The Underdog Millionaire Blog » advertising

5 Reasons Why Your Copywriting Isn’t Working

Joshua Black — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:42:50 +0000

(If you came here from my post at Procopytips.com, welcome aboard! Feel free to look around and don’t forget to sign up for the Underdog Millionaire Tip Sheet in the upper left hand corner of the screen)

Today I want to talk a little bit about your sales letters, your advertising, your website, or anywhere else that you may be attempting to use copywriting to persuade your customer to take the leap and buy some stuff from you.

If you have been reading my stuff for any length of time, you know that I like to talk about the power of copywriting and have given you a few tips along the way.

However, there are a few “newbie” mistakes that many people make, me included. Before YOU fall into that category, I figured I would save you the trouble and list them off right here, so you can learn from my mistakes.

Here are 5 reasons why your copywriting is not working:

1. You are using too much hype- Long gone are the days when you can just yell at people with your writing. Sounding like a used car salesman from the 80′s with hyped-up claims and too-goo-to-be-true promises, is a thing of the past.

You to need to build excitement in your writing, don’t get me wrong, but you have to do it in a way that is sounds like you are talking to the person over a cup of coffee instead of screaming at them from 2 inches away, using a megaphone.

2. You make it hard for the customer to buy- Make the purchase process stupid-easy for your customer. If they have to fill out a huge form, or bring in a coupon with a sales receipt, a copy of their tax returns, and two forms of ID, they just won’t show up. Have one-click purchasing. Use an ’800 number.

Try to get your buying process down to the simplest activity or you could be making it too difficult for your customer to be motivated to do business with you.

3. You forgot to ask for the sale- This is a classic marketing fumble that is seen around the world. You have to ask your customer to take some kind of action. If you don’t, you aren’t going to get them to do it on their own. Tell them to pick up the phone. Tell them to press the order button. Tell them to click here.

4. You are not contacting your customer frequently- If you send your sales letters, coupons, or other advertising out only once, it’s going to go straight in the trash. People have a natural marketing filter and need to be in contact with your message about 5-7 times before they will even think about making a purchase decision. Some of your straggling customers could take up to a year to decide, but they will eventually say yes.

If you have to pick between sending to many people once, or a few people a lot of times, pick the second one.

There are only 4 ways that a customer should be removed from your list- They die, they move, they no longer want what you’re selling, they are a total pain in your arse.

5. You are not marketing in the right place- You might be sending your sales letters to people that don’t want what you are selling. By carefully carving out who your target market is, by using plenty of research and pre-qualifying your prospects, you will have a much better chance of closing the deal.

What’s number 6? What copywriting tips do you like to use to make sure that your sales letters are successful? Add a comment below.

If you want to be able to create a sales letter really quickly that closes the sale and brings in tons of money for your business, then check out the Ultimate Sales Letter System.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

www.sales-letter-system.com

Click the image to get the FREE Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack!

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

http://www.product-pricing-strategy.com
http://www.how-to-business-network.com
http://www.ranking-higher-seo.com
http://www.UnderdogMillionaire.com/blog
http://www.sales-letter-system.com
http://www.closing-the-sale.com
http://www.information-product-report.com
http://www.UltimateUSPcreator.com
http://www.underdog-success-formula.com

_________________________________________

The Birthday Roundup-Other Blogs I REALLY Like

Joshua Black — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:00:41 +0000

Today’s post is going to be the last of the birthday blog posts. I thought I would share a few blogs with you that I think are really going the extra mile.

These guys (and gals) don’t just re-hash the current flavor-of-the-month content that can be seen on many of the blogs out there. Instead, they are hard-hitting, unique business owners that have really developed a niche name for themselves.

Many of these blogs are geared towards small business owners, but not all. I think that if you are going to be a competitive entrepreneur, you really need to look at a variety of sources for inspiration.

Now, I am not going to over-load you with the over 50 different blogs that I try to follow on a regular basis, but I do have a special handful for you that really do something above and beyond.

So, without further adieu, here they are:

Heavy Hitters That Blog About Blogging:

If you have been in the blogging world for any length of time, then you already know about these guys, but if you are just getting started, this is the kind of blogging that you can aspire to.

Problogger- This is a site started by Darren Rowse. He has been blogging for years and has grown his empire to over a million dollars a year, just from blogging, advertising, and selling products.

Entrepreneur’s Journey- This site is run by another Aussie, Yaro Starak. He is a real underdog story, who is now one of the biggest independent bloggers out there, providing TONS of free content and audio interviews from rags-to-riches stories of Internet entrepreneurs all over the world.

