Reason #4343 to hire a copywriter: Seeing eye to eye

One of the best things about walking out from behind your computer screen and going to conferences is meeting people that heretofore you only knew as an avatar.

Let me fill you in on something. No one looks like their avatar. Some look worse, some look better (Oh! How my fingers ache to put examples behind those statements!) and they’re all decidedly warmer. But, no one looks like you think they will.

Case in point, Steve Sherlock came to find me at SOBCon. There were big hugs, “I’m so glad to finally meet you”s, and on and on. And then there was my realization that he was roughly 8 feet tall. And that I’m not (I forget this fact a lot – sort of like a chihuahua). He noticed too, saying, “Wow, from your Twitter avatar, I thought you’d be much taller!”

“She’s larger than life,” said my dear friend Andi. God bless ‘er.

This ‘in person’ thing is the only time I don’t like being short – ’cause otherwise, I really like it:

• I curl up in chairs easily.
• My feet have never hung off the end of a bed or stuck out of the covers.
• I can be carried easily in cases of emergency (or passion).
• Falling down hurts less.
• I’m afraid of heights.

But, when I’m talking to a peer and I have to look up at them to converse, a power imbalance ensues. And, unless the tall person gets off on intimidation and lording over others or unless the short person thinks of themself as unworthy and, well, small – I don’t think it’s comfortable for either party.

Personally, I simply won’t stand for it. I want to look into your eyes, not up your nose. So I did this (see below) and it was caught on camera and tweeted by Steve Woodruff.

@Swoodruff: Julie @writingroads strategy for having face time with tall people

(Ignore the face I’m making in this photo, I’ve run through every word I know and I can’t find one that causes that face.)

See, it’s like I told you the other day, I’m not above stepping on things to get what I need.

The Power of the copywriter

Good copywriters solve problems. If your competition or your dream clients are ‘taller’ or ‘shorter’ than you, copywriters and content creators (and social media strategists) should be able to figure out a way to get you to eye level, to position your message and brand in a way that creates a natural conversation, connection and relationship.

Interruption marketing just isn’t cutting it anymore. It’s done from a perspective where the company is decidedly bigger or smaller than their customer, and therefore, has to scream to get their attention. Interruption tactics include:

• TV commercials
• Radio commercials
• Let’s face it: all commercials
• Blinking, obnoxious ‘BUY THIS’ windows that open when you’re just trying to read a post
• Pushing your products on people
• Not listening, just talking/yelling/shouting
• Taking, sucking and bogarting the energy

As opposed to relationship, or relational or human, marketing. Blogging and social media tools can be used quite effectively as a means to this relationship building, by the way.

• Meeting people where they are.
• Listening to what clients and customers need.
• Solving their problems.
• Not pushing your product on them.
• Giving, not taking.
• Being a real person.
• Building a relationship of trust.

All difficult things to do when you’re staring into someone’s belly button.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo meets Writing Roads (another girl with a tattoo or three)

I’m bad at picking books to read at the bookstore, you know, when it’s just me and shelves of beautifully packaged words. Apparently I missed that gene. I get swayed by the cover or the fact that the author’s name kind of looks like mine and I’m blinded by the dream of being published. Anywho, the ones I pick up on my own almost always disappoint.

Thank the good lord, I’m very good at taking book orders recommendations.

I might be a little annoying about it too. I ask a million questions, like: Do any animals get hurt? (I literally can’t take it) and Is it scary? and How fast, exactly, do you think I’ll be able to read it? (Because the world has to stop until I finish). I like to get the full review before I invest my time and I like to know what I’m getting myself into it. I demand full ‘word of mouth’ service.

As a result, I end up with superb books. Books that smart people told me I had to read. Or else.

Even though I like girls with tattoos…

And so it was with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. First of all, I never would have picked this book up on my own. Even though I like girls with tattoos, I’m not into dragons. And it’s a murder mystery type of book, not my usual genre. But, my parents – who have a superb reading record (I did get that gene) – gave it to me for Christmas. And I saw their eyes light up when I ripped the wrapping paper away. And I knew that even though this book promised some unpleasant subject matter, and even though it started out with a lot of hooha about banking and business (yawn) – this book was going to be a keeper.

Turns out, it’s a trilogy: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest. Adding to the intrigue is that the author, Stieg Larsson, died of a heart attack right after he handed in his manuscripts. He has no idea that he’s sold millions of books, that this book is becoming a raving hit and that three movies have been made based on the trilogy. A writer’s life is just full of ironical detours, eh?

