People love to throw around words like “buzz” and “hype.” Rarely, however, do these terms actually translate to anything meaningful. They’re typical “strategies” marketing teams that aren’t really doing their jobs (*cough* getting sales *cough*) like to toss around during meetings. “We really want to create a wave of buzz all over social media and […]
March 20, 2014 by 4 Comments
Black Swan Marketing: The Power of What You Don’t Know
Picture this: An old friend you have not seen in many years invites you over to his house for a dinner party. It is in the swankiest part of town. A valet wearing a red tie takes your keys upon arrival. You walk through the front doors that are twice the height of any reasonable […]
March 6, 2014 by 6 Comments
How Trader Joe’s Writes Copy Customers Love
Mention the words “Trader Joe’s” around the right person and you’re likely to encounter the definition of a rabid fan. To you, it may just be a grocery store. To them? It’s a part of who they are as a person. Shopping is of secondary importance when one visits Trader Joe’s. The real reason is […]
February 27, 2014 by 6 Comments
What a Piece of Catfish and a Rock ‘n’ Roll Legend Taught Me About Sales
Two and a half months ago, I ate a piece of cornmeal-crusted, pan-fried catfish. Four months ago today, Lou Reed died. These incidents–one joyous, one sad–are related. Not only to each other, but to copywriting, sales, and marketing. I promise. Let’s start at the beginning: Lou Reed’s death.
February 20, 2014 by 8 Comments
When Words Fail: A Copywriter’s Case for Images Over Copy
“People die here falling from the edge.” That’s what the sign said. You can’t really understand why until you see the Grand Canyon in person. There are just some things words fail to do justice. So how does a dude who makes his living from words reconcile that fact? I admit to it. And then […]
February 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment
9 Mistakes That Ruin Your About Page
There is no piece of content people have more trouble writing than their own About page. It’s tricky and intimidating, right? I mean, who wants to write about themselves? I ran into this all over again when writing the About page for Copygrad a couple weeks ago. So what’d I do? I scoured the Internet, […]