. Your flyer is nothing like as bad as this one – nowhere near. It’s chalk to their cheese. But still, you’ve written it, you’ve worked hard on it, and you and your team are still too close to it to be objective.

So get someone who you know will give an honest opinion. And ask them: Does this piece have an occasional whiff of insincerity? Have we grabbed at easy words like ‘powerful’,'passionate’, and  awesome’ just because they’re everywhere in the ether? Have we included a ridiculous qualitative/quantitative mash-up like ‘£200 refund if you don’t get 4 priceless business ideas?’

It’s worth taking the time – not just because of your ‘open’ and ‘unsubscribe’ rates.

But because it’s your reputation.

Doug

PS: What do you think of my ‘cheese’ drawing? Feel free to offer constructive criticism!

Best Words

Don’t be Mickey Mouse – make up a new word instead!

Language control: it's all a bit Mickey Mouse

You remember Fantasia – that animated classic where Mickey Mouse is the orchestra conductor who fails dismally in his attempts to impose order on a chaotic universe? That’s what I’m reminded of when I hear people ranting on about how the English language is changing.

These people view language as a fixed and static entity, and themselves as guardians of sacred tradition. But despite their heroic attempts, languages are oblivious to efforts to boss them around or knock them into shape. The language – like some great lexical life-force – will always be the master/mistress of its humble users.

New words? They are just a reflection of the age. Some last many generations while others blaze brightly across the sky then fade like shooting stars.

So let’s celebrate change, and have a little fun with it.  Have a go – make up a word and send it to us with your definition. We’ll publish it on ‘Best New Words’ with a brief piece about your business and a link to your site. But remember – it’s a family show here, so do try and keep it clean!

www.bestwords.co.uk

‘Discipline’ shining through the social media clouds (Guest post from Chris Scoble)

I’m very pleased to welcome Chris Scoble to the Copy Lounge guest spot this week. Chris’s company Esprima Consulting delivers training to the legal profession, with particular emphasis on business development and presentation skills. Chris is fluent in Spanish, French and Italian and his services are in fairly constant demand around Europe.

……………………………………………………………..

‘Discipline’ shining through the social media clouds

With all of today’s focus on social media, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you have to be on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter if you’re going to be successful at selling your products or services.

Yes, social media is increasingly important in business, but all those articles, books and blogs on the subject can blind us to what is (and always will be) the most crucial part of effective selling – trusted relationships built over time.

Here’s a quote I saw recently: “20 minutes of face-to-face time is worth more than whole year’s worth of emails.” In this context, you could also say that a barrage of social media equals a year’s worth of emails.

It’s all well and good to create some ‘noise’ around your product or services, but the most effective selling of professional services is done face-to-face. That’s hard to achieve through electronic media, no matter how clever and friendly your tweets are.

So what do we say to those who need help developing those trusted selling relationships which will sustain their business? Assuming they have the core relationship skills of curiosity, generosity and the ability to listen, the major key is discipline.

 More specifically, this means a disciplined approach to staying in touch with prospects and clients. The pacing of your contact plan is crucial. Too frequent and you will scare people off. Not often enough and people may think you are not interested. Worse still, you may miss opportunities that have emerged in the meantime.

You can achieve this delicate balance by developing your own marketing diary system. CRM package, Outlook, spreadsheet, PostIt notes, pencil and paper – anything you like. But you must do it.

My own marketing diary is a simple A5 book from Smiths. In it I keep ALL my key contacts, with a single entry to remind me what my last contact was (left voice mail, sent email, phone call, sent proposal etc). The diary also reminds me when and what my next contact will be (send reminder, book coffee, chase feedback etc.

Of course, things happen in the meantime, and dates can be moved forwards or backwards for many reasons. But every morning I can see which of my contacts I need to reach out to that day, and why. The sense of control is very comforting. What’s even better, is that I don’t even need to worry about the rest of my contacts because I know their time will come.

