Carol Bentley

It’s my birthday on 4th January (now you know why my name is Carol! ) Come on - you’re not going to ask a lady how old she is - are you? Well, I’m quite a few years over 21…

I’d like to celebrate with my regular readers - the people who have taken the trouble to subscribe to this blog and, because of that, make me feel good about writing it.

So I’m inviting you to get your birthday celebration gift from me on 4th January. That post will be password protected. The password will be sent out in the email notification when the post goes live. If you are not subscribed for email notification then you will not be able to get the gift.

What is the gift? I’ll tell you about it in more detail in Friday’s post, but just as a taster indication…

It is an MP3 download of a 78-minute live telephone consultation interview during which an extremely successful UK business owner (who uses direct mail for the majority of his business acquisition) asks me 38 pertinent questions about writing sales letters and creating mailing packages. This ‘fly-on-the-wall’ consultation is valued at over £1,100 - although in real terms of what it could help you to create is worth many thousands of pounds in prospective revenue.

Want to join in my birthday celebration? Then simply make sure you get the notices about the posts to this blog. And of course, you get to know about the other writing and marketing gems I share with you on this blog.

Use the Don’t Miss A Tip! form in the top right panel to join and keep an eye out for Friday’s post.

~ Carol Bentley

If you are persuasive in your copywriting it could work in your favour, because I have a confession to make - sometimes I can’t see something even when it’s staring me in the face!

This is what happened: I was writing about the Cialdini YouTube videos in the post Cialdini and the art of persuasion. And I decided, after watching the video presentation, I’d quite like to read the book again.

But could I find it?

After searching my numerous bookshelves - both in the office and home, I decided I must have given or lent it to someone and lost track of it. It happens; no big deal.

So I ordered another copy.

The next day I looked up at the shelf next to my desk and there it was, face-out, staring straight at me! There’s a word for word-blindness, is there one for object blindness?

This means I have a spare copy, which I’m going to gift to whoever can come up with the most persuasive reason why they should have it. Plus I’ll also gift a CD of the live audio recording of a 28-minute business presentation I gave entitled ‘How to Create Winning Adverts… 16 Insider Secrets to Turn Your Advert into a Powerful Sales Generator‘

This is an ideal opportunity for you to test your copywriting skills; start putting into practice some of the tips I’ve been sharing.

I’ll leave this open until 4th January so you’ve got until then to post your comment telling me why you should have the book & CD set. Or, if you’d rather keep your entry private, use the blog contact form to send it in.

Good luck.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: persuasive selling Cialdini copywriting

Many businesses are closing over the next week or two for the Christmas & New Year break. For me it’s an ideal opportunity to catch up on projects; catch up on reading and - surprise, surprise - do some writing. No, not marketing writing; writing the content for a product I’m crafting - all will be revealed in 2008.

In fact, I think I’ll announce what I’m developing on my birthday, which is 4th January - now that’s a nice way to celebrate isn’t it?

In the meantime I’d like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ for visiting this site. I’ve enjoyed sharing with you over the last few months and look forward to exploring more with you next year.

And to finish off - here’s a bit of Christmas fun for anyone who does email marketing…

If Santa was an email marketer…

My favourite…

In roughly 10% of houses, Santa would emerge from the chimney to find himself in the trash can and not the fireplace. This despite a squeaky-clean sender reputation.

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. I might not be able to keep away from you though… so I might slip in a post or two over the holiday period, when no-one’s looking!

A few posts ago I told you how I’d been told that publishing a book is one of the most powerful marketing activities you can do. And I’d proved it to myself.

I also explained that the experience had given me some insights I would like to share with you over the next month or so.

Before I do that, let me explore some alternatives with you…

“What?! Are you going to say I don’t need to write a book?”

No, what I’m saying is you don’t have to write ‘war & peace’ or a Tolkein masterpiece.