Is fiction ever really fiction?

There’s also more intrigue in that his life oddly mirrors much of his protagonist’s life. You know how I love when art imitates life and when fiction isn’t really all that fictional. And, for the geeky among us, this is the first book I’ve read where modern technology (laptops, email, the internet, hackers) are seamlessly interwoven into the story without seeming artificial.

My latest GIG…

And then the planets collided and I was hired to do the social media marketing campaign for the first movie. The author, the books and the movie are all Swedish, and they’ve reached cult status overseas, both the books and the movie have won prestigious awards over there. My campaign over here is going to be very bloggy. I’m staging a mystery for readers to solve across the blogosphere...so stay tuned. You could win premier tickets, meet-ups with the actual girl with the dragon tattoo, shirts, books…the whole bit.

I think books are best found through word of mouth…and now I’ve been charged with the task of putting this book into as many wordy mouths as humanly possible. How cool is that?

And, between you and me, the book is that good. So, read it. Or else. And then, tell everyone you know about it. Or else. And then, go see the movie. Or else. And then, tell everyone you know to see it. You know, or else.

Follow the peanut

My daughter came into this world 5 weeks early and at least 5lbs too small. But, to be honest, that never slowed her down. She was out of the NICU in 11 days, out of the hospital 7 days after that – and she never looked back.

She’s still tiny – hasn’t quite cracked 28lbs at 4 years old, but she’s quite mighty. A magnificent brain, big brown eyes and a brewing wit are likely to take her far.

And then this morning, she wanted something. She asked nicely enough the first time and the second. (Jack, her little brother, had the desired object and wasn’t really listening). And then she got pissed.

She’s 4…so you’d assume that she’d whine or scream or cry or even haul off and hit him – but she didn’t. Instead, she came out with this voice – this strapping, deep, throaty bellow. She never lost her poise, nor her cool. Her little self didn’t even show exertion from the effort – it just surged out of her. “GIVE ME THE HORSE.”

Seriously, there wasn’t even an exclamation point at the end. But the effect was immense. And he handed her the horse without ceremony.

I’m guessing you’re hit with the same flood of articles/posts I see every day that are trying to prescribe the magic bullet for writing marketing copy. Long-form sales letters, the ‘it’ title, the 5 most persuasive words…it goes on and on. And I’m sitting here wondering if we can’t learn something from this 4 year old peanut.

Dig deep, way down. Don’t act bigger than you are. Don’t shake your structure. Don’t cry, whine or beg. Connect with your power source…and then, let it out – in all of its brilliance. Ask for what you want. And mean it. My girl does.

Image credit: That for which I’m most thankful…

Barf Bags

I remember the first time I flew on an airplane. I was five, it was the winter of 1979 and we were headed to Florida. Although I was too young to get it at the time, it was an incredible trip. We stayed with old friends in Cocoa Beach, went to Disney World, saw an alligator on a golf course, ate in a very loud local restaurant where they served some famous something or other (what is the official food of Florida?), AND we woke up at 3 in the morning, drove through the night, set up chairs on a beach and watched the Space Shuttle lift off. Which, I have to admit, I found exciting in equal measure to the hot chocolate and donuts I got to eat all morning.

Anyway, back to the plane. I had the middle seat in between my brothers who had already flown several times and were taking their jobs as my guides, as usual, very seriously. In the 70′s and 80′s, one of these highlights was…drumroll, please…the barf bag.

Let’s think about the marketing ramifications of this nasty little receptacle, shall we?

• What if you walked into a grocery store and they had a big closet with huge, full-body parkas next to a neon sign that said, ‘You are about to freeze your frickin’ ass off, so put this on!’
• What if when you went to the car dealership, they had an exhibit featuring photos of the top accidents of the last month and a booth for life insurance and information about brain damage and paraplegia.
• What if the entrance to the beach was flanked with burn salve, skin cancer survivors and the drowning unit of your local hospital.

Well, the minute you sat down in your seat on an airplane back in the day, you stared at a barf bag. You weren’t left to your own devices here. They left little room for doubt. The message was clear: You are going to puke. This is going to be a bumpy ride. We were reminded of all the things we didn’t want to think of the minute we got on the plane: nausea, vomit, turbulence, bad weather, bad planes, explosions, screaming babies, twisted metal on the ground. That ridiculously small paper bag, tattooed with the airline’s logo, put a bad taste in our mouths.

