John E. Fike Copywriting Services; Copy, Content & Custom Publications for Companies Who Make Life Worth Living

Case Study Fall Promo: Save money when you buy 2 case studies

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Hey everyone, I've got a new promotion going on. Case studies are a great way to showcase your business to prospective customers and increase your credibility. To encourage you to use them I'm offering a special deal when you buy two.

Buy two case studies and your second one is half price!

1,500-word case studies (best for large brochure and dowloadable formats)
  • First case study: $500
  • Second case study: only $250

750-word case studies (best for tri-fold brochures, newsletters and static web page formats)
  • First case study: $250
  • Second case study: only $125


Here's the catch:
To qualify for this deal you must contract for the case studies by November 18, 2009, and at least one must be scheduled for completion prior to December 31, 2009.

This is a great way to kick off your 2010 marketing efforts.
Call TODAY and get your case study scheduled: 419-371-2302

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posted by John E Fike @ 11:40 AM, ,

Use a Case Study to Demonstrate Excellence through the Words and Eyes of Satisfied Clients and Boost Sales

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Save $$$ on case studies for your biz when you buy 2--now thru Nov. 18, 2009. Click this link for details.
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Case studies can be a powerful sales tool for any business, but especially for service businesses and custom-order businesses in which it is difficult to provide samples or demonstrations. A case study highlights the best qualities of your product or service as seen through the eyes of a satisfied customer. It can help you to overcome objections from prospects by demonstrating how the issue is dealt with or really not an issue at all.

While a testimonial lends credibility to your company, service or product, a case study is much, much more. A case study is a detailed account of how your company serviced a customer with excellence and provided a satisfying customer experience. It can also demonstrate how you interact with customers and how you go above and beyond expectations.

Concerns and objections often raised by customers can also be dealt with in a case study and sometimes eliminate the concern up front. To do that, relate how the customer was concerned about something the beginning and how your company dealt with it or why it turned out not to be an issue after all.

While you can certainly write a case study yourself, hiring a professional writer is often a better way to go. Your case study should revolve around interviews with the customer. Interviewing can be challenging and often uncomfortable if you haven’t done them before. However, a professional writer knows what questions to ask and how to elicit better responses from the people being interviewed.

Your case study should start with a headline and lead that gets your prospect interested in reading further. Write your case study with a combination of good storytelling and effective sales techniques so your prospects see the advantages of hiring your company or using your products. A professional case study writer knows how to apply those techniques effectively and write a case study that is interesting, appealing and informative.

Conducting interviews and writing a case study can take a lot of time and distract you from other important tasks. Hiring a writer frees you to do what you do best, while getting a more effective case study written.

Whether you hire a professional to write your case study or decide to do it yourself, publish your case study in a way that is attractive to customers and easy to use. Popular formats are full-color 8 ½ x 11-inch brochures, a glossy one-sheet format, PDF format for downloading off a web site, Flash presentations, and as a static web page. Sometimes a case study can be formatted as a press release for distribution to media outlets both online and offline.

After publishing the case study, verify that sales reps are sharing them with customers to make sure they’re being put to use. Don’t forget to put a teaser and link to the case study in a prominent location on the home page of your web site. Monitor online viewing and downloading.

NEXT STEPS:

Review a report on how Washington Correctional Industries uses case studies I wrote to promote their company and head-off serious objections about their workforce: http://www.fikopy.com/case-studies/CI-case%20study.pdf.

Take a look at several case studies I’ve written for other clients:

E-mail or call me to talk about getting a case study done for your company: john@fikopy.com 419-371-2302

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Save $$$ on case studies for your biz when you buy 2--now thru Nov. 18, 2009. Click this link for details.
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posted by John E Fike @ 10:51 AM, ,

Everybody loves to spam. I find it disgusting.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Social 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:
  1. Give your opinion about it. Your opinion gives merit to the post or tweet and is the reason your followers follow you.
  2. 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.

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posted by John E Fike @ 7:21 AM, ,

Case Studies for Correctional Industries Instill Customers with Confidence

Friday, August 14, 2009

Case studies are an amazingly effective marketing tool when written and used correctly. I like case studies because they are like demonstrating your services or sampling your product when demonstrations and free samples really don't make sense. From a case study, prospective customers can get a glimpse of what it's like to work with you and see just how satisfying your products or services are.

