Category Archives: Copywriting

sales email tips

Steal This Technique for Your Next Sales Email

One of the basic rules of good, direct marketing copywriting is that a call to action should always be specific. In other words, it’s always better to present the reader with a very precise, preferably tangible reason to respond. So, for example: “Click to download our free white paper” is… Read More

Integra Email Campaign

Email Campaign or Essay Question? You Decide.

The email campaign below from Integra, a regional provider of business voice and data solutions based in Vancouver, Washington, gets high marks for promoting content – in this case, a “buyer’s guide” – but on all other counts, the email reads like the opening to a term paper, not the… Read More

As Seen on TV

But Wait, There’s More! Why Cheesy Copy Still Works.

Effective email copy is not like a letter to your grandma; unless, that is, you’re asking Grandma to sponsor you for the 5K Fun Run at the park. A good email campaign isn’t designed to make people feel warm and fuzzy about you, your company or your product, or generate… Read More

Assumptive Close

If You Write B2B Copy, You Need This Blog Post

Those of you who have been subjected to sales training at some point in your careers may remember a technique called “the assumptive close.” It goes something like this: “Would you like the car in red or blue?” or “Can I deliver that to you this Friday?” In theory, asking… Read More

Janrain Webinar invitation

Design Choices & More Sink Webinar Invitation

I wrote recently in this space about the decisions that today’s B2B email marketers are facing as they strive to ensure that their campaigns are optimized for an increasingly mobile audience. The Webinar invitation below from Janrain, a software company in Portland, Oregon, illustrates some of the perils inherent in… Read More

marketing reality check

Give Your Next Demand Gen Campaign A Reality Check

We’ve all been there. The copy is winding its way through the marketing group and is now on its fourth revision. The CEO didn’t like the photo at the top of the email so it’s back to the drawing board, design-wise. The marcom director wants to change the headline so… Read More

How to Get a Meeting

3 Tips for Getting Prospects to Say “Yes” to a Meeting

In the long run, it pays to extend the reach of your demand generation campaign to include not only those prospects ready to buy, but also anyone else that might be facing the specific issue or problem that your product or service can solve. Occasionally, however, other factors demand a… Read More