It’s not the shopping I dislike — though you’ll likely not find me out the day after Thanksgiving with the crowds.
No. It’s the term.
Black Friday. Aargh.
Though the origin of the name makes sense, it’s not very customer-centric. It’s exactly the opposite of customer-centric and a perfect example of the worst kind of communication — inside-out communication.
Certainly being in the black is good news for retailers and for our economy but honestly, the term ”Black Friday” has no relevancy to the shopper.
I’m still scratching my head over how it became popularlized. I suppose it’s because we live in a sound-bite age and it was easy for the media to latch onto it.
Still, I don’t like it. I may be the only one but I’m taking a stand.
No more Black Friday, I say.
From now on, I’m calling it something totally relevant and appropriate: The Day After Thanksgiving.
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving.
No CommentsIs your site optimized for search?
I can think of one very large company whose search rankings are dismal; non-existent really. One reason (there are many) is that they don’t use title tags on any of their pages. Not one. So potential customers searching for the generic name of their product won’t find them. And it would be such an easy fix — if only they’d listen.
Title tags are just one way to optimize your site for search. Here’s another from marketing guru Marcia Yudkin. (Make note of the very special offer at the end.)
When you’re hunting online for a roofer, bicycle repair shop or optometrist, one of the first screening criteria you use when looking at web sites is “Are they nearby?” You want that question answered in the first five seconds after landing on a company’s site.
Sounds obvious, right? Yet during my judging of sites for the Webby Awards this year (my eighth time), failing to state clearly and prominently where the business operates is a common error, made by architectural firms, real estate developers, a one-state restaurant directory, a regional chain of hospitals, environmental engineers and others.
If you work nationally or internationally, web visitors might not realize that unless you say something like “From our headquarters in St. Cloud, Minnesota, we work with clients throughout North America and Europe.” Or, “Thanks to telephone conference calls and web-based collaboration tools, we can serve you regardless of where you live.”
Specifying your location and service area also helps you rank higher when shoppers search for a provider via geographical words. When you have a location-relevant business, don’t use only one geographical phrase, use many of them.
For instance, let’s suppose you have a pest-control business in Milford, Connecticut and serve customers within a 20-mile radius of your headquarters. One option that would help you come up in web searches would be to list all the towns you service. You could place such a list in a sidebar column and introduce it with “Getting rid of bugs and rodents in…”
Besides naming towns where you operate, you should think of general terms for your area, including the name of the county, the nearest big city, town neighborhoods and any local nicknames for your surroundings, so that you incorporate phrases like “Greater New Haven,” “New Haven area,” “New Haven suburbs” and “Naugatuck Valley.”
Where should you insert your location terms when location is central to your business? Always insert your most important location term in at least these four places: 1)Your graphical top banner. This is the picture that appears not only on top of your home page but also on top of major every page of your site. 2) Your page title. This is the wording that shows up in the upper left corner of your visitor’s browser. 3) Along the bottom of every page (designers call this the “footer”) along with your telephone number. 4) On the Contact page.
In addition, search engine optimization experts recommend you include location words: 5) In the alt-tag for the site’s top banner. The alt-tag is the little label that shows up when a user puts their mouse over an image. 6) In alt-tags for other graphics and photos included in the site. 7) Wherever appropriate, in photo captions. A caption is the line or two below a photo that identifies what’s in it.
Finally, try to include at least your most important geographical term in page headlines and subheads. These should be coded with the html command “h1” and “h2,” respectively.
By taking these measures, you maximize the chances that people looking for what you sell where you sell it can find you online. You also maximize the chances that when they reach your site, they realize quickly that you operate in the area they’re searching for. You then have the opportunity to turn your web site visitor into a customer.
Marcia Yudkin is the author of 11 books and publisher of the popular newsletter, The Marketing Minute. Ideas and techniques for getting found in geographical searches are part of her report, Do-It-Yourself Search Engine Optimization. It’s easy to follow and just $29.95.
No CommentsMaybe you know about this and maybe you don’t.
For those that don’t, here’s a free keyword search tool: http://www.spacky.com/
A colleague of mine mentioned that a client is reticent to use the words “sick kids” as a descriptive on their web site even though it would be perfectly appropriate.
Just for kicks, I used spacky.com and found that the estimated monthly search volume for ”sick kids” is a whopping 14,800 on Google alone. Then I tried the keywords “kids with illness” and got 0 results for any of the search engines.
1 CommentMy husband rarely opens the mail. This is not a complaint; it’s just a fact.
But over the weekend we received a direct mail piece that enticed him enough to not just want to open it, but actually act on it.
