Every businessperson wants to sell his products and services to as many people as possible. This is the primary aim for which they all work. However, not everyone is successful in this task. Many a times people feel that they are making every possible effort to sell their product but without much success.

This has been analyzed by behavioral scientists and they have concluded that there are five primary reasons because of which people refrain from buying goods or services.

Let’s look at these reasons and ways to overcome them, which can be adopted in your marketing strategy to increase sales.

1. Monetary Factor - In a way, any product that you buy is a gamble. Many people feel that by buying a particular product, they are taking a monetary gamble and if the product does not hold true then they could end up loosing their money.

You can however, provide them security from this issue by offering some kind of guarantee on the product. This guarantee could be in any form. You can offer them various options such as cash back guarantee, free trial, or chance to exchange their product free of cost. You can also try to lower the price so that it is no longer a big monetary risk. Showing other peoples testimonials about your product could also work wonders.

2. Functional Factor - When buying anything that they have not used before, most people are apprehensive that the product would not work properly or may be defective etc. As a result, they might avoid buying products, which they feel are complicated.

You can however change their mindset by giving a full-fledged demonstration before they buy the product. You can also give them an on-site training once they have bought the product.

3. Social Factor – Society also plays a very important role in the way people think.. All of us have a question at the back of our minds, all the time “What will people think?” Many a times, it happens that people want to buy a product, but are held back because of public opinion.

You can however, give them a push by getting testimonials for your product from the high standing members of society. This will make the people feel more confident about their choice making them think that if it is good enough for so and so then it is also good for me.

4. Psychological Factor – People at times are not ready to indulge and pamper themselves. As a result, they many a times refuse to buy a product because they feel guilty in doing so. Most of them think that perhaps the money could be well spent on something else.

What you need to do is to make them realize that it is quite okay to indulge, and spend on themselves once in awhile. They have full right to do so as they work hard all round the year.

5. Physical Factor - Believe it or not there are products in the market, which make people think that they may cause bodily harm to them if they buy and use these products. If people feel that the product in question is dangerous to use and can have adverse physical repercussion then they will definitely avoid buying such products.

In such a scenario, first of all, you should make sure that your product is safe to use and is not dangerous for anyone. Next, the task is to inform the people about the safety of your product. For this, you can also get your product certified, for its safety, from any creditable agency. Include demonstrations and testimonials from known personalities to verify its safety.

Overall, your approach should be to make people buy your products through legal and fair means. At any stage, you should not try to cheat your customers.

The idea is to help the customers in their decision to buy your products by answering any questions that they may have. This would be a worthwhile exercise because you would be helping those who may really want to buy your products but have a few apprehensions. In fact, it is your duty to guide them in the right direction.

Customer is all-important and so are there concerns. Therefore, there requirements should be kept in mind even when you start designing your product. If you keep the above points, in mind while designing your product then you can be sure that half the battle is won.

Copywriting plays a crucial role in promotion and advertisement of any business. No matter what business you are involved in, if you think that simply having a good product or service, is enough to get you the sales then you are wrong. In fact, promotion and advertisement play a major role in getting sales for any business.

Any good advertisement is incomplete without the right kind of slogan to go with it. If your advertisement does not have a good slogan then don’t you feel unsatisfied that it is incomplete.

On the other hand, an advertisement can look complete with only text and without any image. Good slogans are very crucial to attract the people to your product and service.

Over the years, you would have heard many a popular add lines that have become so popular that they have become a part of the daily conversation.

Today the copywriters who make these slogans and add lines are the most sought after people in the world of advertisement and promotion. You can gauge their importance from the fact that in many cases their salaries are in the same bracket as that of the CEO of the company.

Many people who don’t have a full idea of the importance of the copywriter and the advertising department would perhaps feel that these people are being paid too much for a task, which they can even do themselves. However, they should be careful because this do-it-yourself approach is at times a sure shot recipe for disaster. Particularly in cases where one, is not trained to carry out the tasks professionally.

If you are not getting the required amount of sales then perhaps you should work to revamp your advertising department. Remember that it is the marketing and advertising of your product and service which entices the people to come back repeatedly to buy.

Everyone wants to increase the number of subscribers they have and are constantly planning new strategies to do so. One very effective tactic to attract subscribers is to offer them freebies along with the subscription. These freebies could be in any form such as, premium or a bonus item etc.

Display your free offer very prominently on the main page of your website, so that everyone who visits the site knows about it. Nowadays, PDF files are also very much in vogue as freebies on subscription websites. The users can easily download these PDF files. Some of the ways in which you can entice new customers and profit from your subscription website are enumerated below:

1. Improve content and layout – It is important to have useful and interesting content on your website, which people would want to pay for. Equally important is the layout of the site. The best of information can go to waste if it is not presented well. Nobody wants to read anything that is presented in a chaotic manner.