What your book should have is valuable insights your target prospects find interesting and useful. Because that is how you demonstrate your expertise.

And, in fact, you don’t even have to write the whole book to achieve that.

An idea that Peter Thomson suggested to the consultant’s membership group I belonged to back in the early 1990’s was to form a collaboration where each person wrote just 1 chapter. Obviously there would have to be a connection between the authors’ topics so that they complemented each other.

The book was published with different jacket covers; each cover depicted one of the consultant authors on the back - with their short bio, a description of the chapter they’d written and a resume of the book content. The other authors were listed as contributing writers.

There are many books published under a co-authorship, so the idea made perfect sense.

Quite a few of the group membership did this and gained the benefit of being recognised as an expert author by their clients and prospects as a result.

Think about the people in your industry or profession or in associated disciplines. Who could you join forces with to write an informative book?

Not sure this would work for you? Don’t worry, I’ve got another thought for you - but that’s the subject of another post…

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: writing a book marketing insights ask the expert

It’s nearly that time of year again - you know… New Year Resolutions! And many experts will be advising you to review your business plans as well.

So what are your goals for 2008 and beyond? Have you got specific targets in mind? Are you focused on achieving them?

Here are a few tips on making realistic goals and, more importantly, increasing your chances of achieving them… You can use these steps for both your personal and your business goals.

The most successful people; whether in business or personal achievement, frequently have one thing in common; they write down what they want to achieve using the SMART acronym.

1. What is your goal? Write down what you want to achieve. Follow the SMART structure:
   1. S - Specific e.g. ‘Increase sales by 28%’, rather than just ‘get more sales’ or ‘lose 2 stone’ rather than ‘lose weight’
   2. M - Measurable. This is linked strongly with specific. If you have a specific goal you’ll be able to measure how close you are to achieving it.
   3. A - Achievable or Awesome. Most people say this stands for achievable but I think the word awesome given by my good friend Steve Pipe of Added Value Solutions is a better. Why?
      Because your goal must be awesome for you; fill you with excitement and inspiration. You see if it isn’t an awesome goal for you to achieve the chances are you’re not passionate about it and you are less likely to take the action needed to make it happen.
   4. R - Realistic. If they are realistic they are achievable. By all means stretch yourself; you don’t want to be doing the ’same-old, same-old’ but make sure what you set is practical. For example increasing your sales by 100% or 200% may be achievable - but can you handle that increase in business logistically?
   5. T - Timed. Set a date when you intend to reach this goal. E.g. ‘reduce my working days to 4 days per week’ is not as powerful as ‘reduce my working days to 4 days per week by February 2009′.
2. Why do you want to achieve this? Is it a “it would be nice to…” or is a passionate “I absolutely must do this”? A weak reason for reaching your goal is not going to inspire you.
3. What will happen if you fail to realise your goal? What pain will you experience by not achieving it?
4. What do you stand to gain when you succeed? Will it light your inner fire? Give you less stress and worry? Make you feel happier? Give you a feeling of pride? Draw the admiration of your peers and superiors?
5. What are the steps you must take to achieve this goal? Write the key things you need to achieve this goal. Not the finite detail, enough to identify what action you need to take. For example if your goal is to increase your sales in 2008 by 28% you might decide you need to put your sales team through the latest sales training. At this stage you would not say it has to be training with ’such & such a company on this date’.

Repeat this sequence for all your personal and business goals.

Prioritise Your Goals

Some of your goals will be more important to you than others. Some may be dependent upon you achieving another goal before you can get started. For example if you have a goal that says ‘increase the profitable response to my direct mailing campaigns by 300% by June 2008′ your goal to learn good copywriting skills would have to be achieved first.

And others may, on reflection, not be as important or inspiring as you first thought.

Decide which are your most meaningful goals and write those on a separate planning sheet. Constantly monitor your progress towards your goal as you take the actions needed.

Does Writing Goals Down Work?

