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Copywriting that speaks to your target audience

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“John Adams” was a “Big, Fat Liar”

It’s true. Paul Giammati, the actor who played John Adams in the acclaimed HBO miniseries, also played Marty Wolf, the evil, blue-faced liar/director in the teen flick, Big Fat Liar. That was after playing a character known as “Pig Vomit” in Howard Stern’s Private Parts.

In fact, if you dig a little deeper into Paul Giammati’s career, you will also see he had a bit part in the 90s cult classic Singles (he played a guy making out with his girlfriend in a restaurant booth).

While a part like that may have discouraged some, Giammati had faith in his talent and what he had to offer and stayed with it. He has since been outstanding in countless movies and won awards and was nominated for an Oscar for Cinderella Man. Yet it all basically began with a movie where he never said a thing.

Far too many small businesses expect every marketing effort-ad, press release, blog, direct mail blast or article-to be a John Adams. In reality, you’re lucky if it’s “Pig Vomit”-a role in which Giammati was fantastic.

The point is that each time you market your company via whatever outlet you choose, you are building your brand and your resume.  Every release, rewrite of your Web page, direct mail letter, e-newsletter, Facebook page, etc. earns you credibility credits. So while it’s okay to strive for John Adams, there’s no shame if those efforts resemble a Big Fat Liar. Put enough of those marketing efforts together and your business could figuratively end up walking down the red carpet.

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The best thing I did for my business in 2010

What’s the best thing I did for my business in 2010? You’re reading it.

That’s right. This little old monthly e-newsletter that shows up around the middle to end of every month. Why? The obvious answer is it led to work with two or three people from my network and another two or three referrals that also led to new projects. All from a 300-word e-mail sent once a month.

Yet it would be easy to say the same thing if not one dime of work came from this e-newsletter. Why? Because it kept me connected to folks I want to stay connected to.

The old school folks out there believe you have to pick up the phone or meet with somebody face-to-face. That scenario is ideal. From a time and travel perspective, it’s also unrealistic. People just don’t always have the time to gab on the phone or get together for a cup of joe and discuss business. But if your network has a general sense of what you bring to the table and, every so often, you figuratively tap on the glass to say “hey, I’m still out here, how about you”, that’s worth its weight in gold.

On a personal level, it can sustain business relationships that are more like friendships. And at this time of year, friendship and family are really what it’s all about.

So, if you would like to stay connected or reconnect to your network, I can think of no better way than a regular e-newsletter to reach the greatest number of people. I encourage you to take Constant Contact out for a free 60-day trial. What have you got to lose?

To help you get your e-newsletter started, I’ve attached an old white paper of mine, Why Nobody Reads Your Newsletter…And How To Fix It. This white paper can help you find ways to consistently generate content for your newsletter and avoid some of the common traps many small business owners fall into when creating their newsletters.

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Why you can finish your turkey dinner but not your Web site

Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. I sure did. Per usual, the biggest challenge was pushing away from the dinner table and declaring myself officially finished from stuffing my face. But I did and this act led to a very weird, tryptophan-induced thought at how my just consumed turkey dinner was much like a Web site.

Think about it. Most businesses get all geared up to build a site, loading it up with content, images and other items. Then, after the site is up and running, they figuratively plop down on the couch, loosen their belts and take a snooze. In fact, many businesses will put up a Web site and not make any changes or additions for months, even a full calendar year. Probably around the time for your next turkey dinner.

The fact is a good Web site should never be finished. It’s a constant work in progress. That doesn’t mean major design changes, but adding content on a regular basis.

Why? For starters, there are hopefully things going on with your business–new or improved products or services–that you want to share. Not to mention, providing useful content that educates visitors to your site and presents you as an expert in that subject area, perhaps making them want to do business with you. Or it could be a simple announcement of a new hire, an event you’re hosting, a speaking engagement or some sort of accreditation or certification.

Making your site an active site also will help you with search engine optimization. Google is far more likely to notice a site they have previously indexed if there’s a change on those pages than if it remains stagnant. And, to finish off this seasonal analogy, much like you are more likely to have room for turkey leftovers on Thanksgiving night if you take a walk after your meal instead of a nap.