You should carefully look at the way the information is presented on your site. You can use columns to display information. Shorter documents can use a two or three column design. While for longer ones, a single column of around 6 inches can be good. You can also improve the layout with graphics and color to make it look more professional.

2. Keep the document size in check – Once you have decided to offer PDF files, the next step is to make sure that the document is easily downloadable and transferable.

For this, the document size should be kept under check. Heavier the size of the document the more time it will take to download and transfer. In today’s fast world, you can be sure that your subscribers are not going to stick around for documents that take longer than a few minutes to download. Moreover, a lengthy document may also bore the reader. As a result, take care that your document is not heavy in size by limiting the length of the document and the number of graphics, images, photographs etc. that you use in your document.

3. Prepare error free documents – Make sure that the documents that you create don’t have any errors in them. There is nothing more disturbing for the subscribers than to know that the file that they have downloaded does not work. Check that you have prepared the PDF file with proper procedure for trouble-free download and access.

Besides this, there are few other considerations that you should keep in mind. Some of these are given below:

• You should give clear instructions for the subscribers to download and access the files. You can also give them a few tips to handle any problems that they may face while downloading and accessing the files. It would be a good idea to include your contact information such as email id, so that they can contact you in case of difficulties.

• In case of PDF files, you should always include a link to download Adobe Acrobat by means of a “Get Acrobat Reader” button. This is essential for those who either don’t have the software or want to upgrade it. You can check out detailed instructions at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html

• There are also a few guidelines, which you should give out for distilling the document into Acrobat. These guidelines help the people in viewing text.

You can guide your subscribers for online viewing. Tell them that they can keep a resolution of 72 dpi, 150 dpi for printing text and 300 dpi for text with graphics. However, don’t forget to warn them that as the dpi increases so does the time to download the file.

4. Test your offer – It is very important for you to check and cross check the whole offer and procedure before you okay it for the subscribers to use. It would be best if you would try to download the file from multiple computers to see if there are any hiccups in the process.

Overall, it is up to you to make your offer attractive enough to entice new subscribers. The offer you make should work efficiently and be beneficial for the subscriber.

Marketing is all about attracting and luring people to your product and services by any which way. The idea is to “get noticed”, irrespective of the means used.

How many times has it happened with you that unknowingly you have been attracted to some advertisement simply because it was so compelling that you could not avoid it?

This is not just the case with advertisements. In fact, this curiosity is there in every sphere of our life. We as humans are always interested in anything out of ordinary. For example, you would have noticed many times that people out of curiosity, have crowded around an accident scene wanting to know what has happened.

Fascination with Newness

This is all because people have a fascination for new things. It is this pursuit of new, which guides everyone. You can observe this from your daily routine. Everyday you switch on the news to find out what’s the latest development in the world. It is for the same reason that you read the daily newspaper.

When you meet your friends and colleagues one of the first questions that you ask them generally is “What’s new?” You are interested in knowing what has been happening lately in their lives. You are not interested in hearing about things that you already know.

The same rule also applies in the field of marketing and advertisements. A marketing message should compel people to sit up and take notice of the product and service. The message should be so strong that whether the people want to or not they should be forced to read it.

If by chance, your marketing is not able to do this then you certainly need to think about bringing a change to the message. You have to analyse and see for yourself what it is that your marketing lacks. What have you overlooked? Why are people not taking the trouble to go through your advertisement?

Often the answer can be found in the fact that people are interested in new thoughts and ideas. They will go through your advertisement only if they find anything new in it. Nobody is interested in the same old story.

It is up to you to find out new things to say about your product and service. If you are unable to do so then you can be sure that your marketing would become lifeless. A lifeless marketing is sure to give you equally lifeless sales.

Generate Freshness in your Marketing Message

However, finding something new and saying it in the right compelling way is not an easy task. Most people are of the opinion that they don’t have anything new to say about their product. After all, it is the same old product.

Agreed this is so but what one has to do is revamp the old product and sell it afresh to the people. Something like, an old wine in a new bottle.

It may not be a simple task but it is certainly not impossible. What one needs to do is to figure out the areas in which one can generate freshness about the product.

This freshness could be generated in any sphere such as pricing, packaging, production process etc.

Perhaps the product is being made in collaboration with some other company then this too can become part of the marketing. It is after all a new feature of the product.

However, if at times one is totally at sea and cannot find anything at all new to say about the product then one can perhaps try to look at it from the point of view of the customer.

Look at the product from his viewpoint and try to find areas, which may attract him. One should come up with something so exciting about it that the excitement should pass on to the customers, making them excited too.

Once one has figured out what to say then say it such panache that the audiences are compelled to listen.