Download and read my case study on how three case studies I wrote for Washington State Correctional Industries helped them over significant challenges such as have a workforce comprised entirely of convicted felons. You can imagine the kind of prejudice and concern you have to overcome to successfully sell a product in that kind of circumstance.

Access the case study by clicking on the picture below:

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posted by John E Fike @ 10:52 AM, ,

WANTED: Heavy Metal Soundtrack

Thursday, August 13, 2009

I'm in need of a heavy metal soundtrack to go with fight videos and exercise videos on this site: www.low-budget-warrior.com I provide content for the sight and we need some music that we can add to videos without infringing on copyrights. If you play for a heavy metal band and would like to promote your music we'll be glad to add a promo to each video for you in exchange for letting us use your music. We plan to post at least one video every week; hopefully two. Instrumental is preferred, but a good, heavy song with clean lyrics is also acceptable. Please send me an email at john@fikopy.com if you're intersted. Thanks.

Here's an example of how we'd like to use your music:

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posted by John E Fike @ 6:10 AM, ,

Earn Your Social Media Following -- Great Content Earns Respect

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I'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.

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posted by John E Fike @ 6:33 AM, ,

Info-Product Entrepreneur -- or Info-Product Huckster?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Info-products, especially e-books and video courses, are everywhere on the Internet these days. A handful of them are excellent products in which the information is well researched, is very useful and is presented in a professional and attractive manner. Buying and reading one of these info-products is very rewarding, making you glad to spend the money and giving you confidence in the provider's expertise.

Unfortunately, most of the info-products out there are just junk. Research is minimal and usually limited to searching through internet articles. Information is often incorrect or not very useful. The writing and presentation is amateurish and sloppy. Purchasing one of these info-products is not only disappointing, but also leaves you feeling swindled.

The people who provide the first kind of info-product are true info-product entrepreneurs. They understand that a happy customer is a repeat customer. By impressing customers from the very beginning, these entrepreneurs create a huge market for additional products because their customers trust them and rely on them for good information. Their revenue streams continue to grow and grow.

The people who do a good job selling junk disguised as info-products are nothing but hucksters. They are like the snake oil salesman of lore who rides into town, sells all his bottles of tonic water disguised as a miracle cure, then leaves town never to be seen again. Info-product hucksters hire "writers" in India to write 50 pages on a topic for a $100 or so, then try to pass it off as the revelation their customers have been waiting for. They sell a few thousand copies, then move on to another popular info field and start again. They may or may not be around to dole out the many refunds that get requested.

If you're going to go through the trouble of creating a product and creating a market for it, you might as well create a quality product so that you don't have to start all over again to build your market. All the best info-product "gurus" tell you this: Most of your profits do not come from your first and main product; they come from the second, third, fourth, and fifth products. That's because it costs a whole lot less to market to a group of people who are already loyal to you than it does to reach out and find a new audience that may be interested in your product. Less marketing expense means more profits

The additional products are also more profitable because they can carry a larger price tag. When you've proven reliable on products with smaller price tags, your customers are less hesitant to buy more expensive products from you--because they know they can trust you. Of course, you have to prove yourself again and provide a product with the quality to support that higher price tag.

If you're in the info-product business--or want to be--plan to be a long-term info-product entrepreneur--not a short-term huckster. Life is easier that way, and more profitable.

***SELF PROMOTION***

I've written many top quality information products for entrepreneurs who are making excellent money online. Shoot me an email today at john@fikopy.com or call me at 419-371-2302 and we can talk about what it will take to make you a successful info-product entrepreneur with a reputation for being an expert in your field.


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posted by John E Fike @ 7:43 AM, ,

Announcing: Our Who’s-Afraid-of-the-Big-Bad-Wolf-Anti-Recession Event to Celebrate 5 Years in Business

Tuesday, August 4, 2009


Get up to $1,000 in FREE Copywriting, Content, Multimedia or Marketing Services from John E. Fike Copywriting and Fikopy.com


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/

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posted by John E Fike @ 2:53 PM, ,

Is Your Brochure Building Business or Wasting Money?