Specialists:

This is a group of bloggers that have picked a successful niche and have gained a really solid following, due to the content they provide, the atmosphere they create, and the personality that really comes through in their blogs.

Ittybiz- This is the marketing blog of Naomi Dunford. She has created a cult-like following all based around her razor-sharp personality and her sailor’s mouth. This is not re-hashed marketing advice. Almost every blog post that she writes should be printed out and saved as reference material. Plus, she’s freakin’ hilarious.

The World’s Strongest Librarian- This blog is home to one of the most eclectic guys on the blogging scene. It’s run by Josh Hanagarne, a strong-man/librarian that is also battling with a cure for Tourettes Syndrome. His posts range from spectacular book reviews, to random thoughts, from weight lifting advice, to sage wisdom. Always worth a look on a daily basis.

Men With Pens- This is a site for writers. Not only does this group own their own web design and consulting company, but the frequent posts here offer some really good advice for fine-tuning your writing and improving your value to your market.

ProCopy Tips- This is a copywriting blog that, in my humble opinion is a place that is a hidden gem, discovered by only a few. It’s run by a life-long direct-response copywriter named Dean Rieck. He gives away some great basic copywriting advice and even posts frequently on Copyblogger.

The Simple Dollar- This is a personal finance/money blog by Trent Hamm. He has a cult-like following as well. He covers everything from investing, to debt removal, to bankruptcy and has authored a few books. Great site if you like money at all.

My Friends and Underdogs:

This is a group of up-and-coming bloggers that is really trying to make a difference in their respective markets. They haven’t hit the big time just yet, but I know they will, just based on the content and services they provide. These guys are definitely people to keep and eye on.

Tommy DePietro- This guy is serious business. He runs a MLM marketing advice blog, has a ton of videos and is very passionate about his work. Tommy is really going somewhere. He has been a frequent commenter on the Underdog Millionaire since the beginning.

Alex Whalley- Alex is a really honest guy with a big heart. His blog focuses on keywords, SEO, and niche marketing. His posts are very thorough and he has come a LONG way in a short time.

The Big Red Tomato Company- This is a small business blog run by Matthew Needham. He’s got some great ideas about consulting, small business marketing, and creating information products. Matthew is a real stand-up guy and we occasionally bounce ideas off each other since we are in the same niche.

Josh Garcia- This guy is another one that has slowly grown alongside the Underdog Millionaire. Josh is all about generating leads and giving great marketing advice. Definitely worth a look. You will see his blog comments all over the Internet.

I think that should just about do it. Hope you enjoyed the list. Of course I’m sure I missed a few great blogs out there. Give me the name of someone that you really think is doing an amazing job of creating content?

Help your fellow Underdogs out and let’s get this post Tweeted all over the Net!

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Click the image to get the FREE Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack!

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

What You Don’t Know About Copywriting Could Kill You…

Joshua Black — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:10:47 +0000

Today’s Tip Sheet will be of vital importance to your small business. It’s all about how to create mouth watering copy that will draw in your customers like a bunch of parched elephants to a watering hole.

…ok so the things you don’t know about copy
won’t actually kill you, but they could be
silently killing your potential revenue.

There is a right way and a wrong way to sell a
person in print and I hope to decode some of that
with you today.

Copywriting is selling in print, one thing to
one person at a time.

ONE THING TO ONE PERSON- Remember that.

Don’t try to sell a whole catalog of stuff and
then expect the person to make a decision. They
will pick NOTHING.

Ok.

Now that you have decided on that one thing you
are going to sell, you need to find an EMOTIONAL
way (not a logical way) to deliver that product
to your customer.

It all begins with the HEADLINE. This is where
you should spend almost 50% of your writing time.

Just like my ridiculous example in this post
(got your attention didn’t it), you want to
grab your prospect by the proverbial throat and
not let go until they make a decision to buy or
not.

Don’t EVER lie in your headline, like I just did.
I was trying to make a point.

If you lie in your headline, you will INSTANTLY
lose the fragile trust of your prospect and you
won’t sell a penny’s worth of anything.

Get their attention and get them to keep reading.

Now you write a LEAD, which is a short sentence
that sparks even more curiosity than the headline
did, getting the prospect to read even further,
trying to get the answer to the question you posed
in the headline.

Then you need to stir up even more emotions by
putting the product in the reader’s world with
a compelling story.

Think about rags to riches if you are selling
something that might make the person money.

Think about showing a person’s pain and then
showing how your product cures it. This is
not for physical pain only, this can be any
pain in a person’s life.

For example, a messy closet is a customer’s
pain. Your ACME Mighty Closet Blaster will
get rid of that customer’s pain.

