“If you really don’t care what an audience thinks, make a home movie and show it on your wall.” – Ned Tanen, Born Sep. 20, 1931. Maybe some kind of artist types can get away with not caring what an audience thinks of their work. But most artists care. And business people definitely should care. …
Caring About Customers, And Showing It In Writing, Are Two Different Things Read More »
“An artist carries on throughout his life a mysterious, uninterrupted conversation with his public.” – Maurice Chevalier, Born Sep. 12, 1888. A business has a conversation with the market, and with its prospects, and with its customers. That’s what marketing and advertising and selling IS: a conversation. Social media and Internet-based marketing in general has …
No Message Stands Alone – All Communication is CONVERSATION Read More »
“But the power of science lies in open publication, which, with the rise of the Internet, is no longer constrained by the price of paper.” – Michael Shermer, Born Sep. 8, 1954. This technological fact of publication has changed the face of advertising, too. No more paying for printing prep. No more collating. No more …
Modern Tech Makes Many of Your Perceived Limits Into Bullshittery Read More »
“If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.” – Edgar Rice Burroughs, Born Sep. 1, 1875. Until you are a copywriter… Stop buying copy books. Stop collecting swipes. Stop hand-copying old ads. Stop it. Instead… Start writing some copy. Start publishing it. …
What Holds You Back From Being a Copywriter is Not Writing Any Copy Read More »
“I decided that I would be one of the biggest new names; and I actually had some little fancy business cards printed up to announce it, ‘Count Basie. Beware, the Count is Here.’” – William James “Count” Basie, Born Aug. 21, 1904. When you’ve got the goods… And you’re here to give the goods to …
“Anything that isn’t opposed by about 40 percent of humanity is either an evil business or so unimportant that it simply doesn’t matter.” – Russell Baker, Born Aug, 14, 1925. Whenever you’re formulating a product, or even just trying to market an existing product, it’s important to think about who will oppose it, and how …
The Law of Rejection (Works Almost As Well, TBH) Read More »
“We have always said that advertising is just the icing on the cake. It is not the cake.” – Meg Whitman, Born Aug. 4, 1956. I love this metaphor. The product experience itself is the cake. It needs to be delicious even without icing. The icing just makes it that much more appealing, and when …
No One Compliments the Icing on a Dirty Dog Poo Flavored Cake Read More »
“Joys divided are increased.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland, Born Jul. 24, 1819. If you want to make any offer of anything seem more appealing to whoever it is you’re offering it to… Start slicing it up. Every distinct piece of it is a separate component with its own intrinsic and inherent value. If you were …
How to Pull Apart Any Product to Describe it Desirably Read More »
“Without promotion, something terrible happens… nothing!” – P. T. Barnum, Born Jul. 5, 1810. This is true in all fields, but I mostly talk to marketing and writing freelancers who have this bizarre expectation that simply hanging up your shingle is going to get you customers and clients. Nope! The best product or service in …
Waiting For Clients and Customers To Come To You Is Dumb As Hell Read More »
“Great advertising, in and of itself, becomes a benefit of the product.” – George Lois, Born Jun. 26, 1932. What old George is saying here is that objects (like products, for example) all have a story. They just do. Someone invented those products, for some purpose, to solve some problem, to sell to some person, …
If They Don’t Buy Into the Story, They Won’t Pay For the Product Read More »
