Why Michael Wolff is Wrong About Print vs Digital Advertising

January 31, 2013 by Leave a Comment

USA Today print ad contestIf you heard that Google won a contest with the prize of $1 million in print advertising, you’d probably have a good laugh.

For one thing, Google winning a million dollars for anything is kind of like you and me winning a free small fry in the McDonald’s Monopoly game.

But that’s exactly what happened in a contest held by USA Today.

Apparently, it was meant to encourage creativity in print advertising. However, if you read what the man behind the contest had to say about the results, you might think this contest was nothing more than a desperate attempt to jump-start ad spending in an industry that has been floundering – print media.

Keep Reading – Why Michael Wolff is Wrong About Print vs Digital Advertising

Filed Under: Commercials, Featured Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Would You Recognize a Big Idea if it Slapped You in the Face?

January 5, 2013 by 6 Comments
david ogilvy on big ideas

David Ogilvy

Getting a big idea is like panning for gold in the river and discovering a shiny nugget.

But those moment of brilliance are pretty rare.

In his book, Ogilvy on Advertising, the legendary David Ogilvy said he had no more than 20 big ideas in his career. Yet he also believed that for an advertising campaign to be successful, a big idea was a necessity.

Most of us have no problem recognizing our own amazing ideas.

It’s pretty hard to miss that feeling of coming up with something new and exciting, the relief of finding the perfect solution to a problem or the joy of a creative breakthrough.

It’s a lot tougher to recognize a big idea from someone else.

Keep Reading – Would You Recognize a Big Idea if it Slapped You in the Face?

Filed Under: Creative Thinking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

7 Tips to Help You Write Conversationally

December 26, 2012 by 4 Comments

vintage writing conversationallyConversational writing is a crucial component of both good copywriting and effective content marketing.

But as easy as it sounds – it is not always easy to pull off.

A lot of people have trouble writing conversationally.

We want to sound intelligent. We want to sound professional. We can feel our high school English teacher looking over our shoulders as we try to type.

The key to becoming a better writer is letting go of all that.

Here are some suggestions to help shake off the chains, and enjoy the freedom of writing like you.

Keep Reading – 7 Tips to Help You Write Conversationally

Filed Under: Content Marketing, Copywriting Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

How I Became the Don Draper of Personal Checks

December 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

don draper copywritingOkay…so the truth is I’m more like the Peggy Olson of personal checks. But that title just didn’t have the same kind of ring to it.

Don Draper, the main character in AMC’s hit show Mad Men, is an adman in the 1960s with a shady past.

He’s also become a pop-culture icon for people in advertising and marketing, because he can come up with a powerfully persuasive pitch for any product.

Now I don’t have same darkly disturbing back-story as Draper. And I don’t have my own office with a couch, an attractive secretary or a fully stocked bar. I sit in a cubicle with a coffee mug and dirty Tupperware containers, which I keep forgetting to bring home.

However, I used some of the same copywriting strategies you see implemented by the fictional advertising aces of Sterling Cooper Draper Price. I used them to help sell a typically boring product that people are using less and less these days.

Sales revenue on my employer’s website increased at least 50% each year after I started writing copy.

This is how it happened…
Keep Reading – How I Became the Don Draper of Personal Checks

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Why You Should Stop Trying to Create Viral Videos

December 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Is your business putting together a new video and planning to create something that goes viral on the internet?

If so…you better keep your fingers crossed and turn to every superstition you can think of – because what you need for a viral video isn’t a solid strategy. It’s a whole lot of luck.

You can spend all the time you want researching the hottest trends, finding a rabid audience and bringing in the most talented video producers money can buy. The fact is – most videos go viral completely by accident.

But don’t give up on video marketing just yet. It’s still a very valuable form of content marketing. Plus – who knows – you just might get lucky.

Keep Reading – Why You Should Stop Trying to Create Viral Videos

Filed Under: Content Marketing, Featured, Video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Use the Local News to Promote Your Small Business

November 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

local news vehicleWhile the role of traditional media in advertising, marketing and public relations is changing – it will always play a part.

Since many small businesses focus on a local customer base, obtaining coverage from local TV stations and newspapers is one of the best ways to get free publicity.

It can put your business right in front of the people you want to reach. Those are some valuable eyeballs!

Getting that coverage – especially when you really want it – can seem awfully tricky. But there are some best practices, which make your chances of getting on air or in print a whole lot better.

Keep Reading – How to Use the Local News to Promote Your Small Business

Filed Under: Media, Sales & Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Customer Revolution – Why You Need to Make Them Your Most Trusted Business Partners

November 26, 2012 by 4 Comments

There’s a revolution brewing…

Not long from now, your customers and clients will be taking over.

You can either choose to be on their side, or you can choose to let your business sink into the oblivion of irrelevance.

This is not an article about better customer service. This is an article about an exciting change that is taking place all over the world.

It’s about re-thinking your relationship with the people you serve.

We are quickly entering a time when the consumer will not only tell companies what it is they really want – they’ll actually make it too.

Keep Reading – Make Your Customers Your Most Trusted Partners

Filed Under: Creative Thinking, Featured Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Reasons Why Small Business Saturday is the Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy

November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

There are a lot of made-up days this time of year.

Black Friday gets people spending money while their bellies are still full of Thanksgiving dinner. Cyber Monday brings out all the online deal hunters. There’s also the anti-overconsumption reaction to all this called Buy Nothing Day.

My favorite has to be Small Business Saturday, which falls right in between Black Friday and Cyber Monday on a weekend when holiday shoppers go berserk crossing names off their lists.

It’s not just because we love small business owners here at Copyjuice. It’s also because this is a brilliant example of effective content marketing.

Keep Reading – Why Small Business Saturday is the Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy

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Why a Garage is the Perfect Place to Start Your Small Business

November 19, 2012 by 4 Comments

Hewlett-Packard garageDo you ever cringe a little bit at the term small business?

Most of us are proud to be entrepreneurs or to be part of the business world that’s creating the most jobs and producing innovative ideas. But if you have big dreams, that word small might kind of bug you.

Your vision for the company you create may include lofty, long-term goals. Yet right now, you wonder if you’ll always be stuck at square one.

Stop stressing. Starting small means starting smart. Without those first small steps toward the realization of your vision, you probably wouldn’t get going at all.

Just look at the many major corporations that kicked things off inside a garage.

Keep Reading – Why a Garage is the Perfect Place to Start Your Small Business

Filed Under: Creative Thinking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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