KianAnn.com: Live Life

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This is amazing.

How to Write Great Copy by Dominic Gettins is an excellent book if you are a copywriter who is writing ads for print and most traditional media.

Unfortunately for me, I am focusing on web sales copy, and in the book Gettins did not touch much on how to write that hypnotic-syle copy that gets customers clammering with their credit cards… so I glimpsed through a lot of the pages.

There are good, interesting and very relevant points in the book though.

Here’s my summary.

1. Eight rules of copywriting
• Know your target market.
• Do research.
• Answer the brief.
• Be relevant.
• Be objective.
• Keep it simple.
• Know your medium.
• Be ambitious.
2. Getting noticed – first job of the ad.
3. Look for opportunities to build buzz.
4. Be specific to pinpoint who you are talking to. Go and talk to them!
5. When you can pinpoint who it is, you will know better how to talk to them.
6. Talk the same language as your audience. What appeals or amuses them?
7. Do research – media, subject matter, read something fresh, don’t make up things from your own head.
8. The ad should only have one message. What is this message and how does it benefit the customer?
9. Don’t use up all the space or minutes just because you were given. Say what is relevant, then stop.
10. Don’t say the same thing that you are saying in pictures.
11. Don’t get "too creative" and lose the message.
12. To be relevant, communicate.
13. The very fact that there is a need for advertising shows people don’t care what you do. You need to find a point of contact.
14. Tell the truth with a spin. "We’re number two, we try harder"
15. Keep the message and ad simple.
16. Avoid
    • Complicated tense – use first person.
    • Complicated construction – use short sentences.
    • Stresses – reduce the copy until everything will be read without bolding.
    • Cliches, mini cliches, long words.
    • "-ing" sentences.
    • Dull words.  Use active descriptive words.
    • Showing off talent. No flowery scripts.
    • Showing off knowledge.
    • Undesirable personal styles – agency or personal marks.
    • Bad dialogue – don’t copy real dialogues exactly.
    • Redundant words and sentences.
    • Abstract words.
    • Mistakes – spelling, grammar.
    • Sloppy layout.
    • Unintentional repetitions.
    • Adjectives that don’t mean much.
    • Ambiguity – could the sentence possibly have another meaning?
17. Know your media.
18. Radio – cut your talk as much as you can.
19. Poster – 6 words or less. Really need to stand out.
20. Press copy – go for long copy. make sure the copy flows. Aim for reading age of 12, but don’t write like a 12 year old, be original, not overly
21. Television – spend time on your script.
22. Be ambitous and crazy with your ideas.
23. To get ideas, go out more. Look at more simulating things to feed the brain.
24. Use freelancers only for a quiet life, and simplicity of working with them.
25. Review and improve your work.

On to the next book! whee!!

Done with my 14th book! Maria Veloso’s book “Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy Every Time” is an excellent book if you want to learn about copywriting for the Internet.

This is in fact, my second time reading through this book – first time reading it in detail and taking notes, though. Here are my notes.

