Everybody loves to spam. I find it disgusting.
Monday, August 24, 2009Social Media--the online phenomenon that was supposed to connect people on a real and personal level like never before--has become the new playground for spammers.
Most social media spammers believe they are doing what they're supposed to do. They believe they are supplying quality content by guiding their followers to useful articles and web sites.
That's fine--to an extent. When you come across a truly excellent article, tweeting about that on Twitter or posting a link on Facebook is fine. But make sure you do two things with it:
- Give your opinion about it. Your opinion gives merit to the post or tweet and is the reason your followers follow you.
- Do it OCCASIONALLY! If all you're doing is tweeting and posting all day long with links to other people's content, you're not displaying your expertise.
Posting links without giving your opinion, especially when you post 5, 10, 20 links a day, is just spamming. It's annoying and you're not adding any real value to it.
If you're using social media for marketing, you want to be perceived as an expert. To do that you have to add or provide value to your posts. Why should I read that article? Do you agree with it? What should I look for in it? What's the most important point?
Most of your posts should not be article links and retweets. If you're doing that, you're just an aggregator--not an expert. An expert provides his or her own content. Tell us what you know. Bottom line, that's how we know you're an expert.
Let's be honest; if you need a product or service, are you going to go to the person who sends you a link to an informative article related to what you need, or are you going to go to the person who actually wrote the article?
If you find a good article, go ahead and link to it, but write your own article that expounds further on it and link to it as well. This is a great way to showcase the depth of your knowledge and prove that you're an expert.
Labels: Articles, Content, Internet, Marketing, Product Quality, Web
posted by John E Fike @ 7:21 AM,
,
Earn Your Social Media Following -- Great Content Earns Respect
Wednesday, August 12, 2009I've been on Twitter for just shy of two weeks now and I've noticed 3 main types of Twitterers (or is it Tweeters?):
1. People there to just have fun and get connected
2. People there to market their business and connect with potential customers
3. People there to annoy the (insert expletive of choice) out of everyone else by spamming links to blog posts and articles that provide no real value in hopes that enough people will click on their Google ads or buy their product.
Folks, if you're going to use Twitter or any other social media to market your business, you have to EARN your followers. Give them content that is of value to them. People will respect an occasional posting that useful more than they will respect hourly posts with links to re-hashed articles bought from an article factory that pays people in foreign countries $5 for every article they write. Who wants to read articles with English so bad you don't even understand what they're saying? Most of those articles contain erroneous information too, because the authors just dig up anything on the Internet to use as source material. These "writers" often copy/paste other writer's stuff into their own articles, which is why they seem so disjointed.
Take the time to craft relevant articles that reflect your personality and the kind of quality business that you do. You'll gain more respect, more followers and more customers by doing so. Plus, you'll respect yourself in the morning because you'll know that you've added value to the world instead of annoying the world.
*** SELF PROMOTION ***
If you need help crafting your articles or keeping your blog/social media posts going, shoot me an email at john@fikopy.com. I've written numerous articles that help marketers present a professional image of expertise and build a quality following they can market to again and again.
Labels: Articles, Content, Fikopy, Marketing, Product Quality, Web
posted by John E Fike @ 6:33 AM,
,
Be Clear on Your Goals
Thursday, August 6, 2009Reading a recent entry on Seth Godin's blog: Are we solving the same problem? It struck a chord with me. Everyone sees things through a different perspective. When you ask someone to solve a problem or give their opinion without defining the desired result or the kind of opinion you're seeking, then you get an answer based on the person's own motivations.
For example, I recently wrote an award entry for a client. They are trying to win an award based on a project they completed. When I finished with the first draft, my contact with the client passed it out to everyone who worked on the project to get their opionion. There are several things wrong with that approach, but the biggest one was that my contact didn't qualify the kind of opinion they were looking for. What we needed was a review of the facts to make sure nothing was misrepresented or forgotten. What we got back were largely comments on the literary style of the entry. And one crew leader was just about outraged at how little of his crew's "passion" for the project came through.
While grand literary style and a story of "passion" would make a great magazine article or short story that would attract readers, that wasn't our goal. We had to win a contest based on four distinct criteria. The entry would win only if we showed how my client excelled in all four criteria. Unfortunately for a certain crew leader, "passion" wasn't one of the criteria. It certainly was an important part of what made that project important to the client and their customer, but it wasn't what the judges were looking at.
Actually, the draft that was passed around at my client's office was the second draft. The first one I wrote with the kind of style and grandeur that makes a good profile or story. Unfortunately it came out twice as long as the contest allowed. So what got cut? Everything that didin't directly support my client's case for winning according to the criteria. That meant that some of the literary grandeur that folks in the office would have liked to see got sacrificed. I kept the language simple and easy to understand so that judges could clearly understand the excellence of the project, but to get all the facts and supporting information in there it wound up reading more like a hard news story than an article fit for The New Yorker magazine.