Try your best

Think of the marketing message, be it in the form of a print, television, web, email advertisement, as a TV program that the audiences are watching. Then see, whether it is compelling enough for them to continue watching it or will they switch over to some other channel.

This will allow you to rate the marketing yourself and try harder to get that magical message. Remember, try, try, try again and you will get it.

Try a little harder and you will be surprised at the number of messages that you can come up. Compare them and see whether they have the ability to hold the audiences or not. If yes fine, if no then get down to, work once again.

Don’t forget it is the marketing which will make your product or service sell like hot cakes.

Those who are in the business, it might be a profession, a manufacturing industry or a service industry, building trust is the utmost factor.

If your consumer doesn’t have the faith in you, then you might as well shut shop now, cause eventually that’s what would happen. To market yourself and your product, you must be able to gain confidence of the people to whom you intend to sell.

Building credibility is crucial for your success and financial well-being. One-time negative experiences of the consumer can shatter their confidence in you. Consumers also have a peculiar habit. They would spread their experiences whether positive or negative among their friends and family. So be very careful, how you deal with customers. Word of mouth publicity is a strong marketing tool.

These are some of the eight ways in which you can influence your credibility among the customers

1. Using specific numbers

Your advertisement should obviously have catchy phrases and numbers. Be specific about the numbers such as:

Unbelievable, it may seem, but I have made £9678 in one day from the website

12 things that you should ask the scriptwriter

10 ways in which you can make up to your lover

12,333 members of this website can’t go wrong at the same time

Numbers get the eyeballs that you are looking for rather than plain text such as nine thousand. Keep that in mind to build up your confidence level among the customers that you have and the customers that you intend to add.

2. Claims should be proven and verifiable

Don’t make tall claims, because you won’t be able to prove them later on. Make those claims, which can also be proven from independent laboratories, experts etc. don’t infringe on any copyright ad patents claiming them to be yours, because these are very easily be verified. Say the truth otherwise; you could land up in a financial and a legal mess.

3. Product / service details and history should be included

Just like nutrition facts are covered printed on the carton of milk or juice that you buy, in a similar way, the product or the service details should be printed or should be known to the customer. Don’t forget to give the company contact details. Today, giving an email address is also important as its one of the quickest ways to reach a person.

4. Use testimonials

If you have happy customers, and they have given you feedback, then put it on the website for your potential customers to see the same. Positive testimonials also work wonders for you as an instant credibility is built among the customers.

5. Personal details can be given

Personal details such as your educational and professional background can be given. For example those to operate a stock market website as a consultant would give their educational qualifications as an MBA with Finance specialization. This would generate instant confidence in their ability to give the customers good and professional advice.

6. Include the list of the customers

By giving a list of the customers the potential customers are made confident that this person means business. By doing business with them, they can’t go wrong or have a financial loss.

7. Reduce or reverse the perceived risks

If you can add free bonuses which are perceived to be more than the sale price, then definitely the confidence and the interest of the customer is well generated. They are twice more likely to buy your product.

8. Offer a specific money back guarantee program

Offer them money back guarantee such as

IF NOT SATISFIED, MONEY BACK IN 30 DAYS

NO QUESTIONS ASKED

When you have offered them the guarantee and the money back offer, stick to it and not quibble over it. The good word always spreads around.

These are just some of them, you can use a number of confidence building measures to give a boost to your business.

Don’t scare away your customers by saying the wrong things

Customers expect a certain kind of behaviour from companies and if we want to stay in business, it is our job as service providers or manufacturers to stand up to those expectations. There are certain things that are a total no-no while communicating with a customer. It will be a good idea to remember these things and have them as a ready checklist with you, always.

1. Never say to a potential customer: We don’t accept credit cards. As a business entity you are expected to accept credit card payments. Your inability to accept credit card payment may disappoint your customers and they may move to another supplier. As a business entity you can get your own merchant account to process credit card payments.

Bottom line: Accepting and processing credit card payments is a real must for any business and you must have a provision to do so. – if they understand the qualification process before applying. (We’ll cover that in another article.)

2. Never say to a potential customer: Allow us 3-4 weeks for shipping. Please remember that when a customer is ready to buy, he wants the product immediately. If you tell a potential customer that he has to wait for some days/time before he can actually make use of the product, he will usually turn to the supplier who can supply the goods faster.

Bottom Line: To avoid losing customers, offer only those products that you can ship immediately or latest by the next day. For any a business entity it is criminal to expect customers to wait for the products after having made the decision to buy.

3. Never indicate to a potential customer: No questions entertained! The potential customers may want to speak to you before placing their orders, to clarify some doubts. But if your website does not include a contact number, then in a way you are telling the prospects that you do not entertain questions and calls, and this may discourage sales. It is human nature for people to make personal contact with the seller before they actually buy.