1. Words are the currency of the web.
2. Direct response copy – produce immediate and measurable results.
3. Need to model the process which the copy has been written.
4. Rule 1: Don’t make the website look like an ad. Use editorial style, free of hype.
5. Develop irresistable content that slides smoothly into covert sales pitch for your product.
6. Rule 2: Stop readers dead in their tracks.
7. Rule 3: Capture email addresses.
8. Less than 5% of your visitors will buy. Don’t lose there people.
9. On the web, people buy from people they like and trust.
10. The first fold is most important – logo not important. Headline must be there.
11. A headline calls out to a specific audience.
12. Ask questions, let the reader imagine what will happen.
13. Put a testimonial early in the copy.
14. Use conversational style.
15. Communicate a clear benefit.
16. Testimonial in 2nd fold, and at order form.
17. Write in simple vocabulary.
18. Write scanable copy – bullet lists, highlighting, subheads, one idea a paragraph, inverted pyramid style (important stuff first)
19. Use boxes to feature interesting ancetdotes.
20. Words tell, emotions sell.
21. To learn, write a good copy out by hand.
22. Try www.magicwordsthatmakeyourich.com
23. Before you write, know your objective, your audience, your product.
24. Five questions you must ask. Answer factually.
    • What is the problem? Write downa specific problem.
    • Why hasn’t the problem been solved?
    • What is possible? What is the promise? What will happen when the problem is solved?
    • What is different now? What makes your product different? State your USP.
    • What should you do now? State specifically what your prospect needs wto do.
25. After answering the 5 questions:
    • Inject emotion in each element.
    • Add bullets, bonuses, guarantee and close.
    • Reveal the price only at the end.
    • People are ready to buy at different points of the copy. Have many closes!
    • Add credibility building elements – testimonials, stories, facts, case studies, quotes, stats.
    • Add psychological devices.
    • Replace rational words with emotional words. Replace "if" with "when"
    • The "reason why" device – give people a reason why you are doing something. The word ‘because’ is powerful.
    • The Zeigarnik effect – there is mental tension and unbalance caused by uncompleted tasks. Minimize unnecessary links, follow a linear path in your copy.
    • The cliffhanger principle – tell them something that leaves them hanging and curious.
26. NLP
    • embedded commands (writing in positives), e.g. I wonder how quickly you are going to buy this product? Write the command first then embed it in a sentence
    • presuppositions e.g. what would you do if you earned $2000 more a month? Gets them presupposing they actually earned $2000 more a month.
    • linguistic binds. As you (state something obvious), you begin to (what you want them to think). First part obvious, second part is what you want your reader to think.
    • reframing – shifting the focus to something more desirable, justify the price by comparing to something more expensive.
    • Commitment/Consistency element of influence – early in the copy, ask as question that they will not answer ‘no’ to, during the close, get them to be consistent with what they agreed earlier.
    • Cognitive dissonance – early in the copy, write a promise so that they will think "this is exactly what I need"!
27. Involvement devices – help them get focused and involved on the copy.
28. AIDA – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
29. Know what is a feature and what is a benefit. Use "which means" to find the benefit.
30. Create and communicate your USP. "Unlike most other …. , we …"
31. Make the offer irresistable – how will they gain pleasure or avoid pain?
32. 16 desires – power, independance, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honour, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengence, romance, eating, physical exercise, tranquility.
33. Add testimonials to add credibility. Collect them and ask for permission to publish them. Testimonials need to be specific and quantifiable.
34. Introducing the cost
    • minor purchase – compare with something which people would buy without much thinking
    • daily cost – breakdown to how much it costs per day
    • Order form
    • check box
    • summary of offer, bonuses, guarantee
    • price
    • assurance of secure ordering
    • how the product will be delivered and when
    • testimonial
35. Money back guarantee – "Do this, and if you don’t get this result, then simply give us a call and we will cheerfully refund your entire purchase"
36. The close – need to inject urgency with free gift, time limited offer, limited supply offer, notification the price will go up.
37. Call to action – always use action words. "Click the download button to start your 30 day free trial"
38. Most people don’t buy on their first visit – collect email addresses with an opt in form!
39. Writing a riveting headline
    • write 30 to 50 headlines before deciding which to use.
    • step back for a day and read with fresh perspective.
    • ask, how can the headline be any better?
    • don’t take shortcuts, it is most important part of sales copy. It determines what percentage of people read your sales letter
    • convey a benefit – gain pleasure or avoid pain, appeal to emotions, specific, call out to specific audience
    • use editorial style
    • reframe your benefits to appeal to emotions.
    • frame it between quotation marks – 28 more attention!
    • use an imperative voice, starting with action words.
    • short sentences, simple words, small paragraphs.
    • use words daringly, no need to be "politically correct"
    • no buzzwords, no corporatespeak, no cliches, be specific
    • write to communicate, not to inform.
40. Early in the copy, give a compelling promise why they need to read the entire letter
41. Establish early who the writer is – credibility important.
42. Write in the first person.
43. Use a drop cap.
44. Have different price points that cater to different people
45. Ask question to get them wondering, don’t make claims.
46. Admit flaws if you can refame them into benefits. Admitting flaws makes you credible.
47. Have text links to direct them to order button straight.
48. Make purchasing look easy – "click here to … ", avoid "buy now" or "order".
49. Web copy should be long enough to make the sale. Period.
50. Use http://www.webcopywritinguniversity.com/formula.htm to evaluate your sales copy and fix the flaws
51. Have a good email signature – with a call to action (which collects people into your marketing list)
52. More people use email than surf the web.
53. Use email to build relationships.
54. Email monetizes the lifetime value of a customer.
55. Customer lifetime x Sales per custoer x Number of referrals x Percentage of referrals that become customer = LTV
56. Emails retain customers.
57. Understand the reader’s frame of mind when you are doing email marketing – the last thing they want to read is junk mail or advertisements.
58. Email should be personal and conversational.
59. Write as if you are talking to one person, not mass mailing.
60. Deliver what you promise, don’t break the trust.
61. Test with a spam checker to make sure your email will be delivered well.
62. Emails that sell
    • Compelling subject line – As if you are sending to friend
    • From line should be a person name, not company name.
    • Personalization might not always be the best thing. They may be overused.
    • Use "this", "here is", "about your", "…" and an uncompleted sentence.
    • Avoid words that indicate any buying or investment of money.
    • Opening sentence as if you are speaking to a friend – say hi!
    • First screen must be to the point.
    • One email, one message, one call to action.
    • Provide value in the email!
    • Emphasise the benefit.
    • Have a call to action.
63. Start by writing down 3 words you want to communicate with your reader.
64. How to activate prospect’s RAS
    • Ask them to write something down
    • Create a small but entertaining or interesting activity
    • Ask them to answer a poll or survey
    • "Please forward"
65. Always test the strategies with your list!
66. Opt in offer is more important than anything else!
    • compelling title speaking to needs of target audience
    • appetizing benefits
    • ease and speed (instant gratification)
    • assurance of privacy
    • form to collect first name ane email
67. Free newsletter / ezines are not attractive enough to be the primary opt in offer.
68. In general, prospects must see / hear your message 7 times before they buy.
69. Crafting autoresponders
70. Ask them to consume what you sent them, not keep as digital junk.
71. State a benefit in each email you send out when you promote your product.
72. Autoresponders can go to customers to reinforce the purchase, get feedback.
73. 60 – 80 characters in width, max.
74. Writing free reports and promo articles – must brand you as the expert.
75. Make reading time for each newsletter less than 5 mins. Putting "Estimated reading time" is useful.
76. Writing online ads – make people curious, get people to opt in, don’t sell, must shout out a benefit
77. Track and fix your copy to keep improving it, learn from your audience over time.
78. Ask the buyers – What are the reasons that motivated you to buy? Why didn’t you buy? Can you list the top benefits? Was there anything confusing about the order?
79. Use rotator scripts, ad tracking software, email marketing services to keep track.
80. Use webFerret to find out which sites link to your competitors’ use 2bpop to find an email address on the site.

