...whatever you need to write
How often do you see adverts that are phrased, and proportioned, like this? (And this is a real one from a piece of email marketing, not made up…) It’s an unusually brilliant example of WE-WEE marketing…
See how much more powerful it would be if we turn it right-side up again, and give it a little tweak…
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In this look at local advertising we’re going to focus on the next favourite words used by well-meaning but non-savvy advertisers … next, that is, after the famous first prize winner, WE (as in we-wee). This follows on from the last article which focused on the issues that cloud the effectiveness of the same ads.
These words are not necessarily bad or even unsuitable (in themselves) for sales. However according to my research in dozens of local magazines and handbooks, they have become irritating because they are used by so many advertisers, and so they are relegated to cliché status. (Don’t forget that most clichés started out in life as very popular words which everyone loved and used over and over again, which is why they became clichés. One of life’s little ironies.)
Just over three years ago we published about the we-weeing problem in marketing material, and much as most pro writers like me bang on about it, it’s still raging away.
This historic little guy, Manneken Pis, has been we-weeing on people in Brussels, Belgium for 400 years. Fortunately this is good, for his business.
The reason why I am throwing the toys out of my pram this time is because I feel sorry for the ever-constant stream of local magazines that set up in all good faith, sell advertising space to local businesses, and go out of business themselves within a couple of years.
Why? Here’s my theory and it’s not their fault … it’s the fault of the we-wee local advertisers who, because they we-wee, don’t get the results they should from their advertising and so eventually abandon the local magazines as not cost-effective. Naughty, naughty and frankly, bloody ignorant.
(NB: After my rant, you’ll find 10 Tips on how to do it right, below!) [Read more…]
Although the SO WHAT? test originally was written to test the content effectiveness of your elevator pitch, actually you can use it to test almost any promotional statement. Here’s how it works…
If you have a local business group on one of the main social media platforms, you know you’re going to get people advertising their businesses no matter how you try to stop them.
I would have told this troll precisely where to shove his business video.
It doesn’t matter how explicit you are in your “rules” section; the only way to stop the ads is to kick the advertisers out, or at least delete their blatant advertising posts until they get the message.
But not always…
I spent many years as an advertising copywriter and still do turn my hand to writing this type of material from time to time. One of my favourite elements of ad copy is the tagline, or slogan as it’s sometimes called. They are a lot of fun to write and when well-crafted, do a fine job for the client’s business.
The following taglines from the USA, however, don’t quite hit the target. (Original authors unknown.)
On the van of a plumbing company: “Don’t sleep with a drip. Call us.”
In the front yard of a funeral home: “Drive carefully. We’ll wait.” [Read more…]
Suzan St Maur a.k.a. Suze
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Potty-mouthed "adult" poems to have you laughing your head off - preferably in the downstairs toilet or bathroom...by yours truly Suzan St Maur.
Amazon bestseller every Holiday Season since 2001! This little book is a firm favourite with horsey families and makes the ideal gift for anyone who loves riding. Compiled by Suzan St Maur.
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The no-bullsh*t guide to writing blogs that boost your brand, business and customer loyalty..."At long last, some common sense writing about how businesses can use blogging effectively." Written by Suzan St Maur.
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Science fiction with a sense of humour - HitchHiker's Guide To The Galaxy, eat your heart out. Brilliant story of love, work, the future and other crazy stuff by award-winning playwright Keith Trezise.
The bittersweet story of a young boy being bullied by his best friend, and how an incredible magic pen makes them see how life really should be. By S. L. Powell. Age group 8-12 yrs.
"This book is by no means all encompassing, but in it author Suzan St Maur has researched and shared several hundred of the most commonly used terms. Not only do we now know what they all mean but, where appropriate, we also learn their origins – some of which are fascinating and very surprising."
Great little book for anyone who enjoys dining out and wants to learn the right issues to write about in reviews for Trip Advisor etc. Written by the late Sam Worthington, superb chef, restaurant critic and bon viveur...
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Local advertisers: stop writing we-wee and start getting a decent ROI. Followed by ... 10 quick tips on how to write effective local advertising!
bit.ly/2HWNsaC
#localadvertising #SmallBiz #advertisingcopy #marketingtips
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Local advertisers usually write ad copy from their own point of view - not the customer's. Copywriter Suzan St Maur's ranting, funny tutorial puts things rightA LITTLE LIGHT LATIN, FOLKS? You never know when a little conversational Latin might come in handy.
Some years ago at a lunch party I sat next to a lovely lawyer – the father of a friend of mine – whose only quirk was that halfway through a sentence he would switch from speaking English, into Latin. He would continue in Latin for several minutes before casually resuming English.
Latin not exactly being my second language, I smiled beatifically and used the downtime to chew my food.
What made it even more unusual was that far from this being in a romantic, vine-draped al fresco restaurant in Tuscany … or even a studious, book-lined coffee shop in Oxford or Cambridge … this was on a farm in rural Leicestershire, England.
No wonder the lawyer’s wife drank. She would be on the tipple of sweet vermouth from shortly after breakfast and by tea-time was almost catatonic. I guess her Latin wasn’t much better than mine.
To help you avoid a similar fate, here are some Latin phrases you might find useful on your travels ... click through to read on!
howtowritebetter.net/essential-latin-phrases-for-your-next-trip-to-southern-europe/
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Hilarious Latin phrases and Suzan St Maur's true story of how an British lawyer spoke Latin to her over dinner on a farm in rural England...
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