Resources Archives - Ode Marketing

Are You Ignoring This One Vital Thing for SEO?

Website speed is one of the key factors in improving your SEO and creating an effortless user experience. ‘In a 2019 survey by Unbounce, nearly 70% of consumers admitted that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer.’ ‘The first five seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversion rates. (Portent, 2019)’ and ‘website conversion rates drop by an average of 4.42% with each additional second of load time (between seconds 0-5).’ SEMrush declares that page load time is a primary ranking factor. It also effects conversion rate too. ‘A 1-second delay in your site speed can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.’ Why do you need to improve your site speed? There are several reasons why it’s important to improve the speed of a website: How to improve site speed There are many ways to improve the speed of a website. Here are a few general tips: These are just a few general tips to improve the speed of a website. It’s also important to regularly monitor the performance of your website and make adjustments as needed to ensure it remains fast and efficient. See below for tools that can help with this. How do you optimise images for site speed? There are several ways to optimise images for site speed: How many plugins should I use for good site speed? The number of plugins that you should use on your website depends on the specific needs of your site and how well-optimised the plugins are. In general, it’s best to use as few plugins as possible, as each plugin you add to your website can potentially add more code and resources that need to be loaded, which can slow down your website. That being said, there are some plugins that are essential for the functionality of your website and can actually improve the speed of your site. For example, a caching plugin can help speed up your website by storing commonly used resources on the user’s computer, so they don’t have to be downloaded each time the user visits the website. It’s important to carefully evaluate the need for each plugin you are considering using and to only use those that are necessary for the functionality and performance of your website. If you do use multiple plugins, make sure to keep them up to date and optimise them for performance. It’s also a good idea to regularly review the plugins you are using and consider removing any that are no longer necessary or that may be slowing down your website. How do plugins slow your website down? Plugins can slow down a website for a few reasons: By using as few plugins as possible and carefully evaluating the need for each plugin you use, you can help ensure that your website performs well and loads quickly. This is something that trips me up all the time. I love a good plugin, but I tend to overload my site with them and forget to disable those that are no longer working for me. And then my site crashes or takes ages to load. Oops! It’s also important to keep your plugins up to date and to optimise them for performance to ensure that they don’t slow down your website. How do you enable compression on your website? There are a few ways to enable compression on your website: Use a plugin: Many popular content management systems (CMS) have plugins that can enable compression on your website. For example, WordPress has several plugins that can enable Gzip compression, such as W3 Total Cache and Autoptimize. Use mod_deflate: If you are using an Apache web server, you can enable compression by using the mod_deflate module. To do this, you will need to edit the .htaccess file in the root directory of your website and add the following code: <IfModule mod_deflate.c> # Compress HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Text, XML and fonts AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/vnd.ms-fontobject AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-font AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-font-OpenType AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-font-otf AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-font-TrueType AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-font-ttf AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-javascript AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/xhtml+xml AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/XML AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE font/opentype AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE font/otf AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE font/ttf AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE image/svg+xml AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE image/x-icon AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/CSS AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/HTML AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/javascript AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/plain AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/XML </IfModule> Use nginx: If you are using an nginx web server, you can enable compression by adding the following code to your nginx.conf file: gzip on; gzip_comp_level 6; gzip_vary on; gzip_min_length 1000; gzip_proxied any; gzip_types text/plain text/CSS application/JSON application/javascript application/x-javascript text/XML application/XML application/xml+rss text/javascript; gzip_buffers 16 8k; These are just a few ways to enable compression on your website. It’s important to note that compression can impact the performance of your server, so it’s essential to carefully consider the trade-offs between increased performance and increased resource usage when enabling compression. What is a content delivery network? A content delivery network (CDN) is a distributed network of servers that delivers web pages and other web content to users based on their geographic location, the origin of the webpage, and the content delivery server. CDNs are used to improve the performance and speed of websites by reducing the distance that data needs to travel between the user and the server and by offloading traffic from the main server. CDNs work by storing copies of a website’s content on servers located in strategic locations around the world. When a user requests content from a website, the CDN will serve the content from the server that is closest to the user, reducing the amount of time it takes for the content to be delivered. CDNs are commonly used by websites that receive a large amount of traffic or that serve users from around the world, as they can help improve the performance and reliability of the website. CDNs can also enhance the security of a website by providing features such as DDoS protection, SSL/TLS encryption, and rate limiting. How to use a content delivery network A content delivery network (CDN) is a network of