Let’s look at a few scenarios to illustrate how your diary might work:

• You met a new prospect at event and you sent a follow-up email but you received no reply. Do you try again? Or do you make a call? You should make this decision the moment you send the first email – and record that in your diary.

• Your prospect says she will call you next week. Where do you keep a note of that date? In your diary.

• You have sent a proposal. When do you chase for feedback? Look in your diary.

• You agree to catch up over coffee later in the summer. How do you remind yourself of that? I think you’ve got the answer by now!

If you suspect you’re not in control of your contact plan for your clients and prospects, and you don’t want the complexity of CRM software – just buy a diary. If you run out of energy, or it’s not working for you, try it from another angle. But don’t give up in the quest for discipline. Because that’s when you’ll start missing opportunities.

Anyhow, would love to know your thoughts here, so Doug’s invited you to post any comments below. If you’d like to discuss this further, do feel free to get in contact with me via the website,

Chris

And the winner is…(drum-roll please)…

Before I announce the winner of the prize let me tell you that the best ‘picking-to-pieces’ work was by Jackie Barry, closely followed by Margaret Adams and Suze St Maur. But as these three are copy professionals, they only get the glory – not the prize.

An honourable mention goes to Michael Martin, but the prize I have jointly awarded to Will Anjos (pithy summary of all that was wrong with this copy) and Lisa Attias (impressive analysis – and wonderfully scornful dissing of the word ‘passionate’!)

So hearty congratulations to Will and Lisa – let’s chat about your copy – and huge thanks to these participants for their wise observations:

John Amy, Steven Healey, Alan Stevens, Marilyn Tuck, Graham Archer

Till next time,

Doug

How to discover the work you love: Guest Post by Ebru Ulufer

Ebru Ulufer is a Career Transition Coach who helps people discover the work they love. She is also the founder and owner of CoachMeFree and www.lifecoachingzone.com/

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

According to Deloitte’s 2009 Shift Index survey, only 20% of US workers actually love the work they do. That’s around 1 in 5.

I find that most people who don’t love their jobs feel they have no other option than to keep doing them every day for the rest of their working lives.

But this is absolutely not true!

We were all born with unique gifts and talents and it is our responsibility to discover those gifts and express them through our work. Contrary to what society has taught us, work is meant to be meaningful, fulfilling, fun and enjoyable.

Here are my tips to help you discover the work you love, and then make that transition.

1. Believe in yourself. You might be thinking that you are too old to leave your job but trust me – you  are never too old to start working at something you love. Fact.

I can give you many examples of people who have changed their lives after the age of 40, 50, 60 or 70. Yes, 70! Elsie Richardson from England went to university at the age of 70. She is now 82 years old and doing her PhD – having lots of fun too!

2. Think about what you would love to do if you had all the time and money in the world. If you say ‘I would buy a luxurious house and an expensive car’, ‘I would travel the world’, ‘I would do shopping and have fun’, ask yourself what you would do AFTER you did that.

3. Do you have a secret dream? See yourself signing your novel at a bookstore or do you want to be a dog trainer? Someone somewhere is doing it. Why can’t you?

4. What are your gifts and talents? We usually don’t notice our natural abilities because, well, they come easily to us.  They take little or no effort but they produce extraordinary results. Others struggle with achieving the same results – and therefore they notice our talents. Ask your close friends or family members which areas they see as your natural strengths.

5. What are your values? Which of your values do you want to express through your work?

6. Describe your ideal life by writing your answers to these questions:

What do you do from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed ?

What time do you get up (early/late)?

Where do you work (office/home/field)?

Do you work with people or on your own?

How many hours do you work?

Does your work involve traveling?

Write everything down and make sure you love what you see.

Your dream work should fit into your ideal life, not the other way round. So if you hate getting up early in the morning, opening a bakery would be a bad choice. Likewise, if you don’t like interacting with people on a daily basis, don’t open a B&B.

