This article will hopefully clear up some misconceptions about copywriting. Basically it is sales writing – that’s it in a nut shell. It is primarily about selling, the actual writing is almost secondary. Below are some key ideas that you should always keep in mind when writing.

It’s not about you 

Sorry, but as a writer you come at the back of the queue. You must focus on the reader; it is them that will be doing the buying. What are they like? Are they male or female? What is their age group? What are their likes and dislikes? These are the questions you need to think about. Take an interest in them, find out what makes them tick.

All good things come in small packages 

That’s what my mum always told me and she wasn’t wrong. Many people seem to be under the misconception that sales writing, in any form, has to be impressively high-brow, be full of ridiculously long and complicated words and sentences. Well it doesn’t and in fact, shouldn’t.  Keep it simple. It doesn’t matter who you are writing for or how educated they may be; your audience will be turned off if they are faced with unfathomable words and rambling sentences. The best writing is clear, simple and concise - and don’t use jargon!

B2B or B2C? 

Whether your audience is Joe Public or another company your style should be the same. Many people think that selling to another business requires a different approach. But at the end of the day it is still a person who will be reading your sales letter or brochure.

Forget the F-word

No I haven’t gone barking mad. By the F-word I am referring to features. Your audience aren’t going to be impressed if you write about a list of features. By doing that the only reaction you will get is ‘so what?’ You must show your audience why the product is for them.

You have to sell them the benefits. If a guy wants to be a better football player, and you sell him your latest top of the range football boots on the basis that they’ll make that happen, he’ll buy them. OK, daft example, but you get the idea. It is all about tapping into the buyer’s emotional need.

Whatever you write you must grab the readers attention (a killer headline), get their interest in what you are selling (that’s where the benefits come in), create a desire (if they want something they’ll convince themselves they need it) and finally get them to act (buy, sign up etc).

Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter 

Let me take your business to new heights by making every word count.

Another fantastic website related blog from one of our favourite Copywriting sites; Copyblogger.com. This one talks about the psychology of passive selling, a sales method which all business websites work with no matter how well the website design is done where visitors are anonymous and make the most of that fact. Copyblogger I found fairly recently but after reading from article to article I found much of the content was well worth noting. They state facts and give advice to website owners and marketing alike and make the most of those facts… Anyway waffle over as per article, the blog starts here:

Have you ever stood in a store with something in your hand and then looked up to see if there was a clerk nearby you could ask for help?

Sure you have. We all have. Good help is hard to find.

Companies have been cutting costs by moving towards self-serve more than ever. Depending on where you live, you may have to bag your own groceries, pump your own gas, or bottle your own water.

Put yourself in the mind of the consumer. Consider what happens at that very moment you realize you need help. You were focused on buying two seconds ago, but then something happened—something very important.

Your brain skipped a beat.

“Find someone,” it said.

“Don’t buy. You have questions. Get answers.”

Your focus shifts. You aren’t thinking about buying anymore at all. You were almost ready to shell out your money, but now you’re in search mode. Now you’re seeking answers.

“Hello… Can anyone help me? Anyone at all?”

Now, think about your website. There are no clerks. No sales associate lingers nearby. The store aisles are empty and the cashiers are gone. There is no one who can help – not immediately, anyways.

The copy on your website is the single solution. Useful content mixed with meaningful messages is the only salesperson on staff. If your site content isn’t meeting, greeting, and convincing people, then it isn’t doing its job.

You need more than a website… you need a website that sells.

And to help you sell more, here are seven copywriting tips for a website that operates like a well-staffed store:

1. Get a professional salesperson – Overexcited content full of exclamation marks and sunshine-bright enthusiasm very often has the opposite effect of calm, confident copy. It just doesn’t work well. Tone down the cheerleading and collect your wits.
2. Eliminate the dress code – Calm and collected doesn’t mean bland and boring. It’s fine to show some personality, so get naked with your content. In fact, most consumers enjoy a good peep show (minus the pom-poms, that is).
3. Tell staff to talk less– Readers quickly lose interest in long, verbose paragraphs and end up walking away. No one likes the guy who can’t shut up, after all. Trim your content. Use concise sentences that create impact - not unnecessary fluff.
4. Inform consumers better – Tell consumers about your company. They want to know your story – the way they want to hear it. What makes you special? Why should they choose you? What can you offer more than the competition?
5. Bring in the specialist – The quality of your content reflects on your business image. If it isn’t well written, it isn’t going to help you sell. Do-it-yourself copywriting is fine for people with the skills. But if that isn’t you, then hire a writer to help.
6. Hire a clerk – Make sure people can contact you quickly and easily with a visible contact form. Ditch the coded (emails) supposed (to) cut spam, as well. That just forces consumers to take extra steps to contact you – steps they may not be interested in taking. There are other ways of verifying that a user is human without having to type out badly displayed letters!
7. Don’t goof off on the job - There’s a time and place for playing the class clown. Snagging a customer lead isn’t that time. Give straightforward information, offer a clear message and cut the clowning around.

Ending here, I would also like to mention a related article from the same blog entitled: ‘I don’t care about you’ which in principal states that your website viewers want to find out how you can solve their problem and don’t want to sit reading about how wonderful you say you are!

Windows has long been the frontrunner for PC operating systems. A few other systems came and went primarily for large office network use, but one has been slowly growing in the background for the desktop and is starting to take on the big boys; Ubuntu Linux.

Linux has a long long history, but has always been the choice of geeks and nerds and is better known today as a stable web server platform rivalling Microsoft products to host websites and applications but usually this meant advanced programming techniques to install hardware and software so was never useful for the ‘normal’ end user.

Yesterday I downloaded and installed Ubuntu 8.04, the latest version, completely replacing windows vista and wow! A nice, clean, customisable graphic interface allowed an easy install. My Acer Aspire lapto worked out of the box, my portable Dell D410 needed an extra package to allow my wireless network to work, and my Fujitsu-Seimens Amilo, again no problems.

Ubuntu now has some nice graphic effects to rival Vista although it is lacking the translucent ‘glass’ effect. Is this really needed when there are some extras thrown in which even Microsoft didn’t think about! It also comes bundled with the most commonly used software with the ability to add new programs very easily. It comes with Firefox web browser, Open Office word processor, spreadsheets etc. It has an IM to replace MSN (ad free), Gimp graphics editing suite, music players, video players, ipod software and much much more.

Best of all, Ubuntu is free and so is most of the software used with it. This has always been the case, and always will be. If I want some accounting software for my small business, instead of searching for and buying it, I just open the ‘add remove programs’ option and select it from a huge list of available software. Ubuntu then downloads, configures and installs it without asking for credit card details, annoying confirmations and silly ‘advanced’ questions.

Ubuntu have certainly been working hard and are ready for the ‘normal’ user’s desktop. Hardware compatibility isn’t 100%, but on most modern PCs and laptops, there are no problems. (This can be tested before install)

There are downsides however, if you need very specific software, you will generally have to forget the move.  While Gimp (the graphics package) works very well with all sorts of art formats like Photoshop, PNG etc, you need to relearn the interface and accept that photoshop just itself won’t be available. Gimp does however have lots of functionality so it’s not to be sniffed at! (try gimp here, also available for windows) Also if you have software to run your mobile phone or PDA, you may find it’s unavailable, particularly if it’s windows based or custom phone software. (Microsoft et al. like to lock their software to ensure noone can copy it, it can lead to difficulties when writing software to synchronise.

Open office (also available for windows) is a very good MS Office replacement. It has some minor incompatibilities with newer MS Office formats but then so does MS Office.

The next time you swear at your computer for lost data, blue screens and general annoyance, remember that there is an alternative! Talk to your IT team or a geeky nephew. Ubuntu Linux is a fantastic alternative. If you want to see if it will work on your computer, download it, burn it to disk, boot up on the CD and choose the ‘try’ option instead of install and it will run right from the CD with most functionality in place. (Be aware that running off the CD will make Ubuntu seem slower than it is. Once installed, it will run much more smoothly. See Ubuntu Here

When testing, remember to check compatibility with everything you need! The last time I did this, I forgot the printer, the most fundamental peice of hardware which, if it doesn’t work, makes Ubuntu a terrible replacement.

If you have a particularly large hard drive, you can also set up a dual boot. This means windows and ubuntu work alongside each other so when turning your computer it will ask which you would like to use.

Extra benefits to note:

Most virus’s are programmed for Windows, not Linux.
You’re not funding Microsoft’s billions of pounds of advertising, CD creation and distribution meaning you are being ‘greener’.
You’re voting with your feet when it comes to Microsoft’s global domination.
Ubuntu is available for Mac to replace OSX.

Microsoft have relaunched windowslive as a social networking platform. For some time they seemed to be desperately trying to buy Yahoo!, then [allegedly] tried AOL, they’ve got nowhere with Facebook, Bebo and the likes and seem to have given up hitting an existing, popular market. Even their most popular platform;  Hotmail has been falling behind as other webmail systems moved into the realms of AJAX programming (the ability to load web content without reloading the entire page), their Spam filter also leaves much to be desired, certainly compared to Gmail who’s spam filter is virtually flawless!

Microsoft have tried giving away free templated websites with Office Live (which they are still doing) but the uptake seems slow and promotion scarce (for which I’m certainly thankful for), the software itself is flexible but a little over-complicated. The bonus is that they provide the hosting and domain name for free which you can take with you if and when you upgrade. For small websites with few followers, this is an excellent solution.

So what are Microsoft doing now? They seem to have gone back to their corner muttering insanities under their breaths and started work on their own products again. I fear this is too little too late as they attempt to copy the best bits from other sites rather than being inspired and moving the web forward.

Microsoft should ideally stick to offline software and continue developing it’s own products rather than trying to hit the online market. As their web efforts increase, their software side seems to be diminishing, allowing open source equivilents and indeed Apple to take the limelight. Windows is, and always has been a great product, most complainers are complaining using this platform so they must be doing something right even though it’s not quite perfect for everyone. The online side of Microsoft, that is their email exchange software and various others should be opened up to avoid the need for specific Microsoft exchange servers. This way they can compete with Google documents (which is not 100% Word compatible, and certainly far from perfect) then they will continue to dominate the office and avoid loss of marketshare to these free services. Unfortunately as more and more people are storing documents online and slowly coming to terms with editing them online, Microsoft are losing out to online office solutions.

The moral of this story is really to stick to what you’re good at. In a previous employment, I worked initially on design, development, hosting, web, print, seo, stationary, and promotional products. Between two people it became impossible to do anything with 100% quality. We attempted to project manage printers etc. but this too impacted on what we were best at. Only when we removed these ’sidelines’ were we able to concentrate entirely on web design and development and spend time making things run efficiently with the quality we, and the clients were happy with. External products we could work with but were not seen as supplied by us, so once we sent clients out to a printer, we didn’t have to worry about how things were moving. This is a lesson I’ve brought into Zako Media and until we have the skillset and staff to offer a particular product or service, we won’t offer it. I only want Zako Media to give out work which we and the client are happy with, we will not dilute our efforts, attention, knowledge, time, or profits on external activities just to try and help make a sale.

Remember your last office powercut… how did you survive? Chances are you went to the cafe for an early lunch or even went home because everything important stopped working! We run everything on electricity, computers, internet routers, mobile phone chargers, laptop chargers, office radio, telephone systems, overhead projectors, clocks, fish tanks, printers, fax machines, photocopiers and many more.

Here are the top tips for running a greener office, bringing down your fuel bills and generally feeling better about your contribution to the world’s pollution.

Buy Only Green Energy

Many energy suppliers are giving us the option to buy 100% green energy. If you’re not the business owner, do some reasearch and present a case to your boss. By going green you stop oil being mined from ever-decreasing supplies and being burned on your behalf. You’ll be safe in the knowledge that your electricity is renewable. You will also be increasing demand putting more pressure on oil companies to drop prices and the government to take green energy seriously. You may be paying more for green energy but many of the following options can help to balance the cost and continue to help the environment.

Swap your computer for a laptop

Laptops are getting cheaper, much more powerful and are ready to replace the desktop computer. As well as being more convenient for transport and travel, they use less power. Laptop computers are designed to perform the same tasks while using up less power. They do this by running more efficiently, producing less heat, less noise and more efficient processing distribution. Home workers can also wander into the garden in the summer and continue working with a glass of chilled lemonade.

Swap bulky CRT monitors for LCD

Those big horrible monitors consume more power than an equivalent sized flat monitor and again the prices are coming down. The bigger they get, the more power they consume so swapping a 14″ crt for a 32″ LCD won’t change much. Research has suggested that a 17″ monitor is the perfect size for maximum productivity. Any bigger and the eyes get lost, any smaller and the eyes strain to see the size and work with more layered windows.

Turn off what you can overnight

If it’s not switched on, it’s not consuming energy and just as importantly, internet hacking is impossible. Turn off printers, desktops, laptops and anything else which does not need to be switched on overnight. I also mean off off, not standby off. Some standby modes consume just as much power as when turned on.

Unplug unused chargers

Mobile phone chargers, laptop chargers, battery chargers, walkie-talkie chargers, Tom tom chargers all produce heat when plugged in, even if they’re not charging anything! Yes this saves you a little time scrabbling about under the desk trying to find it, but it costs money, energy and contributes to pollution and the climate instability.

Energy Saving light bulbs

The traditional light bulb produces light, but it also generates a lot of heat. This heat apart from being a fire risk again costs money to produce. Energy saving bulbs are more expensive, but they last longer and can save you a considerable amount of money in energy bills, they pay for themselves within a relatively short space of time.

Use Natural Light

If you have windows, use them, natural light is healthier to work in, feels nicer, and best of all is free! (At least while Brown and Darling don’t know about it) It helps your body produce vitamin D, and a nice view of the park (or the building opposite) is always nicer than office walls. Better health and well-being increases productivity.

Support like-minded businesses

By buying from greener companies over less efficient ones you will help increase demand for green businesses and start to make a difference among your own suppliers and clients.

Be a paperless office

While paper generally now comes from renewable resources, the energy burned to cut and process trees, transport paper doesn’t. If it doesn’t need to be printed, don’t print it! If you need to empty your paper bin or shredder more than once a fortnight, perhaps you’re throwing away too much. Where can it be saved?

The big green debate

Not everyone agrees we can save the planet, not everyone agrees we’re destroying it, many people think it’s inevitable and we’re being encouraged to spend money where it’s not necessary just to line government pockets.The tips above are on a green theme, but with rising fuel costs and above average inflation, most of these will save you money, save on fuel tax and make your business more self sufficent. Laptops continue working for a few hours in power-failures. Computers switched off are hacker proof. Laptops can be secured in safes. LCD monitors take up less deskspace. Excessive amounts of paper with hot powered lights and machines can pose a fire risk. Some mobile phone chargers have been known to explode if left on for long periods of time. (These are usually recalled but the possibility of it happening again is there) Similarly with Laptop batteries.

Credit: Wind turbine photo courtesy of Patrick Finnegan.