Bottom Line: To avoid losing sales and customers, always include a contact phone number in your web site, press releases, sales letters and advertisement messages.

4. Never indicate to a potential customer: We aren’t interested in taking your call. All incoming calls to your business should be answered without fail, either by a live person during business hours or by a professional voice mail system after office hours. If business phones go unanswered then the potential customer can get a doubt regarding the reality of your business. They would want to place orders with a business that answers their calls. To always remain in touch with the customer, divert your office phone lines to your mobile phone, even during hours you are away from the office, especially if you do not have a voice mail system.

The same is true with fax calls. All businesses are expected to have a fax machine to be able to receive a question from a customer, an order from a buyer or anything else. You can not tell a customer that you will receive the fax message on somebody else’s machine!

Bottom Line: Make sure your business phones are answered at all times by a person or a voice mail system or the calls are forwarded to your cell phone. You must make provision to receive fax messages, if you do not have a separate fax machine.

5. Should never have to say to a potential customer: We don’t have a web site. It has become mandatory for all businesses to have a website, where the potential customers can get information about your company, the products you offer, sales support that you give, along with your physical location and contact information. Potential customers have their first interaction with a company through their website.

Bottom Line: It is expected for all businesses to have a website that is easily navigable and provides the information that potential customers will be looking for.

6. Should never have to say to a potential customer: Sorry, I am not carrying a business card. You should always carry your business card, even in non-business environments, because you never know when you may have to use one. At times contacts of potential customers may need your card to pass it on to the potential customer.

Bottom Line: Make sure you carry your business cards wherever you go, you may have to use one anytime, anywhere. The business card should give your name, your company name, your website address, email address and if possible a liner about what you offer.

7. Never indicate to a potential customer: our product can accomplish everything and anything you ever wanted in this kind of product. It is not possible for your product to get the moon for your customers, however great a product or service you may have. When asked about the features of your product, never exaggerate. Be honest when talking about product features, to the potential customers. Do not mislead potential customers about what your product can and can not do, people generally appreciate honesty.

Bottom Line: Never exaggerate about product features to the potential customers, as it is better to lose a sale than to have a disappointed or angry customer.

10 Questions That a Copywriter Should Ask You Before the Start of the Project

In my previous article I told you about ‘12 important questions to ask before you hire a copywriter‘ But there’s a little more to it than that!

Looking to hire a copywriter, then these are the questions that the copywriter must ask you at the start of the project. Apart from really the obvious questions like ‘How much will I be paid’ or ‘what is the time frame of project completion’.

Copywriting is a very serious business and includes many legal and financial implications as well. If a copywriter were to infringe on the body material of others, there could be a legal as well as financial hassle for you, as the hirer for the project.

The copywriter should ask questions and specifically these questions should be directed towards YOU. If these questions are not addressed, then be very careful. You could be in for a lot of trouble for the future.

The difference between the best and a wannabe apart from their level of skill and expertise is the questions they ask and what they deliver. The new copywriters and the wannabe copywriters ask the most basic questions like ‘What’s the payment of my services and when will I get paid’

If you want a truly world class product, then hire a world-class copywriter, who will deliver the goods as per your specifications. This starts with the right questions that they ask you. Here are the 10 questions that we have talked about

1. What product are you promoting and are there are legal issues involved in it

This should be the first question asked from a good copywriter. Many products can be tangled in legal issues and most copywriters don’t want to involve themselves in such deals. Even the most experienced one will fight shy of such deals.

2. The various mediums that will be used to promote the product

There are so many mediums available, which can be used to project the image of the product. These are printed ad matter, bus shelter banners, hoardings, movie theatre presentations, door-to-door campaigns, newspapers, T.V, Radio, and Internet. These mediums require different approaches and the copywriter writes keeping a specific medium in mind.

3. Target audience for the product

Every audience is different. The same messages can’t be conveyed to all people. The world is on the move and with it; the products are also on the move. There are innumerable ethnic backgrounds and diverse cultures not to mention the very opposites sexes and the age groups. They’re a market for the adults, the teenagers, the pre-school population as well as the baby boomers, which have now gone old.

The copywriter needs to know, the product as well as the age group and the population that is been targeted for the copywriter to give in his / her input and output.

4. What is the target market for the product and the benefits of the product

As we discussed, the target customer group is important. In addition to that it’s important that the target market also be ascertained. For example, if you are selling the product, are you looking at Latin America or the Middle East or maybe South East Asia.

The second aspect is what are the major benefits and compared to other products in the same category (if the same exist), what are its further benefits. This helps the copywriter to write a good copy, which will help the product to sell.