Using AI Writing Software ChatGPT for Blogging

GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a language model developed by OpenAI that can generate human-like text. It has the ability to complete a given prompt or generate text based on a given topic or style. It can be used to assist with blogging by generating ideas for blog posts, providing suggestions for structure and organization, and even generating complete drafts of blog posts. To use GPT for blogging, you can provide it with a prompt or topic and have it generate text based on that prompt. For example, you might give it the prompt “Write a blog post about the benefits of meditation” and have it generate a list of ideas or a complete draft of a blog post on the topic. You can then edit and refine the generated text to suit your needs. It’s important to note that GPT is a tool and not a replacement for human writing and editing. While it can be a useful tool for generating ideas and providing inspiration, it’s important to review and revise the text it generates to ensure that it is accurate and meets the standards of your blog. What are the benefits of chatgpt for blogging? There are several benefits to using GPT for blogging: However, it’s important to note that GPT is a tool and not a replacement for human writing and editing. While it can be a useful tool for generating ideas and providing inspiration, it’s important to review and revise the text it generates to ensure that it is accurate and meets the standards of your blog. GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a language model developed by OpenAI that can generate human-like text. It is best for tasks that involve generating text, such as: GPT can be used in a variety of contexts and industries, including content marketing, journalism, education, and more. It’s important to note that GPT is a tool and not a replacement for human writing and editing. While it can be a useful tool for generating ideas and providing inspiration, it’s important to review and revise the text it generates to ensure that it is accurate and meets the standards of your blog. What are the limitations of chatgpt for blogging? GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a powerful language model that can generate human-like text, but it does have some limitations to consider when using it for blogging: It’s important to keep these limitations in mind when using GPT for blogging, and to review and revise the text it generates to ensure that it is accurate and meets the standards of your blog. You could use my preferred spellchecker, Grammarly, to help. Everything above was written by GPT and I left it unedited so you, as the reader, can get a sense of what it produces. Below, is entirely my copy without any assistance from AI. Why AI writing software doesn’t work for blogging Context is often missing. Humans can easily identify context and what information goes where. So you can’t rely on AI in terms of structure and what statements go where. I have used AI writing software in the past (I won’t mention which one for obvious reasons) and it just never suited my needs and I ended up getting frustrated with it. It’s an expensive software for me to keep flogging without the proper results of great quality content writing. It would repeat the same sentences over and over again. Literally, word for word. And then the next paragraph would say the same thing but with a few words different, liked they had been plucked out of a thesaurus and therefore, context was lost. Most AI, ChatGPT included do not even recognise that UK/Australian spelling exists (as you can see from the text above). Let alone language nuances and colloquialisms, which makes it tougher for the reader. Plus, the naturalness is removed. Often, I would discover by using Copyscape that the text wasn’t entirely original. And we know that when it comes to great writing, originality is key and is supposedly favoured by Google’s bots. Because I’m a fast and prolific writer, I have found that it’s just much quicker for me to write something from scratch than use AI software because by the time I have to edit the piece, I may as well have written it! Plus, you have feed the software prompts and plan out the structure yourself. Additionally, AI can’t insert correct facts, statistics, hyperlinks, quotes and research— a huge proponent of convincing articles and quality SEO blogs. Of course, it can’t help you with SEO factors that improve your search rankings such as formatting and keyword placement. And you can forget the personal anecdotes. As we know, ‘Personal experiences and anecdotes receive more respect, are perceived as more rational, and elicit a greater willingness to engage than facts and statistics.’ Are there any benefits to AI writing software? With the paid software that I used, they provided useful templates and copywriting formulas. These are really handy if you are new to copywriting. For example, it offers a PAS (pain, agitate, solve) template which helps the novice understand exactly how each of these facets function in a piece of writing. But, if you ask me, it’s cheaper to just watch some Youtube vids or buy a copywriting book. Interestingly, ChatGPT is poised as something that will be used IN PLACE OF Google search as the prediction is people will source a written paragraph on their query straight up. At the moment, ChatGPT is free whereas other AI writing software comes at a cost. Often, not cheap. And it will be surprising if it stays free forever. Plus, there’s the issue of copyright. Currently, it’s a very murky area and US copyright law might suggest hostility towards AI-generated content being attributed to humans. Australian copyright is a little different but, again, it is murky as law catches up to reality. What can you do instead? Practice writing. The more you practice, the quicker you will get

