Writing ad copy can be easy if you use the right tools of the trade. Here are a few quick tips on how you can strive to write better copy that sells a product and produces results for your client.

Learn your client’s business

By learning about your client’s business and how they operate, you will be able to get a handle on who is buying their product. Ad copy for a restaurant will be much different than ad copy for an accounting firm. Do your research first, and then approach your client with a few questions to learn more:

• Ask questions about what other types of businesses are related to their work or product.
• Find out who their target market is and the median age, gender and other basic demographics about their customers. What you choose to write for 25 year olds will be much different than what you would write for a consumer that is 45+.
• Examine previous advertising copy that your client has had success with and ask to be shown what ad copy has failed to provide sell-through of product. Examine both then improve on the successful ad copy and apply those improvements to your ad copy.

Observe how your client has positioned their business in the marketplace

Once you can figure out the personality of your client’s business it will become easier to develop an ad campaign that works to fit their current profile. How a company wants to brand themselves and the products they sell is key to how they present themselves in words. You can work closely with company executives to learn about their wants and desires. Some businesses want to sell their product with ad copy that doesn’t match their company’s public profile. This can lead a company to a failed ad campaign.

• Question how your client wants to be seen by the public.
• Ask about the type of reputation they want to achieve.
• Find out how their competitors are viewed, expand on the competitions weak points to make your client stronger in the marketplace.

Adhere to your clients desires

As a copywriter you might not have enough time to learn about how every business operates.  It is up to you as a professional in the field to learn enough about each of your individual clients needs and how it pertains to the specific work you do for them. By listening to your client’s needs, learning what their desires are and working towards a common goal, you can look forward to creating successful ad copy that benefits the business you are working for.

• Working off ideas that you might think are inventive or ideal, may not benefit your client’s long term goals.
• As a copywriter it’s important to remember that most businesses work on a plan over the course of months or years. Your goal is to become a building block.
• Taking one step at a time is one of the most beneficial ways to incorporate your creativity and genius into  your client’s goals.

Working as a copywriter may seem like a no-brainer job for most. But for those who do the work, it’s an intense job that requires thought, sensitivity and a professional ethic that goes beyond your own thoughts of greatness. The best copywriters are the ones that match their style, their work and their creativity to their client. Once someone is able to generate good copy that matches their client’s goals and needs, that writer can count on being called back again and again as a team member that is known for their beneficial contributions.

In the ever changing world of advertising, copywriters can easily become an invaluable piece of a company’s  marketing plan. Match your skills to your client’s needs. Once you do this, you will be able to count on a long and productive relationship with your clients for years to come!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

There are lots of ways that the top designers and firms work to meet their clients goals and being successful in the world of design means having a handle on how to create original ideas. Most designers would agree that it’s the execution of a great idea that makes it a success.

The Hartford Business Review recently published an article on their website by Warren Berger entitled Four Phases of Design Thinking . Warren Berger is the author of GLIMMER: How design can transform, business, your life, and maybe even the world (Penguin Press). He edits the online magazine GlimmerSite.com too. His article was so informative, we thought it was well worth our time to review how designers work to create successful innovative ideas.

Throughout the world of design, there are some shared behaviors that top designers follow in order to achieve significant breakthroughs. Second nature habits that were found to be common among expert designers and to their ability to transform an original idea into a successful innovation included; asking questions, caring, connecting and committing. If you’re a designer you will recognize these shared behaviors and if you’re looking for design work to be done, these are the steps that a top notch designer will most likely follow.

Designers Ask LOTS Of Questions

• Seasoned designers ask lots of questions.
• They work to raise questions in order to begin their design project.
• Designers strive to challenge the current reality or assumption in an industry.
• The creative mind works to learn the mainstream obvious and then figures out a way twist or morph it into an original idea that will turn into a successful innovative idea.
• A creative individual will often ask basic “why” questions that might seem naive and sometimes puts people on the defense.

When a designer asks why, they are really encouraging people to step back and reconsider old problems or practices that might be out of date. This gives the designer the ability to re-frame and steer thinking in a new direction. By striving to stretch the question of why to all facets of a project, they are able to rethink the basic fundamentals of a business. In the current economy and ever so volatile marketplace, this breeds innovation that gives birth to success.