Then you need to CLOSE the customer.

Show them that they really want your product.

After the close you need to create a CALL TO
ACTION and get the customer to do something,
check a box, place an order, call a number.

After the close, you should have a GUARANTEE.

The guarantee helps the customer drop their
guard of skepticism. You want them to feel as
confident with the purchase as possible, because
they are doing business with someone they
don’t necessarily know.

That’s all their is to it. Let’s recap.

Here is the Underdog Millionaire Copywriting
Formula:
1. Headline
2. Lead
3. Story
4. Close
5. Call to action
6. Guarantee

Now, if you are really serious about writing
your own sales letters for your product or
service, then you should definitely click
here and learn how to write your own sales
letter in as little as 8 hours.

http://www.sales-letter-system.com

Until Tomorrow,
Joshua Black
http://www.sales-letter-system.com

http://www.underdogmillionaire.com/blog

P.S. Sales letters can be used for all kinds of things, just direct selling. You can use them for events, lead generation, grand openings and much more.

Click the image to get the FREE Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack!
*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

_________________________________________

Is it a Bird? A Plane? Nope, Just Another Underdog Millionaire

Joshua Black — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:43:39 +0000

So, as another weekend is upon us soon I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for becoming subscribers to the Underdog Millionaire family.

In case you haven’t subscribed sign up in the box

where it says “free stuff” ———–>

I created the Underdog Millionaire site
in order to help you grow your small business
as painlessly as possible, and help you
get the ability to show your customers that
you are WAAAAAAY better than any other alternative
that they are going to find.

I created the Underdog Millionaire site so
that you don’t have to feel like you are alone
when you are sitting at home, frustrated at
your kitchen table, wondering if your idea is
ever going to make it.

I created the Underdog Millionaire, because
none of us can build a profitable business
without help from others. The help that each
person requires is different, so I try to
mix it up as much as possible, offering
suggestions from many different angles.

…but it’s not just about me.

It’s really about you and what you want.
It’s also about what you are not getting and
the things that you would like to know about.

I can rant and rave and crack jokes about
pea stands, my dog, or Lady Gaga all day
long, but at the end of the day, if you are
not getting out of this what you signed up
for, then I am not doing my job.

Therefore, I am humbly looking for requests.
What can I help you with in upcoming issues
of the Tip Sheet?

What product could I develop for you that
would help turn your business around?

What business problem are you having that
is totally keeping you up at night, wondering
how if you are going to make it through to
the other side?

What would you like to change about the
Underdog Millionaire if you could?

What do you think I’m doing well and want
to see more of?

The more input that I can get back from you,
my customers, the more I can customize the
site, hone it to perfection, and provide you
with that one, safe haven that you can go
to to learn how to kick a lot of serious bootie
with your powerful small business.

So, let’s hear it!

If you are brave enough, you can share your
message with everyone else and post it at the
bottom of this article, here on the blog.

See you on the other side and thank you in advance
for all of your comments. I can’t wait to see
what you come up with.

Remember, if you have a question that you are
willing to raise, you can bet that there are
probably a thousand other people out there with
the same issue, but weren’t strong enough to ask.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

P.S. Now what would a Underdog Millionaire Tip
Sheet be without a tiny sales pitch? I just wanted
to keep you in the loop about my next, huge book,
Underdog Marketing 101. Here, I’m going to give you
101 different FREE techniques that you can use to
attract new (and old) customers.

It’s just getting the final cherry on top and I
should be coming out with it in just a few weeks.

Those of you that have been EXTRA-loyal customers
(and you know who you are) are going to get the
deal of a lifetime on this product.

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Pea-ing on Your Small Business… Part 2

Joshua Black — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:02:04 +0000

So I was out driving again, and the kid with the pea stand that I talked about a few days ago, was back.

…and guess what?

There he was, sitting alone behind the most
beautiful pea stand you have ever seen.

All shined up. Great rainbow-colored umbrella.
Tons of good-looking inventory. Polite demeanor.
Perfect location with parking on a very well-
traveled street with a slow speed limit.

You couldn’t get much better than that.

Except for one thing.

No one in their right mind is going to interrupt
what they are doing and pull over to buy some
peas.

It just isn’t going to happen no matter how many
parking spaces there are, or how great the stand
looks.

This is a huge dillemma that many entrepreneurs
face… and you may have faced it too at some point.

When you are creating a new product, you need to
make sure their is a HUNGRY audience for it in
advance.

If you have to train your customers that they need
what you are selling, then you are taking the long
road to not-so-fun-ville.

This kid might be a pea expert.