In my personal experience, Yes! If I decide I want to achieve something but I don’t write it down, following the SMART structure, it just doesn’t get done or it takes an inordinately long amount of time to achieve a less than satisfactory result.

When I write my goal down it does 4 things for me:

1. It focuses my mind on the outcome I want and when I want it by.
2. It programmes my subconscious to find solutions for me.
3. It clearly identifies the actions I need to take and when they need to be done by.
4. Things happen! Unexpected opportunities that help me achieve my goal suddenly appear. Now some people will argue that’s because I’m more focused and aware of what’s going on around me. So I see those opportunities more clearly. Maybe; I really don’t care- it works!

Sometimes Sharing Helps

For some people stating a goal in public or sharing it with a mentor or valued colleague gives added impetus to achieving the goal.

Let me give you an example. In 2003 I decided I would write and publish a book. It didn’t happen. Why? Because the goal, although stated, wasn’t written down and wasn’t specific.

In 2005 I committed to a group of business people that I would have the manuscript for my book on how to write sales letters completed for the next meeting, which was 1 month away. I did it!

So what was different this time?

I stated my specific goal (to write a book on how to write sales letters)

It was measurable (a completed manuscript ready for publishing)

It was awesome (I was very excited by the prospect of sharing my expertise in a book that would be available to the public)

It was realistic (I had the knowledge, expertise and material for the book content)

I said when it would be done (in 1 month)

And, for me crucially,

I stated the goal to people I respected. (My reputation was on the line. What would they think if I didn’t achieve what I’d stated?)

If you find sharing your SMART goals helps you to achieve them feel free to share with me. You can do so publicly (if you are very brave) by adding a comment to this post or privately using the blog contact form. But be warned - I just might ask if you achieved what you set out to do when your stated time scale is reached.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: goal setting self achievement business tips

In 1994 I worked with a savvy sales & marketing expert, Peter Thomson, who was a self-made millionaire. He gave me some sage advice:

“If you want people to recognise you as an expert in your field, you must write and publish a book!”

In those days getting a book published was no easy task. Finding a publisher who would take your work was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Self-publishing, called Vanity Press, was very expensive with the likelihood that none of your books would sell and you’d end up with a garage full of the thousand or so books you had to order.

I wrote hundreds of how-to manuals and programmes and created a number of tips booklets, but I didn’t go down the print publishing route.

Then in 2003 I got the exact same advice from another marketing expert, Paul Gorman.

But one thing Paul said - that turned out to be true - is that no matter how many business people learn about this powerful market positioning tool very few take action and actually do it.

And that included me for another 18 months or so.

Then in 2005 I decided to ‘buckle down’ and write my book and it was a lot easier than I had expected. Now you might be thinking, “Well it is going to be easier for you, after all you are a copywriter!”

True! But, amazingly it wasn’t my copywriting skills that came to the fore - it was my knowledge and passion about my subject. I wanted to share with other business people; to let them discover how they too could write their own effective marketing material.

The actual writing, not the editing or getting it published and out into the market place, took me a little over a week to achieve. Once I started it just poured out. And, as it did, I discovered a few tricks to writing a book that helped me enormously.

The book was finally published in November 2005. I still remember the elation of holding the first copy in my hands; the excitement of sharing it with family and business friends. And, even more, the thrill of seeing it listed on Amazon and receiving my first order from them.

Both Peter and Paul said a book is an amazingly effective marketing tool - and it is.

I’ve met people and gained new clients I would never have come across in a month of Sundays if they hadn’t bought my book. Some came through Amazon sales, others came through website sales, book store sales and joint venture sales.

Over the next month, amongst these daily blog posts, I’m going to share some of those writing, publishing and marketing insights with you.

So, sharpen your pencil, clear your mind and get ready to create your most powerful marketing tool. And I promise… I’ll help you make it as painless as possible.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: writing a book marketing insights ask the expert

It’s not my favourite activity - in fact, I’ve always avoided it like the plague. Give me a nice pad and pen any day to write my first communication with someone and I’m as happy as a lark.