A Great Designer Cares

• Designers do their best work by stepping out of the corporate bubble.
• They immerse themselves in the lives of their target market or audience.
• By observing and paying close attention to the customer they are trying to reach, they are able to dig out the consumer’s deep unspoken needs.
• Designers work hard to be present in people’s lives.

Lots of companies can say they care about their customer’s needs. Focus groups and questionnaires don’t really scratch the surface as to what makes an individual choose to buy a product. In order to reach a consumer on an emotional level, you have to empathize with them. This is the leverage that a good designer brings to the creative table. They strive to learn how their customers feel, how they think and how they live. By doing so, a seasoned designer learns what pushes a person to buy a product, join a marketing campaign, or become a faithful follower and consumer.

Designers Are Able To Connect

• A designer works to synthesize ideas.
• The creative thought process can take existing elements or ideas and combine them together in new ways.

Hiring a designer doesn’t always mean that a business will be forced into a new set of marketing materials or professional identity. It’s the job of a designer to also consider their clients current business elements and think laterally. Sometimes new ideas are not born fresh or invented from scratch. New ideas can be found by searching for new ways to combine current or older ideas. Designers do this by connecting them in a new way. They generate a new idea that is often comprised of scattered or mismatched ideas that didn’t seem to go together. This can be a shortcut to innovation. By combining previous ideas, this can help a business retain their original identity and brand, and simply strive for a new look, new message or re-tool their branded look to be more attractive to the public.

Designers Achieve Success Through Commitment

Designers are able to commit early to an idea.

They take original ideas and move them beyond imagination by giving them Form.

This Form makes an idea Real.

Designers are comfortable with putting an idea out into the marketplace when it’s young and imperfect.

A designer knows how to accept short-term failure.

Creative professionals have the ability to “fail forward”.

Some of the greatest designers have gone back to the design board more than once to tweak an idea into success. With their focus on commitment, the creative mind is often very comfortable with risk, more so than the average person is. They know that small failures are useful tools that provide a process for learning what needs fixing. In times of fast dynamic change, many companies need a confident designer on their team that can operate in a “test and learn” environment. In this type of work situation a designer will be required to create multiple or rapid prototypes. In design, the name of the game is often—Change it—Revise it — Until it STICKS!

Businesses and designers can look forward to forging a profitable partnership when they work towards a common goal. One way to do that is for the designer to explain what they will be doing, how they work their process and why they follow certain steps to achieve success. Through the use of an open line of communication, businesses can learn how to apply their designers behavioral habits to their own creative process. Being able to generate innovative and fresh ideas that  are attractive to consumers can push a business from hum-drum to sensational and victorious!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Many businesses, organizations and independents can use social media network sites to benefit their marketing efforts. By following a few simple steps, you can create a mix of social media skills that will increase your chances of success too! The rules of social media networking on sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and others are easy to set up, maintain and profit from. Once you have created your business profile or personal/fan page remember to follow these basic guidelines to attract friends and become a social media success!

One key factor that will make any social media marketing effort successful revolves around a business listening to their target audience or customers. Making a person-to-person contact is one of the most important aspects of how to engage an audience. While most of us work hard at finding our connections online in a virtual world, its equally important that after those contacts are solidified, that we harness the power of how to; listen effectively, speak with passion, energize others, offer support when it’s needed and embrace as much as possible through simple acts of common courteous personal interaction.

How can all of the above promote a media campaign on a social network a positive way?  It’s easy when you break it down. Here are a few simple steps that you can take to build a better social media strategy so that it bears all the fruits of success you hope for.

Listen:

Listening is a major milestone that most businesses have forgotten or forget to do. By listening to your target audience or customers you can; gather data about customer needs, improve product development ahead of production schedules and make customers feel like they have a stock in a company that cares about what they’re saying. By the simple act of listening businesses can  build a loyal following for their personal brand.