He could probably sit there all day and spin tales
about the world’s biggest pea, or that one time
he was chased by a wild squirrel through the pea
field, but that won’t help him sell those round,
green, little buggers.

I don’t mean to get so preachy today, but it’s
such a critical thing that you have to make sure
that you are aware of, when you are creating
something new.

You are actually doing your customers a disservice
if you are creating the wrong product for them,
because you probably have the right idea inside
you. You just need to flesh it out.

If you already have an established business, be
weary of line extension items that may seem like
a really good idea, but in reality are just a bunch
of baskets of peas sitting on your shelf or in your
repertoire.

Kick over that pea stand in your own business!

Give your customers something they are really
hungry for.

People will pay really good, hard-earned money
to buy stuff they really want, but will hold
off to the last possible second to buy stuff
they need.

We might NEED peas, but we WANT a cheeseburger.
Guess which one gets purchased?

If you are looking for a new business to start,
or you want to learn how to develop your own
product, come on over to the Dark Side and learn
how to develop your own information product.

Click here for more information:
http://www.information-product-report.com

Watch your shoes!

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Don’t Be Like Lady Gaga at a Yankees Game- Do This Instead…

Joshua Black — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:24:00 +0000

Over the weekend, the infamous Lady Gaga decided that she was going to crash yet another baseball game with her crazy antics.

…it went over like a lead balloon, since
the Yankees lost the game.

If Lady Gaga had been a member of the Underdog
Millionaires, she might have known better and
skipped her little escapade.

You see, instead of barging your business into
the customer’s life, you need to ease your way
in, by finding what they want, developing a
relationship and serving it to them shaken,
not stirred.

When you are out there in the trenches, some
times it gets really hard to ease up and not
want to SHOUT your marketing messages in the
faces of anyone that will listen.

…just look at our brothers and sisters in the
interruption advertising business. They get
paid based on how many people they shout at,
rarely on the actual performance of the ad
itself, why? Because they have no way to track
it.

Well, you and I know better, right?

We are going develop a plan for your customers
to go Gaga over your product or service.

It all starts with your USP and the biggest
promise that you are going to make for your
customers. Check this out:
http://www.ultimateUSPcreator.com

Once you have made that promise then you
need to develop a strategy for getting your
message across, and finding the most buying
customers as you can.

The way you do that is with marketing. However,
marketing plans can end up to be pretty pricey
and that is usually the last thing that a
small business owner has to throw around, money.

So, in order to be able to play with the big
kids and compete on a level that you deserve,
even though you might not have the budget to
get you there, I developed something.

It’s called the Underdog Marketing 101 course.

It contains 101 different FREE techniques for
getting more customers to your bank account, with
hundreds of tips in total.

If you can find something in there that will help
your business, then you probably never had much
of a business in the first place.

It’s not available yet, but you will be the
first to know, of course.

This is my largest course to date, and I know
that you will get some real value of this puppy.

Stay tuned. It’s coming soon.
So, what do you think about all of the interruption
advertising that we are faced with?

Are you using it successfully in your business? I’d
like to know.

What kind of methods do you use in your small
business in order to bring in customers successfully?
We’re all family here. Let ‘em out.

Post your ideas BELOW.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Avoid this Mistake- Don’t Pea on Your Small Business

Joshua Black — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:44:40 +0000

Please excuse my headline today. I just couldn’t resist…

You see, I was driving in the country yesterday (there is a lot of country near me) and I passed by the most bizarre form of roadside vending that I have ever seen.

The normal standard for roadside food is
the vegetable or fruit stand.

Local farmers or people just trying to make
some extra cash will set up a stand along
the road and sell a huge variety of foods.

…that was until yesterday.

Yesterday was different.

Yesterday changed my life forever.

Well, not really, but it made me whip my head
around in disbelief.

What I originally thought was a hotdog stand,
turned out to be a pea stand.

Yes, these people were only selling peas and
nothing else.

They also didn’t have a single customer and
stands like this usually have a group of people
waiting to pay.

So what happened?

They violated small business rule number one.

Sell something that people want. I mean, sure
people like peas, but are they really going to
pull the car over, and stop just to get a fistful
of peas?

Apparently not.

Next time you think of the most novel idea on the
planet, please check with your customers first
to find out of it’s a good idea or not.

Otherwise YOU might pea on your small business.

I am just finishing up the Underdog Marketing 101
book, so pretty soon you will have the opportunity
to download 101 different techniques for bringing
more customers into your business for free.

Have a great and powerful weekend.

Until Monday,

Joshua Black

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

The Quiet Art of Networking… No More Shooting Your Customers in The Face

Joshua Black — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:32:59 +0000

Last night a man was robbed and at some point during the altercation the robber was kind enough to shoot the victim in the face.