5. Is the product available and if so can a sample be available

It’s easy to write, when one has already seen, used and touched the product. The features, advantages and disadvantages of the product become more apparent when one utilizes the product. It’s very difficult to write about a concept and sometimes that may also lead to legal problems.

6. Product pricing

Pricing makes a big difference to the writing. Something that is worth say £2000 would be different than what is priced at say £55. Since the pricing, writing for the products would also entail a different style of writing. This is something that all good copywriters know about.

7. Are they any verifiable customer testimonials

True and verifiable testimonials add credibility to the image of the product. These testimonials can easily be weaved in as text matter by the experienced copywriters. This instils confidence into the products of the company and all good copywriters are aware of it.

8. Is there any existing literature or promotion material available for products that are similar

By scanning and analyzing similar material, which is available, experienced writers can add the touch of glamour to the product to make it stand out from the crowd.

9. What is the schedule for completion

The good copywriters will always have work and therefore like to organize their work schedules. This is to make sure that they can deliver on the designated deadline dates so that their schedules and that of their clients are on target and not thrown out of gear.

10. What are your payment rates and conditions

Remuneration for the work done is absolutely important. The good copywriters are expensive, because they are good and are paid accordingly. They will also lay out their conditions for payment and work schedules.

Payment is one of the first questions that a copywriter would ask; however the answers to the other nine questions will certainly help.

Other questions that might be asked

In addition to this copywriters may ask more specific questions, which are pertinent to the project that they may on hand. This will differ from project to project. The buyers should be able to answer these questions. Answering the pertinent questions will only make for a good copy. This is the requirement of every product that needs to be sold.

This article was written by Craig Dawber, I hope you find our articles helpful…..Let us know your thoughts by leaving your comments below:

Flash Audio Benefits

Adding sound to your site can be more convenient and it can also provide a more personal touch. But why flash audio and not other sound formats?

• It works well with the most popular media players, which most of your site visitors will readily have. In instances where downloading is necessary, your users can easily get a player that is easy to find and is free to install.

• Flash audio is user-friendly and compatible with most browsers.

• It is compatible with most music types and can play different sounds on different links.

• Flash audio has the highest installed base of all media players, arguably installed in 98% of all computers.

•It’s got very modest hardware requirements.

Flash Audio Do’s and Don’ts

Studies show that you have about 30 seconds to really capture the attention of a site visitor, and in about 3 minutes, he or she will decide if your site is good or not. As such, do NOT forget that the aim of flash audio on your site is to make people STAY.

Do’s…

• Do make flash audio a matter of choice. Provide a button where a site visitor can choose to listen to your flash audio or not.

• If you think that it’s best to have flash audio automatically start when your site is accessed, do ensure that your flash audio is easy to turn off. First time site visitors may like hearing it but at a certain point it may get annoying and you do want them to come back right? As such, make sure that an easily accessible on/off button is present.

• Do ensure that your flash audio is of good sound and content quality. True, Macromedia Flash is great software so ‘good sound’ is almost always guaranteed but what if your flash audio is a ‘narrative’ where somebody is ‘talking’ or relating something? In this regard, it is important that the context of the flash audio is professionally done so as not to annoy the site visitor.

Don’ts…

• Not everybody has a fast Internet connection. Don’t make your flash audio too long or too ‘heavy’ that it takes forever to load. It’s one sure way to make visitors leave your site.

• Don’t put flash audio if the product or service you are promoting really does not require one. (It’s hard to think of paper supplies with audio isn’t it?)

Often it has been noticed that while exhorting on the virtues of a product, the site overlooks the best selling points of the product or the service. The assets are discussed in detail while the essentials are overlooked. This is detrimental to the development of a site and selling of the service.

The most important factor to be considered is addressing the issue of “what will the product or service DO for the user?”

However, in addition to this core issue is another aspect that must be addressed when you want to catapult your sales into higher zones and want to enhance your subscriber base. This important aspect that must be brought to the notice of the prospective clients is the ‘hidden benefit’ that would accrue to the customer when he signs on for the new service or product that you offer.

This is not the only benefit that is available to the customer. He also gets additional benefits that combine to make a large whole. This too is a benefit that lurks in the background and is to be sought aggressively as it remains hidden unless unearthed. This is known as the ‘Deeper Hidden Benefit’. These are the benefits that the customer has to be made aware of so that he is lured to the service and make your sales grow exponentially.

When you address the requirements of a specific set of people, it is easier to cater to these and the designing can be suited to meet these desires. These are the times when hidden benefits are easier to uncover as compared to when you are looking to the general public for subscription.

This can be best fathomed when we consider a live example of the ever increasing weight loss market that is attracting people like bees.

