Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
September 22, 2008
Issue #508
Dear Business-Builder,
What a great weekend!
On Saturday morning, The Redhead and I hopped into the 911 and went tear-assing down the mountain to Atlanta for Carline Anglade-Cole’s Copywriting Boot Camp.
The object of the exercise was twofold: 1) To spend an all-too-rare evening with Carline Anglade-Cole and her amazing family and 2) To rub elbows with a gaggle of Total Package readers who happened to be in attendance.
We had a ball.
Not only did I get lots of nice, warm hugs from my friend and her daughters Milan and Tiara … a manly hug and a slap on the back from Mick … and a hearty handshake from their son Chatham … I also got to meet a bunch of other family members (all drop-dead gorgeous, of course).
Plus, I also got to spend time with some of our readers. And as you might expect, to answer some of the most pressing questions they have on their minds now. Since we also get these questions in our feedback box almost daily, I figure it might be a good thing to tell you what I told them.
For instance, one attendee who’s still training to become a copywriter was already thinking ahead …
Question:
“How long will it take to get my first clients?”
My Answer:
“Depends on how willing you are to do what’s required.”
‘Way back in the late 1970s, I had just spent a few years gaining experience and plumping up my portfolio at a direct response agency and it was time to begin my freelance career.
So, when I took a few days to consider my prospects and how I would begin building my business, I quickly recognized five things:
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
September 18, 2008
Issue #17
In this issue:
- Why the Internet will at least DOUBLE in size in the next four years …
- Why that’s not necessarily a "good" thing for Web marketers …
- 3 "Waking Nightmares" stalking Internet marketers now …
- The one missing ingredient that can easily multiply the response to most Web promotions today …
- A one-second IQ test for Web marketers …
- And much, MUCH MORE!
Dear Business-Builder,
Hiya. Hope you’re doing great.
Me? Well, it’s 3:45 AM on a Saturday morning and I just woke up, made my way to the office and sat down to write this issue for you.
What a guy – right?
So what would you like to talk about today?
What’s that you say? "The Internet?" OK, what about it?
"… How business owners, marketing execs and copywriters could be – should be – making about ten times more money than they are now?"
Amazing how great minds think alike, isn’t it? That’s just what I was thinking about!
Alrighty then – here goes …
Internet gurus – especially the hypesters who want to sell you a book on "How to Make a Gazillion Bucks by Noon Tomorrow on The ‘Net" – will tell you that the Web is a godsend for anyone looking to get rich quick.
They shout about how hundreds of millions of people browse the Web and read their e-mail every day – and that thousands of them are just dying to buy the product you’re selling.
Well, there’s no doubt that the World Wide Web is huge. According to the CIA World Factbook, 223 million Americans – roughly 74% of the U.S. population – now have Web access.
Throw in the rest of the English-speaking world – and millions more around the globe who are fluent in our language – and it’s a pretty good bet that well over 300 million consumers and business people can read and respond to your English-language sales messages.
300 million prospects not enough for you?
Ok …
- If you translate your e-mail blasts and websites into Spanish, you’ll pick up about 76 million more prospects in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, South America and, of course, Spain.
- Add French, German, Russian, and Portuguese sales messages and you can talk to 116 million more future customers.
- And if you can figure out a way to make your sales messages readable to Web nerds in China and India, you’ll pick up another 313 million prospective customers.
That’s about 805 million prospects in all – and still, the Web is just getting warmed up …
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
September 11, 2008
Issue #501
Part Two
In this special interview issue …
- How a little "romance" can grab your prospects’ attention and sell them your product …
- The ultimate key to advertising success in today’s crowded market …
- The truth about traditional benefit-oriented selling — and how it just might be killing sales …
- The one part of every promotion that’s even more important than the headline …
- What you must know about your prospects before you write a word of copy …
- A simple way you can get better, more profitable copy out of every copywriter your hire …
- The most common blunder in advertising today …
- And much, MUCH MORE!
Dear Business-Builder,
Last week, I shared part of my conversation with Arthur Johnson, an "A" level copywriter who has experienced astounding success.
If you missed it, click this link to read it. But make sure you come back here. What Arthur says is of tremendous value to anyone who writes copy or works with writers.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
September 8, 2008
Issue #498
Stuff we’re doing to make an upcoming product launch as successful as possible —
and that could help you hit your next online promo
out of the park …
Dear Business-Builder,
It’s no secret that direct response marketing gives us a huge advantage: The opportunity to scientifically measure response to every part of a sales campaign and to constantly refine and improve our headlines, copy and offer. And that, in turn, empowers us to drive our response, revenues and profits ever-higher.
So, unsurprisingly, as a 37-year veteran of the direct response wars, I guess you could say I’ve become addicted to post-mortems; studying not only the numbers I produce, but also the thought process behind both successful and not-so successful launches.
That’s coming in mighty handy today. Because right now, I’m just a few days away from launching a new product. This one is a first for me. It’s not a copywriting or marketing product for my Total Package friends. Nor is it a promotion I’m creating for a client.
This one is for me; the first “house product” my agency, ResponseInk, has ever introduced. And boy, are we learning a lot! In fact, my guess is, a lot of what we’re learning could put a bunch of money into your pocket …
Now, I can’t tell you much about the product quite yet. That’ll have to wait until next week when the sales pages are live online and available for your review. Suffice it to say it’s a health product; a natural supplement.
So I figure it could be helpful for you copywriters and for you business owners and marketers to think about some of the things we’re doing to help make our new baby as healthy and successful as possible …
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
September 4, 2008
Issue #16
Part One
In this special interview issue …
- How a little "romance" can grab your prospects' attention and sell them your product …
- The ultimate key to advertising success in today's crowded market …
- The truth about traditional benefit-oriented selling — and how it just might be killing sales …
- The one part of every promotion that's even more important than the headline …
- What you must know about your prospects before you write a word of copy …
- A simple way you can get better, more profitable copy out of every copywriter your hire …
- The most common blunder in advertising today …
- And much, MUCH MORE!
Dear Business-Builder,
Several years back, I gave up freelancing to "go exclusive" with a single client. Between 1999 and 2003, we quadrupled the size of his customer files, along with his revenue and profits.
In 2004, I ended that exclusive arrangement and started talking with my old clients again — and all I heard was "Arthur Johnson" this and "Arthur Johnson" that.
Seems in my absence from the freelance scene, a new guy had showed up … created a gaggle of hot new controls for Boardroom, Agora, Phillips and others … and had joined the elite ranks of our industry's "A" level writers.
I've mentioned Arthur several times before in THE TOTAL PACKAGE — particularly, his red-hot "Had Enough?" control for Dr. William Campbell Douglass. It's a textbook case on how to electrify a maturing market and get a blockbuster control when everyone else is failing.
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Arthur about the secrets of his stellar success. His answers will be of tremendous value to anyone who writes sales copy or works with writers.
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