Some people might have interpreted it as courteous, I thought it was terrible advertising. (Well, I do now, I wasn’t that kid).

Eventually, the industry wisened up because the last time I sat down there were happy magazines and ads for wifi in the little mesh pocket in front of my seat. The airlines want us thinking about buying things, materialism, being rich and exploring the world. Much better thoughts for a much better flight – and great incentive for planning your next trip.

Take note: (and maybe this was just my experience, but) When the barf bags were there, people actually used them – I remember a few incidents clearly. But now? When was the last time you saw someone hurling in their seat on a flight?

As the seller, producer, promoter, writer you actually have substantial power to direct someone’s experience of your product, service, space. Don’t send them down the black, gooey rabbit hole decorated with signs that say ‘Welcome! Be prepared to barf!’ That’s just not how the road to paradise should be paved.

Image credit: Oskay

How to get the job and keep the client

I just finished reading an article by Sean Platt that left me going, ‘huh?’ The article was about the importance of freelance copywriters standing out from the crowd – a huge crowd of talented writers, cheap writers, so-so writers, bad writers, good showman and on.

Platt’s answer to the dilemma was to tie a magical red bow around all of the copy you write. How did he define the red bow? Michael Stelzner (the white paper guy) left a comment that summed it up…”…it seems like you’re being a bit vague about what this ribbon is exactly here.”

Um, yeah.

So, how do you stand out, get the client and keep them? Good writing is critical - don’t fool yourself (…though we’ve all seen bad writing and someone wrote it and got paid for it, sooo…) I could write a post about tips for writing good copy – but often I think the secret to a successful copywriting business stands outside the bounds of what you can do with your keyboard. It’s not all about the writing…

• Be professional. Don’t whine, don’t make excuses – just do what you said you were going to do. If you make things harder for the client, you will be gone. Make working with you a delight.
• Deliver on time or early. If you’ve done any professional copywriting, then you know that clients are rarely on time. I’ve done rush website writing jobs in the last year that have yet to go live on the digital screen. Make sure that you aren’t the hold up, the client can feel free to take as long as they want. If it’s the designer that’s stalling things, don’t worry and realize that you now look even better.
• Create and/or adhere to fair contracts. Depending on the client, you’ll have the opportunity to be the producer of the project’s contract. Make sure that you promise things you can deliver – and then do it. Protect yourself with things like Project Creep clauses. If you feel good about the contract terms, you’ll feel better as you write the project and the deal will run smoothly. If you aren’t the contracts creator, request adjustments to make the contract fair – that’s your right.
• Over-deliver by giving referrals, sharing info, etc. If I see an article or opportunity that would benefit my client, I send it right over. If I hear that they need a designer, I offer mine. Mind you, this is part of my personality so I kind of can’t help it…and it’s a great way to offer value.
• Find the right mix of human. Do not, I repeat, Do NOT, under any circumstances respond to, ‘How are you?’ at the beginning of a business call with, “Well, my cat died so I’m pretty bummed out because I’ve had her since I was 14 and I can’t decide if I should get a new one or wait because we’re thinking about moving and I heard it’s hard to rent with a cat and we can’t afford to buy right now because my boyfriend lost his job and….” Keep it positive and don’t be a robot. Something like, “I’m great – the sun is finally shining after a week of rain! How are you?” Always ask back – be polite.
• Want and invite feedback. When I send a draft to a client, I include a message to the tune of, “I look forward to your feedback as always and look forward to making this website everything you hoped for…” And I totally mean it, every time. This is about the client – you are their tool, to be honest – your feelings and ego need to move aside. It’s not personal, it’s business. Act like it.

What did I forget brilliant readers ‘o mine? Weigh in, by all means…

Image credit: San Diego Shooter

Give it to me straight.

Political correctness has a place, I know it does. But when I hear something incredibly honest come out of someone’s mouth – it just gets me. Of course I’m not talking about hateful, violent or bigoted talk – I mean, give it to me straight. Just say it. And sometimes there’s some shock value involved.

In the marketing world, it’s incredibly helpful – brutal honesty gets our attention and, oftentimes, it’s funny or it endears us to the product, person, company. Most importantly, this type of marketing message makes us want to repeat it to our friends.

