I used to play volleyball in high school, and I’ll never forget how my coach taught me to strengthen my overhead serve. It was a simple tactic:

Follow through.

He used to say that if I stopped swinging my arm once it hit the ball, then the power behind it would stop, too. If I kept my arm swinging, even after that initial contact, even after the ball was no longer in my hands, the energy I used in that swing would transfer more powerfully into the serve.

Serving up a Strong Brand

In branding, the follow-through is important because getting the ball in the air isn’t enough. It needs to have enough power that it lands in the right place.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a theme for my new fiction blog. It was supposed to be an easy to customize theme, with endless opportunities to get creative with it. The company did a great job with their branding in this case: their copy clearly explained the ease of using the theme, it placed heavy emphasis on the forums and tutorials in case I had any questions, and they gave off a friendly, very creative and extremely helpful attitude. They used words that highlighted that the user would be “in control” and that the theme was “flexible” enough to give customers the results they wanted. Best of all, they offered a money back guarantee.

Up In the Air

Since this theme sounded sounded like everything I needed, I gladly paid the fee and started playing around with it. Score 1 for their branding, right?

Not so fast. Deduct a point for the fact that I didn’t find the product very easy to use at all. But maybe that was just my fault, right? Maybe all the answers I was looking for could be found in the tutorials and forums like they said they would be. So I looked, and found the whole section to be overwhelming, difficult to navigate, and not as resourceful as they’d promised. Basically, they were back to zero.

After several days of trying to figure this out, and realizing that maybe their product wasn’t a good fit for me, I tried requesting my money back. Nowhere on the site did they explain how one would go about doing this, so finally I used their contact form and requested it. (So much for easy to use, right?)

The next day I got an email saying that they’d received my request, but had I tried their forums yet? Had I browsed their tutorials and asked the community? If after doing this, I still wanted my refund, they could process it, they said.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t waste time asking for something unless I know I want it. I don’t spend 10-15 minutes on someone’s website trying to figure out how to request a refund if I haven’t entirely made up my mind about the decision.

So I kindly responded that yes, I’d done all these things, and while I thought their product seemed like a great option for someone with different needs and experiences, it wasn’t a good fit for me.

Minutes later, I got a response with one line:

We will process your refund

No, “Thanks for trying our product.” No, “Sure, that won’t be a problem.” Not even a period at the end of that sentence.

If my perception of them had been shaky before, with that one line it completely crashed. The whole friendly, helpful, and flexible image of them as a company vanished.

If this had been a volleyball serve, it would’ve landed on the wrong side of the court with a big thud. They had been happy to try and charm me up until the point I bought their product, but after, there was absolutely no follow-through. The customer experience didn’t live up to the hype.

The lesson? Don’t build a brand if you’re not prepared to make it a reality. Don’t get the ball in the air if you don’t have enough strength in the swing to get it over the net.

What are the steps you take to ensure your brand is consistently strong from start to finish?

Photo credit: (cc) Scarleth White

I’ve been noticing one word keeps popping up to describe how marketers should make their audience feel: charmed.

Charming someone is far more powerful than leaving a good impression. A person who’s charmed by you won’t stop thinking about you after you’ve met. They’ll smile when your name comes up, and want to gush to their friends about how great you are. They’ll hope that your initial encounter will turn into something much more long-term.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? So how exactly do you go about doing this?

Think of it like a great first date

1. The first impression sets the tone: Get yourself dolled up, stand up straight, and speak with confidence. In other words, present yourself in the best possible light. You can’t fake a great web presence (just like you can’t fake a good suit) so make sure your web design is appealing to the eyes (cleanliness, please!), your web copy has strong headlines, and your site is easy enough to navigate that it makes for a pleasing experience. Also, get rid of anything that oozes cheesiness—flashy graphics, taglines that rhyme for no other reason than to sound “clever,” and auto-music are huge signs that you’re trying too hard.

2. Sincerity works wonders: Don’t you hate it when people give dating advice like “just be yourself”? Well, it’s true. You won’t get matched up with your right audience if you’re not putting the real you out there. Be honest about your product or service and you’ll build an invaluable trust with your customers. That trust—in the quality of what you’re offering, the quality of your service, and the promises that you make—is the only thing that’ll stop them from leaving the second someone else claims to be #1.