It's not that the feedback we got was "wrong". It's just that they didn't know the criteria by which they needed to judge the piece. Once I reminded the client of the particular goal we were trying to achieve and what we needed to do achieve that goal, we found that we were actually on the same page.
So, the lesson is, when you are asking for feedback, opionions or solutions, make sure that everyone understands what the goal is and what is required to get there.
Labels: Articles, Copy, Copywriting, Product Quality
posted by John E Fike @ 6:01 AM,
,
Announcing: Our Who’s-Afraid-of-the-Big-Bad-Wolf-Anti-Recession Event to Celebrate 5 Years in Business
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Copywriter John E. Fike is celebrating his fifth year in business by helping fellow businesses market better and market more to overcome effects of the current recession.
For August and September 2009, all customers of John E. Fike Copywriting and Fikopy.com will get $250 in free services for every $1,000 purchased. This Who’s-Afraid-of-the-Big-Bad-Wolf-Anti-Recession Event is ongoing through September 30. Customers must buy a minimum of $1,000 in services to qualify and each customer will receive a maximum of $1,000 in free services.
“Being in business is a good thing and staying in business is even better,” Fike said. “This Anti-Recession event helps other people stay in business by multiplying the effect of their marketing dollar. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this 5-year benchmark of success.”
A Better Way to Combat Recession than Downsizing or slashing budgets
Downsizing puts more pressure and more stress on your remaining employees, which inevitably leads to decreased efficiency that hurts profitability. It also leaves a business unprepared for post-recession growth. Slashing budgets, particularly the marketing budget, leaves a business with fewer resources for acquiring more customers and slows growth rates.
But taking advantage of John E. Fike’s Who’s-Afraid-of-the-Big-Bad-Wolf-Anti-Recession Event boosts your marketing power and sets your business up for growth in three ways:
Stretch your marketing dollar: You get 25% more free—so you get more services for your money (up to a maximum of $1,000 in free services).
Your marketing is more effective: John Fike tackles every project, from advertisements and sales letters to web sites and white papers, to generate better results than your previous marketing efforts.
Refocus on higher-profit markets: John Fike can show you how to target markets and product lines that will widen your profit margins rather than shrink them—even during a recession.
All Services Apply
Do you have a writing, marketing or multimedia project in mind, but don’t see it listed here? John Fike says, “Give me a call and tell me what you need and I’ll tell you how much more you can get.”
John E. Fike Copywriting Services was launched full time in June of 2004. The Fikopy.com brand was launched in the spring of 2008. John E. Fike and Fikopy.com deliver high quality writing, marketing copy, online content, custom publications and multimedia services designed to increase the success of your business. John Fike has experience serving a wide array of businesses and industries, but places particular emphasis on the following industries:
· Health & Fitness
· Healthcare
· Nutrition
· Personal Growth & Development
· LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health And Sustainability)
· Education
· Wealth building
· Business Building
· Christian Spirituality
· Sustainable/Green Lifestyles
· Sustainable/Green Business
###For more information about John E. Fike Copywriting Services and Fikopy.com, please call 419-371-2302 or send email to john@fikopy.com. We are also available online at http://www.fikopy.com/
Labels: Advertising, Articles, Brochure, Content, Copy, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Direct Response, E-Mail, Fikopy, Internet, Marketing, Marketing Campaign, News Release, Press Release, Web
posted by John E Fike @ 2:53 PM,
,
How to Make Your Web Site More Profitable
Thursday, December 13, 2007Many businesses maintain a web site, but few make the most of that valuable piece of electronic real estate. For most businesses, web sites serve only as electronic brochures, listing their hours of operation, briefly describing services and giving some background on the professionals providing the services.
But marketing studies show that people visit web sites for information—not just to find out what the office hours are or to request a call from a salesman. For example, if you're a fitness professional, visitors expect to find out what your exercise or weight loss philosophy is and what kind of training program you recommend. If you're a pediatrician, patients who visit your site want to know how urgent their child's symptoms are or how much Tylenol to give their 2-year-old. If you're a technology company, visitors expect to find out what your technology does and how it will benefit them.
Credibility & Reputation
Your clients and patients want to know that you're an expert in your field, but a pretty image on a web page doesn't make you an expert. Having answers to customers' questions makes you an expert. Filling your site with a rich supply of articles, answers to frequently asked questions, tips and advice helps people to recognize your expertise. John E. Fike Copywriting Services uses your expert guidance to research and write articles that demonstrate your expertise and enhance your reputation.
Build Client Relationships
Increasingly, the web is about relationships. Good website content helps you build relationships with your clients by keeping them informed. Frequently posting new articles, event information or relevant news updates lets your customers know that they are important to you. Imagine a parent who heard that meningitis broke out at her daughter's school. She goes to her pediatrician's web site and finds a new article about the breakout, what it means for her child and what kind of treatment or precautions are appropriate. She is thankful for the information and her loyalty to that pediatrician grows, so she is less likely to change doctors. John E. Fike Copywriting Services can help keep your web site up to date without you having to take more time out of your schedule. Just let me know what you want to put up and I'll get it written and posted for you.
