====================================================== "The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report" September, 2002 ====================================================== Published by Renae Gregoire Freelance Commercial Writer The Write Idea Make Your Message Clear. Concise. Creative. Visit me at http://www.ineedcopy.com ------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe and un-subscribe information at the bottom! ------------------------------------------------------ Table of contents: 1. Message from the Editor 2. Get More Bang for Your Advertising Buck! 3. The Marketer's Bookshelf 4. Turn Browsers into Buyers 5. Tampa Bay Resources 6. Online Biz Resources 7. About The Write Idea ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Readers, Thanks for inviting me to your e-mail box - I hope you will enjoy this issue of "The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report". Please contact me with any questions or comments. I'm here to help. Hope to be of service to you! Cordially yours, Renae Gregoire service@ineedcopy.com ------------------------------------------------------- ---> Get More Bang From Your Advertising Buck! by Renae E. Gregoire ------------------------------------------------------- Need More Bang for Your Advertising Buck? It's the newest phase and the hottest craze of online advertising-pay-per-click search engines. They're popping up everywhere. I've checked out the top five engines for you, so you can decide whether to try one, all, or none of them! First though, let's talk basics. Pay per click search engines (we'll call them PPCSEs from here on out) let you, as the advertiser, decide how much you want to pay to get someone to click on a link that takes them through to your site. Compared to banners, pop-ups and email campaigns, PPCSEs are a very good deal. Why? Because you've got targeted people actively searching for what you're offering. Banners, pop-ups and emails are seen as an intrusion into the buyer's online experience. But when someone visits a PPCSE, they've come to get information on a particular subject, and hopefully, to buy. How do they work? Simple. You, the advertiser, bid on relevant keywords that people looking for your product or service would search for. The higher your bid, the higher your site's position when the search is made. When the browser types your keyword, and clicks on your link, you pay the amount you've bid for that click. Choose Relevant Keywords The first step to using PPCSEs, besides registering and paying your deposit, is to select keywords. Most of the engines have tools to help you find relevant keywords for your business. My most recent visit to Overture.com, for example, showed that the engine received 71,426 searches for the keywords "internet marketing" in May, 2002. Granted, some of those searches were conducted by the advertisers themselves, but I'll bet the majority were people looking for Internet marketing related tools and information. Overture's search tool also shows that 5,600 searches were conducted for "internet marketing service," and between 4,000 and 4,500 each for "internet marketing company," "internet marketing strategy," and "internet marketing firm." Again, these are results for May, 2002. What keywords are you using on your web site? Those are the words you'll want to check on any of the PPCSE search tools. Make sure you narrow your selection down to only the most relevant keywords. I, for example, am a copywriter. But if I chose the keyword "writer," I'd get too many irrelevant views, which gives unlikely buyers the opportunity to click-and the opportunity for me to pay-even though they have no real interest in my services. How do I know this? Well, Google's new Adwords PPC search engine suggestion tool tells me that if I use the keyword "writer," my ad will appear when people search for "freelance writer jobs," and "check writer." I don't want those people clicking through to my site, because it's very unlikely that they're looking for my services. The moral? Be as specific as possible. Write Compelling Headlines, and Thorough Descriptions Once you choose your keywords, you'll have to create headlines and descriptions. Some of the PPC engines can help you, but be prepared to pay. Overture, for example, will write 20 listings for you for $99. If you don't want to spend the money and would prefer to write your listings yourself, follow these tips: Make your headline attractive by using the word YOU. Force yourself to use it, and you'll be compelled to include a benefit of your product or service. Features tell, but benefits sell. Try it! § Use power words: you, money, save, now, new, secrets, easy and free. Only use free if you're really giving something for free, and beware of freebie seekers who will click through just to get whatever you're offering. Make sure your descriptions target people who are really interested. How? Try including a price in it. For example, "$99 buys you a powerful press release-Get your product or service noticed." Sure, you won't get as many clicks, but the ones you do get will be much more likely to buy. And don't forget to check the PPCSEs' editorial guidelines. Many of them forbid ALL CAPS, multiple exclamation points and question marks. Save yourself the time and hassle of having to rewrite, and get your ad out sooner, by doing what the editors ask the first time around. Tracking Your PPC Progress Most, if not all of the PPC engines have tracking reports that let you see your ad's position for each keyword, how many clicks you've received, and even how many times people searched for your keyword. If you're not getting enough clicks, try changing your headline, or your description. Maybe you can increase your bid and move up to a higher position. But as with all direct marketing, change only one item at a time. If you change your headline and still don't get enough clicks, then try changing your description. If you change everything at once you won't be able to tell what was wrong in the first place. If you're getting lots of clicks, but those clicks aren't converting to sales, perhaps your offer is wrong. Are