Have you seen those copywriting gurus, working it on the web? How'd they get so darned famous? How can YOU get what THEY have? Here are some creative ideas for you to kick around and use in your copywriting escapades.
1. Get a theme.
First and foremost, to be screamingly successful as a web copywriter, you must have a HOOK. Copywriters are a dime a dozen, but the standouts have their brands jacked up for instant recognizability.
You've likely heard of Michel Fortin, "The Copy Doctor." What's he known for? Breaking down the copy, doing his infamous critique, and then "doctoring it up." This concept is fun, trendy, and enticing to both web marketers who want to maximize their sales potential and copywriters who want to learn how the pros do it. In addition to his theme, he's a Power Player all the way... with Fortin, it's all about six figure incomes. SLAM, that's the Copy Doctor hitting your target audience hard.
Another example: Red-hot-copy.com, home of the lovely and talented Lorrie Morgan-Fererro. What angle's she working? Subtle sex appeal, and she's pitching it to the guys in classic manspeak... and they're biting. How so? Well, she's an attractive copper-haired lass, and she's branded this to the Nth degree right in the domain name and color scheme of her site, both of which are indeed, "Red Hot." Her copy packs the punch to back the red hot claim... so the guys eat it up. Just take a look at Lorrie's testimonials: six out of seven are from grinning boys.
So what's YOUR hook? Are you the Naked Copywriter, baring all for the marketing world to see? Are you on a copywriting safari, going where no copywriter has gone before and reaching a global audience of hot prospects? Maybe you're the Copy Machine, churning out the copy perfection. Whatever you are, you've got to be fresh, fun, and above all, your content should be STICKY, if you want to be more than just a flash in the pan in the world of web copywriting gurudom.
2. Sound off.
Once you've developed your theme, shout it from the rooftops. The gurus know that to build a successful brand; you've got to get out there and be seen. This means branding your name, your image or logo everywhere you can plaster it... and above all, branding that special THING that you've got going on that no one else can touch. That "thing," again, is your hook, your shtick, your style and your personality. Whether it's loud and bawdy or sweet and scholarly, it's what separates you from that blizzard of dime-a-dozen copywriters on the World Wide Web.
One of the best ways to brand your personality while squeezing in your link, AT NO EXTRA COST, is to write and submit articles for distribution on the web.
Yes... write web articles... hundreds of them! Hit all of the hot copywriting topics that make your prospects salivate and your competition green with envy. Hit every topic in whatever industry you'd like to write for. Research places where you articles can go that will reach your target customer. Get them to click the link at the bottom of your article, the one that will shuttle them right to your website. Treat your articles like a campaign, and streamline that effort to the right audience.
Don't believe article marketing works? Fire up Google right now and do a search on your favorite web guru. What comes up? Articles! Yes, every great legend has to start somewhere, and on the web that's article writing.
Also: show up in web forums and initiate discussions with fellow marketers. Invest in a campaign for high visibility that includes your link and your logo on the websites of other marketers who can pull you into the circle. There are so many things you can do to get your name out there, and there's no time like the present to make it happen.
3. Be consistent.
Once you develop a web persona, stick to it. Keep your website copy fresh and relevant to whatever marketing trends are going on, yet make sure that it's consistent. I mentioned STICKY earlier. Web gurus know that STICKY content is the kind of copy that stays on the mind of your web visitors even after they've gone away... and that's the kind of copy that will keep them coming back for more. So be CONSISTENTLY sticky. As you're being sticky, giving your customers ideas they can use, make sure that you deliver those punch lines in your classic style. If you're known as Copy411, then don't suddenly morph into the WAHM Copy Mama. You'll only confuse people.
Be consistent in your thinking. If you embrace a certain copywriting philosophy, then hold true to your beliefs. Don't go changing it up because someone with a strong presence caught your eye and you want to do what they're doing. Be yourself, and do a good job of it. If you're a stickler for perfect grammar but the competition's telling you grammar's not important anymore, so what? Grammar is ever-present and the mark of a good writer so don't throw your ideals by the wayside. In fact; as you grow in copywriting gurudom, you'll likely develop a following of devoted fans. These people read your articles, saw something they liked, and decided to hang on for the long haul. Be true to your students, for they love what you preach!
All right. Are we crystal clear on Web Copywriter Gurudom? Okay. You've got a lot of work ahead of you. Go build that brand!
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.
Dina Giolitto is the author of ARTICLE POWER: Create Dynamite Web Articles and Watch Your Sales Explode... a 49-page manual covering every aspect of article marketing on the web. Learn about article marketing, copywriting and more at http://www.wordfeeder.com