You have a thought…. No, that’s not good enough… more staring at the screen…

Ugh… writer’s block!

Well, most of us have been there at one time or another. The important thing is to just start writing… about anything. Eventually, your thoughts will circle around to something pertinent to write about.

Or, you can start writing in a different way so that you can take full advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) copywriting and give customers what they want.

What is SEO anyway?

There is a lot of buzz about SEO, and many entrepreneurs ask me what it is and why they need it.

Well, basically, SEO is the process of using the right keywords in the right places in your Website copy so that your business shows up in search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo! and others.

For example, if you provide carpet-cleaning services, you want your business to appear at the top of the list when people type “carpet cleaning services” into Google or one of the other search engines.

If your business name isn’t there, most people will click on the names listed first. In other words, if your site doesn’t have search engine optimization with the right keywords, you lose business to the competition.

Now, this may seem technical, but it really isn’t.

If you are doing your own writing, start with research and figure out which keywords you want to use and make a list. For help, check out the Google Keyword Tool, Keyword Discovery, Wordtracker, and other, free services. Next, follow these:

3 Key Items to Include in Your SEO Copy

1. Provide Benefits.

Write about all of the benefits your business offers customers.

How will they feel and what will they get from using your products and/or services?

To begin any piece of copywriting, make a list of all your benefits and go from there. It will help you start writing and stress what is important to the customer.

2. Be Unique.

Once you know the benefits you have to offer, write down why you are unique.

Why should a customer go to you instead of the competition?

Maybe you have extensive experience in a particular area, excellent personal service, special discounts, etc.

Once you discover what makes you unique and how this uniqueness benefits customers, be sure to mention it in your copy.

3. Offer Value.

When you sit down to write, think about your customers…

What keeps them up at night?

How can you solve their problems in your own, unique way?

What’s in it for them?

By thinking about your customers and fulfilling their needs, you will be able to write copy that they want to read. And if you really focus on fulfilling their desires, you will write copy that sells too.

Profits Await!

With these three, quick tips, you will be able to write better copy for your business that will get noticed by the search engines.

Now, if you really want to take advantage of search engine optimization copywriting and significantly increase site visitors, online awareness and sales, hire a professional, SEO writer. Your ROI will be well worth it, and you can concentrate on your core responsibilities running your business!

For more information about SEO, please contact me below or see:

How to Avoid SEO Rip-Offs
http://www.startupnation.com/business-blogs/index.php/2011/03/16/avoid-seo-rip-offs/

Your Site Isn’t Optimized, Why Not?

http://www.startupnation.com/business-blogs/index.php/2011/01/18/seo-2/

Simple Publicity
http://www.rembrandtwrites.com/simple-publicity/

Table of contents for How to Become a Marketing Superstar

1. How to Become a Marketing Superstar
2. Advertising Your Small Business? Here’s What You Need to Know

Have you ever spent a lot of money on a traditional (print, television, radio) advertisement for your business and have it not work?  I have, many times.   And then in frustration I would claim that “Advertising doesn’t work.” But if it doesn’t work, why do companies like Geico, Coca Cola and Macy’s spend millions of dollars on advertising every year?

The truth is that they wouldn’t spend money on something that doesn’t work.  And for companies like these, it makes sense given the massive numbers of people they need to buy their products every day in order for them to be profitable.

The reason that they use these mediums is simple; because television, radio and print is a very effective way to reach massive quantities of prospective buyers on a consistent basis.

Reach and Frequency

The marketing concept we are talking about here is called “Reach and Frequency.”

Reach is the total number of prospects who hear your marketing messages.  Frequency is how often they are marketed to.

Seth Godin uses a colorful and appropriate analogy about reach and frequency in his book Permission Marketing.

Think of it this way:  Marketing is like planting a garden.  Which is better?  Planting many seeds and watering them only once, or planting fewer seeds, but watering them consistently over time?

Just like your seeds will die if you only water them once, so will your marketing messages die in the minds of your prospects if they only hear/see them once.

Frequency Builds Trust

When consulting with one of my clients recently I asked about how our marketing and advertising was working.  The question was, “Why are more people calling?  Is it because of our radio ad?  Newspaper insert?  Website? “  I was surprised by his answer.  He said “It’s not just one thing; it’s everything.”

When customers call they say that they saw our insert in the paper, but then they had driven by a few times and seen our place, but then they also heard us on the radio, and they had seen us on TV too.  And they had finally decided they needed to come in and see us.