The piece was an invitation (of all things) to an designer gala at a luxury jeweler in central Ohio where — mind you — my husband once bought a piece of jewelry some 20+ years ago.
My husband simply does not buy jewelry. Again, not a complaint, just fact.
So for him to open up the invitation was stunning to me. The copy on the outside wasn’t particularly appealing – it simply says “Designers’ Gala.”
What, then, I inquired, made him grab it and open it?
“I dunno. It just looked very high-end,” he said.
Mmm. Interesting.
Here’s a scan of the front and back side (imagine it folded in half and addressed in the white space).
According to this oldie-but-goodie feature story from DM News, this type of high-end direct mail piece timed around the Thanksgiving season for this particular industry is well worth the $4-5 per-piece investment (and maybe even more $).
My take?
While my husband did, indeed, open the direct mail piece because of its high-end feel; and while he did, indeed, consider going to the event, at least momentarily …
… the piece could have been made even stronger with the addition of benefit-driven copy on the outside flap and relegating the “Designers’ Gala” to a watermark or graphic element.
Personally, I’m not a fan. Depending on the recipient, such luxe packaging with an invitation and a separate insert with a gift-card-looking thingy could be considered very UN-green, indeed.
No CommentsI just finished writing a recommendation for a business partner’s LinkedIn profile.
What I wrote was my perception and experience with her and her services. I happen to think she’s amazing, fantastic and gifted in what she does. And I said so.
As I was writing the recommendation, it occurred to me that writing it was very much like writing a book review, which I recently did for a non-fiction book called Rest by Keri Wyatt Kent.
How interesting — and, perhaps, enlightening — it would be to have someone else write an honest review of your web copy.
What would an impartial third-party say? What would your customer say? What would you say? Would any of the reviews say what you want them to?
Write your own honest and fair review of your web copy. And then ask someone else to write an objective four- or five-sentence review, too. You just may be surprised at what you learn.
No CommentsI just saw a compelling commercial for Build-A-Bear Workshop. It wasn’t a fancy, bells-and-whistle commercial. There wasn’t amazing production value. On the contrary. It even featured what most would consider a potential yawner: the company’s founder standing and talking.
It was the copy in the 30-second message that got me.
Here’s what I heard — and remembered:
And that’s the formula for writing to catch your customer’s attention, particularly in a slower economy.
1. Identify your customer’s relevant and urgent challenge. In this case, it’s how to buy holiday gifts for the kids on a tight budget. But the challenge could be anything from how to increase your subscriber list to how to woo repeat customers.
2. Create an emotional connection to the problem. Choose words that resonate with your audience like “family fun,” “unforgettable” and “simple things in life.” To find these words, comb through your customer feedback and see what bloggers and online communities are saying about your brand.
3. Solve the problem and communicate the solution in unmistakable language. “Priced at just $10” is the zinger that will drive them in droves online and in store. Be sure to convey just your best offer; save the rest for when they call, visit or go online. That’s where you can give them other options or upsell.
Remember, desperation and scare tactics are total turn offs, so make sure your copy is confident, positive and empowering.
Want more great tips like this? Sign up for my free e-newsletter.
No Comments
Loved this initiative from Kemba, a Columbus, Ohio-based credit union.
It’s a fun, relevant and timely way to address a scary subject like financial doom-and-gloom while: (1) creating new customer relationships, (2) driving member interaction and (3) strengthening customer loyalty.
The only drawback? A lengthy contest application.
No CommentsI was talking with a friend who is a life coach and she said that a mere 10 percent of people who read self-help books actually put the advice they read into practice. That leaves 90 percent of us reading and not applying what we know to affect change.
So that got me thinking that maybe some of us are the same about writing. And so today’s post is a survey. Post your comments here or contact me confidentially. Thanks.
SURVEY: How much of what you hear/read/learn do you actually apply to your writing?
[ ] Almost all of it. I’m hungry for great copy techniques.
[ ] Some. I don’t always know how to apply what I’ve learned but I try.
[ ] A little. I’ll try new things but most times revert to my old habits.
[ ] None. I’m _____________ (lazy, busy, unmotivated, in need of coaching, not sure how).
[ ] Other
Comments:
No Comments“Pass with care.”
That is, perhaps, the most succinct instructional phrase in human history. Think about it. It tells you what to do — “pass” — and how to do it — “with care.”
It’s just three simple words put together in beautiful, magnificent harmony.
Okay, perhaps I exaggerate. But, still, it is a marvelous phrase for its shear simplicity. And that begs the question, “Are you writing with care?”
Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure that you write with care:
