Excess Voice Newsletter
November 2006, Issue # 120

 

In this issue:

 

>> Intro: Are all the best business jargons lines taken?
>> Review: The most popular from recent months...
>> Article: Should writers be held accountable for web page performance?
>> Survey: Do you consider yourself accountable?
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Greetings,

 

In the last issue I asked for new Business Jargon Protest copy line suggestions. I received a few, but I don’t think any of them were nearly as good as the ones which were sent in last year. That’s weird. Like the moment of inspiration passed.

 

This issue’s article and survey come from a survey suggestion from Robert Bly...again. The questions being: as a writer or copywriter, do you feel you are accountable for the performance of the copy you write?

 

Interesting question.

 

Until next time,

 

Nick

 

Nick Usborne

 

P.S. On the subject of those Busines Jargon Protest Mugs... be sure to consider them for some holiday gifts this year.

http://www.cafepress.com/jokegifts

 

Newsletter: http://www.excessvoice.com

Copywriting and consulting:

>> Feedback: nick@excessvoice.com

 

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REVIEW: The most popular from recent months...

 

There's no new review in this issue, but these four reviews from previous issues continue to draw a lot of interest and are worth checking out.

#1. Landing Page Handbook - How to Raise Conversions

 

This report from MarketingSherpa is the first I have seen that provides solid data on what does and doesn't make a difference to landing page conversion rates. Tons of data on copy and design strategies. Dozens of before and after examples and the improvements achieved.

 

Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/landing-page.htm

 

#2. Secrets of Writing for the Business to Business Market

 

There are 8 million business-to-business companies out there. And they all need good sales copy. The opportunity in B2B copywriting is huge, and this 350+ page course tells you everything you need to know about getting your own slice of the market.

 

Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/B2B-copywriting.php

 

#3. The InfoGuru Marketing Manual

 

A manual by Robert Middleton that delivers a wealth of hands-on information, strategies, techniques, examples, stories and ideas to help freelancers attract more clients.

 

Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/infoguru.php

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ARTICLE: Should writers be held accountable for web page performance?

 

This is a tricky question.

 

Ask print direct response copywriters if they are held accountable, and they’ll say yes. That was my own life for 15 years. I wrote direct mail packages and was judged not on my past reputation, but on the performance of each piece I wrote, one mailing at a time.

 

And with the direct mail clients I was working with, I didn’t have a problem with that.

 

I’ll tell you why.

 

Because I always worked with professional direct response designers.

 

I always worked with companies which knew their audience.

 

I always worked with companies which knew which lists to use, buy or rent.

 

I always worked with companies which know how to test, and understood the difference between valid data and invalid data.

 

In other words, I was working in a mature industry, as part of a sophisticated, knowledgeable direct marketing team.

 

>> But what about writers and copywriters online?

 

Things start to get fuzzy online.

 

I have written copy for clients, and then seen my copy completely compromised by a design that gets in the way of the message.

 

I have written landing pages based on a particular pay per click campaign, aligned with particular keywords and ads, and then found out that traffic was being sent to the site from a completely different source.

 

I have seen marketing decisions being made on the basis of a level of traffic that is far too low to provide statistically valid data.

 

>> Whining? Not really.

 

Maybe I whine sometimes. And sometimes I am quite willing to accept that the copy I wrote didn’t, in fact, outperform what was there before. No copywriter can deliver a winner every single time.

 

But when it comes to being held responsible for conversion rates from a web page or sequence of pages I have written, I do take a close look at other factors which may have influenced the results.

 

>> Still on the path to maturity.

 

When I was writing direct mail, I was confident in the fact that the list, the offer, the design, the format and the copy were all optimized and aligned with each other.

 

In the online world, I don’t think we have reached that level of sophistication or maturity yet. Some companies have, but many have not.

 

I still see pages where the copy is great, but the design works against them.

 

And vice versa.

 

I also come across instances where pages have been designed and written without a clear understanding of the people who will visit.

 

And of course, a great landing page can deliver hot prospects to a sequence of poorly designed shopping cart pages which then butcher final conversion rates.

 

In other words, when it comes to online conversion rates and page performance, many companies are still relatively unsophisticated.

 

And when so many variables exist outside of my own control, as a copywriter, I study results very carefully before jumping to conclusions about my own performance.

 

I certainly make myself accountable for the quality of my writing. But when it comes to final conversion rates, I also know there are other factors over which I have little or no control.

 

** If you would prefer to read this article on the web, or would like to forward the url to a colleague or friend, you'll find it here:
http://www.excessvoice.com/article120.htm

>> Feedback: nick@excessvoice.com

 

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SURVEY: Do you consider yourself accountable?

 

Do you consider yourself accountable for the performance of the copy you write?

 

Offline:
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Online:
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Comments: ....

(NOTE: Any comments and your name may be published in the next issue, or on the Excess Voice web site.)

 

 

Cut and paste your replies to me at nick@excessvoice.com

 

 

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NICK USBORNE'S SERVICES:

 

Yes, I do more than write articles and publish newsletters.

 

Ask me to write for your site, emails and newsletters.
http://www.nickusborne.com/copywriting.htm

 

Ask me to optimize your key offer pages...
http://www.nickusborne.com/consulting.htm

 

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Like coffee? Visit my coffee sites:

 

http://www.coffeedetective.com/
http://www.coffeebestbuys.com/
http://www.fairtradecoffeenews.com/

 

And my new blog about working from home...

http://www.homeofficeproductivity.com

 

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