Thursday, December 13, 2007

A brochure is more than a series of bullet points and a phone number slapped on an 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper and folded in three. Like any marketing tool, if a brochure doesn’t increase your business it’s not worth the paper and ink it’s printed with.

While the most common form of a brochure is a three-fold piece of paper printed on both sides, that is not necessarily the most effective form. A brochure is any printed product that explains in brief your business and why others should do business with you. Brochures can be quirky or straight-laced, colorful or black and white, be mostly text, be mostly pictures, be rectangular or cut in interesting shapes. There are few limits as to what a brochure must look like or contain. The only ‘must’ is that it must increase your business or accomplish whatever goal you want it to achieve.

I encourage clients to think outside the office cubicle and broadly consider different approaches to brochure design--even if it’s only in the brainstorming stage and is later refined to more conservative modes.



An important piece of any brochure--and one that is frequently missing from most brochures--is effective copy that helps your prospect move further along the buying process. Copy should tell your prospect what your product or service is and what they stand to gain by using it. Benefits. Benefits. Benefits. The most important thing to include in your brochure copy (with very few exceptions) is an explanation of how your customers benefit from buying your product or service. Many people like to list lots of features in their brochures. Features are important, without a doubt--but if you customer doesn't understand the benefits of those features, they won't understand the value of what you're offering.



For example, one of my clients created and sells a fantastic time-management software. One of the features of the software is that you can create hierarchical project and task lists. Well, if you don't understand that this feature helps keep you organized and makes it easier and faster to prioritize your to-do list, then it doesn't mean anything to you and doesn't help you decide whether to buy the software.



How much copy should your brochure have?



This question gets debated a lot, with copywriters pushing more copy and designers pushing for less copy and more photos (generally speaking). If your product depends highly on its appearance, such as jewelry, travel packages, or furniture, then it's appropriate to include lots of large photos. But for most services and products that don't depend highly on appearances, it's better to give the copywriter lots of room. While it may make sense to include a photo of a telephone operator or phones on a brochure for a telecom company, it doesn't make sense to dominate the brochure with those when what is really being sold is phone SERVICE--something that can't be seen. Instead, the brochure should focus on delivering the features and benefits of the service.

With these things in mind, here are a few things to think about as you go through the design process :



  • How will you use the brochure? As a mailer? A handout? A business presentation? Will it be carried in a vest or coat pocket or displayed on racks or some other presentation form?

  • How will your client use the brochure? To compare your service/product to competitors? To present to a boss or colleagues? File it for later use?

  • How will it draw your clients' attention while still presenting the image you want to project?

  • How much information do you need to include?

  • How will photos and illustrations play a role?

  • Do you need to stay conservative in your format or can you press the limits of creativity?

  • If you need to stay conservative, why and how conservative? If you can go wild, what are the limits?

  • What is your budget? What can you spend on printing? What can you spend on design costs? Note: Spending more on design can yield a brochure that can save you printing costs and produce better results, which will give you more bang for your buck.



What your brochure should accomplish:

1. Your brochure should grab your customers' attention. You could accomplish this through its appearance, but it's more effective to do this through the headline by immediately addressing an undeniable need the client has.

2. Your brochure should make the case for using the kind of service you provide. Do you save clients money? Make them money? Prevent lawsuits? Make them more efficient? Increase productivity? Make a list of the statistics and features you can use to build your case.

3. Your brochure should make the case for hiring your company over other companies that provide the same or similar products and services. What is your unique selling position? Are you more affordable? Provide more value? Higher quality?

4. Your brochure should illustrate the process by which you provide your service or product. Does your client come to you or do you go to your clients? What will clients have to do to use your service? What do they have to provide? What do you provide?

5. Your brochure should invite a call or other contact for more information. What incentive do they have to call today? Do you have a special offer, such as a discount price, free information product or premium to give them in return for responding immediately? Will they make or save more money by responding sooner rather than later?

6. Your brochure should explain what the client has to do to get started and state why sooner is better.

7. Your brochure should provide all your company's contact information: company name, address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, Web site url, different people's names and extensions/e-mail addresses, any other way a client can contact the company.

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posted by John E Fike @ 4:50 PM, ,

How to Make Your Web Site More Profitable

Many 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.

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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.

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posted by John E Fike @ 2:58 PM, ,