Some of you know that I have a little, teeny, tiny flaw – I like to read celebrity gossip. I really can’t help it. And, sometimes, sometimes that habit gives me some primo tidbits.

Recently, for instance, actor Josh Duhamel hit it home. When asked what his favorite part of a woman was, he said:

“Personally, I like the ass.”

Straight and to the point…and some good marketing for his wife, Fergie, to boot(ie).

Image credit: judean peoples front

The power of a life behind a brand

The most beautiful bird just flew in front of my office window. A Cardinal: bright red, yellow beak, that sharp tuft of hair on his head. He’s still out there and I’m watching him flit around the trees. And, I’m thinking, he doesn’t look real, he looks like a cartoon, he looks like a drawing.

Which is when I realized that my thoughts made perfect sense. I grew up looking at a drawn, caricatured Cardinal because I’m from St. Louis. The majority of my childhood, until the football Cardinals were sold and moved to Arizona in 1988, was entrenched in Cardinal sports. My family is full of die-hard fans. St. Louis is one of the greatest sports-fan cities in the country.

I’ve been branded, people – by a brand. Those baseball and football Cardinals have been so firmly entrenched by TV, sports uniforms, t-shirts, hats, billboards, the Clydesdales, etc. that my addled brain actually thinks that’s what a Cardinal looks like. It’s in my blood, part of my DNA.

I realize this example is a sports team – but it has a logo, a song, horses. It’s selling seats and hot dogs and beer and hats and….The impact is so powerful because there’s real feeling and countless sensory experiences behind the brand: family, summer, hot nights, bright lights, the thwump of the ball in the catcher’s mitt, the crack of the ball off the bat, the taste of the nachos, the roar of the crowds – doesn’t matter whether we’re winning or losing, never has. And they’re called to life every time we see that bird – the logo or the real one.

Proof: I started crying just watching the Clydesdale videos…as I tried to pick one of the thousands that exist.

Are there brands in your life that have had this kind of powerful impact on your world? And how can you make your brand, or the brand that you’re writing about, that full?

If we take our cue from the Cardinals, then we realize that we have to give a total experience. It’s not just about a tagline or a cool package. It’s about interaction, conversation, the senses, the meaning, the life that happens around the product.

Image credit: Ian Turton

Blogstipation (and how to avoid it)

Cheers to Cassie Aiden for introducing me to this fabutastic word…

Blogstipation. Is it the inability to write blog posts? The back-up of so many good blog ideas? Or is it a blog that’s just not moving – no increase in visitors, pageviews, business?

Of course the term itself fits all three of these possibilities….it’s that good.

The inability to write blog posts

You’ve run out of ideas, you’re having a bad day, you’re simply out of juice.

1. Search the net, check other blogs. Chances are someone’s writing about something that either you could write better or their take on it is a 180 degree spin from yours…make it your own.

2. Walk away from your computer. Literally – take a walk, a bike ride, something to get out of your head and get creativity flowing through every limb again.

3. Don’t panic. Ask some folks to guest post, do some interviews – take the heat off of yourself and your muse.

4. Whatever you do, don’t just write something for the sake of filling your blog. People are less likely to leave you because of your silence than because of your pointless or crappy posts.

The Back-up

So many things brewing that you simply can’t get anything done or published.

1. Don’t let ideas back up in your brain, it’s very crowded already. Carry a notebook or a digital voice recorder or a smart phone to get the ideas out of the brain and into the world as they happen. You know, let it flow.

2. Make a list, schedule, calendar…and use it.

3. Hire a VA or other specialists (like writers, designers, techies, cleaners, bookkeepers, etc.) to help you get things done.

4. Prioritize. There’s bound to be something in that there should be done first. Do it…and get the ball rolling again.

The stagnation

Same number of visitors day after day? No new business?

1. Guest post somewhere else – preferably on a blog with readers who have never heard of you and need your services.

2. Use Twitter. Follow new people, build relationships, give good tweet by sharing interesting links and info on a wide range of subjects. (I ‘spose a little LinkedIn and Facebook wouldn’t hurt either)

3. Write an ebook and make it free and valuable.

4. Do some keyword research about your topic and find out what people are looking for…then give it to them.

If absolutely none of this works:

1. Shut down your blog. Maybe it’s just not your thing?

2. Add more fiber to your diet: get out there and experience life, learn more about your industry, go to conferences. LIVE away from your computer.