SEO Monitoring Tools Round-up

SEO has become a science in itself, and it can be difficult to keep track of everything you need to know without the help of SEO software. SEO monitoring tools can help you with SEO keyword research, link building, content creation and much more. Several SEO monitoring tools and software are available on the market today. SEO software is an integral part of any online marketing strategy. Using the right tools, you can improve your SEO process and outrank your competition. Choosing the right one can be daunting, so I’ve put together a roundup of some of the most popular options. Moz Pro SEO monitoring tool First up is Moz Pro, which is a comprehensive SEO toolkit that includes everything from rank tracking to on-page optimisation. It’s ideal for SEO professionals and businesses who want to improve their SEO game. Some of the features included in Moz Pro are: Overall, Moz Pro is a comprehensive SEO toolkit that can help you improve your SEO SEMrush SEO monitoring tool Next is SEMrush, which is a great all-in-one SEO tool that can help you with everything from competitor analysis to backlink monitoring to in-depth SEO keyword research. It’s perfect for small business owners who want to stay ahead of the competition. SEMrush: Personally, I use SEMrush because it’s more user-friendly and has an excellent SEO keyword magic tool. It does come with an extensive price tag, though, which is something to keep in mind when budgeting for marketing. Raven Tools SEO monitoring tool Third on this list is Raven Tools, a suite of SEO and marketing tools that can help you with everything from site audits to social media tracking to competitor analysis to prepping reports. It’s a great option for businesses who want to manage their SEO and marketing campaigns in one place. Raven Tools also provides an SEO A/B testing tool called “Raven Pro” and a keyword research app for iOS users called “Raven Mobile.” Its link analysis can track any number of links from any domain and has a wide range of filters to help you quickly find the most important links for your website or campaign. Ahrefs SEO monitoring tool Finally, Ahrefs is a powerful SEO tool that can help you with everything from competitor analysis to backlink monitoring. It’s perfect for SEO professionals who want to stay ahead of the curve. What’s unique about Ahrefs is that it offers a suite of tools that allows you to do detailed SEO research. For example, their “Site Explorer” tool lets you see all the backlinks and organic search traffic for any website. You can also use it to spy on your competitors and see their SEO strategies to rank higher than you. Overall, Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolkit that will help you improve your SEO strategy and get better results. Which SEO software and tool is right for you? It depends on your needs and budget, but any of these options will help you take your SEO game up a notch. Personally, I will recommend SEMrush to clients and business owners, followed closely by Ahrefs. The thing not to overlook with all these tools is that their websites offer really thorough SEO and marketing resources, so it is worth checking whether you are embarking on your SEO journey or are a seasoned marketer. This blog post contains affiliate links.