I’m a long way from 50, but here’s book 13. Actually I’ve been reading a whole lot of other books, but just not taking notes! Heh.

I read this book in Dunkin Donuts yesterday, as I was trying to pass my time in KL Sentral. The Brand Gap is a very quick read – and a very visual book. In fact, you are much better off reading the slideshow I’ve found than my points.

1. A brand is not a logo, identity or product.
2. Its a gut feeling people about a product, service or organization.
3. Its what people say it is, not what you say it is.
4. Brands build trust. People buy on trust when they are overwhelmed with choices.
5. Trust = reliability + delight
6. 5 ways to measure brand value = price premium, customer preference, replacement cost, stock price, future earnings.
7. Brands get more people to buy more stuff, for more years and a higher price.
8. Charismatic brand – people will think that there are no substitutes.
9. Differentiate – Focus Focus Focus! Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?
10. Stay away from ill-considered brand extensions to chase short term profits.
11. Collaborate to build a brand.
12. Deep insights come from deep experience.
13. Innovate – execute!
14. An idea is innovative when it scares the hell out of everybody.
15. Have great graphics – icons or avartars, no logos.
16. Package your products and websites well. Focus.
17. Too many websites are bloated with irrelevant information.
18. Perform cheap, quick and dirty tests!
19. Swap test – for trademarks
20. If you cover the logo and people cannot tell which brand it is, the brand’s voice is not distinctive.
21. Your audience need to be able to verbalise your concept.
22. Once you have differentiated, collaborated, innovated and validated – distribute your brand!

Some of these points really struck me – especially the part on differentiating a brand by focus, asking myself “Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?”… I realise as I sometimes try too hard to “get the deal”, so much so that I have diluted my focus.

So, you wanna be a millionaire?

I know I do, and I’m serious! Hahaha… I’m done with my 12th book for the year.

Dr Thomas J Stanley’s The Millionaire Mind is a great read. In this book, he profiles millionaires and interviews them with regard to their values, and what they think is important in life.

Here is my summary. Again, I realise that some points are repeated over. That’s exactly what I read.