7. Think about how you can make money from all those things you love. What is the first thing you can do?

When you answer these questions, remove ALL limitations. (If you continue thinking about your mortgage, you will not be able to discover the work you love).

Of course there are bills to pay but no-one is telling you to quit your job TODAY. Continue working in your day job and start a part time business on the side. You have evenings and/or weekends, take regular baby steps to create giant changes. When you make your first bit of income, you will feel more confident and it will motivate you to take the next step.  Leave your job when you are ready.

Finally, do not listen to people who tell you it is not possible. When you reach your goal, they will see it IS possible. I did not listen to anyone who tried to stop me from going in a new direction. While they were telling me that it could not be done, I left the corporate world and created my own businesses. Now they are asking me “How did you do it??”

………………………………………………….

To read and find out more on this topic, please visit:  http://www.lifecoachingzone.com/ and download Ebru’s free report “10 Powerful Questions To Help You Discover The Work You Love”.

Win a free copy makeover for your home page

Have you been paying attention to all my ravings of late? Can you spot poor marketing copy when you see it? Let’s test you out with this bit of fun, which is also your opportunity to win some free copywriting.

Just tell me all that’s wrong with the copy in the quoted paragraph. First prize = A FREE home-page copy makeover.

If we pick you as our winner, we’ll check over your homepage copy, talk to you about any possible improvements, then help you put those in place.

The competition closes Thursday July 14, so you may as well do this rightaway. Here’s the rogue copy in question:

As a highly respected and passionate operator in the world of traditional and old-fashioned cuisine, Zarbo provides a highly flexible and personalised service  that is tailor-made to accommodate the distinctly discerning needs of small, medium and large clients alike. Having a varied, interesting and evolving clientele that includes private sector, business and industry, we shall warmly welcome any opportunity of a formal or informal discussion so that we can discuss your bespoke needs.

OK over to you. Please share your comments below.

Doug

Note: The copy in question is entirely fictitious, but bears a strong resemblance to that found on hundreds of thousands of websites around the world.

Why you should be Barcelona

Barcelona, the TV commentators told us during the Champions’ League final, doesn’t take corners like other teams do. No. The Spanish outfit does corners its own way, slotting in a succession of short passes to help set up another mesmerising foray into the opposition goalmouth.

The conventional method is to hoof the ball aerial into a meleé of attackers and defenders, then take your chances. What a message for small business marketing right there!

So many businesses just do what everybody else is doing and hope for the best results. I’m not just talking copywriting here, I’m talking overall marketing strategy. In being true to their own culture, Barecelona have evolved a genius style, a la Harlem Globetrotters.

“To thine own self be true” – yes indeed. But you can’t be true to yourself unless you know who you are. In business terms this means knowing and valuing your inner ‘diamond core’.

Some marketing managers I speak to say: “We don’t have a USP”. Wrong. When a group of people come together for a common purpose, they evolve a culture, a way of working together that is different from any other group. And this is where we find the USP, the core of all successful business marketing.

This is why you should ‘be’ Barcelona. Be proud of doing things your way. Not sure what ‘your’ way is? Give me a call and we’ll work it out together, then develop marketing that will bring more sales!

http://www.bestwords.co.uk

How to make sure they use your press release

PR: some things never change

No matter how things change in editorial PR, there will always be one constant: PR agents and their clients must dance to the tune of editors and journalists.

Get an angle

Many businesses try for free PR and fail. Often the problem is in the way their press release is composed.

The first golden rule of press releases: There must be a story of interest to the targeted publications/outlets. So IS there a good story in what you’re about to send? There may well be one in there somewhere – but you’ve often got to dig to find it.

The Daily Observer isn’t going to be interested in the fact that your company has appointed a new regional sales executive. But that may not be the story per se. So go deeper, and find out more about the new appointee. Get an angle. He once had a job as an ice-cream vendor. Is there an idea emerging now?