Instead of doing what most mortals do and
keeling over from this lethal wound, by
some sheer chance of luck (for the first
time in human history as far as I know),
the victim caught the bullet in his teeth.

Superhero-style.

Of course this was a case of bad aim and
weird timing. I don’t believe the victim
was trying to actually catch the bullet.

…but in a case of weird timing and at
the expense of his front tooth, the guy
walked away from the incident unharmed.

Are you doing this to your customers?

Are you using interruption advertising,
or unsolicited phone calls in order to get
business?

Most of this form of advertising can feel
like a shot to the face for some people,
and at the same time, we marketers are
expecting each customer to catch that
bullet in their teeth and instantly want
to make a purchase.

It doesn’t work like that however.

Most interruption marketing doesn’t work
at all and the bullet drops the customer
like a sack of potatoes.

There is a better way.

That way is networking.

When you join a group of like-minded,
but non-competing inividual business
owners together, all meaning to help each
other out, you can get a FLOOD of new
customers banging down your door.

With a network comes the power of referrals
amongst the members.

When someone is referred it is no longer
an interruption. It’s an invitation.

When the person is invited, the tables
become turned and the customer may almost
feel as if they have to prove to you that
they are worthy of you service.

This is a powerful position to be in, and
the rate of closing is MUCH higher than
just walking down the street shooting your
customers in the face randomly with interruption
ads.

Think about it.

If you want to bring the awesome power of
networking into your small business download
my Underdog Networking Formula here:
http://www.how-to-business-network.com

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

How to get Your First Freelancing Client in Just a Few Days

Joshua Black — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:03:52 +0000

If you are looking to get into a new business of your own, especially consulting, then you might want to keep reading.

I’m going to show you a no-cost way that you can
get new customers.

I go into this method in MUCH more detail in
my new Underdog Marketing 101 book, where I give
you 101 free ways to get new customers.

However, I thought I’d give you a little taste
here, and use an example of someone that wanted
to become a copywriter for small business.

…this will work for almost any kind of freelancing.

You start in the phone book.

Go in there and pick a poorly-worded advertisement
and give a critique similar to the one I did with
the car salesman (although not as harsh).

Give the customer some simple free advice that
they can use right now to improve their copy
and include a small sales letter about your
business and fees.

Do this for a handful of local businesses in
your area and see how quickly people will call
you back.

You can increase your customer base in such
a short time with this method.

If you are looking for a home-based business
that you can start with almost no money that
can easily supply you with a six-figure income
in a matter of a few years, you may want to
look into copywriting as a profession.

A great place to start is to learn how to write
money-magnet sales letters.

The small group of copywriters that develop
sales letters are the ones that are responsible
for the sale of more stuff than any other method
on earth.

You can learn how to write your own sales letters
in as little as 8 hours with my Underdog Sales
Letter System.

Download it here:
http://www.sales-letter-system.com

Like I said. If you are in the freelancing business
of any kind, the phone book method is a great
way to get new clients.

Now, I’m not going to go into all of the details
here, because that would not be fair to the
people that buy the new book.

This method for getting new clients is going to
be featured as an entire bonus report and the
only way that you will be able to get it will
be through the new book.

…coming soon.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

P.S. If you thought this article was valuable please re-tweet it, digg it, and facebook it at the top by clicking the three buttons. Thanks.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Midwest Tornado Delivers Critical Small Business Tip

Joshua Black — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:25:44 +0000

Today’s Tip Sheet is going to be lightning-fast in honor of the nasty storm that happened a few days ago.

Over the weekend a pretty nasty set of
tornados exploded through the Midwestern
US (luckily all I got was some nasty
thunder and lightning).

In the aftermath a powerful small business
lesson was left to be dragged from the
rubble.

It’s the fact that we all need to add more
legs to our proverbial stools, with more
income streams, more customer streams,
and more marketing methods.

It will keep Dorothy and Toto from
taking your business with you the next
time a twister strikes (ex. your one and
only client leaves you).

Add a whole bunch of legs to your stool
and it will never fall over.

Just keep a couple on there and you will
be running toward the storm cellar with
nothing to come back to after the storm
clears.

Speaking of storms, don’t forget that
the prices of many of my products will be
doubling on June 12th, in order to closer
reflect their true value.

If you were on the fence about downloading
one of them, don’t dilly-dally or you will
miss out on the great, current deals.
Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black
P.S. My marketing book about 101 free techniques
for grabbing customers is almost done. Still need
to build the web site, but I expect it to be out
soon.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________