people clicking through directly to the page that's relevant to their search? Don't make potential buyers wade through your site to find what they're looking for. Make it as easy as possible for them to buy! And if they are being directed right to your offer, and they're still not buying, you probably need to change your offer. But that's a whole other article! More Tips and Tricks for PPCSE Success Before I share the results of my PPCSE research, let me give you a few other tips to help you maximize your PPC advertising dollars: Aim for narrow keywords. If your product or service meets a niche need, save money by advertising under secondary keywords. For example, if you operate an Internet marketing service, advertise under THAT keyword rather than Internet marketing. Sure, less people search for that term each month, but those that do are more targeted. And, it'll cost you less per click, too. Even while you're narrowing your keywords, go for quantity. The more keywords you can think of to define your product or service, the better. Use phrases instead of one word. What would YOU type into the search engine if you were looking for your product or service? I write press releases, but I don't just advertise under the keyword "press release." How about "press release writer," or "press release services," or even "press release distribution services"? Many of the engines let you list thousands of keywords, and the big players do. Regularly. Start with a small advertising budget, and increase your spending as your ROI increases. Test, test, and test some more! Even if you're getting good results, try changing one item in your ad. If your click through or conversion rate changes for the worse, change it back. You can only win by testing to see what works best! The Top Pay-Per-Click Search Engine And the winner is…Overture. Well, at least from my personal PPC experiences and according to the majority of reviews I've read. Why? Because Overture gets the most traffic, and if your listing is in the first three spots under any keyword, your ad will show up on Yahoo!, MSN, and AltaVista. Nielson/Net Ratings, a major information source for the online marketing crowd, reported that in March, 2002, searchers spent 13 million hours on Google, 5.4 million hours on Yahoo!, and 4.9 million hours on MSN. And StatMarket reported that 36 percent of all web site referrals are brought by Yahoo!, 32 percent by Google, and 13 percent by MSN. Since Yahoo! costs $199 to be listed (or at least to be looked at-there's no guarantee they'll accept your site), and because you have no way of controlling where your listing shows up in the rankings, it pays to get into the top three spots on Overture. You'll get direct, and cheap, access to the top spots at Yahoo! I'm still amazed myself when I type "copywriting" into Yahoo!, and see my site listed right at the top of the page! Google and FindWhat also come highly recommended by people who study these things for a living, and I like them too. FindWhat has less traffic, but the bid prices are much lower, and I still get quality hits. Google is somewhat different. They do have massive amounts of traffic, and your ads will show up on the AOL engine. But your standing is not based on bid amount alone. Rather, it's based on your bid amount AND how many clicks your ad gets. If you have the highest bid, but no one clicks on it, your ad will move down below someone who's bidding less than you are. Bottom line? Pay per click search engines are a great way to get more bang for your advertising buck. Check out what each engine offers, and see which will give you the best return on investment. Test them all. The results you get will depend on the keywords you're using, and the quality of the traffic you attract. If you test, and pay attention to the results, you'll soon find which engine works best for you. ------------------------------------------------------- ----> The Marketer's Bookshelf ---------------------- --------------------------------- If there's a book on marketing out there, chances are, I've read it. In this column you'll find out which books to buy, and which to avoid. And if you know of a great book that's helped you get more customers for less money, by all means, let me know! September's READING LIST HOW TO GET CLIENTS Jeff Slutsky PUBLISHED BY Warner Books, 1992 How to find out who your potential customers are, where they are...and figuring out why you want them. A good book on how to make yourself stand out, and how to get the word out about yourself. A bit strong on telemarketing your services (I personally hate doing that), but otherwise, and A.O.K. friendly read. OGILVY ON ADVERTISING David Ogilvy PUBLISHED BY Vintage Books, 1985 EDITION Some good things never change. Ogilvy, founder of the illustrious Ogilvy and Mathers agency, shows anyone interested in advertising what works--and what doesn't. Drawing from his life-long experience, Ogilvy focuses on advertising that sells versus advertising that wins awards for being creative, or pretty. Best thing? These concepts are still true today. Lots of talk about getting a job at, or starting, an advertising agency, but you can skip all that and find out what works. Highly recommended. ------------------------------------------------------- --->Turn Browsers into Buyers with Effective Web Copy by Renae Gregoire ------------------------------------- ------------------ Ok, so you've got a website, and you're ready to tell the world about it. Before you do, review these tips and create copy that turns browsers into buyers. Talk to Your Customers Make sure to use the word "you" throughout your web site. Liberally. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of sites with copy that reads, "We serve our clients by developing high technology products and we make sure to meet the needs of our clients." Does that sound like your web copy? Please change it! Immediately! Who are you writing to anyway? When your copy reads like that, it sounds like you're telling a disinterested party what you do. It's boring, and it doesn't involve your reader at all. TALK to your potential customers throughout your site. Tell them, "We serve YOU by developing high technology products that meet YOUR business objectives." You can, and should, use this principle everywhere, even in your "Services" page. Tell your readers what you can, and will, do for them. For example, "At XYZ Web Design, we'll take your idea, and mold it and shape it to meet the needs of your customers. Then we'll create a unique design and help brand your name, and build a complete site that's a perfect fit for your company." Short and Sweet Web browsers have short attention spans. Write in short, punchy sentences, and save the flowery and wordy prose for your next novel. Break your copy into short paragraphs too, maybe with only 3 to 5 sentences each. It's hard enough looking at a book filled with solid text-forget looking at a web page like that! And if you're confronted with a choice between a $1 word and a 25-cent word, use the 25-cent word. After all, there's no sense telling potential customers that, "In the event of an unsatisfactory occurrence, we will be most obliged to remedy the situation as speedily as is humanly possible," when what you really mean is, "We'll take care of any problems that happen-quickly." Read through your copy and cut every unnecessary word too. It's easy to get carried away with adjectives and adverbs, but they add fat instead of muscle. Look at this sentence: "We'll do a very high quality job at a really great affordable price." See anything wrong with it? Start your editing by cutting each adjective or adverb. Once you've got them all cut, your sentence reads like this: "We'll do a quality job at an affordable price." Isn't that sexier? I think so, too! Benefits, Benefits, Benefits Tell your potential customers about the benefits of your product or service, NOT the features! Like the founder of Kodak said, "We don't sell film, we sell memories." If you're selling a ladies hat, don't tell them about the wide rim and mesh material. Tell them how the wide rim will reduce the chances of skin cancer, and how the mesh will keep them cool on the hottest day. Benefits sell-not features! Here's how to find the benefits of your products or services. First, list all the features on one side of a piece of paper. If you're a web developer, for example, the features you offer could be customized database design, Internet marketing services, and eCommerce capable sites. Those aren't benefits. Benefits are what your customers will GET from those services. What will a customized database design DO for your customers? Tell them! Tell them how they can collect registration data and analyze it to make informed business decisions. Tell them how your Internet marketing services will drive targeted customers to their site-and increase their sales. And, tell them how an eCommerce capable site will increase their sales by more than 50 percent because people like to be able to pay online. Other Things To Know § Use bulleted lists to break up long copy. § It's easy to read. § See? Try to keep your most important copy on the first half of the page. Many browsers won't scroll down, so if you have good stuff that you want them to see at the bottom, they may miss it. Write like you talk, and be conversational. If your web copy sounds like a legal tome or prudish stiff, the only readers you'll have are legal eagles...and prudish stiffs! Don't count on your spell checker two catch you're miss steaks. But don't let it rule your copy, either. My spell checker hates how I write so I just ignore it most of the time. Spell check hates fragments. Like this. And this. But you know what? That's how people talk. And that's one of the keys to creating good, conversational, yet professional web copy that draws in your reader and makes them feel like you're talking right to them-one on one. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------->> Tampa Bay Resources ------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Chambers of Commerce Are you into the networking thing? If not, you should be! Check out our local chambers. B2B players can reach a targeted group of business leaders who have the authority to buy what you're selling. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Pinellas County ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce 100 Coronado Drive Clearwater Beach, FL 33767 Info: 727-461-0011 Tele: 727-447-7600 Fax: 727-443-7812 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Clearwater Chamber of Commerce 128 Osceola Avenue North Clearwater, FL 34615-4029 727-461-0011 ------------------------------------------------------- Dunedin Chamberof Commerce 301 Main Street Dunedin, FL 34698-5764 727-733-3197 ------------------------------------------------------- The Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Indian Rocks Beach Office 105 5th Avenue Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785-2547 727-595-4575 ------------------------------------------------------- The Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Madeira Beach Office 501 150th Avenue Madeira Beach, FL 33708-2094 727-391-7373 ------------------------------------------------------- Largo Chamber of Commerce 395 1st Avenue Southwest Largo, FL 33770-3511 727-584-2321 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce 33451 U.S. Highway 19 North Palm Harbor, FL 34684-2637 727-784-4287 ------------------------------------------------------- Pinellas Park Chamber of Commerce 5851 Park Boulevard North Pinellas Park, FL 33781-3272 727-544-4777 ------------------------------------------------------- The Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce St. Pete Beach Ofice 6990 Gulf Boulevard St. Pete Beach, FL 33706-2097 727-360-6957 ------------------------------------------------------- Seminole Chamber of Commerce 8400 113th Street North Seminole, FL 33772-7151 727-392-3245 ------------------------------------------------------- St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce 100 Second Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL 33701-3359 727-821-4069 ------------------------------------------------------- Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce 210 South