Speak:

By offering good solid advice, being helpful when needed and keeping in touch with whether or not customers are happy with a product, you’re grooming your business for its next year’s future success. Let the people in your company that are the most passionate about transforming your image to be in front of your social media marketing campaign. Those individuals will be able to speak effectively and clearly about company goals and help current and future customers learn what your business is about. This builds professional trust that “speaks” volumes about where your company is in the line-up when stacked against the competition.

Energize:

Having your most energetic and passionate professionals leading the pack on your social media sites, brings your business one step closer to closing in on your competitors. Passionate employees talk up a company better than any print, web, or snail mail campaign can ever do. Let those that love their job, work it for the betterment of the rest in the crew. They are ones that will offer the most personal touch to your speaking efforts.

Be Supportive:

In regards to offering support to your customers, online social media sites are a great way to answer questions about products, address complaints, and give advice on product use and compatibility with other products. Businesses can rely on their social media sites to update their audience and followers on new product developments, recalls and other important customer service announcements. By being a supportive company that shows that you care about your customer base, you are making connections that withstand the test of time. Being supportive builds the longevity of your business.

Embrace Everything:

Most of us are fearful of what it means when someone says that you should embrace something. We think to the docile acceptance of a situation that we cannot fix or change. Quite the opposite is true when you learn what embracement means. The dictionary describes embracement as a hug, to accept willingly and to include. By taking this term literally, a business can look forward to embracing everything through a virtual hug, by being open to the opinions of others. They can willingly accept that some folks might be complimentary or critical and handle each situation with professional grace. By including their customers and target audience as followers of their company on a social media site, businesses reap the rewards of their customers feeling like they are part of your business. Their loyalty for your company will blossom into a lasting relationship.

Branding your company online in the social media world is not an easy task to accomplish. You need hard working positive individuals that your company can count on. Your time and efforts in planning a targeted strategy begins in the boardroom, but is tested on the World Wide Web where everyone can see the failings of a poorly thought out plan. Take your time, think about your company mission’s statement, revise it if it’s outdated. Then take flight and you too can navigate your social media marketing campaign to benefit your business!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

If you’re thinking about including social media into your marketing plan, here are some great trend reports and statistics to put that thought into action. Finding the time and dollars to allocate to social media marketing is on the tip of every marketing executives tongue. One reason is that social media is trending and is not just a trend. The digital age is evolving and we are finding that we can reach out and touch someone through being a friend on Facebook, linking to them on LinkedIn or posting a blog for them read at their convenience. Through these social media networks, businesses have found a new way to communicate with their target markets to grow their business. Check out how social media is currently trending and the stats that back it up.

Social Media Marketing Is On The Rise

“The State of Small Business Report”, by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, showed that the downed economy has contributed to the popularity of social media networks.  The study reported that:

• Small businesses increased their use of social media from 12% to 24% in the last year.
• An estimated 1 out of 5 small businesses are involved in using social media as a part of their marketing strategy.

How Businesses Use Social Media

Small businesses reported the following:

• 75% have a company page listed on a social networking site.
• 69% post updates or articles on social media sites .
• 57% build out a professional  network through a site like LinkedIn.
• 54% closely observe the feedback they receive about their business.
• 39% have set up and maintain a blog.
• 26% tweet about their area of expertise.
• 16% use Twitter as a service channel.

Social Media  Expectations

The report showed  businesses who have worked with social media as part of their marketing plan had mixed reviews on how it met their expectations.

• 58% felt that social media had met their expectations.
• 25% felt that social media had fallen short of what they had hoped for.
• 12% reported that social media network sites had exceeded their expectations.

For businesses that reported social media had fallen short of their expectations:

• 50% said that social media had used more time than they had expected.
• 19% thought social media had lost them money.
• 17% felt that social media networks allowed people/customers to criticize their business.

Messages Sent Through Social Media

eMarketer showed that social media marketing does not choke innovation out of existence. Instead some of the most successful small businesses are able to compete by offering superior services. The small business model has embraced social media as a means to keep themselves tied to their customers. Businesses felt that they could engage their audiences through social media. They also reported to use social media to tap into knowledgeable resources.  

How Social Media Budgets Will Rise

Over the last several months marketing professionals have been found to be leaning towards the importance of creating a budget for social media marketing. Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the American Marketing Association, “The CMO Survey” reported that social media marketing budgets are on the rise. The report showed that businesses currently budget 6% of their marketing dollars to social media. They expect this amount to increase 10% in the next year and 18% over the course of the next 5 years.

In August 2009 marketing professionals had also been found to have planned to incorporate a higher budget dedicated to social media marketing efforts. In February 2010, those marketers had reported that they would be budgeting one-fifth of their dollars to social media marketing over the next 5 years.  Current social media marketing budget trends are:

• August 2009: 3.5% budget allowance was spent on social media marketing.
• February 2010: Social media marketing budgets had risen to 5.6% .

Social Media The Big Buzz

According to the Marketing Executives Networking Group and Anderson Analytics, their report entitled “Marketing Trends 2010″ found that mastering social media was high on the priority list for marketing professionals. The number one  buzzword to keep on the tip of the tongue in 2010 was Marketing ROI —rate of return on marketing efforts.

• 58% of marketing executives thought social media was a trend to keep an eye on.
• 42% of marketing professionals chose social media as a top trend to watch which made social media marketing hit the list of the top 10 productive marketing initiatives.
• 72% of professionals in marketing reported that they work with companies that have planned a social media marketing program for 2010.  

Social Media – Who Is Using It & How

The study by Anderson Analytics also showed the differences on how social media marketing was being used. Individuals and professionals were found to use social media networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Companies were found to utilize the blog as their main social media tool.

The Anderson Analytics study also reported that social media marketing plans were handed to internal employees, social media consultants and interactive agencies. Marketing professionals that were in charge of carrying out social media initiatives were not found to be looking to PR or ad agencies to head their social media campaigns.

So if your business is working to plan a social media marketing program, feel confident that you are not diving into a trend that will disappear any time soon. Many studies have been performed to analyze the worth of social media marketing and have found that businesses all over are planning to incorporate social media into their marketing budgets. Reaching out to your customers, target marketed and creating an open line of communication through social media is here to stay.

The foundation of successful companies has always been to become a reliable source for their customers.  Long standing businesses look to become a resource in which customers can count on and communicate with. Social media networking allows a business the open line they need to communicate the message that their customers need to hear—you can count on us and you can rely on us. A message that can now be broadcast through social media networks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year— which is more than a stamped postcard can offer.

The world of traditional marketing is ever-changing and as it leans into the digital online world, we encourage you to dig your business heels in and enjoy planning your social media efforts!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Enjoy the value of Facebook and build your business by creating a Facebook business page. By having a Facebook business page you can increase your online presence and gain even more exposure by; including  your Facebook page link in your email signature, posting your link on your business website and adding it to your print and advertising materials. Facebook can be an excellent and valuable business tool if used properly. Check out the research and stats below to find out just how powerful Facebook is in the world of social media networks.

Recent studies performed by Edison Research showed:

• 48% of Americans, over the age of 12, had a profile page set up on a social network site.
• 30% of those same individuals logged on to their social network page multiple times each day.

The statistics from  Facebook are astounding:

• There are more than 400 million active users.
• The average user has an estimated 130 friends.
• People are found to be spending over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook.

Use Facebook to Build Your Business

In order to use Facebook so it benefits your business you can incorporate these ideas:

• Choose a keyword name that will improve your search engine ranking. Try matching your Facebook name to your business name so folks can find you online in cyberspace and on Facebook under the same name.

• Work on creating a comment posting schedule that fits into your work schedule. Posting  on a regular basis can help others get to know you and your business. It will also increase your chances of gaining followers.

• Ask you Facebook friends to interact with others on your page. You can do this by posing questions to spark conversation. The idea is to create a conversation that encourages multiple replies.

• If friends post on your page, respond to their comments as often as possible. This will let them know your available.

• Text is great for getting things started, but make a concentrated effort to share photos and videos so your Facebook business page is interesting and stimulating.

The Importance of Maintaining a Business Website & Blog

Once your business is set up on Facebook with a custom page, turn your efforts to expanding your online presence with a solid foundation like a website and blog. Many businesses wonder why they should spend the time in creating a business blog when a Facebook business page appears to be more interactive. The answer is that you don’t own your Facebook page. You are using Facebook as a place to simply interact and connect with others. They key to using Facebook is to make it beneficial to building your business and that is done by driving your Facebook friends to your own website and or blog.

Think of your website as a central hub for your business and your blog as your social outreach for your marketing and public relations. Since you own your website and your blog, it’s yours. You have complete control of the changes, the longevity and the future of your site and blog. On Facebook, you don’t own your page and any content created on your Facebook page could disappear if Facebook vanished.

Be in Control of Your Destiny

Choose to be self-reliant and maximize the time you invest on your social network pages by creating a strong central business homepage, website and up-to-date well- managed blog. Brand your business by creating an internet storefront. Your store can be filled with creative content that describes your business mission, goals , products and services. At the end of the day, your cyber shop will also be in place for as long you own your business!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Social Media Networks like Twitter, Facebook and Linked In are great places to advertise your business services and products . This type of business networking or advertising is called Relationship Marketing. In the digital age, Relationship Marketing is a powerful tool that breaks all the traditional marketing rules. In order to connect with your target audience online the keyword is YOU.  Relationship Marketing is about focusing your web content, your blog comments and all other marketing efforts on who YOU are, what YOU are offering and how YOU are able to help your customers.

In general people are overwhelmed by how many ads they are exposed to. In order to stand out, focus on branding yourself and your business as someone who people would be interested in. Today it’s important for people to know who they are dealing with, they want to be able to trust and become friends with whoever they are buying their products or services from.

Not many folks are going to pay attention to ads that are self-serving. Being boastful about how great your product is or how fabulous your services are pushes people away. It’s important to note that in order to gain public attention that converts into additional business, you have to literally connect with your customers. Attract large groups of people, market your services and promote your products by creating a Social Media Marketing Campaign.

Three online services, Twitter, Facebook and Linked In, can create a massive online marketing strategy when used together. If used creatively, appropriately and constructively, these services can send massive traffic to your website, increase sales and get people buzzing about you, your products and your services. Follow these steps when dealing with Social Media Networks.

Three keys to being successful online are to:                            

• Be credible
• Be trustworthy
• Be interested in the general welfare of others

Become a Friend on Facebook

Facebook is a place where you will communicate with your target audience. Add as much information about yourself as possible while still maintaining a keen business profile. Your likes, dislikes, pictures and videos should all be chosen with your audience in mind. If your interesting, you will gain a following. Link to your website and blog on your profile. When posting to Facebook keep your  posts friendly, professional, interesting and informative – remember be credible, be trustworthy and be interested in the general welfare of others.

Tweet on Twitter

Twitter is a tool that will feed traffic to your Facebook profile and blog. Add pictures, use keywords in your character bio and add your blog as your site. Create a background with a standard background or load a custom image from your personal files. It’s ideal to upload a background image that incorporates a link to your Facebook profile and has a bold bio about yourself.  Make your tweets interesting, short and informative – remember to be credible, be trustworthy and be interested in the general welfare of others.

Link in on Linked In

Your Linked In account will be your professional network tool. Here you will add your job history, pictures and information about what your interests are. Think of this network as your online resume and a way for current and potential business associates to contact you. Create a professional profile that is business orientated. When posting messages keep it friendly and maintain your professionalism – remember to be credible, be trustworthy and be interested in the general welfare of others.

Internet marketing is about helping other people. The days of blanket advertising, well designed print ads, and bragging about your new business is over. We have gone digital, we want more from our companies and when we spend a dollar we want to know we’re investing, not just splurging. Being friends no long means we share our deepest secrets, we want to be friends in order to have contacts, connections and we want a network of our own.

When people have a network to join they feel like they are a part of something. Be bold and create a world that welcomes new business and offers a place for your customers to connect. Above all, become a trusted resource that is credible and works to help others.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

In the creative world, standing out from the crowd is usually a good thing. Every marketing student knows that having unique ideas is what separates the winningly successful from the ho-hum.

But standing out can also be the kiss of death if you don’t know how to use the concept effectively. An ad campaign that aims to attract attention by being distinctive can sometimes have the opposite of the intended effect, turning off potential customers in the process.

A bad concept is a lot like that guy at the office. You know the one: the guy with the wacky tie who thinks he’s really shaking things up, fashion-wise. He cracks terrible jokes constantly, thinking he’s the funniest guy in the building because of the nervous laughter he receives from a couple of co-workers trying to be polite.

The saddest think about wacky tie guy is just how clueless he is. A comical tie isn’t a forward-thinking fashion concept. It’s still a tie after all.  In fact, the most creative guy at work may be wearing no tie at all.

Bad jokes don’t make you funny either. The funniest guy in the office may not even tell jokes: he cracks everyone up with his hilarious way of describing everyday events.

The problem is, a lot of ideas are the creative equivalent of the wacky tie. They stand out from the rest, but not in a good way. When used car salesmen first started shouting in commercials, they probably startled people into noticing.

Those commercials are certainly different from others, but if having a fat guy in a bad suit yell out car prices was effective, you can bet the big auto makers would be doing it in national ads.

Do you want an ad campaign that stands out like a bad tie or a screaming salesman? Or do you want something that makes people stop, think, and say to themselves, “I’ve never seen that before.”

Creative thinking is organic. It comes from deep within. You can’t put it on like a Looney Toons tie. The good news is, if you can spot the difference between a bad joke and a good joke, or a good campaign versus an annoying campaign, you’ve got an ear for it. If you can’t, you may be guilty of trying too hard.

At Oozil, we’re looking for people who know the difference. People like you, with standout ideas. You can even work at home. That means no tie is necessary (especially not wacky ones.)

By Elizabeth Kelly

As Oozil prepares to move us into the future, it’s interesting to think about the past and its relationship to advertising. As much change as we’ve experienced in the last hundred years, from technological advances to social, cultural, and political changes, some of the main components of advertising are still surprisingly the same.

Take a look through the advertisements in 19th century copies of Harper’s Weekly, and while you’ll see unfamiliar products like laundry ringers and velocipedes, you’ll find that the techniques used are similar to ones still in use today. People still buy for the same reasons that they did one hundred years ago, looking for products to enhance their lives in some way.

An 1866 ad for a family sewing machine includes a written testimonial from Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, who says that “…I can hardly see how any thing could be more complete or give better satisfaction.” The celebrity endorsement was in full swing long before radio or television.

Other ads used clever wording and verses to sell their products. Dr. Wolcott’s Pain Paint is proof that there’s always been room for unusual health cures (remember “Head-On. Apply directly to the forehead?”) Dr.Wolcott’s clever poem also alluded to current events, mentioning the impeachment of 1868.

Today, some ad campaigns even reach into the past to find their sales hook. Building a brand can be hard, but if you can associate a product with a pre-existing icon, one that has already established an image, then you’ve built a product image in an instant.

That’s what GAP did a few years ago when they used film footage of Audrey Hepburn in black capris to almost singlehandedly make the look popular with women again. Prior to that, GAP launched a successful ad campaign using actual photographs of legendary people wearing their khakis. And not just any famous names, but some of the most famous names of all time: James Dean, JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Bogart, Picasso.

The effect was more controversial when Dirt Devil chose to splice footage of Fred Astaire dancing with images of their product, making it appear that Astaire was dancing with a vacuum cleaner. While many were appalled and thought it was disrespectful of the movie icon, Dirt Devil left the commercial on for a whole year, enjoying the added attention the controversy brought.

Author Kinky Friedman says that no matter what obscure, jungle-deep, untouched-by-civilization place you travel, the people there will still recognize Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola. If that doesn’t show the impact of an icon, I don’t know what does.

While today we’re marketing iPods and phone apps and tomorrow it might be hovercrafts, the message is the same as it was when we were hawking mustache wax. If anything, it only emphasizes the importance of finding creatives who can deliver that message again and again in new and exciting ways.

And where to find them? You’re in the right place.

by Elizabeth Kelly