How to Start Writing a Book

Have you always wanted to start writing a book but not known where to start? Writing your first book can seem like an impossible task, but it’s actually easier than you might think. In this article we will discuss what makes for a good story and how to start writing a book from scratch. We’ll also provide some motivation (and tips) that will help get your creative juices flowing! More than 80 per cent of Americans would like to be an author. Apparently, 97 per cent of people who start to write a book never finish it. People want to write a book for many reasons, but the two main ones are either they have an idea that needs telling or they want to share their story. Some people start writing a book because they want to tell an idea that has been brewing for years and needs to get out; others are driven by the need to share their story, or in some cases, their secrets. A lot of people start writing books simply because it’s something they always wanted to do but never had time. Want to bust through the fear? Here’s my fear-dissolving course. How to find your starting place The start of the book writing process is to find a topic idea. This can come from anything that interests or affects you, but it really needs to be something you want to write about because the whole process will require dedication and energy. It’s also important not to start too big. Choose an idea for a short story before tackling the next great American novel! Or write an article about a non fiction topic before embarking on creating your masterpiece of a book. That way, you can gauge your commitment level and work out if you have enough information or story to complete an entire book. You might like to read my post on five ways to get started writing your non fiction book. How long is a book supposed to be? Books have different word counts depending on the type. A short story is usually less than 5000 words but can be up to 10 000 words. Whereas a novella can be between 7000 and 12,000 words and even all the way up to 50,000 words. Whilst a novel is over 50 000 words. The average word count for a novel is around 80 000 words and can go up to 140 000 words and the genre and audience you are writing for will dictate an ideal word count. For example, commercial thrillers are typically around the 70 to 80 000 mark. Whereas, sci fi fiction can easily extend to around 120 000 words. A non fiction book is usually about one topic and can be as short as one page or as long as over a hundred. It all depends on the subject matter and how much detail the author wants to go into. If you want to sell your non fiction book commercially, aim for 50 000 to 70 000 words. A memoir is about the same amount of words. How to get started writing a book If you start with a book outline, it will help to keep the project on track and make sure nothing is left out. Books can be written in any order that they come to mind or as an answer to prompts from your own creativity like writing based off of images or other works of literature. You might want some paper scraps around for different ideas that pop into your head while you’re brainstorming – these could turn into good scenes later on! Use your phone notes, or leave voice memos for yourself or even good old fashioned post-its! You can start writing your book by brainstorming ideas and structuring them into a story. Find inspiration for a good beginning scene or chapter: this could be from real life, film, TV show etc. Save time by planning the layout of chapters in advance to help you stay on track with progress! How to plan out the writing of your book Take time to start writing your book. You will definitely need to set aside some time consistently over a longer stretch of time to write your book. Unless you’re hiring a ghostwriter, of course. Consider that the average person can type approximately 38 words per minute, it’s likely you will be able to get down about 2000 words in a solid hour’s writing. Now, if you can type solidly for an hour without a pee or tea break, then you are some kind of superhero. Nonetheless, this is what professional authors do. Include in thinking time and deliberation and trying to remember that darn word… So, let’s say a more realistic writing speed is 1000 words per hour. That means you need to set aside at least 50 hours to get down a solid draft of your book. How can you manage that? Can you take a few weeks off work and write every single day? Can you spare two hours ever week for six months? Be realistic about your timeframe and plan accordingly. The key is, planning your book thoroughly before you start writing it. That way you brain will be much more freer to just sit down and write. This means knowing: Experiment with this: Do not start with the beginning or end of your story because you will have a lot of work there and it’s hard to build momentum that way. Start from where you are in the middle, this is usually at the climax point or closest to it. Spend some time crafting what happens before and after this point too so that when readers get here they can follow along easily. How to stay motivated while writing a book Unfortunately, the bad news is that whilst it’s relatively easy to start writing a book, many, many people (professional authors included) have trouble sticking with and finishing a book! The

The Case for a Case Study: Why Your Business Needs One

Why is it important to have a case study showcasing the work you have done with a client or customer on your website? The case study is a visual representation of your work, and it can be used to show off what you have accomplished. It is also an excellent case for how your business has helped others in the past which may prompt potential new customers or clients to reach out to you themselves. Additionally, case studies are always important for SEO purposes because they provide information about services that people want on the web for their own search terms. Use this client case study template to help. What is a case study? Case studies are a detailed analysis of an individual or a brief analysis of a particular situation. The case study is an example of the client’s success story that can be used to share their experience with future prospects. It should touch on why they chose you, what problems were solved and how your solution helped them grow. The benefits of writing a case study There are many benefits to writing a client case study. In short, a case study shows off your expertise, sets you apart from competitors and provides valuable information about the effect of your services. Below are some of the things a well written case study can do for your business. Enhance credibility: Case studies show that you have worked with other businesses and they found success with your work which improves their faith in what you offer. Gain publicity: It’s easier to get media coverage when a case study is available because it provides more information on how well something has been working for someone else who was dealing with similar issues or challenges as yours. – Inspire others: Seeing an example of someone having success will motivate them to also take steps towards overcoming their own obstacles even if they’ve never heard about you before, so case studies are great for generating new leads too! Help measure progress: case studies are also a great way to see what you’re doing is actually working and how far along you’ve come in the process. Understanding: case studies provide a more robust understanding of how to improve your progress. They can show areas where things are working and what needs improvement. Helping: a client case study is a good way to show someone else that you can help them. It will make them trust you more and they will want to do business with you because they know the type of service or product quality that your company offers, so they have peace of mind knowing their experience was worth it. Attraction and retention: this type of content will not just attract new leads but keep current clients happy by highlighting their achievements over time as well as giving them something to show prospective customers when asked “what have we done together?” This type of content also conveys trustworthiness. Plus, it helps with customer service and sales aspects of your business. It’s important for your business to have case studies on hand so that when someone has questions or concerns, they can learn about another person who dealt with these same issues before taking any action. It also demonstrates the value of your work for others who may want similar assistance from a professional in this field or industry. How people will respond to a client case study Current clients: case studies are a great way to show them they’re doing good work and that you care about their success. They will likely be happy with the content because it highlights what progress they’ve made over time. Potential customers: case studies demonstrate your expertise, set you apart from competitors and provide valuable information on how your services effect people/businesses. Potential customers want assurance in knowing this is someone who can help them; case studies convey trustworthiness by highlighting previous successful cases like theirs so prospective customers know they’ll get quality service if they choose to hire this business or an individual for assistance. Plus, when asked “what have we done together?” case study provides things to highlight as proof of past successes so prospective customers know they’re in good hands. Potential employees: case studies demonstrate the value of what this company has to offer and how their expertise will be beneficial for potential employees, which means more applicants will apply when they see a case study on your website that demonstrates the skills needed for different positions within the business as well as highlighting previous successful cases like theirs so prospective clients know if there are qualified candidates out there who can help them with similar concerns or issues. Customers/clients from other industries: case studies show off customer’s expertise and set them apart from competitors by providing valuable information about one industry but also demonstrating knowledge and experience in related fields too. A case study helps expand clientele into new markets where you may be able to help them. So you really can’t delay creating and sharing your case study any longer. Use this specially crafted case study template to help you today.