PRODUCT: Weight loss product

FEATURE: The product helps you in losing weight

BENEFIT: You’ll be more attractive to the opposite sex and you’ll feel much better

HIDDEN BENEFIT: Impress everyone at your college or school reunion or functions that matter to you

DEEPER HIDDEN BENEFIT: You will feel great and will be able to get back at that loud mouth at school who thought you’d be a ‘fattie’, all your life.

It just takes a deep and dedicated thought about the whole product for you to realize the various benefits that accrue for a client and then to highlight them so as to attract them to join your service. The bottom line is, tell the customer what he wants to know and he will get attracted to your site and sign on – just what you want him to.

Anyone can claim to be a copywriter. As I have learned after many trails and tribulations. Whether it’s in the brick and mortar business or whether your business is online. Anyone with the knowledge of the language and who think that they are creative become copywriters. But let me tell you. It’s not that easy.

There is much money and business to be lost, if you place your ad campaign in the hands of immature, those who claim to be copywriters, but are really a little more than fly by night operators.

That was then, now I have learned that there are several factors to write a good ad campaign. This must be additionally stressed. However if you do choose to sub contact your ad campaigns there are certain questions that you must ask your copywriter.

Believe me it will save you from a lot of head ache, resources and money that is rightfully yours. Plus you get good ad campaign that would generate revenue for you.

You must get satisfactory answers to the questions that you pose to the copywriter, whom you intend to employ.

In case the person fails to answer the questions, is not willing to answer or the answers are not up to the mark, then well you should not employ the person.

When employing the copywriter

Look for the truthfulness and the honesty in the answers. If the person is not telling the truth, they will slip somewhere. Look for their experience and ask for their credential Do a background check and talk to the referrals that they have talked about.

Copywriters are good at making believe in what they say, after all that is what they are getting paid for. That’s why I have built up a set of 12 questions, which can tell you whether you want to hire the person or not.

1. What are your recently written ad campaigns – sales letter / web pages / TV & radio ad jingles for the target consumers -

The answer to the question will tell you whether they are suited for the job or not. Copywriters are an experienced lot and some deal in niche markets. Therefore choose the one who has already written for the niche market that you are aiming at.

2. Please show at least 3 examples of your successful work

When the copywriter posts you the work, you would definitely know whether they have worked professionally or they are just starting out. If they have answered yes to the first question, ten they would have no problems in answering and showing you their work.

In case their answer is a negative, then you know that they are amateurs who are just starting out and want to make a ad campaign learning on the job. They might make mistakes for which you might have to pay.

3. Please provide your reference (should not include family, relatives and those who work under and with you)

This question is designed to provide background information and check for their work. When they provide references, the current employed can check whether what they have stated is truth or they are speaking plain lies. It’s very easy to find out. Therefore copywriters give their references very carefully. They give of those whom they trust will give a good feedback to their current employer

4. Is this a full time job for you?

By answering this question, the copywriter will let you know, what they do for a living. If they work full time job somewhere else, how will they be able to dedicate the time, for your campaign. When you can find that there is a copywriter, who’s full time occupation is that of copywriting, you have met your match.

5. What is your experience?

The experience that the copywriter gives you should be chronologically written. If they have ever worked for an ad agency as a copywriter, then that’s an advantage for your campaigns. In case they have never worked as a copywriter before, then hiring this person can land you in great trouble.

6. Have you written copy for web site, do you have your own web site?

In case you are looking for web copy, then this person should be for you. If they have a website, the next question should be whether they have written their own copy for the website or they have relied on external help. This is essential in case you are looking for a copy that’s web related. Review the work and the website of the copywriter to know whether that’s the kind of output you want from the copywriter or not.

7. What is the expected time of completion for the project?

A successful and a good copywriter can’t churn out work overnight. This question tests the caliber and the work schedule of the copywriter. Whether they have enough work and how busy they are. While asking this you can see if they can stick to their delivery schedules.

8. Would you sub contract the work or would you do it yourself?

The answer to this question will tell you, who is actually going to do the work for you. Since you are going to be paying for the job, you have a right to know. If they are sub contacting the work, it might be to a person who has lesser skills and experience and they are out to earn a quick buck.

9. In what form will the work be delivered to me?

Usually I like the work to be delivered in full that is formatted with two – three option, which should be available. Since I don’t want to spend more money on formatting, editing etc. this saves me time and money and I get a product, which is ready to be delivered.

10. How much would you charge from me?

Essentially, since you would be paying, you should know how much they charge, what would be the payment schedule. Will they bill per hour or per day etc. pay when you are fully satisfied about the job that you have given them.

11. If the copy that you write doesn’t work? , what would be likely reasons for it.

Usually a good copywriter would know the markets, consumers, products and services well. This is the reason why they would also give you suggestions to make the copy worthwhile. They will let you know the advantages and the limitations of the copy. Therefore the answer to this question is extremely crucial for you.