3. Talking about yourself is still a turn-off: Nobody wants to sit through dinner with someone who won’t stop bragging about themselves. The same goes for your marketing copy: It can’t be all about you. If you’ve won awards or Mashable called your startup the next big thing, share it in places where it’s relevant. Your About page, Press Page, a sidebar or even (briefly) on your homepage are all good places as long as they’re not taking the focus away from the main point: What can you do for your customers? Which brings us to number four…

4. You gotta think about their needs: Be a good listener and be considerate of their needs. That’s usually enough to get you a second date. Before you write any marketing copy, listen to your target audience and its needs. Keep them in mind at all times: What are they looking for in a product like yours? What problem do they have that you might not be aware of? How can you make their life easier?

5. Nobody likes a bland date: You could have all of the above and still not charm anyone if you don’t show some personality. Step outside of the misleading safe zone formed by boring, “let’s please everyone” branding and make a real statement. It might not charm everyone, but it won’t matter as long as you’re charming the right people.

photo credit: chibi_m

Remember that novel I talked about a few months back? I recently completed the final draft (insert huge sigh of relief here). I’m lucky to have had an amazing group of writers who critiqued the manuscript throughout its numerous versions and offered some solid feedback that helped me improve it along the way.

When you’ve been in writing groups long enough, you start to notice recurring questions that readers ask to determine the strength of the work. Some are questions we ask subconsciously as we read, others are questions we ask out loud to get a discussion going. And while my book is a work of fiction, I’ve found these questions also apply to copywriting.

Next time you’re getting ready to edit your own copy, take a cue from my writer’s groups and ask yourself these questions:

Do the characters feel real? Before you say, “My copy doesn’t have a character,” think again. Your company’s persona and brand are the main characters in the story you’re telling. They’re essential to making your message something people will connect with. Take a moment to study the impressions you’re putting out into the world. If you want customers to trust your brand, it absolutely has to be authentic and sincere.

Do the characters have a distinctive voice? In fiction, one of the signs of great dialogue is that you know who’s speaking even if the writer doesn’t tell you. A writer who pulls this off is creating a bond between the reader and the character—the reader feels like they really know this person (similar to how they know a close friend). Does your copy have a unique voice? Is it true to your company culture and what it stands for?

Is this action justified? Characters in novels do crazy things. Sometimes they’re justified because they seem like something the person would do. Sometimes they’re so out of left field that readers start thinking, “That doesn’t sound like her at all.”

What ends up happening is that this disconnect chips away at the authenticity of the character. To make sure this doesn’thappen to your brand, it’s important to be consistent. Your brand should align with your message, but so should your actions. So let’s say you have a product that’s meant to help simplify people’s lives. But your copy makes it difficult for them to find the information they’re looking for, check-out is an eight-step process, and returning the product is an even bigger hassle. If the experience doesn’t live up to the promise, people will simply stop buying into it.

Think about the things that draw you into a good book. How can these elements be translated to help your copy?

photo credit: doctor paradox

Copywriting is so important because it basically boils down to this:

Words carry your message.

How can you be sure you’re doing it right? Today I’m guest blogging (and also venting a little) for Brass Knuckles Media about the six most common copywriting mistakes and how to avoid them.

Check it out and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Are there other copywriting mistakes that should be on the list? Are there any (uh-oh) that you might be guilty of?

I have a walk-in closet with a motion sensor light. When I first moved into my apartment, I thought this was the coolest thing ever. No more forgetting to turn the lights off and wasting energy. No more having to get up after I’m super comfy in bed just to flip the switch.

The way it’s supposed to work is simple. I walk in. Lights turn on.

The Way It Usually Works Is This:

I walk in. Lights stay off. I try finding my favorite pair of jeans in the dark hoping the lights will eventually detect my motion. Lights stay off. I wave my arms in the air like a crazy person and sometimes the lights turn on. Sometimes I give up on this entirely and just as I leave…voila! Lights turn on.

Ideas Are Not Light Bulbs

This was supposed to be a post about how we can’t afford to be like this in our business. We can’t have the light bulbs go off in our minds just as the client’s leaving.

But in the real world, the one that exists outside of my dark, shoe-and-purse-filled closet, working with clients for creative projects isn’t always as simple as flipping a switch (or hoping it lights up on its own).

True, it doesn’t help anyone if the lights turn on just when no one needs them anymore. But it’s also unrealistic to expect a great “A-ha!” moment if we don’t get enough direction. It’s not as if the second a client pops up on our radar we’re going to know exactly what they need. We are not mind readers (it’d be nice, though).