Help Prospects Become Customers
Imagine the person who's decided to lose weight and wants to know if Pilates is the way to go. If she has to choose between a Pilates instructor that has only a yellow-pages ad and an instructor with a web site that describes what Pilates is and what it can achieve for a person, which instructor is she likely to choose? Marketing studies indicate she will choose the instructor that demonstrates his expertise on his web site. John E. Fike Copywriting Services can provide you with informational website content that helps your prospects decide to be your clients.
Be Easier to Find
Having lots of good, relevant content on your web site can increase the number of prospective customers that find you. Search engines like in-depth content, such as informational articles that match key words for your site. So people searching the web for someone with your expertise are more likely to find your site if it's loaded with informational articles and other good content. This additional site traffic increases response to your offering of services and increases sales of any products you sell via your web site. Contrary to popular Internet lore, web content that is optimized for search engines does not have to be useless to site visitors. John E. Fike Copywriting Services can provide you with interesting articles that are also optimized for search engines.
Increase Word-of-mouth Advertising
Word-of-mouth advertising doesn't cost a dime, but you have to have something for people to talk about. Web sites with good, useful content get more word-of-mouth advertising. Think about it: are you more likely to tell a friend about a web site with somebody's office hours and biography on it, or a site with in-depth information about a subject you care about? The latter, of course. Increased word-of-mouth advertising is an added benefit that comes automatically with quality web content from John E. Fike Copywriting Services.
Types of Content You Can Put on Your Web Site
- Informational articles related to a service or product you provide, such as instructions for products or unique ways customers have used your services
- News and updates, such as notices about a new features or product lines available
- Multimedia, such as video product demonstrations or audio about how to solve common problems related to your business
- Blogs to keep clients up to date or to share your latest discoveries and revelations or talk about what you learned at a recent conference or program
- Reviews of products or books your customers may be interested in
- Answers to frequently-asked questions (FAQs)
- Detailed descriptions of services or products
- Your professional background and philosophies
- Calendar or schedule of events
All these types of web content are available from John E. Fike Copywriting Services and our network of service providers. Call us for a free consultation on how to make your web site more effective and profitable.
Labels: Articles, Content, Internet, Web
posted by John E Fike @ 3:10 PM,
,
John E. Fike Tops of List of Freelance Writers Serving Up Articles, PR, Content, & Sales Copy
Companies across the globe needing high-quality press releases, newsletters, case studies, Web content, and marketing copy can get affordable rates from highly-ranked copywriter John E. Fike.
Guru.com, the world’s largest online marketplace for freelance talent, ranks freelance copywriter John E. Fike among the top freelance writers in its international network.
Out of more than 629,000 freelancers working through Guru.com to connect to potential employers, John E. Fike’s high-quality writing and practical pricing place him within the top 25 freelancers offering similar services. John E. Fike was ranked among the top 30 freelancers in all writing categories as of September 2007 and maintains a strong position among the top 25 writers in the following categories:
- Report Writing & Editing (Ranked 17 as of Oct. 18, 2007)
- Article/News/Press Release Writing & Editing (Ranked 24 as of Oct. 18, 2007)
- Web Content Writing & Editing (Ranked 24 as of Oct. 18, 2007)
- Creative Writing (Ranked 24 as of Oct. 18, 2007)
- Copywriting (Ranked 25 as of Oct. 18, 2007)
Clients from across the country and around the world consistently rate John E. Fike as a Five-star professional on Guru.com.
“John completed our three case studies quickly and for a very reasonable price,” said Dale Harris, advertising manager for Washington State Correctional Industries. “He conducted several interviews, needed very little guidance, and produced excellent copy that effectively communicates our brand to our customers.”
“John is a very talented and skilled writer,” said James Villepigue, author of 15 published fitness books for whom Fike ghost-wrote some material. “His ability to translate and articulate ideas is impeccable. I highly recommend his work to anyone looking for a seasoned writer, who is additionally timely and of the utmost professional caliber.”
Clients who are not part of the Guru network also applaud Fike for delivering high-quality products on time and taking time to thoroughly understand an organization and its project before beginning work.
“John has been able to relate to our company’s needs as far as providing great articles for our publications, especially our annual report,” said Rhodes State College Public Relations Coordinator Paula Siebeneck. “John always has the work turned around in a timely manner and has always met our deadlines.”
John E. Fike combines a creative-writing education with a practical background in journalism to deliver information-packed copy in a style that is pleasant to read and easy to understand. Educated in direct-response copywriting by the American Writers & Artists’ Institute, John E. Fike also delivers high-response sales copy for letters and web sites. John E. Fike focuses on promoting the benefits of products and services and helping prospects understand their need for those products and services.
Labels: Articles, Content, Copywriting, Press Release
posted by John E Fike @ 2:58 PM,
,