How to add webcopy to your WordPress website

Have you been sent some copywriting for your website or blog from Jones the Writer? Here’s a very brief explainer video talking you through the formatting rules and how to upload the text you have been provided with. Before starting the video Before you watch the video, it might be easiest if you open up the dashboard of your WordPress site as well as the Word document that I have sent you, so you can go through step by step. The video talks you through Gutenberg WordPress editor but the principles are essentially the same for the original editor. The video link below will take you to an external web page (Loom app— try it if you haven’t already!) as this was the easiest way for me to share the video of such a large file size. Also mentioned in the video and helpful for uploading: Meta data descriptions Meta data plugin SEO image best practices Need some great SEO copywriting done? Let’s chat.

13 creative writing tips

Writing tip #1 Don’t wait around for too much inspiration or imaginative leaps, just get into a rhythm. Writing tip #2 Make notes or an outline for your next session of writing or have a sentence already half written to flow on with and maximise your time at your desk. Writing tip #3 It’s important for you to articulate what your character is doing in your story. Their actions and dialogue have to be for a tangible reason that is more than just doing it because they feel like it. Writing tip #4 In between your writing times, make sure you: relax think about writing are doing something else that is not related to writing Writing tip #5 When it comes to writing and creating, there’s an opportunity to trust the unconscious. Recognise its gifts, which can often take place in between writing times. Allow these moments of clarity and these treasures to bubble up. When it comes to writing and creating, there’s an opportunity to trust the unconscious Writing tip #6 Never be satisfied with a cliché. If you think it’s a cliché, then it probably is. I forget exactly who it was but an Australian author once told me in a workshop that ‘a cliché is a lazy sentence, which is a slippery slope to mediocrity.’ And you’re better off not dropping your standards from the start because every sentence is important and they all matter. Writing tip #7 Be prepared to write the ordinary things. For example, don’t forget to make your characters walk through that door, walk down to the street and catch a taxi to get to where the next prominent scene takes place. The reader wants to know how they got to the party and makes reading a smooth process. Writing tip #8 Silences sometimes need to be written and then deleted, often leaving an implied residue that will make a difference to your writing. You can also try this with dialogue. Writing tip #9 Keep your writing and idea to yourself so that you don’t lose momentum and lose interest in writing it out. Try to resist rereading what you’ve written until you’ve finished the whole first draft. The writer is the first reader. If you tell too many people your story, you’ll no longer need to write it. Writing tip #10 Recognise that the first draft is just that. You can add layers of significance and emotive lines over time. Writing tip #11 Research but don’t over research. Often researching can be an excuse not to write and a crutch to avoid using the imagination. This can be known as analysis paralysis. Writing tip #12 When it comes to process: whatever gets the book out is the best process for you. Hemingway rose at 7am and started writing straight away. Murakami started at 4am. Or Henry Miller declared that you need to ‘work according to program, not mood.’ But really, whatever works for you (as in actually gets words on the page until something is finished) is the best process for you. Writing tip #13 Think about your message. Why are you writing this story? What are you saying? What are you saying about humanity? Once you are clear on your project’s message, it will be inherently easier to stick to the point of your story and cut out at least some of the overwhelm. If you love reading, why not check out my fiction books?

