Marketing Writing Resources for Creative Copywriters

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Every time the tradeshow season rolls around, marketers ask themselves the same old question: how can I tap into the special sales markets without using last year's hats, bags, Frisbees, pens, and other boring gimmicks? The solution is so simple and effective—good old-fashioned books.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Writing

For marketers, technologically sophisticated products and services pose a special problem—translating the technical talk that engineers love into the plain talk customers need and will act upon. From the depths of my experience with bits, bytes, high-voltage devices and semi-toxic chemical compounds, we offer a few suggestions that will help you turn good science into compelling marketing copy.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Writing

Done well, e-books deliver authentic thought leadership, branding an organization as one to do business with. Here are some examples of successful e-books to get your creative energy flowing....

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

If your visitors like your Web site, there is a very good likelihood that the search engines will, too. With this in mind, the following 10 tips focus on how to develop your site with your visitors in mind, and also effectively conduct search engine optimization.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Blog advertising expenditures have exploded in the past year. Companies can make a really big brand splash for relatively little money, meaning that blogs provide advertisers an excellent opportunity to reach a devoted audience niche. But blog numbers, until recently, have been little more than curiosities to big brands.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Writing

In a classic "New Yorker" cartoon, a man approaches the pearly gates. Saint Peter, greeting the new arrival, gestures to a sign saying "Birth, Death & Beyond" and comments, "Actually, I preferred 'Heaven,' too, but then the marketing guys got hold of it." Ah, the dreaded "m" word. Instead of inspiring awe and admiration, it's now more likely to prompt contempt and eye-rolling.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Selling intangibles is hard work. Putting together a successful Web site that peddles intangibles is even harder. Here's a look at the top sins that many professional services sites—maybe most—commit... along with some suggestions on what can be done about them.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Sometimes, copywriters and content writers write in clichés. They say things like, "Company X offers an integrated end-to-end solution." To a reader, the line has barely any meaning, and certainly no impact. Why not? Because it is too familiar. Because he or she has read the same phrase too many times before, in too many other places.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Google recently launched Google Trends, a tool that allows you to view keyword search trends by year and month. You can also view trends by news mentions and by region/country of searchers performing searches. Here are some real-world ways marketers can use the data in this truly useful tool to help get a jump on competitors and assess their search penetration.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

At a recent marketing association event about landing big company clients, one of the participants asked the speaker, "How do we find the watering holes where the decision makers meet?" The room burst into discussion. Some people said golf courses. Some said nonprofit boards. But I couldn't help thinking of a better alternative: Build your own watering hole. Load your Web site with so much fresh, valuable, and compelling information that it becomes the center of your industry's discussions. Here's how.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Writing

Are you confident that the tactics you, your web designer, and your SEO all employ won't get you slapped by the search engines? If you can't say with absolutely certainty that you're squeaky clean, then you'd better study the following list of black hat tactics to avoid.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Most CEOs and even VPs of marketing think messaging is about a good tagline. That's partially true, but a tagline is only a small portion of smart messaging work.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

We've all read about Web 2.0 and the impact it will have on businesses. Some find the principles life-altering, others say it's pure hype. Whichever camp you are in, you can't ignore the fact that business is changing—especially online. Here are five categories that managers need to consider now to keep in step with Web 2.0 changes.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Blogging is one of the hottest trends on the Web. Whether yours is an individual blog, a group blog, a character blog, or a CEO blog, there's no doubt that, done right, a blog can position you as a thought leader, bring your Web presence to life, and help you engage with your customers. But with over 75,000 new blogs created every single day, and tens of millions of blogs already in the blogosphere, it's not a given that you'll get found by your target audience and develop a loyal following of readers. What can you do to pull in the crowds and to rise in the rankings? Here Stephan shares his secrets.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Relationships. Trust. Delivery of superb value. These are core ingredients of a successful service firm. Talk to 100 service firm marketers and leaders, and they'll all tell you (and most of them believe it) that their firm is at the top of their industry in each of these categories. Why, then, do service firms typically do such a poor job of bringing relationships, trust, and value into their marketing mixes?

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Companies sometimes have two names: the company name and the brand name. This week: How do you find a dream name for a company or product?

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

Who doesn't have a business blog these days? Maybe you? Fret no more. Here are the necessary steps to planning and implementing a corporate blog. This first article examines the key decisions on subject, mission, audience targeting, market survey, blogger selection, securing of a corporate champion, and the "go" decision.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: None

We hear of freelance writers, freelance editors and freelance designers, but rarely do we hear of freelance "marketers." But that is beginning to change. Now that telecommuting is commonplace and workers are more mobile, freelance marketers are starting to sprout up all over the place. This week: Where can you find a good one?