Posts by John Forde
Short Words, More Word Power
Brevity, they say, is the soul of wit. And if that’s true, I admit… sometimes, I can be a little soulless. See, I was taught to love what the nuns used to call “25 cent words.” These are the words, they told us, that make you sound smart. That win you respect, jobs, and the girl…
Read MoreWhat’s In a Name?
Personalized mailings were all the rage in direct marketing… back in 1975. They continue to be a staple today, online as well as off, based on the idea that no sound is sweeter than that of your own name. Given my one or two experiences with hand-shaking, name-abusing car salesman over the years, I beg to differ. (”John, what can we do to get you behind the wheel of this beauty today… John?”)
Read MoreWhat’s the Secret to Selling Bad Products?
Copywriters are hired guns. We usually don’t create the products we sell, we just get hired to sell them. So how, pray tell, are you supposed to write copy that sells a product that… well… stinks?
Read MoreLife: Once Complicated, Now Easy
It’s often said that you can use certain sales messages over and over because, let’s face it, your target market is a marching army. Over and over, they revisit the same points in life… they discover the same needs and wants… you show them how to satisfy those needs and wants… and the cycle just repeats.
Read MoreWhat’s Your Best Offer?
“Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry,” Donald Trump once said. “I like making deals. Preferably big ones.” And, indeed, coming up with appealing deals and powerful offers can be an art form unto itself.
Read MoreWhat to Do With Your Great Ideas
You’ll feel great – even inspired – when all your brainstorming and research yields a Big Idea, whether it’s for a new product, a marketing campaign, or a headline for a sales promotion. But you’re not done.
Read MoreWhat Keeps Your Customer Up at Night?
Fear – the deeply felt kind – is personal and immediate. The fear of disabling disease. The fear of public speaking. The fear of not surviving this current market crunch… or making a terrible investment.
Read MoreBusiness “Don’ts” for Difficult Times
You can’t open a newspaper, flip on the television, or open an Internet page these days without seeing something about the current economic crisis.
Read MoreThe Secret to Selling to Seniors
What do you know about marketing to the older generation? It might not be enough. Check this out:
Read MoreRead This Now, or the Puppy Gets It
Years ago, National Lampoon ran a cover showing an adorable – but worried – puppy with a revolver held to its head. The headline next to the image read something like, “If you don’t buy this magazine, the puppy gets it.”
Read MoreBrainstorming for One
You brainstorm to get ideas when you have none. Ideally, you do so in a group. So you can feed off each other. So you can legitimize sitting around drinking coffee. So you can get others to do all the hard thinking for you.
Read MoreA Painful Lesson in Supreme Service
As copywriters, marketers, and business owners, we spend so much time getting customers in the door. It’s too easy to forget about them once that’s done.
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