Give me a phone to call someone I don’t know - and who doesn’t know me - and you wouldn’t see me for dust!

I know, it’s the way I think about it. I suppose it’s no different to people saying they are terrified of the thought of public speaking, which I have no problem with at all!

So why am I sharing this with you?

Because I discovered someone who is extremely comfortable with cold-calling and totally understands the fears many of us hold and is able to help allay those fears.

His name? Steve Brewer.

I saw his presentation at a business seminar and was totally impressed - he even motivated me to change my view about this marketing activity; well that’s what it is isn’t it? Because, as he said, you have to create a relationship before anyone is going to buy from you and that’s what cold-calling is - the start of a relationship.

In the presentation he explored how our mindset is the key to being successful at cold-calling. Tell me, if I asked if you enjoyed cold-calling would you say “I love it!” as Steve does, or would you say “I’d do absolutely everything I can to put it off!” as I did?

Understanding this, knowing the best approach that empowers you and building on the successes you experience makes this not only a more pleasurable task but one you get more and more success from.

So what else did he share?

1. Use Customer Centered Selling. Focus on the real benefits for your prospect; think of the damage you’d be doing if you didn’t make the effort to speak to him and explain how your company’s offer delivers a solution for him.
2. Decide the 3 biggest things that would make an impact for him, write it on a post-it and place it on the screen in front of you - it helps keep you focused.
3. Don’t regard the ‘gatekeeper’ as an obstacle. Make friends with her, ask for her help, use her name if she’s given it.
4. Remember decision makers often work outside normal hours. Calling between 8am and 9am or between 5pm and 6pm may give you a better chance of getting through.
5. If you get through to voicemail leave a compelling message. Steve said to copy the style of a radio advert - you want your prospect to call you back or at least be happy to take your call when you get back to him. Review your Elevator Speech - can you turn that into a radio ad style message?
6. When you call you have less than 30 seconds to intrigue your prospect enough for him to allow you to continue. You must be able to answer the 3 questions he is silently asking himself:
   1. Who are you?
   2. Where are you calling from?
   3. Why should I stop and talk to you? (What’s in it for me?)

I know Steve only scratched the surface of the fund of valuable experience and knowledge he has. How do I know? Because I’ve got his new book and audio programme, in which he explains in plain English how to turn this spine-chilling activity into a more pleasurable experience.

Steve’s not only good at what he does; selling, but he’s also a great communicator presenting this difficult subject in a humorous and enjoyable style.

You can find out more about his programmes at http://www.stevebrewer.co.uk or visit his blog at http://www.stevebrewer.co.uk/blog

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: cold-calling sales Steve Brewer

Do you know of any business that is built and run purely on word-of-mouth marketing? Or any that regard ‘referrals’ as their prime business source?

There aren’t many.

Yet with today’s emphasis on taking more notice of what your friends and peers say, rather than the marketing message companies put out, it is something every business owner should seriously consider.

And that’s what an Australian Dentist, described in Martin Russell’s blog post, has done extremely successfully.

Now imagine the power of harnessing this outstanding and innovative service approach with the power of peer marketing on the internet - the possibilities are breath-taking!

How can you adopt these ideas in your business? Got thoughts you’d like to share? Pop them in a comment for others to see and, maybe, benefit from.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: referral-marketing word-of-mouth networking

May I ask a favour?

Following the adage ‘Actions speak louder than words’ I’ve taken up Rich Shefren’s challenge to produce a 66 seconds video, whilst saying something worthwhile about his powerfully informative report The Attention Age Doctrine 2.

And it was a real challenge - especially as my normal mode of communication is long, explanatory and valuable information-packed letters, adverts or articles!!

But it was done - and within the designated time-scale. So here’s the favour I’m asking…

I need your support

Will you gift me 10 minutes of your valuable time to visit this video site, play the clip and then vote?

The clip is only 66 seconds long and voting is done through Digg and Sphinn (there are instructions on how to vote).  So, I think it may take you about 10 minutes. You have to play the clip for your vote to count.

Then - and this is where the power of what the report talks about comes into action - please ask your friends and business colleagues if they would do the same.

Now why should you or they bother, except as a favour to me and you? Because they too can download the free report I’m describing in the clip and gain valuable marketing insights. Plus - there are some brilliant prizes for voters to gain too.

Why do I want to get a good result? Because it will show the power of peer recommendation, which is something we all need to embrace more in business, and I can share the experience with you and explore how it fits with copywriting. And I’d quite like to walk away with the accolade of getting a hit!

Thank you for your support and for ’spreading the word’. I’ll let you know how it progresses in future postings on this blog.

~ Carol Bentley

Having a good headline is not enough. It has to be a compelling ‘grab-them-by-the-throat’ attention holding headline if you are going to get the undivided attention of your prospect.

Let’s face it - whether we are talking letter, advert or presentation headlines - your reader is unlikely to be concentrating absolutely 100% on what he (or she) is reading - unless it strikes a resounding chord with him. Unless you get him to say “How the heck did you know that?” when you ask the question that’s been bugging him for ages. Or “This solution is so what I want - it’s almost uncanny!” then your chances of keeping his interest may slip away.

It’s a challenge we all have no matter what our line of business or how we go about our marketing.

Is there an easy way to come up with the most effective headline? Not really - there are techniques; there are attention words that help to make your headline stand out; but it still takes practice, experience and skill to find the one that pulls no punches, hits the mark dead on and delivers the best measurable results.

Having said that, let me give you a few pointers to get you started…

Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

One of the biggest mistakes I see people making is writing one or two headlines and thinking “That’s it!”

It rarely is.

When you start crafting your headlines you are only just getting warmed up - your creative performance is still in first gear. As you write more - allowing each headline to act as a catalyst for the next - they begin to flow, like sliding into the higher gears in a performance car.

That’s why I encourage people to write as many headlines as possible before deciding which ones to test. Personally I aim to write at least 100, if not more.

Study Successful Headlines

Find successful headlines. How can you recognise a successful headline? Look for these attributes:

1. It’s a headline for a direct response advert or sales letter. You can tell if it’s a direct response marketing campaign because there is a reference code. You are asked to quote it or it is printed on the response form or in the advert.
2. You see the same headline frequently. If it is used in a direct response campaign, which means it is measurable and is being monitored, it is unlikely to be continually used if it isn’t proving to be successful.

Study the headline.

Is it specific? (Being specific makes your headline more believable)

Does it contain the promise of a result or benefit that appeals? (People are only interested in results; ‘What’s In It For Me?’)
Does it intrigue without being obscure? (Curiosity can hold your reader’s attention provided your first paragraph is strong).

What is it appealing to; envy; greed; pride or status; generosity; well-being or health; peace of mind or something else? (You need to know what appeals to your target market - and you may have to test different appeals to see which is the stronger motivator).

Is it short or long? (Your headline should be long enough to put your message across).

Is it using any of the attention words that magnetically draw your eye and catch your attention? (See the list of words following the headline examples below).

Example Headlines

How many of these common gardening mistakes are causing you to work harder than you really have to?

Introducing the plain paper copier that’s so low in price you can’t afford not to own it

Here are 9 reasons why you should claim your ‘The Dangers of Handling Asbestos’ report today

Now You Can Get a Business Loan - Even if Your Bank Has Turned You Down

Who Else Wants To Lose 10lbs In 28 Days?

Your Investment in Pinesuites Development Could Be Worth Up To £12,960 per Year in Income

Five Familiar Skin Troubles - Which Do You Want to Overcome?

Vinegar… Nature’s Secret Weapon

I’ve shown the attention words used in these headlines in bold.

Attention Words

Using specifics, identifying a benefit or result your reader can expect or a problem they have that you can solve makes your headline more attractive. Include one or more attention words increases the attraction because certain words are proven to draw the eye - just like a magnet.

Here’s 15 you can use:

You / Your
Amazing
These
Proof
How / How to
Here’s
Find Out
Announcing
Breakthrough
Free
Who Else?
Last Chance
Advice
Easy
Secret

The Secret of How To Make Writing 30 Headlines Easy

When I said to aim at writing 100 headlines to give you the best chance of finding the winner, did you think “No Way!” or something similar? It seems like an insurmountable task - doesn’t it?

Try this:

Grab a pen and paper

Look at the first word/phrase in the list above

Write a descriptive headline about your product or service; the result you can deliver or the problem you can solve, using that word. Follow the headline advice I’ve given you earlier in this post.

Now write a second one, using the same attention word.

Move onto the second word and do the same again; two sentences using the attention word.

Continue down the list - by the time you’ve used each word you have 30 headlines. They won’t all be fantastic - some may even be ridiculous, but the point is your creative juices are starting to flow and…

You’ve written almost 1 third of 100 headlines.

Think you could repeat the exercise another 2 times? Do it and you’ve written 90 headlines! Not bad going eh?

Now you’ve got your headlines start working on your letter or advert. And remember the advice I gave you on 7 November in the post Here’s 8 elements for a powerful sales letter (did you notice the attention words and specifics in that post headline?)

~Carol Bentley

P.S.   You’ll get an opportunity to put some of this advice I’ve been sharing into effect tomorrow.  Keep a look out for the post entitled How persuasive are you?

technorati tags: headlines sales letters copywriting

This year one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve worked on is a website for healthier chocolates. Yes - you read that right healthier chocolates.

It was a new product launch from a client who manufactures gorgeous Belgian chocolates in Surrey.

I have to admit writing copy for most of his products is exquisite torture for me… why?

Because I’m diabetic, but I love the taste of chocolate. And unfortunately the two don’t really go together.

But the thing is, you cannot write passionately about something you have no experience of, that’s why you are really the best person to write about your product or service.

But this new chocolate is different. It’s an innovative antioxidant-rich chocolate. The cocoa beans go through a new fermenting process that keeps a higher level of antioxidants than the standard method, which means the chocolate retains 80% instead of losing 70% of the natural antioxidants found in cocoa beans.

And the better news for me… during my research I discovered the scientific research had been carried out to check how antioxidants affect diabetics.  And it seems they are good for preventing the development of diabetes type 2 and can even help with blood sugar levels for diabetics. And that’s in addition to all the other benefits of having your daily quota of antioxidants.

Now I indulge in my two small pieces of chocolate every day (they are just the size of an after-dinner chocolate you’d get at a restaurant).  What’s more I’ve noticed I have a lot more energy and clarity of thought (no bad thing for a copywriter) without upsetting my blood sugar levels.

So you can see why I enjoyed writing the copy and managing this website project for my client

If you would like to see the copy I created - and maybe discover more about the health benefits of antioxidants and these delicious Belgian chocolates - you can check it out at www.delvaux-acticoa.com

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: healthy chocolate antioxidants webcopy

Are schools and/or colleges in your target market? If so here’s some interesting news for you. But first let me tell you how I got to know about this…

For many years I’ve been on the mailing list for Hamilton House, who specialise in supplying mailing lists for companies selling into the education sector; schools and colleges.

A letter arrived to let me know that English schools have a sudden abundance of spending money available between now and March 2008. Why? Well it’s an interesting story…

In the past some schools have put money from their annual budget into a contingency fund (as anyone with an ounce of common sense would do!) But in 2006 the government moved to force schools to use up all their funding rather than allow this type of forethought.

Many schools didn’t manage to spend all their accumulated funds by April 5 2007; they still had funds from that year and the previous years.

In summer of 2007 the Dept for Children, Schools & Families announced that 95% of the money not spent in previous years had to be returned - even if it had since been used.  For example if the school had kept back £1000 from their 2005/6 budget and then spent it in May 2007 they still had to pay back £950!  This meant schools had to raid their 2007/8 budgets to pay back this money they had accrued and then used. This extra strain on their budget meant many schools stopped spending on anything apart from salaries.

A petition on the Number 10 website demanded that the policy be revoked. The government capitulated and reversed its policy. They told the schools they would get all their saved money back - BUT the refunded money must be used by April 2008. There will not be another reprieve.

Which means between now and 5 April 2008 an extra
£1 billion has to be spent on goods and services for the school

So, if your market includes schools, now is the time to nurture your relationships and help them make the right decisions for the school, children and parents.

If you want to check how Hamilton House can help you (no benefit to me if you do so) then pop over to www.educationmarketing.org.uk

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: education market business mailing lists

Is your business card just for handing out at business meetings, because everyone else does so? Or is it a real marketing tool for you?

Provided you’ve got the design and content right (see my previous post ‘Your Hidden Marketing Tool’) it can be one of the hardest working marketing weapons in your arsenal.

But only if you use it properly to position yourself.

And that’s where the quality of the card you use counts. It speaks volumes about you and your business.

Quality Speaks Volumes

Start-up business people know they need business cards. But often they go for false economy by using the cheapest methods possible to get their cards organised. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you have to spend a fortune on your business cards. What I am saying is the card should look like a quality card – no matter where you got it from.

Self-Print Cards

The entrepreneur, sole-trader and individual professional sometimes print their own business cards using the many ‘business card’ products available and an inkjet printer. Be careful…

These cards are often flimsy in order to feed through the printer and consequently give the impression of ‘a business with no experience or history’.

Handing these out, at business meetings in particular, can send out the wrong, damaging message. On top of that, inkjet printing smudges and runs if it gets wet – giving a less than favourable impression to the people you want to engage with.

On-line Printed Cards

There are many websites offering free business cards. A selection of designs is available and you can add whatever details you want. The cards are often a good quality weight and feel good to hand out.

There’s just one thing that spoils these for you…

If you are only paying postage the company supplying the cards has to have some means of recompense. And they have… YOU are doing their marketing for them.

They print their website URL on the back of your cards, so every time you hand one out you are advertising their website and, by default, you are also implying you don’t consider your business cards important enough to pay for them.

If you don’t take your business cards seriously – why should anyone else?

By all means use these sites; they can be very cost effective. But, as a minimum, pay the small amount they ask to remove THEIR website details off the back of YOUR cards.

Of course if you’ve read my previous post : ‘Your Hidden Marketing Tool’ you know what should really be on the back of your card, don’t you?

Does Your Card Pass The Tactile Test

Test it for yourself: Close your eyes, and feel your business card. Does it honestly give the impression of quality, professionalism, trustworthiness and integrity?

If it doesn’t, you just might be throwing future sales away when new business contacts get the wrong impression about you.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: marketing copywriting business resources

Although my posts are made on weekdays only I know that some people like to catch up on blogs over the weekend - including quite a few of my visitors judging by the traffic stats.

So I just wanted you to know that the website may be down for a while on Sunday 9th December whilst an upgrade is installed and tested. One of the problems I’ve been having is being able to show the comments you make against my posts - I’m hoping this upgrade will resolve the problem.

If you cannot reach the blog on Sunday please accept my apologies. We should be back to normal - well better than normal fingers crossed on Monday.

Thanks for your understanding and patience.

~ Carol Bentley

The next time you go to a business meeting, where people are handing out their business cards, take a closer look.

Let’s assume you don’t know any of these people or their businesses in any great depth.