My client says that it’s all about “Reinforcement.” Another term for this would be frequency; and frequency builds credibility and trust.   All of the marketing strategies we use on a regular consistent basis work together to bring more customers in the door.

Your reach and frequency needs will determine which advertising media will work best for you.    Just don’t do what I did and run only one advertisement and then give up.  Plant an assortment of seeds, water them regularly and then harvest bushels of success.

Always be marketing.

Related Posts:

• How to Become a Marketing Superstar
• 5 Small Business Marketing Secrets from Big Box Retailers
• 5 Easy Ways to Turbocharge Response to Marketing Materials

Wendy Kenney is the best selling author of How to Build Buzz for Your Biz, Tap into the Power of Social Media, Publicity and Relationship Marketing to Grow Your Business, available on Amazon.com.  She has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Newsday. For more information go to http://23Kazoos.com.

Think of these “swag parties” as extravagant trade shows with the attendees being celebrities getting freebies instead of paying store owners. The main goal of attending a show like this is grabbing the heart and attention of a high profile celebrity which will then translate into media attention, increased exposure for your brand, and ultimately a spike in sales. Does that always happen? Absolutely NOT. Can it happen, YES.

I have experience with shows like this and I am happy to share a couple pointers. I was fortunate in that my strategy paid off and Glamajama added quite a few celebrity fans, features on Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Dancing with the Stars, and even a spotlight on Oprah. Was this luck? No. This was EXECUTION of a PLAN.

Let me be clear, “luck” does NOT create success- it can however create opportunities. How you handle those opportunities is what determines your success.

My Tips & Tricks:

• Select the Event Carefully: Spend time researching potential events and their hosts. Do they have a good reputation? Are they sharing pictures from past events? Proof (pictures/testimonials/magazine features/etc) of the celebrities that have attended their events? Just remember almost everyone in Hollywood is an “actress”, make sure the attendees are truly paid professionals with A or B-list status.

• Bring a Trigger Happy Friend: These events are commonly attended by the “paparazzi”. They are hired by the event hosts to take pictures for use in their marketing materials, media outreach, or to help in other promotions. The host will advertise to you that these pictures will be able for your use. And of course they are, at a price. It’s a great way for “them” to make a couple extra bucks. They know you will be desperate to get pictures of your brand with A-listers. Save money by having a friend take pictures for you. He/She will take pictures of just YOU (there is always frenzied competition for the photographers attention), you will have full access to the images, and you can use them in your pitches to the media since you will own the rights-not the paparazzi or event host.

• Don’t be Cheap: If you’re spending the money to attend an event like this, make sure you create a red carpet ready display piece for your company. Celebrities want to be associated with glamorous, exclusive, and trendy companies. If you’re display comes across as being cheap, mass market, or outdated, they won’t be tempted to stop and chat. Put your best foot forward!

My Strategy Pointers:

Attending celebrity events can be quite costly, follow these strategy pointers to help you spend your marketing dollars wisely.

• Celebrity Strategy: After deciding on an event to attend, ask for a list of invited celebrities and which are expected to attend. Once received, Google each name and create a spreadsheet with their picture, relevant info (in my case as a baby clothes designer I would note kids names and ages), current projects, and future projects.

Once you have everyone’s information handy, sort through the list to identify which celebrities will be the best fit for your product or brand. For example, if you have a “green” product, highlight celebrities known for their green efforts and target them. Create individual bags for each attendee you want to target and even consider monogramming the product if possible. It’s human nature to want to use use things that have been personalized for us and the celebrity will appreciate your additional effort.Also, target celebrities that not only have current projects, BUT projects launching in the near future. The media loves “new starlets” and they’re also usually more appreciative of all the freebies thrown at them. If you can build a relationship between them and your company during the early days, it will prove valuable as their career blossoms.

The spreadsheet you create will also come in handy for defending yourself against the celebrity parasites that ALWAYS end up in events like this. If you don’t recognize someone from the celebrity invite list don’t be afraid to ask. You can also have your trigger happy friend do the asking. If they end up being famous you can always pull the good cop/bad cop “OMG ______! You didn’t know who she was? She’s so talented…” Cheesy, yes. BUT you can lose thousands of dollars by handing out product to absolute nobodies and then end up empty handed when a real high profile celebrity stops by during the events last five minutes. I have personally seen this happen many times.

If I had a nickle for every “sister-of-the-girl-who-styles-Gwen Stefani’s-hair-during-tours-in-Canada” I’d be rich.