What are WordPress plugins and why do you need them?

When it comes to blogging or starting a website, a plugin refers to a piece of software that adds specific functionality to an existing program. A good example would be the customisations options, like ad block and VPN functionality, that can be added to most modern browsers. However, with the increased popularity of the WordPress platform, plugin is now commonly used as the short version of WordPress plugins. What are WordPress plugins? WordPress plugins are pieces of add on software that extends the functionality and adds new features to your WordPress website. They contain code that helps you enhance, customise and modify a WordPress site without having to touch a single line of code. Which is great news for those who want to start and manage their own websites, without having technical web development skills. WordPress plugins are usually written in PHP but may also include HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They add specific features or functionality, for example, if you need your WordPress website to load faster, you may need a WordPress plugin to improve cache functionality. Why do you need WordPress plugins? It is quite rare to see any WordPress website using only its out of the box features. WordPress plugins help you create visually stunning multifunctional websites without changing the core program code. WordPress plugins can help you design and speed up your website, add special effects and functionality and do so much more. There are over 55099 free WordPress plugins and about twice that number of paid ones. They are all designed to integrate seamlessly with specific versions of WordPress. Plugins have become so ubiquitous with WordPress that there is a saying along the lines of ‘there’s a plugin for that’which means that there is a plugin available for pretty much anything you want to customise on WordPress. Free versus paid WordPress plugin Free WordPress plugins are…well, free to download and use. Although most of them come with advanced paid features you have to unlock. Often, they are available on the WordPress depository and can be downloaded and installed on your plugin page. Paid WordPress plugins, on the other hand, have to be downloaded from their individual providers and uploaded onto your WordPress website before it can be used. It’s just like any freemiumstyle software where the basic features are supplied for free and any advanced or premium features require a fee. Which WordPress plugins do you need? This depends on your needs and what you want to achieve with your website. But some absolute fundamentals are: Yoast (to help with your website SEO) something to connect your viewers to your subscriber list a plugin to ward off the spam comments a chatbot to address customer queries live – I use LiveChat one for security and one for backup. Check out this list of recommended WordPress plugins for beginners. How to install WordPress plugins? Check out this super handy instructional video on how to install basic WordPress plugins. Isn’t it time you got high performing website copywriting?

Copywriting and marketing quotes

There are so many inspirational copywriting and marketing quotes that are floating around on the net that I took the liberty to collate some of the most motivating quotes to help you attack your marketing activities. Either read them all in one go or read one each day to help keep up the motivation. Quotes to keep you inspired ‘Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read,’ Leo Burnett. ‘As marketers, we should be changing the mantra from always be closing to always be helping,’ Jonathan Lister. ‘Decide the effect you want to produce in your reader,’ Robert Collier. ‘There is a secret every professional artist knows that the amateurs don’t: being original is overrated. The most creative minds in the world are not especially creative; they’re just better at rearrangement,’ Jeff Goins. ‘Good advertising is written from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions it rarely moves anyone,’ Fairfax M Cone. ‘Content is the atomic particle of all digital marketing,’ Rebecca Lieb. ‘If you aren’t tracking the spend and ROI on your marketing efforts, then you won’t know what works exactly, what brings in money, what is the most effective thing you do and where you need to be spending more or focusing on,’ Vanessa Jones. ‘No man is a success in business unless he loves his work,’ Florence Scovel Shinn. ‘Copy is a direct conversation with the consumer,’ Shirley Polykoff. ‘When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product,’ David Ogilvy. ‘The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time,’ Thomas Jefferson. ‘Social media allows big companies to act small again,’ Jay Baer. ‘Aim to offer giveaways without a scarcity mentality and you will be rewarded with more,’ Vanessa Jones. Do you have a favourite copywriting and marketing quote?