Rescuing Ideas from Obscurity

The realistic scenario is that more often than not, both the creative and the client start out a little bit in the dark. The client doesn’t always know exactly what he wants until he sees it, or he thinks he wants one thing but it turns out another approach might work better. Likewise, I, as a copywriter, won’t know exactly what my client needs until I’ve asked a lot of questions to pry it out of obscurity. Even then, ideas aren’t always solid, definable creatures. They’re vague and mischievous little things, and they need someone to help them shine.

This isn’t to say the process should be as frustrating as my closet situation. No one should feel as helpless as I do when I’m waving directly at the motion sensor and nothing happens.

But there’s a sweet spot* somewhere in that obscurity, where, given enough feedback, we can find a way to shed light on a problem in a way that the client might never have imagined. It takes a good amount of communication from both sides, and it means we can’t expect instant gratification, but lasting gratification. When that light does turn on, you’ll know that it’s on for good.

*Turns out the light in my closet has a sweet spot as well. My dog, Maggie, has figured it out, but she’s not telling.

What do you think? Do your ideas come to you in a flash? If so, how do you develop them from there?

photo credit: thomas mies

Last week I attended the Innovate!2010 Pitch Slam in Austin, which is part of a global program to identify promising, up-and-coming startups around the world. Even though my copywriting business isn’t one I ever plan on pitching to a group of investors, I went to this event because I’m always curious to see how people present themselves and their business. Most of the time, what makes a great verbal presentation also applies in a written one, like a website.

The whole pitching process for businesses is a lot like learning to walk: you’ll always be doing it to move forward, so it’s best to start off on the right foot. I took a few notes on things to keep in mind as you pitch, whether it’s to a group of VC’s or a connection at a networking event.

1. Start with the problem you’re solving: We’re too used to introducing ourselves based on who we are, what we do, and what our background is. But when you’re pitching your company to an investor or even a visitor to your website, keep their interests at the forefront. I know we hear this all the time, but it’s worth repeating: Show people what you have to offer them, how you can make their lives a little bit better, and you’ll have their attention right away.

2. Be concise: At the Pitch Slam, presenters had only 5 minutes. In real life, we’re lucky to get 30 seconds. People don’t need to know everything about your business. What they do need to know is a) why should they listen to you, b) what do you have that they need and c) why should they trust you to deliver on what you’re promising?

3. Be human: Hands down, the most memorable pitch was Tina Cannon’s from PetsMD. This isn’t just my opinion–the fact that nearly every presenter that went after her made a reference to her pitch means that she managed to really connect with them. She did it very simply: by being her funny, laid-back, straightforward self. Showing personality is refreshing in a world where too many formalities often come into play. Yeah, we’re all trying to sell something, but that doesn’t mean we need to be stuffy or pretend to be something we’re not.

4. Don’t overwhelm your audience with too much information: We’ve all seen PowerPoint slides filled with tiny, tiny text that presenters end up reading out loud, or website landing pages that seem to bombard us with Flash animation and essay-length sales copy. Isn’t it a huge turn-off? It’s like having someone throw a bunch of spaghetti in your general direction in the hopes that something will stick. Keep your message simple and well-targeted and you’ll stand a much better chance of being heard.

5. Explore different mediums for different types of demonstrations: The best presentations incorporated punchy text, great graphics, and even sound or video to get their point across. It’s not enough to know what you want to say; you have to find the best way to say it. Sometimes a chart will do in two seconds what a paragraph can’t do in 30. Sometimes a video on a website will do a much better job of showing instead of telling.

What’s your best tip for the perfect pitch?

photo credit: sidehike

If you’re obsessed enough with something, you’ll find yourself learning about it in the most unexpected places. Ever since I met my husband seven years ago, this unexpected place has been DVD commentaries.

My husband’s quite the film enthusiast. Anytime we finish watching a movie on DVD, he’ll check the special features and see what he can find about how it was made. And, because of marital osmosis, I end up learning a thing or two about the craft of storytelling.

Take Disney’s Aladdin. Those Disney guys did some serious reworking to the script.

– Initially, Jasmine and Aladdin met in the palace, after Aladdin tries to hide from guards that are after him. There’s a whole scene where Abu hangs from a tree, and Aladdin talks to Jasmine

– Aladdin had a mother whom he wanted to make proud. This, in addition to his love for Jasmine, is an important motivator for him wanting to be a prince. There was actually a whole song dedicated to this, and many subsequent scenes

– In addition to Abu the monkey, Aladdin had three other friends who help him with his antics of stealing food to get by

– Jafar’s character was initially the loud, panicky one, while Iago the parrot was cool and collected

If you’ve seen the movie, you know that the end product hardly resembles the initial vision. This means characters were cut, songs were reworked or omitted, roles were switched and it probably felt like they were starting over from scratch every time the creators made these tough calls.

