Creative Copy

A Haunting Halloween Poem

One bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other…
Drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
And came and shot the two dead boys.
If you don’t believe this lie is true…
Ask the blind man…he saw it too.

Enjoy life’s little treats,

Tags: halloween, happy halloween

Should Lowering The Interest Rates Raise Your Interest?

The Fed lowered the interest rate to 1%. That’s real close to nothing at all.

So what. Does it mean anything at all to your personal economy? It doesn’t mean much if you still aren’t making enough to make the monthly budget. And you probably won’t see the effect of it in the interest rates on your credit cards. Funny how that happens.

However; since the Fed did lower the interest rate, and it is changing rates banks use to loan money, it does mean your marketing dollars could go a little further. The fact that gas has gone back to somewhere in the $65 per barrel range also affords you more to spend on advertising your business. So…what that all means is you can now afford to hire me to write some storyselling marketing words to increase your sales.

“A-ha!”, you say. “I knew there was a catch.”

Well, hey…I’m not in this for my good looks. (that sure ain’t workin’) And you can hire someone else. It’s OK.

Seriously, though, right now’s a great time to boost your business and get more exposure…online or off. Don’t let the doomsayers scare you into standing still. That only makes matters worse. Remember what they say in investing…buy low and sell high. Hello…it’s low right now. Get ready for when it’s high.

And get ready to step out in front of the crowd,

Tags: credit cards, the fed

Do you use Twitter?

If so, do you only use it socially? Or do you use it for marketing yourself, your service, or your products? You can see my “Twitter feed” right below. Follow me and look for marketing ideas. If you use Twitter, let me know where I can “follow” you.

Tags: marketing yourself, your products

Bring In The Reliever

OK…your baseball team is tied up with the World Champion Boston Red Sox 3 games to 3. And you’re in the bottom of the eighth inning. Your pitcher’s facing an ace hitter with the bases loaded and the Sox are only 2 runs down.

You make the call to bring in your 23 year old reliever. Talk about pressure cooker. Then you put your arm around his shoulders and give him some seasoned, coaching advice.

“Alright, kid. I know you can do this. We only need one out. Remember…just one out. Nothing else matters. Just get the one out, and we go to the ninth inning ahead 2 runs. Don’t sweat it. You’ve been working your whole life for this moment, and here it is. You can do it. Just one thing…no pitching!”

What?!

You can’t strike out anybody if you don’t pitch the ball. And you certainly can’t win the game. Pitching is the very essence of baseball. Without it there’s no game. No strategy. No winning.

You Need A “Reliever” Too

As chance would have it, though, marketing (especially online) doesn’t rely on “pitching” anymore. You know what I mean. At one time “pitching” your product or service was so vital to a business we even had the term “pitch men”. These were the ace sales guys…the guys who could come into the “game” when the odds were against ‘em and get the “score”…the win, the account, the business.

Nowadays; however, with access to personal computers and the internet, a so-called “average” consumer is armed with way too much information to be “pitched” to. And when he/she starts to feel “pitched”, they simply “click”, and they’re gone. Probably for good.

Good news is: you don’t need “pitching” to win. But you do need to build a relationship with the reader or viewer or listener. There’s a ton of effective ways to do this online. Social media sites are everywhere. Social networking is easy, free, and growing in leaps and bounds. You need to get involved with these “groups”. Find out how and where you can contribute answers and information and even “freebies” in your niche.

Now, You’re The Ace

Once you’re seen as someone who wants to help…someone who genuinely cares about the success of others, they decide for themselves about you and your product. It’s implicit marketing rather than explicit. Suddenly you’ve allowed them to “pitch” themselves. And you didn’t have to coerce, beg, or negotiate.

When you have the attitude of a “getter” it’s much harder to get anyone to give. But when you have the attitude of a “giver”, you often get what you hoped for. Think in terms of how much you can benefit someone else. Not like a what’s-in-it-for-me hard core business tycoon. When someone’s thirsty, you give them a glass of water. You don’t think of ten different ways to sell ‘em the glass.

Not if you care about your future at all.

Get in touch with your market. Use the full potential of the internet to find out what they want, need, and desire…

…then you can win without pitching.

Here’s to staying in the game,

Tags: baseball team, coaching advice, strike out

Get This While You Can

In marketing, whether it’s online or off, they say one of the best techniques for selling is the tried-and-true “limited time only” offer.

I’d have to agree. If you think this “deal” you’re looking over might not be around tomorrow, you’re much more likely to buy it today. Or if you think the price may go up after today, you might just buy today.

The “Limited Time Only” offer applies to you, too

You’re a little bit like real estate. There’s a very limited supply of you. And you’re only offered for a very short time. On average…a man’s offer may only be into his middle to late seventies, and a woman into her eighties. So how do you position yourself…knowing that your supply AND time are limited? My suggestion is position yourself for the NOW.

Now is the time you live and breathe in…work in…thrive or dive in.

Now is the time you can give of yourself…not just exist.

Now is the time you can jump for joy or fall for lies.

You Won’t Be Around Here Forever

If you concern yourself with conserving resources like water, air, and food, shouldn’t you be even more concerned with your mortality? Market yourself as the valuable commodity you are. Use all the tools at your disposal to create the USP that is uniquely YOU. Then state it with authority, boldness, and courage. Know which part of you is the real person and which is the shadow…and never walk in your own shadow.

Now…go make it a great day, and thank God for life.

Tags: buy today, live and breathe, marketing, price may go up, thrive

Would you invest $125 to save hundreds over the next few years?

Could you benefit from a tea that improves digestion?

Wanna know where you can really kick back and relax?…and have the confidence of knowing it’s all “green” with no harsh chemicals…only essential oils and herbs.

Look…saving the planet is a great idea. (although I don’t think we’re strong enough to destroy it)

But what good is saving the planet if none of us are even here to enjoy it. We’ve got to “save” us, too. And some of the best ways to do this are through the use of “green” ideas. I’m not an environmental extremist. I do like to keep things basic and pure; though. And you can find some great tips on how to get more “green” into your life at IdealBite.com I’m not an affiliate, so I don’t make any money if you visit their website. I just think they have a nice approach to this whole “green” thing. Check it out for yourself.

Learn some quick tips…who knows? Maybe you’re greener than you think you are.

To your great health,

Tags: essential oils, harsh chemicals, invest

We humans are funny creatures. Especially those of us who’ve been fortunate to have been born in a “free” society. Americans, especially, tend to be very image-bound and sound byte- gagged.

First, we see what seems to be the definition of success, and we measure ourselves against it. When the dollar amounts are staggering, or the beauty is beyond fantasy, or the “stuff” is piled up on TV, we feel pitifully inadequate.

But we are not the sum total of our dollars, beauty, or “stuff”. We’re not the sum total of our monikers we wear through this life. We’re not the sum total of the varied opinions about us. Those don’t make us, and they shouldn’t break us.

Work to produce…not for the money.
Play to relax…not to escape.
Laugh to enjoy…not to cover up.
Love to give…not to acquire.
And live to be thankful…not to compare.

You are the sum total of where you position yourself for eternity.

To your confidence…

P.S. For creative copy from a great listener, just send me your name and email address in that easy box over there on the right. And I’ll write you back. We’ll schedule a time to talk about your business, your dreams, your goals. Then we’ll make it happen.

Tags: Americans, dollar amounts, free society

Have you ever pondered music? I don’t mean thinking about the notes or the beat or the even the instrumentation.

I mean have you pondered it?

To ponder: to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully: He pondered his next words thoroughly.

Think about what music is. It’s intangible. It’s really indefinable. It has no shape, yet it shapes thoughts. It has no function of its own, yet somehow helps us function

Music has the power to stir emotions…

…And of its own accord can’t fulfill any of them. It isn’t necessary to perform our daily duties, but how many places of business do you find with no music. I certainly don’t remember many. Music can’t comb your hair, brush your teeth, or tie your shoes, but it can ease you through those mundane tasks and make you forget about the time.

You don’t need words to enjoy music. You don’t need status. You don’t even need people around. It isn’t poured from a bottle, shaken from a cannister, or even dolloped from a 5 gallon bucket. Still; it can be as refreshing as champagne, spicy as cayenne, and rich and decadent as gold ring homemade vanilla ice cream. (you Texans will really know what I mean by that last reference)

Music appeals to fewer than our five senses, but it also appeals to more than our senses. When you study musical structure, it makes perfect logical sense. But when you try to explain why it “moved” you, very often you can’t quite convey it satisfactorily.

It wasn’t because it smelled, tasted, felt, sounded, or looked so good. It was what it did to your cerebral cortex. Or maybe it hit you in the “gut”, but it didn’t actually hit you, and it wasn’t actually your “gut”. See what I mean? You can’t put your finger on it. In fact you can’t touch it at all. You just know. You know?

Why in the world am I going on and on about music? Thanks for asking.

Music is a form of creative copy, too. It’s an almost perfect way to ingrain an idea into the minds of your target market. Because without exception there has always been this common chord. (like my musical metaphor?) People love music! No surprise… It’s extremely versatile, dependable, believable, and yet inexplicable.

I’m also a songwriter. I take the same octave countless other musicans use and create my little piece of semi-immortality to satisfy…what? Me? An audience? A paycheck? All of the above? None of the above? The answer is yes to all the questions. I’ve written tunes for each of those purposes. And each one was satisfying in its own way because each one involved the intangible little friend of mine. Music. I’m not sure why I’m so moved by this unseen companion, but I do know this:

Music is a gift from God. It, and your thoughts, can never be stolen from you, forced out of you, or driven away from you…as long as you want it; you’ve got it. How incredible is such a gift. Yeah, we could live without music, but

It wouldn’t be nearly as joyous an existence.

To your musical satisfaction…

Tags: download music, music, target market

There’s an old saying (I think) that goes a little something like this:

“To get love…you gotta give love.” Well, you can do just that even on your blog. And I think it’ll help you get better comments to your posts. It’s just my opinion at this point because I just started using it. But I’ll bet time and usage will prove my point.

If you’d like to get in on the “luv” action for your blog, simply add this plugin to your site:

http://www.fiddyp.co.uk/commentluv-wordpress-plugin/

Let’s spread the “luv” around.

I’m listening,

“Creative Copy From A Great Listener”

Tags: get love, give love, wordpress plugin

Can Creative Copy Really Squelch Fear?

Think about letting your brain loose on a project. Don’t reign it in…just let it run wild in the wide open spaces and let the wind rush through.

Write down everything you can think of related to your project. And write it down in the order you think it up. Don’t stop yourself. If you’d say it to your friend or a group of friends, write it down. No one’s looking over your shoulder, so don’t worry about “getting it right”.

See It And Say It

Whatever way or style you’d say it out loud…that’s the way you write it down. Nothing to be afraid of here. You’re just letting the waters flow. Your mind becomes a clear, “babbling” (no pun intended) brook. Words flow between quiet banks and bump over rounded rocks. Every so often a duck or goose drops in for a splash and a snack on some minnows.

Now; you jump out of the water, dry yourself off, and run through the meadows so fast your hair starts on fire. As you turn around you see the water’s all dried up, too. Now what do you do? Blazing hair and no water
Hey…it’s your daydream. Put it out with that honey in that maple tree right over there. Duh.

OK…now wake up.

Alright. That was just an exercise in fantasy and make-believe. Your flights of fancy don’t have to go anywhere near that far. Or they can go farther. The point is…let your mind open up and flow. You’ll almost feel the blood cells expand and take in more oxygen. You’ll come back to your (once mundane) writing task with renewed vigor. You’ll let yourself go on the project and get it done. And the best part is…you’ll also have some more original writing to put in your next creative ebook or whatever.

Now, get back to work you word monster. It’s time to write.

Creative copy…can set the (marketing) world on fire…

Tags: don't stop, getting it right, wide open spaces