• Sales Strategy:

Don’t forget to ask which boutiques will be attending the event as well. These events are frequented by boutiques with celebrity clientele. Why not share with them a sample and your wholesale information? Placing your brand in a high profile boutique is a profitable way to get media attention and additional celebrity fans. This is always a top priority for me at celebrity events. Also, most exhibitors are so focused on the celebrity aspect they miss this angle all together-it’s up to YOU to seize the opportunity!

• Media Strategy:

You can bet this event will be attended by the celebrity scoop weeklies such as Us Weekly, Ok! Magazine, and more. TV shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, E! entertainment, and others are common attendees. Before the event, reach out to these outlets and introduce yourself. While they might not respond, it still helps YOU stand out in the crowd since they will recognize your brand or product. The “media” are people just like me and you. They can be overwhelmed with the chaos and everyone crowding them for attention. They’ll appreciate a friendly face.

Also, be sure you pack a “media kit” that includes your press kit, a sample, and info where they can download 300 dpi pictures for publication. Let them know if you have any pictures of celebrities with your products from the event and that YOU have the rights to them. People usually choose the path of least resistance. Take advantage of this by positioning yourself as the easiest brand to feature. Grab their business card or ask for an email address so you can follow up with them as well.

I hope these tips get you started in the right direction and feel free to ask any questions you might have. Also, never forget to have a GOOD TIME!!! Enthusiasm and passion are contagious and will draw in the crowds, don’t forget to let it shine-you’re a STAR too!

Need help with your business? Want me to develop a strategy for YOUR success? I have plenty more tips I’d be happy to share! Hire me here.

But I must say, John Jantsch is among those who offer true substance and real value and merit our follows. And here’s the reason why:

He’s practical.

In his new book, The Referral Engine, John provides specific rationale, tactics and actions you can take to create a business growth MACHINE.

His “Customer Referral Cycle” will help you wrap your mind around your opportunities–many of them typically going unharvested–that exist in the market.

(At this point, I’m trying to make John feel guilty that he didn’t use me for comments on his back cover…)

The book hits shelves this week. I give it a strong “buy” recommendation.

I remembered one little task I had to do for a cool new StartupNation initiative that will be very video intensive, and in the process I happened across this video.

I laughed so hard the neighbors must have heard me!

And it’s a great example of how NOT to try to establish credibility with your audience. Click the image below.

here’s the link if you didn’t click the image: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YBxeDN4tbk

(Word for the wise: Be sure to be careful when uploading your own promo video to the internet. If you take the approach the schmooz in the video did, you could end up destroying any credibility you ever hoped to have.)

This one’s called Google Rocketship and it’s the most simple, easy-to-follow, supremely affordable advice we could assemble to ensure that your website is positioned to make it to the top of search results on Google.

What does ranking high on Google searches do for you? If it’s not obvious, it sends you free, pre-qualified traffic to your website and what you sell. With an effective “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO) strategy for your website, you stand an infinitely better chance of having lots of traffic - the kind you want - coming to your site. The tricks of the trade for a layman is exactly what Google Rocketship teaches you.

It’s a three-part series, but you can just sharp shoot and download one at a time or just get a single ebook in the series if you want. For members at StartupNation (which is totally free), we’ve discounted the series price to 60% of the list price. A huge discount, in other words.

To motivate you a little more, listen to my recent podcast with Jonathan Smith (”From Zero to $100 million”) who optimized his website with the very principles we recommend in Google Rocketship and reeled in a $100 million dollar purchase order… UNSOLICITED! They found him at the top of Google and gave him a call!

Download Google Rocketship and get your website rockin’ with qualified traffic and new customers! By the end of one weekend, your website could be transformed!

So how do you monetize social media without creating a product line specifically for it?  Dell figured it out.  They are a great example of a company who actually engaged on Twitter and sold millions of dollars worth of computers as a direct result of those efforts.  (Dell article from Entrepreneur here)  I think their success was two-fold and actually quite basic.  First, they correctly targeted their customer and simply provided them with useful information.  Next, they implemented systems to monitor, measure, and manage customer service interactions.
(Great tips for handling customer service here.) These are great starting points and should serve as the foundation for any small business looking to incorporate social media in their marketing efforts.

While those are great steps for getting started in social media, it’s important that companies don’t stop there.  The real key to your success lies in your ability to actively engage that target demographic.  I urge you to roll up your sleeves a little and try some new strategies this year to finally get some ROI from social media.  To get you started, I’ve brainstormed a couple ideas below.