12. Are you prepared to be paid on commission basis? In most cases the answer will be a “NO”. However if most salesman work on a commission basis, then why not a copywriter, if they have faith in there ability then they should go ahead with the commission policy. After all they are also in the business of selling, the selling of good campaigns which in return is going to get the revenues and the profits for you.

Initially it can be a downtime payment. Once you build a relationship with the sales people, the payment can be made on the basis of commission.

Get the answers before you hire them.

It’s important that you get the right and the correct answers before you go about hiring the copywriter that you want.

It can mean a difference between a campaign and a great campaign.

The campaign in which will get you the revenue or will make your business, or shut your shop.

So best of luck and happy copywriting.

This article was written by Craig Dawber, I hope you find our articles helpful…..Let us know your thoughts by leaving your comments below:

How can you use videos and video marketing online? What are the benefits of incorporating it in your business and web strategy? Learn more about using videos and video marketing online to get started.

A recent statistic claimed that over 50% of on line traffic is through video. YouTube videos account for a whopping 12% of all web traffic. The fact is you need to add some component of video to your marketing plan to get the best results possible-it’s that simple.

You do not have to spend a lot of money to make the switch to video. You can get a decent recording with any camcorder these days. You may need to learn a little about lighting and background and of course using the camera itself-but really, that’s it.

You can get video ideas and templates from other marketer’s on line. You want to explain all the wonderful aspects of your products on your video. Explain what your product or service can do for the customer. It is also popular to get video testimonials from satisfied consumers.

There are web sites and ebooks out there to explain exactly how to tape video. Video marketing is as essential tool. YouTube Videos have limits from 3 to 10 minutes. You can send your video to dozens of websites at the same time.

First you will have to get an account with a site but they do the rest of the uploading. There are many web video sites out their like tubemogul.com, trafficgeyser.com just to name a few.

Your uploaded video can be ranked on Google within a half an hour. Marketing video work by engaging people with good information and leave them with your web address across the screen (and wanting to visit to learn more). You can even promote affiliate products on videos and send them to your link.

It has been proven if you use a good video along with some great content and/or writing, it really can attract more traffic to your site. The conversion rate will increase drastically in many cases. The conversion rate is the percentage of traffic that goes to the affiliate links and buys something.

Your SEO Video Title should be the same as your YouTube Title. Do not forget that YouTube is the third top visited web site out there. Instructional videos on products are also a good marketing strategy. Show how your tools, information, or whatever your product is…works!

Since YouTube gets millions of visitors a day the visitor can get the copy of your video and publish it somewhere else on your blog or website potentially spreading your affiliate products ad sales. These videos spread so fast that that is why it is called viral marketing.

Google owns YouTube and Google is the top search engine. Getting your video on YouTube will help your website rank higher in the search engines-especially the main player, you guessed it, Google. There are plenty of other video sites where you can upload your videos though. Just a few include Yahoo Video, MetaCafe, MySpace and Daily Motion. The more places you send your videos the more they will be seen.

There are some other basic things to think about when making your video. You want to dress appropriately and act professional. Make sure the content is clear and informational. You are on your way to more traffic and more money with video marketing.

Video tutorials are great, but what exactly should you know about them? Can you apply them to your business? Are they any good for teaching people things or are they all hype? Learn more about video tutorials by reading on…

Video tutorials have become common on the Internet along with video marketing and video products. Video tutorials have not replaced ebooks entirely but act as a great adjunct to written information. Some people learn best by watching others rather than by reading.

Ebooks can become lengthy, technical and boring-it’s just the way it is. They are still valuable but do have a good handful of drawbacks. Videos can produce a step by step visual of how to perform a task or an explanation on how to perform a task with examples you can see with your own eyes.

Sometimes video tutorials are interactive. You are communicating and performing tasks with instructions and feedback. If you need to participate in the information transmission it will keep you much more alert and may help you retain the information better than just reading a script.

When people find videos interesting or informative they are more likely to pass it on to someone else to watch. Think of all the videos on television selling products and showing people how to use them. The Internet is not any different with all its video marketing that is happening non-stop, around the clock. The two are quite similar.

Some people find that after seeing an informative video on a subject that it helps them get through the corresponding e-book with a better understanding and comprehension of the material. Some of us are just not readers and need that visual stimulation to clear it all up.

Videos can walk you through what you are doing step by step in real time. That is a definite advantage over reading a how to ebook. Especially if you are not Internet savvy. Some of us do not want to know why we have to perform a certain step-just how to do it.

