Articles by Barry A. Densa on ArticleSnatch.com

How to Create a Successful Viral Marketing Campaign

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:48:51 -0500

On the "Ask a Question" marketing page on LinkedIn.com I often see the following question: How can I make my go viral on the web? It could be a website selling weight loss pajamas ... an eBook on fractal theory ... a copywriting home-study course ... or anything else the marketer wants to promote. Of course, what the marketer is really asking is: How do I get my valuable, clever, entertaining message about my product to spread like a virus across the web – so I can make LOTS of MONEY FAST? Viral Marketing is to Marketers What Immediate Gratification is to Consumers Everyone wants what they want – NOW! Fat people want a skinny pill. Skinny people want a muscle pill. Poor people want a get-rich-quick pill. And flacid male people want a blue pill from Pfizer. And marketers want to wake up in the morning and see six zeroes added to their PayPal account overnight. Blame it on YouTube Whether it was a video of an embarrassing, unlikely yet subsequently wildly talented performer on a TV talent show ... or an awe-inspiring video of dung beetles doing it to the beat of Eminem ... **End Summary** Topics: Avatar]]> Blackberry]]> Eminem]]> Facebook]]> Frank Kern]]> Harry Potter]]> James Cameron]]> JK Rowling]]> LinkedIn]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. Read more of his irreverent musings, and download a FREE copy of his NEW eBook, containing 21 of his most outrageous rants, when you visit his blog: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Is Social Marketing Brand Marketing Dressed in Digital Drag?

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:10:59 -0500

"Branded social games are gaining traction with marketers seeking to add another dimension to their interactive programs." So reads the first line of a past article in the weekly marketing newspaper, DM News. On the surface it's an unremarkable and anesthetizing introduction to a marketing phenomenon that is, nevertheless, and needless to say – driving me nuts! What I specifically take issue with is encapsulated in the very last line of the article, which gushes: "Brands believe interactive games will eventually create revenue!" Now c'mon ... either that's the most amazing and damning indictment against interactive/social marketing in general, and interactive games in particular, I've ever heard – or I need to get hooked up to a valium drip! Am I the only copywriter today bemoaning the ungodly amounts of corporate money lavished upon the trendy excesses of interactive marketing – a largely unproven, and certainly unquantifiable marketing fashion that only offers the hope of a return on investment? I mean, does the emperor have no clothes, or what? Yup, the MAD MEN are at it again! Except this time they're not the same macho, cut-throat, Brooks Brother types you see on the TV show. **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> print ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> email marketing]]> internet sales]]> e-commerce]]> direct marketing]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. Read more of his irreverent musings, and download a FREE copy of his NEW eBook, containing 21 of his most outrageous rants, when you visit his blog: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Long-Tail Search is Dead! Long Live Nose-Whisker Search Instead!

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:32:47 -0400

Search Engine Marketers are fleeing for their lives! Once again Google has tilted the axis on which their world spins – precipitating a tectonic plate shift in the magnetic field surrounding SEM. This isn't your seasonal Google Slap or climate induced algorithmic shift. This is far worse, something unprecedented. This is: Google Instant. Sounds like a coffee, doesn't it? And it's caffeinated, too: 'cause it's created quite a buzz. You see, Google Instant allows people in search mode to see the search engine result page (SERP) of their inquiries ... one typed letter at a time. Previously, Google required consumers to type in a full key word or phrase and then hit the enter key to view the 10,586,967 SERPs generated. Even though most searchers rarely venture into the dark underbelly of search (pages 2 and beyond). But now, if, for example, you're searching for information on the "sexual preferences of American women" (for whatever reason, scholarly or prurient).... As you begin to type, starting with the letter S, not only will Google attempt to intuit what you're looking for – it'll instantly present you with SERPs that correspond to Google's formulaic guesses. **End Summary** Topics: Google Instant]]> HTML]]> Keywords]]> Sears]]> SEM]]> SEO]]> Skype]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. Read more of his irreverent musings, and download a FREE copy of his NEW eBook, containing 21 of his most outrageous rants, when you visit his blog: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