Pinellas Avenue #120 Tarpon Springs, FL 34689-3697 727-937-6109 ------------------------------------------------------- The Gulf Beaches of Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Treasure Island Office 152 108th Avenue Treasure Island, FL 33706 727-367-4529 ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Hillsborough County ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Apollo Beach Chamber of Commerce 5914 Fortune Place Apollo Beach, FL 33572-2643 813-645-1366 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce 808 Oakfield Drive Brandon, FL 33511-4952 813-689-1221 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce P.O. Drawer CC Plant City, FL 33564-9021 813-754-3707 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce 7847 U.S. Highway 301 South Riverview, FL 33569-4352 813-677-2604 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Seffner, Mango, Dover, Valrico Chambers of Commerce P.O. Box 1920 Seffner, FL 33583-1920 ------------------------------------------------------- Ruskin Chamber of Commerce 315 South Tamiami Trail Ruskin, FL 33570-4660 813-645-3808 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 420 Tampa, FL 33601-0420 813-228-7777 ------------------------------------------------------- North Tampa Chamber of Commerce 4819 East Busch Boulevard, Suite 206 Tampa, FL 33617-6055 813-980-6966 ------------------------------------------------------- South Tampa Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 13342 Tampa, FL 33681-3342 813-837-8972 ------------------------------------------------------- Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay 4810 N Cortez P.O. Box 15722 Tampa, Fl 33684 813-875-3060 ------------------------------------------------------- Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce 1651 Sun City Center Plaza Sun City Center, FL 33573-5303 813-634-5111 ------------------------------------------------------- Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 290133 Temple Terrace, FL 33687-0133 813-989-7004 ------------------------------------------------------- Thonotosassa Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 157 Thonotosassa, FL 33592-0157 813-986-1313 ------------------------------------------------------- Greater Town and Country Chamber of Commerce 7512 Paula Drive, Suite 105 Tampa, FL 33615-4101 813-884-5344 ------------------------------------------------------- Ybor City Chamber of Commerce 1800 East 9th Avenue Tampa, FL 33605-3818 813-248-3712 ------------------------------------------------------- ------------->> Online Biz Resources ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- ONLINE BIZ RESOURCES Did you know that even offline business can use the Internet to increase sales, and keep themselves in the minds of current or past customers? Check out these web sites for great information for small to mid-sized businesses wanting to market on a budget. http://www.overture.com The best pay-per-click search engine out there. Targeted traffic, and the top three spots bring you buyers from Yahoo! and other top engines. http://www.business.com The web's biggest business search engine. Worth advertising on? I'm starting soon, so check with me and I'll fill you in. http://www.officedepot.com Ok, I gotta admit...I love walking around and shopping in Office Depot (or any office supply store), but when you're crunched for time, you just can't beat free next day delivery for orders over $50. Plus, they've got a bunch of free business resources, like forms and templates and articles. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------->> About The Write Idea ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- OK, SO WHAT IS THE WRITE IDEA? The Write Idea supports small to mid-sized business owners in their desire to look and sound professional and increase profits by means of well-written and persuasive promotional materials. WHO'S RENAE GREGOIRE? That's me. Owner and President of The Write Idea, a commercial freelance writing firm serving clients in the Tampa Bay area, and all around the world! I'VE GOT SOME QUESTIONS. HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU? Easy. Call me at (727) 302-0232. I'm available 7 days a week, from around 8 in the morning until 10 at night. If you get my machine, that means I'm out with a client, eating dinner, or stretching my legs! Leave me a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Or, email me at service@ineedcopy.com. To find out more about how The Write Idea can enhance your image-- and your profits, check out my web site at http://www.ineedcopy.com. You can email me from there too. I look forward to hearing from you! ------------------------------------------------------- ------------->> Subscription Information -------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report. It's Free! You'll find lots of information on promoting your business in our area, including resources for actually doing it! The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report is issued bimonthly, and is free to business owners who request it. Unsubscribing is easy too. Just let me know and I'll promptly remove your name from the list. Subscribe by sending an email to tampamarketer@replypro.com Unsubscribe by sending an email to service@ineedcopy.com. Just say "unsubscribe," and you won't hear from me again :) And if you enjoyed this issue, please pass it along to a friend who might also like to learn more about marketing in the Tampa Bay area. ------------------------------------------------------- And that's all for this time. Thanks for reading. Wishing you all my best, Renae Gregoire, Freelance Commercial Writer service@ineedcopy.com Make Your Message Clear. Concise. Creative. The Write Idea (727) 302-0232 Visit me at http://www.ineedcopy.com ------------------------------------------------------- ---------Subscribe & Un-subscribe Instruction --------- ------------------------------------------------------- * To subscribe email tampamarketer@replypro,com. * To unsubscribe, send a message to: service@ineedcopy.com, and say "unsubscribe." ======================================================