Video marketing and on-line video tutorials and products are here to stay. They will not completely replace ebooks for learning or other kinds of advertisements but their growth is exponential and catching on pretty quickly. A great example of this is Interactive learning videos for children which are incredibly valuable. For example, a child is much more engaged on the computer than when reading a book in many cases. But do we replace books all together? Of course not. Books will not be replaced by computers, just like eBooks won’t be replaced by video tutorials.

Computers and video tutorials are just another learning tool that are fun and easy to use.

The best way to learn or retain information from the Internet is probably to use both a video tutorial and a written ebook together. They will reinforce each other and the learning process.

Just remember if you provide tremendous value to your viewers and get them interested in what you have to say you can get a great following going and generate a ton of traffic while teaching people and helping to fix their problems. This is the essence of being effective with video tutorials and videos in general. The more value you deliver in your video the more likely someone is to jump in and buy what you have to offer that is for sale, just remember that when you go to start up your video tutorials. Video marketing and using tutorials is a great way to get traffic and sales just make sure you follow these guide lines and advice.

It is very important to identify and analyze why certain businesses fail, so that we can learn from their mistakes and take guidance from the successful ones.

Many businesses fail because of some common causes which many entrepreneurs ignore at the onset of the business. These causes should be studied in depth because no university course gives you enough matter to study, on topics such as this. The most common causes of business failure are:

1. Laying more emphasis on product, rather than market and marketing

The requirement to identify a market for your idea or the product is more important than the product itself. You may have a great idea or a product, but if there are no buyers for the same then it cannot be a success. Smart businesses first identify the market requirement and then develop products accordingly.

Tip: For your business idea to succeed you need to first find if there is a market for your idea by conducting a market test run. Find out if people actually want your product, and how much are they ready to pay for it.

2. Laying more emphasis on company image.

To project a high profile image for the company by hiring expensive office space and a fancy logo and website will not do much to facilitate in the success of your business. In fact high overheads, because of expensive space and website maintenance costs, can drive you out of business very fast, because the golden rule for the success of any business is to keep overheads low especially at the start up time.

Tip: At the start up time, keep the overheads low by reducing expenses. Operate from modest office space. Prospects cannot see where you are operating from and they do not care, anyways. Try to invest more on your marketing activities, which are likely to increase your revenue and chances of success.

3. Getting into Undesirable or Bad Business Partnership.

You should get into business partnership only if you find that your ideas match with the probable partner, because business partnerships are even more difficult to maintain than marriages. Many partnerships fail because of lack of communication, proper documentation and deeds. A failed partnership can lead to bankruptcy and soured relations with the business partner.

Tip: Avoid partnerships completely, if you possibly can. But if you must get into a business partnership, make sure the duties and responsibilities of the partners are detailed right from the start, and the partnership deed along with commercial terms is clearly defined

4. Attempting to have a very complex business model

Simpler the business model, better it is. In a simple and uncomplicated business model everybody, including your vendors, suppliers, employees, and customers are well aware of their responsibilities and goals. In a complex model they have to adapt themselves to new roles that they may not be comfortable with.

Tip: While devising the business model, follow the rule of “keep it simple”. As the business grows and gets established, you can shift to a more radical or complicated business model, if required.

5. Attempting to pioneer a new product or industry

Many businesses get into the vicious cycle of trying to pioneer a new product or industry- many a times the whole exercise can drain you and your business completely, without much success. Very few and limited entrepreneurs succeed in radically new businesses. Even customers at times are scared off because of a totally new concept or product, hence chances of success are not assured, despite all the efforts that you may apply.

Tip: Try to achieve extraordinary business success by simply improving business practices of the existing business, rather than trying your hand at pioneering a new product. Once the business is established, you can try to get into the pioneering new product cycle.

6. Getting involved in a business lawsuit and bankruptcy

Business lawsuits that are not in your favor can take away all your assets, including your personal assets like home, property, savings etc and make you and your business bankrupt.

Tip: Always operate a business under the protection of a corporation, courtesy which you get a corporate shield. In this way personal liability to the business is limited to what ever you choose to put in your business. In the event of a law suit, just fold the existing corporation and try to start a new one. It is always advisable to hire the services of a lawyer and an accountant to discuss your personal involvement in the business, with respect to assets and even the taxation. If carefully planned, you can eliminate almost 100% of all potential legal threats which could go against your personal assets.

7. Getting involved in messy Divorce Proceedings.

In many cases when marriages fall apart for people, their businesses also come to a halt because of the financial disagreements arising out of divorce proceedings.

Tip: At the time of the marriage, get an attorney to prepare a prenuptial agreement that clearly states the financial implications of divorce proceedings, if any, on the businesses that you hold with your partner. Avoid the above pitfalls and the path to business success will become much smoother for you.

This article was written by Craig Dawber, I hope you find our articles helpful…..Let us know your thoughts by leaving your comments below: