Physical Retail Is Not Dead Yet!

Does it Payless to pay less?

Every Action is an Expression of Belief

Write Like Your Readers Are The Laziest People on Earth

You can read this sentence.

The sentence is short, it uses simple words, and the subject is toward the beginning. These three components make any sentence extremely easy to read.

I know this is a simple example, and I don’t mean to insult your intelligence.

But here’s the deal:

Readability is essential to writing clear, concise, and compelling content.

Your content can wax poetic.

You can write complex, long sentences.

You can even write long-form pieces to tell a captivating story.

But if your content is confusing, complex, or long-winded, you’re missing the point.

Writing online is not like writing in your journal.

You’re writing for a public audience—not yourself.

As a copywriter, your goal isn’t to woo readers with your mastery of the English language.

Your goal is drive results with your words.

Said another way, your words must compel your target audience to take a specific action.

To capture the attention of your audience, you must write readable content. Content your target audience can easily understand.

What this means for you and your business can be completely different from someone else.

What readability means for the healthcare industry versus content marketing can vary widely because the target audiences are different.

For the sake of this post, let’s assume you’re writing for the average adult.

The average adult in the United States reads at the 9th-grade level. In this example, your writing must be readable by someone in the 9th-grade—not a graduate student.

To save your copy from the curse of knowledge, there are four practical ways you can may your content readable. Here are they are.

#1. Use simple words

Big words have two big problems:

1. Most people can’t read big words.
2. Most people don’t want to read big words.

If you’re writing for the general public, then your words shouldn’t exceed the 9th-grade level. If they do, then you run the risk of losing your readers attention.

Besides, most people don’t want to read what you write online.

People read online much like animals’ forage for food.

They’re hungry and in search for something to eat.

The key to satisfying your readers is to use simple words.

What makes a word “simple” depends upon the context.

But here are three guiding principles:

• Use short words
• Use familiar words
• Use words with 1-2 syllables

By using simple words, your copy will be easy-to-understand.

#2. Begin sentences with subjects

Grab your readers attention with right-branching sentences.

These magical sentences are easy to read, minimize passivity, and they fuel your writing with action.

To write a right-branching sentence, you need to describe your main subject first and then modify it afterward with additional information.

Jordan Loftis, a ghostwriter and the former marketing automation lead at CoSchedule, suggests placing the subject and verb as close together as possible to create more movement in your writing.

To see what I’m talking about, here are several right-branching sentence examples from Roy Peter Clark’s Writing Tools:

“A writer composes a sentence with subject and verb at the beginning, followed by other subordinate elements, creating what scholars call a right-branching sentence.”

“Rebels seized control of Cap Haitien, Haiti’s second largest city, on Sunday, meeting little resistance as hundreds of residents cheered, burned the police station, plundered food from port warehouses and looted the airport, which was quickly closed” (Lydia Polgreen).

“He didn’t need a clock. He had been working in a tidal partner so long that he could fee a tide change in his sleep” (John Steinbeck).

#3. Write to be scanned

Focus on your readers by making your copy easy to scan.

People frequently read online in an F-shaped pattern. They scan the page horizontally from left-to-right, and then they scan the left side of the page in a downward vertical movement.

Here’s a visual illustration to show you what I mean:

Help your readers by accommodating to their reading habits. Here are some easy ways how:

• Images
• Sub-headings
• Bulleted lists
• Numbered lists
• Block quotes
• Pull quotes
• Bold or italicize content

The key to writing scannable content is to use short sentences.

In this post, my average sentence length is 9.7 words.

Some people recommend 20-25 words per sentence. I don’t have a hard rule I follow. Honestly, I just eye the format to see if my sentences are short. If I see a long sentence, then I make it shorter.

As you write, be sure to format your content with your readers in mind.

Writing readable content

Readability is about focusing on your readers.

Your goal as a copywriter is to connect with your audience and move them to action. The best way you can accomplish both of these goals is to write readable content.

These tips will help you to get started.

Apply these lessons.

See what resonates with your readers.

Observe your results.

If you’re like me, you’ll need to continually revisit these lessons and improve upon.

Happy writing!

The post Write Like Your Readers Are The Laziest People on Earth appeared first on Copybot.

source https://thecopybot.com/readability/

Can you improve 2019 looking back at 2018 data?

9 Tips on Writing a Blog Post People Will Actually Read

Writing for the web is different from writing for newspapers, magazines, or books.

The difference is not in the words you write. But in the way people read, which makes all the difference in the world.

When it comes to reading online, most people will not read what you write word-for-word. They will scan your post in search of what they are looking for. If you don’t satisfy their appetite—quickly—then they’ll move on.

For bloggers, this means that you cannot be like an abstract artist who splashes paint on a canvas in the hope of creating something compelling. There is an art and science to using words to communicate, engage, and persuade readers online.

What follows are nine tips to writing a blog post people will actually read. Use these principals as proverbial bumper pads for your writing to help you stay on course and hit your goal.

Click here to read the rest of the post at Stillhouse Marketing.

The post 9 Tips on Writing a Blog Post People Will Actually Read appeared first on Copybot.

source https://thecopybot.com/writing-a-blog-post/

How Do You Handle Revenue Blind Spots?

Companies routinely have Revenue Blind Spots that cost them 20-60% of their revenue. It is like revenue that disappears without you knowing it or seeing it. It is like heat escaping from a poorly insulated home or water leaking from an old bucket. Or like the daily death by a 1000 cuts (think Sears). There are really small ones like a paper cut and others that run much deeper. 

Here is an example:

Jeffrey and I are wrapping up a new keynote/workshop for 2019 titled, Revenue Blind Spots: Increase Your Sales with the Persuasive Momentum Framework. We are looking for two associations to deliver this keynote at in 2019. If you know an association that would benefit from this message please connect us.

Smart leaders like you instinctively know they have a blind spot and the miracle of breakthrough is usually hiding in the center of it. Systems and processes that were once true and reliable no longer serve you.

Don’t feel bad. If there was any way you could see your blind spot they wouldn’t call it a blind spot.

Every company has blind spots. Blind spots are the disconnect between customers’ expectation and their actual experience. Are brains are designed to create these blind spots to handle all the information coming at us. In today’s world of increasing velocity of messaging and data we need solutions to recover these Revenue Blind Spots that cost companies between 20-60% of their revenue. Everyone knows what it feels like to make changes that make customers happier and increase sales. The challenge for companies is to pinpoint how to connect with customers. How to position their products and services in ways that sustain engagement.

Most companies don’t have an awareness problem. Their challenge is sales conversion. They attract potential customers, but fail to identify obstacles in the funnel. They also fail to motivate customers, in the proper context, to propel customers through the customer journey. This has only become more challenging as consumers and companies move between channels – offline to online and back. Customers expect seamless and consistent positioning, messaging and engagement. Companies struggle to provide this at any individual stage, much less through the entire lifecycle of a customer.

The Eisenbergs provide keynotes, workshops and consulting that help reveal the blind spots and how to fix them. The Persuasive Momentum Framework anticipates then provides solutions for those blind spots. The Framework provides action plans for products, positioning, sales copy, promotion, content, user interface, testing and measurement. Teams use these action plans, innovating customer experiences to increase sales. Frameworks are also easier to implement than finding superstar talent.

• Discover the single perspective that sales leaders share
• Explore the two dimensions you can use to improve sales
• Learn the three simple questions that speed the persuasive momentum of your entire sales system
• Align your teams for better execution around the four pillars of success
• Identify what your customers want so you can provide it

The post How Do You Handle Revenue Blind Spots? appeared first on Bryan Eisenberg & Jeffrey Eisenberg.

source https://www.bryaneisenberg.com/how-do-you-handle-revenue-blind-spots/