The Email Marketing Nudnik Test

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:09:51 -0400

(Nudnik: Yiddish for pain in the ass, nuisance, pest, a marketer who sends to many emails to his house list) Okay, so how do you know – without a doubt – when you're being a nudnik, when you're sending too many emails to your money pot, your gold mine – your email list? Consider the following... If your email open rate is less than the relative humidity in the Sahara Desert … you're probably being a nudnik! If after every send, your list shrinks faster than cotton underwear in a hot water wash … you're definitely a nudnik! If you send five emails in a row and they all say the same thing – but, you change the all-important subject line … it doesn't matter; you're still a nudnik! If you're reading this article because you're worried you might be a nudnik … well then, you're a sensitive, concerned and caring marketer … but you're still a nudnik, and possibly a shlemiel (Yiddish for a shmo, a dope, someone who's mother still dresses him.) And finally ... **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> print ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> email marketing]]> internet sales]]> e-commerce]]> direct marketing]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. Read more of his irreverent musings and Download a FREE copy of his NEW eBook, containing 21 of his most outrageous rants, when you visit his blog: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Use New FTC Guidelines to Increase Your Sales

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:07:47 -0500

If you've read the FTC's new 81-page Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, you might think the FTC is a really nice bunch of guys trying to do the right thing by consumers—which, for the most part, is true. And yet, I just don’t think they give most consumers enough credit. Maybe fifty-odd years ago, when most people were born in Iowa, and all good ol' folk believed everything they read or saw on TV was the gospel truth, a bit of paternalistic condescension might've been advisable. But today? Today, who believes anything anybody has to say? We are a nation of cynics, skeptics and disbelievers. For example, does anyone believe Presidents, Senators and Congressmen will keep their promises—about anything? Would anyone stake their life on what they just read in the NY Times, the Washington Post, or saw on CNN or FOX? Would any man trust Tiger Woods with his wife? And how many adults at football games really wear blankets with sleeves—with their butts poking out the back? Whatever happened to Caveat Emptor? Whatever happened to personal responsibility? **End Summary** Topics: ftc guidelines]]> copywriter]]> print ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> email marketing]]> internet sales]]> e-commerce]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. You can reach him at 805-236-4801. To view samples of his work and sign up for his FREE ezine Marketing Wit & Wisdom! visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com .

Due to Pimples the Long Copy vs. Short Copy Debate has Ended

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:12:52 -0400

Which converts better, which drives more sales, long-form copy or short-form copy? It's been debated since the first recorded newspaper advertisement was published in 1704 in the Boston News-Letter: "At Oyster-bay on Long-Island in the Province of N.York, There is a very good Fulling-Mill, to be Let or Sold, as also a Plantation, having on it a large new Brick house, and another good house by it for a Kitchin & work house, with a Barn, Stable, etc. a young Orchard, and 20 Acres clear Land. The Mill is to be Let with or without the Plantation: Enquire of Mr. William Bradford Printer in N.York, and know further.", (My thanks to Derrick Day for publishing this ad in his blog, Branding Strategy Insider) Clearly, the above was a short-form ad. And yet... "The more you tell, the more you sell," claim the adherents of long copy. "No one has time to read below the fold," counter short copy partisans. Of course both sides are right... to the degree that each side fully understands their customer's needs and their customer's state of awareness as to how well the product or service in question fulfills those needs. **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> print ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> email marketing]]> internet sales]]> e-commerce]]> direct marketing]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. You can reach him at 805-236-4801. To view samples of his work and sign up for his FREE ezine Marketing Wit & Wisdom! visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com .

The 5 Selling Magic Secrets of Billy Mays

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:33:56 -0400

Billy Mays, who sadly passed away at age fifty, was a pot-bellied, black-bearded Atlantic City carnival barker in a blue long-sleeve shirt and a white undershirt. He had a loud, shrill and annoyingly exuberant voice. And he seemed to lean forward, through the TV screen, and put his nose in your face, the way only pitchmen do. Madison Avenue style brand marketers who believe asking for an order even once, unless it's in small grey type, is undignified, contemptible and just plain bad manners, absolutely loathed him. Direct marketers idolized him. Consumers, well, they either loved or hated him... or were totally unaware of him (presumably Tivo owners). Bottom line: Billy sold the hell out of stuff. And he didn't have to reinvent the wheel to do it. Billy bellied-up to bar with the TV viewer and spoke straight and to the point: you got a problem, I've got the solution, I can guarantee it or your money back, buy it now and I'll make you an even better deal. Inelegant to the max. But he sold and made millions. Not through artifice; there was no false imagery, cheating or stealing, just great showmanship and... **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> print ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> email marketing]]> internet sales]]> e-commerce]]> direct marketing]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using "salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

The top 5 ways to attract and keep customers in any economy

Wed, 06 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

I have a friend in Florida who owns six Subway franchises. He's rolling in dough, whole wheat and greenbacks. He loves the recession. He's remodeling his house (stimulating one South Florida contractor to keep swinging a hammer). Dollar stores are also doing a gang-buster business. The healthcare industry is thriving, too, but they're in a world of their own (as long as there's no cure for sickness and aging.) Supermarkets are packed. People are cooking, not dining out in restaurants. In fact, anyone selling a staple of life, or offering a low-ticket product or service, they're just happier than a pig in... you know what. For the rest of us... This economy sucks But only if, during the long-gone good-times, your business had been on cruise control and you got complacent, fat and lazy, and saw your customers as dollar signs and not people. Without naming names, some marketers are clearly suffering far less than others, because they cared to look deep into their customer's eyes and not just plumb the depths of their wallets. **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using "salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Hypey copy that converts and how to write it

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I love hypey copy. Hypey copy is like a fine wine. It has great legs, a fine body and a rich nose. Hype excites the emotions, stimulates the buying glands and ultimately converts better than dull, drab, "only the facts ma'am" marcom-style copy. Marketers and consumers who bemoan the ugliness, the crassness, and the used-car-salesman look and feel of hypey copy are all uneducated and uninformed dolts. All of the above, though mostly true, is a form of hypey copy... of the bad kind. How to differentiate bad from good hype Hype has many guises or nuances. Unfortunately, today, hype has become an indiscriminate catch-all-phrase for any type of copy that anyone objects to, for whatever reason. Well, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so too is hype. And so, for ease of understanding and with a bow to those who either adore or loathe hype--I will divide hype into two broad categories: Hype that always converts and hype that rarely will We've all been exposed to copy that exclaims in absolutely superlative fashion the benefits of an advertised product. For example, we're constantly bombarded by hypey modifiers screaming: best, biggest, fastest, easiest, greatest, amazing, unique, revolutionary... **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

GUARANTEES that knock customers off the fence

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Put yourself in your client's shoes. No, strike that. Put yourself in your prospect's shoes (a prospect being someone you've never marketed, sold to or married before). She doesn't know you; she doesn't trust you, and she couldn't care less if you drop dead tomorrow. But, through deft marketing—you've captured her attention! Her eyeballs are yours! And she believes, as she scans your sales copy, that you just might be selling something she wants. No, strike that. She immediately realizes (via a great headline and lead) that you're selling exactly what she wants—or something she thinks she wants (same difference). Let's say, it's a book, a cream, a doctor, or a pill that'll help her lose weight. Now if you've ever tried to sell weight loss products you know how sisyphusian a task that can be. Weight loss products are a wasteland of failed talismans, potions and quackery (despite "A"-quality copy, offers and celebrity endorsements). Why? Because... There's only one way to really lose weight—and keep it off And if you think it's through exercise or diet, or both—you're half right. **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of Americaâs top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using âsalesmanship in printâ. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

How to Squeeze Blood from a Copywriter

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

True story: Not too long ago I was approached by a marketer who had a product idea -- just the idea mind you. And he wanted to hire me to develop it... market it... sell it... and everything in-between. The reason being -- he didn't have the time to do it himself. My first thought was... now here's a man after my own heart -- lazy as the day is long, and dying to be rich and famous without lifting a finger. Seriously, if I could take a pill to give me muscles like the Governator's (in his prime)... play tennis like Federer... and attract women like Pitt -- I'd order a life-time supply as fast as yesterday! Anyway, I was up for the challenge... even though there are more than enough products like his already on the market (which is actually a good thing). So... I cracked open my secret black book of sales and marketing pros and considered which "Mission Impossible Team" would be perfect to attack this beachhead. Then, I sent the marketer my proposal... including my fee. He was totally impressed. He told me I had brass balls (I think that was a compliment)... **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of Americaâs top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using âsalesmanship in printâ. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

You Won't Sell Squat Without This in Your Sales Copy...

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Great! You've invented a better mouse trap. You're the smartest consultant advisor, guru ever to pick up a microphone and wear shoes. You've figured out how to turn chicken feathers into gold, toilet water into oil, and the Sunday paper into a stack of $100 bills! And now you want to offer the results of your genius to the world—and, of course, you won't object if you become stinking rich in the process. So, you immediately hire a web designer, you hire a copywriter from Elance (ugh!), you run a Google Adwords campaign, you mail 1 million "lumpy" packages (thee dimensional mailers) to every zip code in your state, you place three TV commercials on Oprah, and you climb the tallest building in town and you bark at the moon... And then... you wait... and wait... and then a small trickle of orders comes in... and then, they stop... So you hire a PR firm, and then another copywriter, this time from ODesk (ugh again!)... and you Twitter and blog, and you join Facebook and MySpace and post ads on other people's websites and in glossy magazines... And then, in desperation, you lower your price... **End Summary** Topics: Google]]> banner ads]]> co-registration]]> joint venture]]> website traffic]]> page impressions]]> web 2.0]]> RSS]]> flash media]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of Americaâs top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using âsalesmanship in printâ. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Why Stretching Will Kill Your Sales

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I'm a tennis fanatic—my whole family is. I'm a 4.0, my wife is a 3.5, (those are USTA rankings) and my daughter plays on her HS tennis team. If a tennis match is being broadcast on the Tennis Channel, ESPN or FSN, life comes to an immediate standstill in my house. The dishes are left in the sink, laundry doesn't get done, and the dog doesn't get walked (we just put him out in the backyard). We play tennis (lessons, matches, tournaments) 3-5 times a week, and we'll rarely schedule a vacation during the "slams" (Australian, French, US Opens and Wimbledon). And yes, I want to have Roger Federer's baby. Okay, you get the point. Now recently it's been promulgated by physical trainers that tennis players, and presumably all athletes and weekend warriors, should not stretch before exercising, playing, competing, etc. I'm not going to get into all the reasons why, or when you should actually do your stretching. Suffice it to say, stretching is detrimental to your health if it's the first thing you do before exerting yourself in any physical endeavor. And I find it so interesting that the same prohibition also applies to, yup, marketers! **End Summary** Topics: Google]]> banner ads]]> co-registration]]> joint venture]]> website traffic]]> page impressions]]> web 2.0]]> RSS]]> flash media]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of Americaâs top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using âsalesmanship in printâ. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Warning to Direct Marketers: Asking These Questions Will Kill Your Conversions

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

For those marketers who labor tirelessly, though fruitlessly, oblivious to marketing history, and unversed in copy that brings home the bacon—please take note: this article is for you. To begin... One of the most famous questions ever asked in an ad was penned almost a century ago by copywriting legend Maxwell Sackheim. It read: Do you make these mistakes in English? It was the headline for an ad that sold a rather pedestrian mail-order language course. Yet it worked so well—pulling in so much money—the company who owned it, continued to run it for 40 long and successful years! To be sure, a myriad of other headlines were tested, all using the same body copy, before that now famous winner was discovered. One competing headline even read: Do you make mistakes in English? Certainly close enough, you would think. But it failed miserably, as did all others. It was only when that seemingly innocuous word “these” was finally inserted, that direct marketing history was made—and a lesson for direct marketers was learned. Well, some endeavored to learn it, most never tried. They merely copied its form, without understanding why it worked so well. **End Summary** Topics: Google adwords]]> banner ads]]> co-registration]]> joint venture]]> website traffic]]> page impressions]]> web 2.0]]> RSS]]> flash media]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of Americaâs top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using âsalesmanship in printâ. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Sex, Lies and the Secret Truth About Marketing

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

It doesnâ€'t matter which business youâ€'re in; what service or product youâ€'re sellingâ€”if you want to net six or seven figures every year, drive your competition into bankruptcy and tears, be voted best marketer of the year and be awarded the Noble Peace Prize and an Oscarâ€”youâ€'ve got to be absolutely great in bed! (And, yes, thereâ€'s amble evidence that Al Gore can heat up a mattress far faster than Arctic ice can melt.) So learn the Kama Sutra inside and out. Because every day, every night, when you jump into the sack with your partner, you cannot be shy about touching her. You cannot be wishy washy. You cannot be embarrassed. And you cannot be slam, bam and quick about it. (Ed.Note: Though the guiding principles discussed here apply equally to men and women, I, as a writer, would find it difficult to establish a satisfying rhythm if I were to write about diving under the sheets with a guy. So ladies, your indulgence would be appreciated.) Where was I? Ah, yes... Youâ€'ve got to hold her, embrace her. **End Summary** Topics: Google adwords]]> banner ads]]> co-registration]]> joint venture]]> website traffic]]> page impressions]]> web 2.0]]> RSS]]> flash media]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

How to Know if Your Website is KILLING Your Business

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Just because you build it, and they come... doesn’t mean they’ll stay. So you’ve got Google adwords, banner ads, co-registration and joint venture deals, postcards, print ads, radio commercials, your mother-in-law and everyone else you can bribe, cajole and threaten, driving traffic to your website. Yes! You’re an absolute genius at driving traffic to your website. You’re getting a gazillion hits and unique page impressions—every minute! You’ve got so much traffic, tying up so much bandwidth, that Al Gore is thinking of producing a new movie about you: An Inconvenient Internet Presence: How one marketer destroyed what I invented. And yet, despite all your fame and glory... no one’s buying what you’re selling! In other words... Your Website Sucks! Way back in the stone age of internet history... roughly five or so years ago... a website was a website was a website. They all looked alike, they all worked alike (which basically meant they really didn’t do anything) and they all accomplished the same thing—pretty much nothing. A website was a virtual business card. And since every business ordered business cards, every business ordered a website. And then vanity and misguided creativity took hold of the entrepreneurial imagination. **End Summary** Topics: Google adwords]]> banner ads]]> co-registration]]> joint venture]]> website traffic]]> page impressions]]> web 2.0]]> RSS]]> flash media]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of Americaâs top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using âsalesmanship in printâ. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Breaking News: Advertising is Dead!

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Donâ€'t agree? Please ask your wife, husband or significant otherâ€”in other words, the nearest typical consumerâ€”to answer the following 7 questions: 1. Does viewing pop-up ads on your computer curl your toes in orgasmic delight? Yes or No? 2. Does a mailbox filled with junk mail cause your palms to itch and sweat with nervous anticipation? Yes or No? 3. Do you suffer from outbursts of violent anger when a TV commercial is interrupted by a TV movie? Yes or No? 4. Do you prance around the parking lot with ecstatic abandon whenever you find a flyer on your carâ€'s windshield? Yes or No? 5. Does keeping a phone next to your soup spoon on your dinner table (for fear of missing the next telemarketerâ€'s call) help your digestion? Yes or No? 6. Do you drink pots of black coffee at 10 pm so you can stay awake to watch 30-minute infomercials at 4 am? Yes or No? 7. Do you drool at the thought of spending $300 on an iPhone just so you can see interactive ads on its big, cool screen? Yes or No? Have I made my point? Yes or No? Advertising is dead. **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

How to Marry Many Times and Acquire a Marketing Fortune in 3 Easy Steps

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

First, let me make something very clear. Whether you're a dentist, painter, software developer, medical equipment manufacturer, dry cleaner or the Mayflower Madam you've got something to market and sell. Therefore, Marketing and Selling are not dirty words. They are your friends, your best friends. Embrace them. And never think you are above them. They will pay for your kid's college education. They will buy you a bigger home or a totally unnecessary second home. They will buy you Lexus's and Porsches, Parisian vacations and unnamed and possibly illegal vices and vulgar affectations. And when you're done, they will buy you a very cushy retirement, and even leave you with lots of money to give to your spoiled kids from your numerous marriages which they helped you create and afford, respectively. So here are three tips on how to market and sell better and faster so you can get all and more of the above that much sooner... The Amazing Power of the Three S's The first S stands for... Story. When you were a babe... that is, a child... what did you ask Mommy and Daddy for at bedtime? **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Don't Ever Offer Great Service, Great Value or a Great Product

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Not too long ago a mortgage broker in Texas asked if I'd write a lead generation package for his company-actually he just wanted me to write a letter. I guess he didn't need an envelope. More about that in a moment. So my first question was: who is your target market? Tell me a little about the clients you're looking to attract. "Anyone that needs to refinance an adjustable mortgage," he laughed. Anyone? Now that's a tightly defined demographic if I ever heard one. So I politely educated this young grasshopper about why he needs to narrow his base of opportunities-just so he doesn't mail 50 million letters to all homeowners in America with an adjustable rate mortgage. I suggested, therefore, that he target a defined geographic area, and maybe homeowners with a house valued at over $300,000 and who refinanced or purchased their home more than two years ago. "Sure, sure," he said. "Great. So what's your offer?" I asked. "You mean, how much I can pay you?" "No," I said, "what are you offering your prospects so they'll immediately rush to the phone and call you? **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Why Swearin' and Cussin' in a Sales Letter Can Make You Rich

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

My 15-year old daughter, she of the high school English Honors and International Baccalaureate Program, wants to teach me how to be a better copywriter. She doesn't think I'm quite up to snuff yet. You can't write that. That's not even a sentence! she complains, looking over my shoulder as I craft a salesletter for a client. And sales letter is two words, she snorts, as she reads further. And thru is spelled t-h-r-o-u-g-h! And you're not supposed to start a sentence with and! Oh, really! My wrath is soon delivered, fast and true, and my honor saved at the point of a verbal blade. Listen, little Miss Muffet, I says. My pitiful grammar is gonna pay for your college education and medical school provided I let you live! So just turn around and don't let the door hit ya' in the asterisk on your way out! It's a Simple Question: Money or Good Grammar? This is the real world, my friend the marketing and sales world. So you're gonna have to ask yourself: do you want to sell your products or services and make buckets of money... **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using salesmanship in print"Â. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!

Web 2.0: Are We Bowing to a False Messiah?

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Are you absolutely beside yourself giddy with delight because Web 2.0 has finally arrived to help you sell more, sell faster, make you richer, smarter, sexier, and lower your triglyceride levels? Whoops, I'm sorry... do you even know what Web 2.0 is? Web 2.0, in a nut shell, is the latest evolution in the online experience. The World Wide Web is now... ready... here it is: a tad more interactive, technologically speaking. Where does Web 1.0 end and Web 2.0 begin? Beats the heck out of me! I'm basically your average techno-phobe the proverbial anti-Geek, if you will. Nevertheless, Web 2.0 typically refers to an assortment of internet-based communication tools and services such as social networking sites, wikis, and new and improved chat functionalities. Writing a book review on Amazon.com is apparently considered Web 1.0 technology. I know all of this is a big whoop for some of you, but for others it's equivalent to the coming of the messiah (for either the first or second time, depending on which operating system you're laboring under). Is Web 2.0 a Boon or a Bane for Consumers and Countries? **End Summary** Topics: copywriter]]> ads]]> copywriting]]> marketing]]> selling]]> internet]]> business]]> direct response]]> brochures]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Barry A. Densa is one of America"'s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit 'www.WritingWithPersonality.com' and see how Barry easily and quickly converts prospects into buyers using salesmanship in print"Â and while there sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine, 'Marketing Wit & Wisdom!'