Moving back to move forward

In any type of writing, whether it’s a novel or a company’s web copy, you don’t always get it right the first time. Actually, you’ll rarely get it right the first time.

For example, when I’m writing copy for a client, I don’t just write and send it to them. I’ll write something, step away from it, then write it again with an entirely new approach to see what works best. Sure, the client thinks they’re seeing my first draft when I turn something in, but what they’re really seeing is my first working draft. It’s the one that works because it’s been revised and polished and fine-tuned.

It’s the same with fiction. When I realized the major revisions I’d have to make to my novel’s rough draft, it felt like I might end up pulling the one piece from the Jenga puzzle that would make everything come falling down.

I rewrote it from a new perspective, then completely changed the setting, and then realized that it was actually another character’s story. These edits have only made the story stronger.

The Fluidity of a Story

The commentary for Aladdin isn’t the first to demonstrate the fluidity of a story. Nearly every single one I’ve watched (and I’ve watched tons) prove this point: You rarely start out with the end result.

That doesn’t just go for writing. It goes for business plans, and marketing plans, and product launches that end up evolving into something no one ever imagined (um…Twitter, anyone?). It goes for brands that realize that they need to change their messaging, and businesses that notice untapped markets. The real progress lies in revision.

What part of your life, your business, or your writing could use some revision?

photo credit: Loren Javier

Lately, I’ve been noticing how small the online world can be despite its vastness. We all have our favorite bloggers, websites, and Tweeters that we interact with. We even have a select few that we look up to and draw inspiration from. And even though this list is unique for everyone, we all have one thing in common:

We’re here to learn something.

Which also means that we feel we have a lot to learn. Which means we feel like someone out there is better than us at what we’re trying to do. Which means if we’re not careful, we can do some serious internal damage to our own confidence and aspirations if we spend too much time comparing ourselves to them.

And by “we” of course I mean “I”

Because that’s what I did this week. I’ve been thinking of offering new products and services through Inky Clean, so naturally I started doing some research. What’s already out there? What are other writers doing? How are they making it work and how can I approach it differently?

The deeper I got into my research the louder this little voice inside of me started saying, “What makes you think you can do this? What makes you so special?”

I got into quite the slump, and I realize it’s risky to share this online. Online, we’re supposed to showcase ourselves. We’re supposed to sell our expertise and know-how in a neatly-bundled package. Perhaps this is how we end up with online idols who, in our minds, never experience self-doubt, never question whether or not they’re getting everything right, never wonder how they’ll pull things off.

How I got out of this slump

I’ve been having a lot of great conversations with writers lately, and they are all in different stages of their career. One of them actually told me that they looked up to me, that they considered me an example of a successful writer. And I really had to step back, shift my perspective away from the impossible standards I’d set up for myself, and realize that they were right. Not in an arrogant, “You’re right, I’m wonderful” kind of way, but in a healthy, “You’re right, I should be proud with what I’ve accomplished” kind of way.

I should mention that the person who said this to me is a fantastic writer, and I also know for a fact that she experiences moments of self-doubt just like I do. And if that’s the case, then that’s probably the case for the people I look up to, and the people those people look up to, until it all becomes this crazy cycle of accomplished, but occasionally insecure, awesome people.

Only, we don’t often see that. We see beautifully-designed websites, prolific blogs and swarms of comments and we forget that the people we admire are more than their traffic numbers or client lists. And then we compare ourselves to them based on this incomplete ideal that we’ve created in our minds.

Maybe it’s time we broke that cycle. Maybe it’s time we stopped comparing ourselves—our real, living, breathing, thinking, selves—to the online brands and personalities we become attached to. If we stop idolizing them, an interesting thing could happen: we could learn a lot from them, without putting ourselves down like I did. We could get to know the real people behind the personas and realize that we’re not all that different.

What do you think? Have you ever been in a similar slump? Or is it just me?

photo credit: Mike Kanert

I’ve always loved books. When I was little, I used to take my book to the dinner table and hope that my parents didn’t notice I was still reading as I ate. I’d walk into my parents’ bedroom and say things like “Little Women is my favorite book” as a subtle hint for them to buy me a new copy. I made my wedding theme revolve around books, and I still get excited about going to the library on a Friday night.