Get attention 

And that’s the other thing – headlines. These must be pithy summaries to grab interest. After which you must ‘cut to the chase’, with the main point of the story in the opening (short) paragraph.

Quoting key people authenticates your story, so interview people to get soundbites that back up what’s being said.

Publications need pictures, so boost your chances by sending an appropriate visual.

So where does your plug go?

OK you’re only sending this release because you want publicity for your company or client. But this bit must go last, and be on the ‘back-end’ of the main story.  Otherwise your release gets chucked in the bin because it’s seen as overtly promotional.

But  your plug can still be solid, with details of the company and a bit of background too.

Last thing, make sure you provide contact details, and it’s made clear who is sending the release and on behalf of whom.

Want to know more? Listen to me interviewing Bob Mills of Expertsources

Maybe it’s because…

Here’s one of those  ’good copy’ ads I was telling you about.  I saw this on the tube tunnel wall at Green Park.

I’ll tell you why I like it, but first take a look yourself. If you can’t make it out, the copy says:

Maybe you’ve joined the army of commuters who appear to have a coffee cup welded to their right hand every morning

Maybe you carry a designer handbag with a price tag that could not only feed a family of five for six months, but probably fit one in too

Maybe it’s the fact that you can combine a leopard print jumpsuit, Swedish clogs and your Dad’s old flat cap without really raising an eyebrow

Maybe it’s because Londoners are 37% more likely to be an opinion leader compared with the rest of the UK

Maybe it’s because you’re a Londoner

Just text. But good. Very good.

Do you agree with me that it’s good?

The ‘call to action’ bit is an invitation to share why you love London, then see your quote on a poster like this one.

No doubt the quotes on this poster have been ‘witted up’ by a copywriter, but what a great concept. This is a community talking about itself to help promote ‘The Londoner’  and have a bit of a giraffe at the same time.

The Best Words verdict: Cor Blimey, guvnor –  this’ll rake in the bangers n mash!

The world is your…errr…what IS that thing?

Have you seen this ad at St Pancras station? Take another look. What do you notice?

That’s right. Nothing wrong with the copy as such, but firstly – where’s the champers? And secondly – what ARE those things in those shells? It looks as though someone has opened a can of smoked oysters and placed them in the middle of the shells.

My wife and I were walking past when she stopped to have a chuckle at this, wondering aloud what the French would make of this image, just as a very French looking bloke walked past grinning.

And so, once more, we see how important it is to have copy and visual working together. Advertisements like this one are a waste of money and they open their owners up to derision.

Best Words rating: laughable

What do you think?

How to reach your market? You already know.

Pump ‘em full: I’m sure that’s the attitude that many of my teachers had when I was at school. Kind of like – here’s all this knowledge, now let’s pump it in and punish anyone who gets in the way. But that’s not what education is about at all.

One of the first things I learnt when I started at teachers’ college in 1975 was the etymology of  ’education’. The word comes from the Latin educare. This, in turn, is formed from two Latin words: ‘Ex‘ meaning ‘from within’, and ‘Duco‘ meaning ‘to lead’. Thus we have: ’to draw out’ or ‘to lead out of’. Which is nothing to do with ‘pumping in’.

It’s a long time since I’ve been a teacher, but that notion of ‘drawing out’ remains at the forefront of  what I do. Believe it or not, most clients already have what they come to me looking for. It just needs a skilful ‘drawing out’.

All subsequent quizzing and discussion links to one over-arching question – how can we  refine our understanding of your company culture and its concomitant marketing needs?  And you know what? There is always a right way. Results – or lack of them – from subsequent marketing activity will tell us how successful we’ve been in drawing them out.

Do you agree? Please give me your views.

Stop sharing secrets

A secret’s a secret until…

Funny how so many people are sharing secrets these days eh?

‘The 7 secrets of social media marketing’, ‘The secrets of a successful sale’, ’10 secrets of breeding victorious combat hamsters’. OK, I made that last one up, but you know what I mean.