The Best Copywriting Books: What Can You Learn From Them

Copywriting is one of the most important aspects of marketing. It’s what makes people want to buy a product or service from you. If done well, then it can be an extremely powerful tool for any business. There are many copywriting books out there, but not all are created equal. This blog post highlights some of the best copywriting books and why they’re so great! There are a lot of copywriting books out there, but not all of them are created equal. This blog post highlights some of the best ones! What people can learn from these copywriting books. The best copywriting books are often written by authors who have decades worth of experience, which is what makes them so invaluable to any copywriter looking at starting out with writing advertisements themselves. Not only does they contain valuable information on how marketing works, you’ll also be able to see how these techniques were created in the first place! Read through some of the best copywriting books of all time. And don’t hesitate to suggest your own, especially if they are written by a woman. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy Not all copywriting is the same, with variations like brand copywriting and direct response copywriting. It is the latter of these two that inspired this book recommendation. Sometimes called the father of modern advertising, David Ogilvy is an archetypal figure. Who inspired TV shows like Mad Men and started one of the oldest ad companies in existence. His approach to advertising stems from his analysis of consumer habits and he outlines the best ways to advertise a product or service, as well as some of his own successes. It is considered one of the most influential and important books on advertising ever written. How should you use this copywriting book? This book is great for people who want to learn about how successful ads work and what makes them effective so they can apply these approaches in their own marketing campaigns. The insights are invaluable for any copywriter looking at starting out with writing advertisements themselves, which could make it an ideal gift idea if you know someone’s things fairly well! And even though there have been many developments in digital platforms and advertising since Ogilvy’s time – think social media and search engine optimisation – there are still lots of valuable lessons. Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy It has a really unique approach to selling that leads you through all sorts of techniques from start-to-finish, and it’s very practical with lots of great examples. This copywriting book highlights how what we say should be dictated by the customer’s needs not ours. If you are looking for more information in writing your ad or website then this is where it begins. A rare insight into advertising strategy, The Ultimate Sales Letter has been highly influential among those who consider themselves successful marketers. Dan Kennedy gives us insights on how to write better ads based both online and out there in the real world. It covers every detail of the process, including wording, formatting, and timing. It will help those who write sales pages or items for the Internet in any form to create more effective messages and copy. We’ve listed it as suitable for “less experienced” readers because although it is detailed and informative without being overly technical or long-winded. Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz This is arguably the best book on copywriting. It’s written by a renowned copywriter known as Eugene Schwartz. The book is an exhaustive study of creating a successful piece of writing, and almost every ad writer should read it at least once per year. Schwartz defines a good ad copywriter as someone that takes an existing desire and channels it into their particular product or service. You cannot sell people what they do not want, so you have to find out what they want and offer it them instead! What people can learn from it This book is a must read for any copywriter or marketer! It covers every aspect of advertising with as much depth as possible. You will get a lot of ideas on how to write an effective ad that sells your products or services. The best thing about the book? Schwartz’s blunt honesty when discussing his work and life experiences in great detail (e.g., he discusses using sex appeal). He was one of the first entrepreneurs to really make good money through ads by understanding consumers wants instead of their needs. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini Given the importance of social psychology and human relations for those in marketing, it is recommended that they read the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Robert Cialdini is a notable psychologist who examines the psychology behind persuasion. He offers up a number of case studies and anecdotes from his work with businesses, government agencies, schools, salespeople and more to explain six universal principles that can help you succeed in any area where persuading someone else is important (e.g., marketing). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion has been hailed as one of best selling books ever written. It’s well-known for its impact on other areas like business or advertising due to the revealing insights it provides into how human beings work at their most basic level–how we make decisions based purely on emotion; how our beliefs grow out of what we perceive around us rather than through anything rational or factual; why people will often do something. The Copywriter’s Handbook: a Step-by-step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells by Robert W. Bly This book is a classic that should be on every copywriter’s shelf. For over 40 years, this has been the definitive guide for anyone interested in learning how to write persuasive copy with style and grace. It covers all aspects of successful advertising content including: headlines, subheads, lead paragraphs, offers, testimonials, body text; lists of benefits versus features; problem-solution presentations; plus much more! There are also several chapters devoted