The only thing I love more than books is sharing books

Lucky for you, last weekend at the Texas Book Festival a publisher shared a bunch of books with me. I went to a panel held by Vintage Books called Writers on Reading, aimed at readers interested in reading groups, and they passed out a tote bag full of free books to every single person that walked in there. I was so excited about getting free books I figured you would be too. So I’ll be giving away the books as I go through them.

This week’s book is Cherries in Winter: My family’s recipes for hope in hard times, by Suzan Colón.

It’s a beautiful mixture of the author’s stories and her grandmother’s old recipes, which Colón uncovers after she’s laid off from her magazine job and realizes she needs to trim her budget. Freelance writers will find it very relatable, but so will anyone who’s been through hard times and has looked for comfort in food and family. I love how the recipes act as triggers for memories and stories of the women in Colón’s family, how each provides nourishment in more ways than one. Read more about the book here.

To enter to win the book, simply leave a comment below and tell me about a book that’s given you nourishment, in any sense of the word. It can be a cookbook, a novel that made you feel good, a non-fiction book that helped you grow as a person, a children’s book that nourishes your inner kid. You can also retweet this post (just make sure to tag @InkyClean so I can keep track of them) for extra entries.

I’ll start: When I moved to Texas, my mom gave me a copy of the Peruvian cookbook she’d used as a newlywed and throughout my childhood. It’s called Qué Cocinaré Hoy? by Nicolini (What will I cook today?) and it’s filled with all the Peruvian meals that mean home to me. I follow the recipes but they don’t always come out the same as when my mom cooked them. She must have added her own touches

Oh! And you have until Tuesday at 6 p.m. Central to enter! Good luck.

photo credit: Leo Reynolds

I know, I know. The whole “Lessons from [insert trending topic here]” thing can get kind of annoying. Just be thankful I didn’t make this a “Lessons from the Gap Logo Fiasco” post. I was thisclose to writing one.

I went to see The Social Network this weekend. Parts of it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside even though they weren’t meant to. I have this thing for seeing old screenshots of popular websites, and seeing shots of Facebook as “TheFacebook.com” took me back to my sophomore year of college at the University of Miami.

Is it weird that I still remember where I was when I first heard of the site that would change the way we experience each others’ lives? I was standing in the school’s breezeway interviewing a source for an article for the student paper. Somehow it came up as a “site that lets you see what other students’ schedules are.” Weird, but okay. I created a profile. I got friend requests from students whom I’d never even spoken to in class before. You know the rest of the story.

The World Got Onboard for the Ride

But that little cusp, that time when people were jumping on the Facebook bandwagon with no clear idea of where it was headed, is beautifully depicted in the movie. There’s a scene where Zuckerburg’s CFO is anxious to find a way to monetize the site now that it’s reached 100,000 users. He wants to set up meetings with advertisers.

In the movie (because who knows what happened in real life), Zuckerburg tells him that they can’t do that yet. They can’t start making it a business because they don’t know what Facebook is going to be yet. Users don’t know what it’s going to be yet. All everyone knows is that it’s cool, and that’s why they’re joining. The site’s “cool” is the greatest thing they’ve got going for them.

What’s your Cool?

We don’t all have the luxury of waiting like Zuckerburg did to become a billionaire. But we all have to keep our cool. That thing that drives people to your business, that makes them be loyal to you and keeps them coming back. The thing that makes them feel like they’re getting something out of the experience, instead of the other way around.

Movie Zuckerburg didn’t want people coming to Facebook and being bombarded with ads because this would change their message from “Facebook is about you” to “Facebook is about how we can profit from you.” Before the company could start making money, they needed to define what their users would get out of it, and how to keep giving them that.

It’s Not that Making Money’s Not Cool…

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t advertise on your website. I’m not saying that trying to make money from your business is bad. I’m not even saying you have to be cool. Maybe that’s not your brand’s style (maybe it’s more of a friendly smarty-pants or a nurturing mother type).

I’m just saying to guard your cool above all else. The cool is hard to define because it’s an essence. It’s that feeling people get when they realize that a product or a service is going to change their lives in a way they’ve been waiting for. It’s the satisfaction they get when this promise is delivered.

It’s the only thing that will keep them coming back to you. The only thing that will keep money in your pocket and you in business.

And it’s not at all about you.

So, what’s your cool? And, more importantly, is it showing?