Does their card tell you what they do? And if it is clear, such as for an accountant or solicitor/lawyer (attorney for our US cousins), what makes them stand out from all the other cards you have for people in the same profession? Do you know instantly exactly why they are different and what benefits you could enjoy by doing business with them?

Now look at your business card? What does it say about you? About your company?

Is there a clear message that describes what you offer and the results you deliver? If your answer is “No” you are missing a vital marketing opportunity…

Having said that, the content of your business card depends very much upon how you use it. If you only ever present it to clients or prospects you’ve spent some time with then the minimum amount of information is all you need. That’s because these people already know you and the purpose of your card is purely to serve as a reminder of your contact details.

But if you attend business meetings, networking with other business people (as we’ve been discussing over the past few weeks of posts) then your card has to fulfil a completely different purpose. It has to work harder for you.

The challenge you, and your business card, is facing is making sure the people you meet briefly do remember you and are able to distinguish you from other businesses who apparently offer the same type of product or service. What makes you stand out?

You want to know that when someone else returns to their office or place of business and glances through the, possibly hundreds, of business cards they’ve collected, yours gives a complete picture.

Now I don’t mean it has to be a vivid colour, or a garish design or have wacky graphics on it (although if this is appropriate for your business that’s fine).

What it does need is information that clearly explains why you are the ‘go-to’ company for whatever business you are in.

What Does Your Business Card Say About You?

• Does it clearly show what you do or offer? (Your Company name / logo may not be explicit enough).
• Does it give a testimonial from a happy client/customer?
• Is your photo on there?
• What’s on the back of your card - it isn’t blank - is it?

When I explained to a client the business card is a marketing tool and should include a photo, his response was “I don’t want my ugly mug on there” (actually he’s quite good looking, but modest). I told him being a ’shrinking violet’ was not going to help his business to grow. The intention of the photo is to make your card stand out and make it easier for people to remember you afterwards.

Plus, if you send your card with your literature (and a letter) in the post it gives the person receiving it a sense of confidence they are dealing with a ‘real person’ – not an anonymous company. Remember ‘people buy from people’ no matter what size company they own or work for.

The Alternative to Your Photo

If, like my client, you really feel embarrassed about having your photo on your card – try this idea:

Get a photo of you with a happy, smiling client/customer. Ask their permission to use the photo and a testimonial from them in your marketing. Make sure the testimonial is specific, not “Great company, would use again” but something like

“I had problem with the manufacturing costs of our main product line, but the productivity solutions you provided reduced our costs by 31.6% and turned it into one of our more profitable lines”.

Put the photo, with the testimonial underneath, on your card. (N.B. if you are a guy get a female customer to pose with you and vice versa).

Designing Your Card

You may decide to get a graphic designer to create the layout for your card. Regardless of who comes up with the design this is what your card should include:

Front:

• Company name
• Your name / position
• Your contact details
• Your photo*
• A descriptive strapline

Your descriptive strapline is a single ‘headline’ style sentence that encapsulates what your business does. (It could be your 1-liner from your elevator speech that we talked about in the post Your wow! introduction). And of course, this is where your copywriting skills come to the fore

Back:

• Your marketing message: a description of what you offer.
• Testimonial(s) from happy clients/customers (with photo if you don’t like your photo on the front)
• Key benefits you deliver

If you are planning to use your cards extensively at business and networking meetings include some space for people to make a note:

We met at……………. On (date)…………….

We spoke about………………………………………..

* If you decide to use a photo with testimonial on the back of your card then you don’t need the photo on the front.

Make Your Card More Memorable

Another way to make your card stand out from the crowd is to have a tri-fold card, just slightly bigger than the normal business card size, and include some useful tips or expert advice. People are more inclined to keep a card that has some valuable information on it and it demonstrates your expertise.

In the next post I’m going to describe things you shouldn’t do with your business cards - especially if yours is a start-up company.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business networking business tips copywriting