1. You cannot enjoy life if you are addicted to consumption and use of credit.
2. Work on increasing net worth, not income.
3. Surveyed millionaires have a traditional family, married with 3 kids.
4. Foundation stones of financial success: integrity, discipline, social skills, supportive spouse, hard work.
5. Invest in yourself, don’t follow the crowd.
6. Millionaires are not always the smartest.
7. Success involves the situations you get yourself into, and the people you meet.
8. Have the courage to take financial risks, but don’t gamble.
9. Select a vocation with few competitors, high profits.
10. Think differently from the crowd.
11. Have a shopping list before going shopping.
12. Buy a home that appreciates.
13. Don’t spend time on DIY stuff.
14. Be gracious.
15. No man or woman is an island.
16. Learn to be a good salesman.
17. Be careful who you listen to.
18. Never take rejection personally.
19. Exercise regularly.
20. Be honest with all people.
21. Mix with the right people.
22. Integrity begins at home. Be faithful.
23. Be creatively intelligent. Nurture it.
24. Analytical intellect is not everything.
25. You need to enjoy your vocation.
26. Make wise investments, not necessirily the stock exchange.
27. Being disciplined is a very important.
28. Learn to manage your own life.
29. The harder I work, the luckier I become.
30. Question the norm, status quo, and the authority.
31. Tenacity and leadership ability.
32. Work hard, socialize, enjoy people.
33. A struggle gives the foundation for being successful.
34. Millionaires love their careers.
35. Use early failures as a foundation for success.
36. Integrity is essential.
37. Not doing well in school does not mean anything.
38. Economic risk taking is a requirement for becoming financially independent.
39. Becoming a millionaire is a mind game. Think like one.
40. Deal with financial fears.
41. The harder you work, the luckier you become.
42. Take risks, don’t gamble.
43. Have at least 3 investment advisors.
44. High analytical intellect doesn’t equal practical intelligence.
45. Don’t use stockbrokers for advice. Use them to execute trades.
46. Be a market nicher.
47. Learn the ability to sell.
48. Overwhelm yourself with positive thoughts.
49. Learn to be confident, and regain self-confidence.
50. Select ideal vocation, operate innovative business, make wise investments, stable upbringing.
51. Have a source for courage.
52. People follow people who are excited about their work.
53. Choose a vocation that allows you to have financial independence.
54. Choose a vocation because it makes full use of your abilities and aptitudes.
55. Offer simple solutions to problems.
56. Seek opportunities and work hard.
57. Learn to lead and manage people.
58. Learn to identify economic opportunities.
59. What relationships can you leverage on?
60. What concepts in the stuff you learn can make you more productive in your vocation?
61. Know what you want to master, then collect knowledge over time.
62. Control expenses.
63. Customers are collected one by one. Take time to study their needs.
64. Everybody has the opportunity to get into business. Some people just don’t see it.
65. One’s ability to see a target is a function of experience, training, and need.
66. Belief in one’s ability to succeed critical.
67. Access market demand then make your decisions.
68. Specialize and monopolize.
69. Me me me, is dull dull dull.
70. Divorce is bad.
71. Know priorities to rank.
72. Don’t spend too much on consumer artifacts. Invest.
73. Have shared interest in accumulating wealth.
74. Glamour is secondary.
75. Wealth is more often the result of hard work, perseverence, and most of all self discipline.
76. Abstain from alcohol.
77. Traditional values are important.
78. It’s the struggle, self made journey to success that makes us strong.
79. Don’t select a spouse based on wealth. Do it based on character.
80. The little savings do matter over time.
81. Go shopping with a list.
82. Be organized and disciplined.
83. Learn to plan.
84. Millionaires are frugal when it translates into real economic productivity in the household.
85. Be life-cycle cost sensitive – pay experts to do things correctly.
86. Learn to better use your unproductive time.
87. Work to build assets.
88. “Quality” is life-cycle cost.
89. Live below your means.
90. Think about ongoing cost for your home.
91. Don’t move house often.
92. Don’t be in a hurry to buy a home. Shop longer for a lovely home.
93. Be willing to walk away from any deal.
94. Find a home that is easy to afford – imagine that your income is halfed.
95. Buy things that are relatively easy to sell for a profit in the future.
96. Ask potential neighbours what is good or bad about the neighborhood.
97. An expensive home is expensive to maintain too.
98. Be good in accumulating wealth. Cut expenses. Don’t spend on consumer goods just to enjoy life.
99. Associate with economically productive people.
100. Think differently from the crowd.
101. You have to like what you are doing.
102. Don’t borrow money.