• Include a playful and creative flyer in outgoing packages encouraging participation and possibly offering a reward… “Be a sweetie! (attach some candy to the card) Post a pic of you wearing this t-shirt on our Fan Page and we’ll send you a $5 gift card.”
• Create a survey on Facebook or poll on Twitter (twtpoll) asking “friends” to vote on which new products to sell/create…the winning product will be offered to survey participants first, and at a discount. (See how Modcloth does this here)
• Track down recent customers on Facebook and “friend” them with your companies Facebook page (who doesn’t want more “friends”?)
• Spend money to make money…hire a Community Manager that will actually have the time to effectively target and engage new customers and strengthen your online branding. (Not sure what a Community Manager does? Read this by Chris Brogan.)

I truly believe social media is the future for small business marketing and I hope you can find at least one of these ideas helpful in your efforts to engage online.  Always be on the lookout for innovative new ideas to reach your customers and don’t be shy.  A sincere, heartfelt, and playful “hello” to your customers will be appreciated more times than not.  Just make sure you have the infrastructure in place to monitor, measure, and manage all those new customer interactions.

Need help with your social media campaign? Contact me directly here!

1. Create Sets

Bundle products together into packages or sets. This will help you to increase your average order value. In addition, this is a great way to create easy-to-purchase “gifts.”

2. Offer a Discount or Clearance Section

This is an easy way for you to offer value to your customers while unloading unwanted merchandise.

3. Create a Gifts Section

It might seem obvious, but you’d be shocked how many eCommerce sites forget this very simple tactic.

4. Add a Bow

Touch up your product images with holiday accoutrements.  Add a bow, add snowflakes, etc. Sometimes it’s the small things that make a difference.

5. Offer a Percentage-Off Discount

Tests have shown that offering a percentage-off discount (e.g., 20% off) typically works better than offering a dollar-off discount (e.g., $20 off).

6. Clarify Order Deadlines

Make it very clear when orders need to be made in order to arrive in time for Christmas, the New Year or other holiday date. Drive orders faster by offering special discounts or benefits for ordering early.

7. Offer Free Shipping

This is a proven driver of eCommerce sales. According to ComScore, the average order value for purchases with free shipping is approximately 15% higher than when shipping is paid by the customer.

These are just a few suggestions to help you increase your holiday eCommerce sales during this busy shopping season. If you need additional help, let me know below. Thanks!

Often companies are not as aggressive during the holiday season since they assume most other businesses will just tell them to call back after the new year has begun. While this may generally be true, there is still plenty to gain by getting your name out there. If a company tells you to call back after New Years, have your telemarketing service set up appointments for an exact time and day. This way you already have calls set up in advance while most of your competition is starting from scratch after the holidays.

2. Spread the Holiday Spirit

The holidays are a great time for non-profit organizations to benefit from the giving spirit. People are in the mood for charity and more likely to contribute. The same is true for colleges and universities, where alumni can be feeling extra sentimental and want to contribute funds. Nonprofits, and educational institutions are both two industries that can benefit from having their call centers call current or former students and contributors. A quick hint is to have the call center staffed with current students so alumni feel a bond with the caller.

3. Tell Shoppers about Holiday Specials

If you own a retail shop, or online store, more than likely you have special offerings around this time of you. It’s not enough to just display signs or advertise on your website anymore. You need to tell your customers about the deals via email campaigns and telemarketing calls. A good call center will work with you to draft a script that is concise and to the point so your customers know in 15 seconds about the deals. If they are a frequent shopper, they’ll be happy to save money. Just make sure your message is clear and the sales staff at the call center is friendly and in the holiday spirit. To find a good call center, fill out a simple form describing your needs and we can connect you to up to 5 companies for free.

4. Get Ready for the New Year

With a new year beginning most businesses review the previous year and critique revenue, sales and marketing strategies.  Take advantage of this time of year to forecast new goals, partnerships and strategies to make this next year better. You can even start early and line up calls with companies you want to partner with and get on their calendars early.

5. Creativity is Key

Lastly, make sure to ask your telemarketing provider of fun and creative ways to get your message out for the holidays. Consumers are going to be stressed and tired, so be sure to take this into account with each call that is made. You need to make people feel like you are taking some of the burden off of their shoulders instead of adding to it, so be sure to let them know early in the call how you can help them find great deals with little work. You need to give them a reason to stay on the line.

Click here or on the image below to view that advice.

Let me know if you have a cool story you’d like to share with ABC News Now or if you have a burning question to ask. Just send me a personal message at my profile.