3. Take some blogging Pepto: Shot of Red Bull? Glass of Merlot? Shot of Tequila? Mug of green tea? Flask of hot chocolate?

4. Call me…a good friend, your coach or mentor. Sometimes we just have to talk these things through…

Image credit: Alexander Ekman

Un-Selfishing your Presence

When I was about 7 years old, we got my dad the best Christmas presents ever…three new Atari games: Frogger, Pitfall and Space Invaders. The brilliance of our gift was that we looked like great kids, my older brothers and I, but we weren’t at all because my dad didn’t play with Atari - we did. So, in effect, we bought the games for ourselves.

They weren’t really the best presents ever, they were the most selfish presence ever.

Cheesey as it may be, this little fable teaches us an important business lesson – and it’s simple. Whether you’re a company or a freelancer or a whatever you are, you have to do some marketing, right?

When you (and your copywriter) create your outreach message – make sure that you:

• Listen to your audience first.
• Find out what they want.
• Answer their questions.
• Solve their problems.
• …as opposed to yours.
• Because this isn’t about you.

If we’d listened to my dad, for example, we would’ve found out that he really wanted cheesey music a Loggins & Messina record (literally vinyl), a toy for his mid-life crisis Mazda RX7, Cardinal’s baseball tickets or a cigar…not Frogger. Not even close.

The result for us was lousy allowance rates, fewer trips to get ice cream and some eye rolling…what’s yours?

Image courtesy of sokabs

Can you take a look at this for me?

I believe it was Ben Stiller in the 90′s romcom Reality Bites who coined the phrase ‘non-practicing Jew’ – I’m one of those too, and right now, I’m a ‘non-practicing yoga teacher’ as well. But just like my Judaism, the yoga teaching is still running through my veins. I find myself thinking like a yoga teacher – wanting to lead, make hands-on adjustments, practicing alongside my students, clients, whatever they may be.

My beautiful wife, Patti, however, is a ‘practicing yoga teacher’ and while she does teach traditional classes, her focus is on teaching privates only. Someone asked me why anyone would want a private yoga class. “Wouldn’t that be so weird,” she asked, “to have the teacher just sitting right in front of you, staring at you?”

Yes, that might be weird…it might not. Traditionally the teacher/student relationship was one-on-one with the teacher paying single pointed focus to the student, guiding them along their way. And it usually didn’t look like our yoga classes. When you work with someone in this way, you’re able to look at their body in their postures, talk about injuries or unique physical and mental limitations, etc.

One of my favorite exercises that I used to to with my students, was this (you can totally do this with me right now…):

1. Stand up (somewhere with enough space that you can swing your arms and legs without hitting anything).
2. Close your eyes.
3. Shake your arms and your legs out (like you were trying to get water off of them after the shower – really spiders is a more appropriate example but then you’ll be freaked out about spiders crawling on you and won’t be able to concentrate – so pretend you shake water off, post-shower, ‘kay? Thanks.)
4. Keep your eyes closed.
5. Now come back to standing in stillness. If you practice yoga, come into the Mountain Pose. If you don’t practice yoga, bring your feet hip width apart, make them parallel to each other, arms down by your sides.
6. Now, open your eyes.

Look down at your feet…most people, with their eyes closed, think their feet are parallel and hips distance apart – but the reality that many of you might find is that one or both of your feet is turned out or in (either a little or dramatically) and that your hips distance apart more like a foot or two apart.

And trust me, this is only the part that you can see. Chances are one shoulder is higher than the other, your head is pitched way forward and your right ear is curiously close to your right shoulder. In my case, and Patti always finds this hysterical, my body is rotated a good 15 degrees to the left from my waist up. But I, and you, think we are standing perfect straight, totally symetrical.

It’s fascinating, jarring really. And a fantastic lesson. When I have someone standing with me, they can guide my body into alignment – as often as needed, in whatever post I’m in – until my body releases the habitual holding patterns and learns the alligned way.

So my question is, why wouldn‘t you ask someone to look at all of your stuff? Business plans, new boyfriend, marketing strategies, new suit, tagline, dinner party menu, web copy, first home, logo…

A new set of eyes is likely to find the flaws. You know, when you’ve looked at something so many times, they just seem natural and right to you. I don’t know about you, but I love to be straightened out.

Image courtesy of northstander