Improve Your Copywriting with the Red Pen Rule

In my book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, I write about how a little trick I call the Red Pen Rule can help you make your marketing copy more effective and more successful.

This week, I wrote an overview of the Red Pen Rule on Entrepreneur.com.  Here’s a snippet to give you an idea of what’s included in the article and discussed in greater detail in my book.

“You don’t ever want consumers to read or listen to your ad or marketing piece and think, “Hurry up and get to the point.” Instead, keep your messages short, sweet and succinct, and your results will prove that the red pen rule works.”

You can follow the link to read the complete article, called The Red Pen Rule for Marketing Copy.

The Death of Interruption Marketing

My new article on Entrepreneur.com discusses how the world of marketing has changed from being reliant on interruption to engagement.

Following is an excerpt from the article, which you can read in its entirety here.

“With the growth of social media, marketers have learned that simply interrupting the online conversation doesn’t always lead to sales, nor does it lead to positive word-of-mouth marketing. Now the goal of marketing is engagement. Consumers want to know, what are you going to tell them after you interrupt them?  Marketers have discovered that there is tremendous value in building brands and relationships through long-term social media strategy vs. short-term direct-marketing tactics on social websites.”

What do you think?  Is interruption marketing dead?  Leave a comment and share your opinion.

How to Create a Sense of Urgency in Marketing Messages

I write about the topic of creating a sense of urgency and motivating consumers to action through your copywriting extensively in my book for small business owners and beginner copywriters, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, where I explain that crafting effective calls to action is a talent that you can learn.

My newest article on Entrepreneur.com gives 3 useful tips to help you create a sense of urgency in your marketing messages.  You can follow the link to get all the details: 3 Ways to Move Customers to Action.

10 Marketing Trends for 2010

My 10 marketing trends for 2010 were published on Entrepreneur.com.

If you’ve been reading my content for any length of time, then you can assume the word ‘transparency’ is probably included in that list, and guess what?  You’re right!  I won’t give the rest away though.  Follow the link above to read the complete article.

What’s your prediction for marketing trends in 2010?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

10 Reasons Your Marketing Messages Stink

My latest article is live on Entrepreneur.com.  It’s called 10 Reasons Your Marketing Messages Stink, and I look at the craft of writing effective copy from a different perspective than you might be used to.

You can check it out here.

What do you think is the main reason marketing copy is ineffective?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Create Loyal Brand Advocates – 7 Steps to Advertising Success

My latest article on Entrepreneur.com is called Create Loyal Brand Advocates – 7 Steps to Advertising Success.

In the article, I discuss the seven steps that businesses need to understand and follow in order to develop a long term, successful brand building strategy supported by effective marketing communications.  Follow the link above to read the complete article.

Read more marketing and branding articles by Susan Gunelius.

5 Myths that Can Kill Your Marketing Copy

Do you know the 5 myths that can destroy your advertising or marketing messages?  Find out what they are and how to avoid them in my new article on Entrepreneur.com.  Follow the link to read the 5 Myths that Can Kill Your Marketing Copy.

Are there any other myths you’d add to the list?

Online Video Advertising Tips

My newest article is now live on Entrepreneur.com.  This month, I wrote about online video advertising, which is a great opportunity for businesses to connect with the rapidly growing online audience that actively watches online video. 

You can read the article here and start thinking about how you can add online video advertising into your own business’ marketing plan or add related services to your client offerings.

And you can follow this link to view my previous articles about copywriting and marketing communications published on Entrepreneur.com.

10 Steps to Effective Marketing by Susan Gunelius on Entrepreneur.com

A new excerpt from my book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, was published on Entrepreneur.com today.  The excerpt is titled, “10 Steps to Effective Marketing” and highlights the steps that are the basis for the book. 

You can follow the link to read 10 Steps to Effective Marketing or view the PDF.

Read an Excerpt of ‘Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps’ by Susan Gunelius

An excerpt of Susan Gunelius’ book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, is now available on Entrepreneur.com. 

You can read the excerpt by following the link to Entrepreneur.com or open the PDF.

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