Is your copy a bit lifeless? Marketing flat? Michele PW is here with tips and tricks to get your marketing and copy back on track.
01.28.08
Posted in General, Notes from PW, Public Relations at 1:15 pm EST by MichelePW
Yes I did it again. Another marathon. Except this one was a half marathon in Phoenix (a mere 13.1 miles) versus the 26.2 mile jaunt I did last June in San Diego (and yes, I’m signed up to go again).
I don’t run the marathons, I walk or walk with a little running. 
This time was a success because I completed it in 3 hours and 6 minutes, averaging about a 13-minute mile or so, which was my goal. (Actually, my goal was a 15-minute mile so it was better than my goal). I also considered it a success Read the rest of this entry »
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09.24.07
Posted in General, Marketing, Public Relations at 11:04 am EDT by Michele PW
NOTE: If you would rather listen to this post, please click here.
I have a confession to make. I’ve made some mistakes over the past couple of years with a few of my clients.
This is what would happen. Every now and then a client would hire me to write copy for their Web site. I would do so. A few months later, they’d contact me.
“The site isn’t working. We haven’t gotten any sales or leads from it,” they’d say.
I’d get on the phone with them and we’d talk about it. And invariably, I would hit upon the problem.
Traffic. Or, more specifically, lack of traffic. (Traffic is defined as visitors coming to your site.)
Now, I KNOW how to drive traffic to a Web site Read the rest of this entry »
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07.10.06
Posted in Copywriting, Public Relations, Writing at 5:42 pm EDT by Michele PW
Headlines are the most important part of a print ad.
In fact, David Ogilvy, famous ad man and author of Confessions of an Advertising Man, has said that four out of five people only read headlines. Nothing more.
And if people DO choose to read the rest of the ad, they make that decision based on the headline.
That’s a big job to put on the shoulders for what amounts to a few words.
But before you start despairing over your headline-writing skills, take heart. There are several “headline types” that have proven to sell products and services over and over again. Below are four of the most powerful and the easiest to implement. Read the rest of this entry »
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12.02.05
Posted in Advertising, Business, General, Marketing, Public Relations at 3:58 pm EST by Michele PW
In my last column I talked about how the field of marketing is changing. Now more than ever, you need to develop a relationship with your customers.
So where should you start? With your Web site.
What? You say you don’t have a Web site? Well, if you’re serious about selling your books, products or other services, then write down “get myself a Web site” at the top of your to-do list.
Seriously. A Web site is really the foundation of your marketing strategy. Not only can you sell your books from your Web site 24/7, but it’s also where you can start building a relationship with your customers. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Writing at 3:56 pm EST by Michele PW
I want to share my secret for attracting tons of traffic, leads and customers to my site.
Ready? It’s writing and submitting articles online.
I can hear all the protesting already. But it’s easy for you, you’re a writer, that’s what you do, etc.
Now there is some truth to that — I am writer so writing articles does come easy for me. However, I also make my living as a writer. That means I do an awful lot of writing each and every day. Trust me — I know all about procrastination when it comes time to writing articles for myself.
But since writing articles is such a powerful method of self-promotion, I’ve taken the time to figure out a few shortcuts. This makes the process less painful so I do get them written on a regular basis. I’m sharing five to help get you started. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Marketing, Public Relations at 3:53 pm EST by Michele PW
I thought I would clear up some misconceptions about marketing in this two-part series: What Marketing Can Do For You and What Marketing Can’t Do For You. This issue is about what marketing can’t do.
While there’s no question a solid marketing program can increase your business, it can’t fix everything. Below are 5 things marketing can’t do for you: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Copywriting, General, Marketing, Public Relations, Writing at 3:47 pm EST by Michele PW
Whatever kind of writing you do, knowing how to successfully network and meet people is critical to your success. You can leverage networking opportunities to increase readership of your books (people love to know authors and to tell people they personally know the author of the book they’re reading) get clients for a coaching or copywriting business, or line up speaking opportunities.
As writers, though, it’s sometimes difficult to drag ourselves out from behind the computer and actually interact with the human race. Here are fifteen tips to get you started. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Advertising, Business, Copywriting, General, Marketing, Public Relations at 2:59 pm EST by Michele PW
You are a professional writer — therefore you need a professional identity or image. And if you also offer marketing consultation, that image becomes even more important (after all, you’re in the business of helping other businesses with their identity, you better have a decent one yourself).
People want to work with successful people. The image you present to the world goes a long way toward establishing that.
Although the following three tips are designed more for copywriters, all writers can benefit from taking a closer look at their professional identity. Read the rest of this entry »
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12.01.05
Posted in Advertising, Business, Copywriting, Marketing, Public Relations at 10:50 pm EST by Michele PW
Want to create print ads that get results? Below are three keys to get you started.
1. Write for the eye. Print ads are visual. Therefore, craft ads with the eye in mind.
Eyes are kind of picky, though. So, here’s a checklist of what eyes like and don’t like:
A catchy headline that encourages them read more. Read the rest of this entry »
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07.15.05
Posted in Public Relations at 5:46 pm EDT by Michele PW
Community relations is one of those marketing strategies that isn’t talked about much, even though I venture to say practically everyone ends up doing it at one time or another. Basically, community relations is when you and your business become involved in your community. For instance:
* Your business donates money to nonprofit organizations.
* You or your employees volunteer at a fundraising event.
* You or your employees volunteer for a nonprofit organization.
* You or your employees join a service club.
* You or your employees network and/or volunteer at industry association meetings or business functions (such as Chamber of Commerce events). Some people might consider this networking and not community relations, but I would argue networking falls under community relations. Regardless, you get the idea.
I’m going to go through the pros and cons of community relations in a moment, but first I want to encourage all of you to think about ways to not only add community relations to your marketing strategy but also to get better at leveraging those opportunities to grow your business. But first, let’s go through the pros and cons. Read the rest of this entry »
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06.13.05
Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations at 6:27 pm EDT by Michele PW
When most people think about marketing, they think advertising. While advertising is a part of marketing, marketing is much bigger than advertising. There are lots of different marketing methods floating around out there, and the challenge as a business owner is figuring out when it’s appropriate to use each one and the best way to use it.
Public relations, or PR, is the art of getting someone else to write or talk about you or your business. Preferably in a favorable manner. Traditionally, “someone else” was the media. In this day and age however, someone else can also be a blogger, a freelance writer, an e-zine publisher or even an owner of a big Web site. For purposes of this article, I’m using the word “media” to refer to all of those folks.
PR is also being able to get yourself on a big talk show to talk about yourself or your business, or writing your own article that’s published in a desired outlet. (Not your own newsletter or Web site.) Read the rest of this entry »
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I also write fiction. Learn more here.