So… aheemm! I have to spend less on consumer goods, be super prudent in spending, invest money of assets that appreciate, take time to choose a home wisely, have a supportive spouse and go on cheap dates!

Wooohooo! Sounds like a plan

After that visit to KL in early September, I’ve been struggling to get back to routine. I’m now back to my old sleeping times – sleeping late, and waking up late… and I hate it! I tried going to bed at midnight, but I would toss around in bed for 2 hours before I sleep, and that drive to get up and wake up at 7am to run is gone again.

Arrrrrgh!

I feel frustrated because I keep spending so much time working on external projects, and the minor things that keep interrupting me thoughout the day – so much so I haven’t worked on any of my own projects at all! 6 more days and we’re reaching the last and final quarter of 2009.

What have I done?

Really need to get back in focus and get going. I’ve only 805 days left before I turn 30 years of age, and I’ve barely taken off. That really stinks.

As a subscriber to Anthony Robbins’s email list, I received a message from him today to download and listen to an audio titled “5 Keys to Wealth and Happiness”

I went – downloaded and listened, over an hour long, but worth the listen. Simple fundamental principles, which I think over a lifetime, would really help someone be financially successful, and happy.

So, what are the five keys?

1. Learning to manage FRUSTRATION
2. Learning to manage REJECTION
3. Learning to handle FINANCIAL PRESSURE
4. Learning to manage COMPLACENCY
5. GIVING more than you expect to RECEIVE

Awesome.

I can’t help but keep reminding myself that we have just 125 days left of 2009. That’s two thirds of year gone. Something bigger must happen during this 120 days. MUST!

I’ve been doing my best to keep to my routine – to wake up early, exercise, and work when its time to work, relax when its time to relax… its doing good, but I can be better. Still snoozing too much! But I think its done very well, enforcing the routine and focusing on one thing to change at a time. At least, I’m not sleeping at 4am and waking up at 11am anymore, and I’m actually getting into the habit of taking a jog in the morning!

Okay, okay, I still have to push myself very hard to get my heavy butt out of the door, and I jogged only for 10 minutes a day… but hey, that’s something to start, right?

I was watching another video on Anthony Robbins’ blog, and I think its a great video. Some things that were in the video just clicked. Its about 40 mins long, but worth the time.

Finally, the WorldSkills peeps from Singapore are going to make their way to Canada tomorrow morning. While I’ve not been very involved in the trainings and the proceedings, I have been working with the IT-Software Applications competitor on and off for the past 4 months, and I think he’s good to go!

All the best, Team Singapore! Now go bag some gold medals!

I’ve mentioned about rethinking and restructuring my business recently – for me to get out of my own pit of never ending work.

And in fact, I’ve done the thinking these days. I’ve made myself go through some business seminars (on my PC) about getting myself to work on the business and not in my own business, to be a business owner, and not a web designer and web marketer.

So after all that thoughts, I see two roads ahead. I have to take one, because the longer I resist this change, the longer I have to hold my current position as the one-man-operation business, which is almost killing me. The first road is SCALING UP my services – to really go all out and make this business a full fledged operation and go out and meet the big guys. I do have the leverage of some partners (and possibly even capital) to go into this direction. This route can be very glamorous when I succeed, but also very risky. Its almost 90% uncharted waters for me, which can be a bad thing because of the uncertainty, or a good thing because it will allow me really learn, and also to NOT do too much myself!

The second is to essentially ELIMINATE my services, and focus on building and marketing in-house projects and websites. I wouldn’t say that this route is easier in any way. But its less glamorous, and the stakes are lesser. I see more “light” in this route, and I see a shorter path to my goals in this direction. However, I don’t get to “change the world” as much pursuing this.

So, two roads, high stakes and huge dilemma. Which should I take?

Sometimes I sit by myself and I think how grateful I am to be getting married in 3 days time to a lady who has been so amazing, so caring, so thoughtful, so sweet, so fun, and so understanding.

I’m sure married couples would have experienced this – its not exactly a walk in the park for two people to be committed to stay with each other, to love and be loved, to tolerate each others habits, and accept each other as a partner for their lifetimes.

The transition is not going to be easy, and there are so many areas we need to work on as we bring our relationship to the next level and enter a new phase in life.

I’m really so grateful to have someone who is willing to join me and give this our best shot. Its a great start towards a great life.

Thank you my dear Pei Xuan. I love you!