The history of copywriting

The interesting history of copywriting. It’s older than you think! There is a certain level of peculiarity that comes with being a copywriter that goes beyond simply being a writer or working in marketing. Of course, I’m completely biased but it feels like a strange set of skills that I’ve stolen from history and that I’m disguising under new tech. Do you ever get that feeling about your job? I can imagine visual artists, doctors and yoga teachers might feel similar or at least understand what I’m getting at. Advertising copywriting has existed since Babylonian times and the first printed material is said to have come into the world in 1477, promoting the sale of a prayer book. The history of copywriting dates back to when the first printed papers were distributed on the street. The actual word “copywriting” means the act of writing words to sell products. The copywriter is the person who does this, often found in ad agencies or at home as a freelancer. The job of a copywriter began by creating ads on a large poster made of paper with a feather dipped ink (how deliciously antiquated and time consuming). These posters were fixed to walls and poles in the bigger cities of Europe. Centuries ago there were no printing processes to make duplicates, so each page was painstakingly handcrafted. Creating such ads was more of an art and it sounds incredibly meditative to me. Eventually, they evolved to printed pamphlets and brochures and became much smaller in size as printing in its new evolution was a complicated and lengthy process, so the smaller the item, the faster it was. Once mass printing processes were perfected, around 1605, newspapers could be mass produced and hawked on street corners. The first English paper was produced in 1664, called the Oxford Gazette (now known as the London Gazette). It was when the larger format newspapers were published that advertisements began to appear on one full page or several ads were dispersed throughout the pages. What a glorious time that must have been for copywriters as there wasn’t quite the saturated market, you could have more effect on people and their purchasing or social decisions. The beginning of freelance copywriting It has been suggested that the first person to work as an official independent copywriter was John Emory Powers (thanks dude). He lived from 1837 to 1919 and was the first person to have this job fulltime and instead of working for a newspaper, he worked for the popular department stores of Lord & Taylor and Wanamaker’s. These stores recognised the importance of creating excellent ads that would stand out in newspapers and magazines. He created six ads a week. I’d like that kind of work load! He is deemed the ‘father of modern creative advertising’ by creating one of the most controversial ads of the era, in his signature straight talking style, that ended up selling out stock in a number of hours. Truth telling was his gimmick and it seemed to work! ‘Suddenly, everything I’d seen in direct mail and all the ads I’d seen made sense. Give people a reason why they should buy a product,’ Clayton Makepeace. The value of copywriting The value of copywriting was finally recognised around the 1800s. The copywriter would make advertisements that would capture the attention of consumers. For the Wanamaker’s store, they quickly doubled their yearly revenues. Where advertising used to be more of a gamble and a risk taking venture from the thirties to the sixties, today it is one that is unavoidable and if you don’t include it in your marketing plan you are already behind your competitors. In 2017, there was a global advertising spend of approximately $688 billion (in AUD). That is off the charts! ‘The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time,’ Thomas Jefferson. One of the most prominent and influential copywriters of the past century was Robert Collier, who started the direct mail phenomenon in the thirties, utilising emotional connecting and psychological techniques. He later became a bestselling and famous new age and self development author. It wasn’t really until recently that training and education became formalised for copywriting, perhaps with exception of on the job training and mentoring. Copywriting doesn’t last long Copywriting is almost instantly obsolete, which is bizarre considering how much time, skill and sheer effort goes into it. It’s even more bizarre to think how influential that copywriting is. I could craft a content article or digital ad today that could affect hundreds of people enough to buy a product or a service that could change their life or, at the very, least change perspective on the way they had previously viewed something. ‘Ads, like butterflies, have short lives.’ With real time feedback and digital analytics, copywriters and content marketers have instantaneous feedback and can tell whether the copy is working more than ever and campaign cycles are much quicker. So now we have to be faster and more accurate and create something that gets results within a 24-48 hour cycle. No pressure! Copywriting today Today’s modern copywriter does more than simply write copy for newspaper or magazine ads. With ecommerce growing at a rate of at least seventeen per cent per year and content marketing becoming a universal marketing tactic employed by ninety per cent of businesses worldwide, a copywriter now has to be proficient in writing for the web with a sound knowledge of SEO best practices. Copywriters may also write copy for book jackets, food and product packaging, name floral bouquets (I actually did this once), write about technology trends in healthcare (done this too), write meta data descriptions for sunglasses (yes, tick this one off the list), write media releases about musicians and authors and so it goes. A worthy copywriter is also responsible for helping websites achieve good SEO rankings involving strategic placement of common keywords that consumers are likely to be searching