And we all know what they mean, don’t we, when they use the word ‘secrets’? They mean they’re giving you access to powerful but little-known information or advice.

Psst! Wanna hear a secret?

‘Secrets’ used to work fine, I guess, back in the days when people were first reading about how to win friends, or how sex could be joyful. (Or some combination of the two).

But now it’s time to  listen to your uncle Doug, you sales ‘n’ marketing bozos looking to entice me to your blog or your newly ghosted book. If you really want to lure the punters in, call up a few of your creative mates and get them to drum you up a grabby, sexy, ‘shake-me-up’ headline or title.

Then you’ll be able to keep your secrets to yourself.

This is you giving a corporate speech..

The audience applause segues into silence as you stride to the rostrum and place your speech carefully front of you. So much depends now on what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. But you’re confident. Happy, even. All the hard work has been done, and this is going to be your moment.

Why? Because you’ve been working with a speech writer who knows the hell what he is doing.

The ‘what’ depends on the why’ and the ‘who’

What to keep in mind when you’ve got a speech to get ready?

Number 1 – remember that success hangs on how you blend message with style (and enhance your reputation in the process).

More fundamentally, this means very close analysis of your audience and your purpose – the WHY and the WHO of your speech.

Why are you giving the speech in the first place?

Simply to inform or instruct? Or are you looking to argue, persuade, inspire or entertain? In almost every case one of these will be predominant, with a mix of the other elements.

Who’s out there in the audience?

Speech writing must be tackled from an audience-eye view. The style of delivery is certainly a reflection of your personality, but it must be tailored to the particular audience you will be addressing as well.

So who are these people in your audience? Overseas delegates used to seeing things from different perspectives? Senior members of your organisation needing to be brought on board with a new initiative? Or shareholders who have to be told some bad news?

Know your context

What will have been happening before your corporate speech? Other corporate speeches or presentations? Group discussion or plenary session? And what sort of mood or humour will these people be in? Will they be overloaded with content and ready for something easy and light? Or will they be refreshed and able to take in more facts and details? How important will humourous touches be in keeping them alert and focused?

A lot to consider, isn’t there?

If you want to make sure you have all the angles covered and don’t want to take any chances, you’ll use a highly skilled ghostwriter/speechwriter like…ummm….me.

So go on – give me a call.

Doug

PS: that’s this week’s ‘shameless plug’ over with.

SEO for morons

OK Doug, let’s get the basic question out of the way-

I’m very well thank you.

No, not that. I meant the ‘What is Search Engine Optimisation?’ question.

Ah. Are you sitting comfortably?

Groan. Be gentle with me. No big words or technospeak please. Keep it short and simple.

OK. It’s doing things to your website to make sure people find you on Google.

And?

That’s it.

Well that doesn’t sound like much to me. What’s all the fuss about then?

You’ve got to get a combination of things right.

Like?

Inbound links, domain trust, bookmarking, keywords, meta tags…

Meta- whats?

Tags. Think of your site like an iceberg. The small bit above the water is the bit you can see. The bit below-

Is invisible?

That’s right, well done. You see-

Hey, don’t patronise me!

Sorry. But you are absolutely spot-on. Key words and phrases are seen and picked up by Google. These words must be in your titles and on your web page.

So you just cram your words into your SEO copywriting as many times as you can, so Google will find you?

Think about it from the visitor’s point of view. What happens if they arrive at your site and the writing is completely stuffed with keywords?

They’d get bored, annoyed or both?

Yes. And they’ll sling their hooks pretty quickly unless the copy is written in a way that’s going to interest them.

So how do you get over that one then?

Aha. Glad we got around to that.

You want me to hire you, don’t you?

Yes. Remember, a one-off payment gives you compulsive SEO copywriting that does a powerful sales job and goes on selling and selling.

OK, that sounds good. You’ve sold me. But just before you get your cash register out, I’d like to test you out with one more question.

Fire away.

What’s the capital of Mozambique?

Maputo.

You’re good.