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LET'S TALK
BUSINESS
HOW TO GRAB ATTENTION
WITH YOUR HEADLINES
By Charlie Cook
You've got just a few seconds to grab your prospects' attention,
spark their interest and motivate them to keep reading whether
they're looking at your web site, your letter or your brochure.
Headlines are the first thing your prospects read. Four out of
five people determine whether they keep reading to learn about
your products and services on the basis of your headline.
Do your headlines capture your prospects' attention or do they
confuse them and send them away?
Are your headlines prompting prospects to learn about your
products and services or click to another web site or throw away
your letter?
Avoid the three following headline mistakes.
Don't Emphasize Obscure Company Names
Most small businesses and many not so small businesses names
aren't household words. Unless your name is among the top ten most
recognized brands such as, Craftsman, Waterford, Rolls Royce, the
Discovery Channel, WD-40 or Crayola there is a very good chance
people won't associate your company name with anything.
Have you ever visited a web site or read a print ad where the
company's name covered the top part of the page and it was
something like, "Pharos Partners"? Unless the name of
your company describes what you do, it is not going to grab
prospects' attention. Move it to the side and make room for a
creative headline.
Avoid Welcome Statements
On many web sites the first line you read is, "Welcome to our
Site". There is a reason you don't see these in print ads.
Welcome statements are a waste of time in marketing materials;
they do little to help prospects understand what you do.
Delete Vague Descriptions and Statements Statements like,
"Our purpose is to connect you with information and resources
to achieve your maximum potential", could apply to a number
of different professions. It could refer to a cooking school, a
management consultant or an eldercare program.
- Are you wasting valuable space where your headline goes to
feature a company name that doesn't describe what you do?
- Does your headline include "business speak" terms your
children or mother-in-law can't explain?
- Is your description of product and services specific or is it so
generic that it could apply to other types of businesses?
- Does your headline focus on the selling points that distinguish
your products and services from the competitions?
Writing Headlines that Get Your Prospects' Attention People look
at web sites the same way they look at magazine ads. They scan the
page quickly to see if the product or service is something they
want. On the web or in a marketing brochure, if you capture their
interest, they'll keep reading.
The best way to do this is to give them a clear idea of the
problems your products or services can solve and/or the benefits
you provide. Use a few carefully selected words such as:
- Leverage your expertise to attract a steady stream of clients
- Reliable Office Supplies, free next day delivery.
- In-home sports training for exercise enthusiasts
- Web and print design that helps your business grow
- Costa Rica Travel, Unique off-the-beaten track tours to jungles
and beaches
Your page headline should communicate clearly what you offer
clients, which problems you solve and the benefits you provide. Do
your headlines:
- Clarify what you do?
- Describe the problems you solve?
- Define whom you do it for?
- Explain the benefits?
- Emphasis a key selling point?
- Compel your prospects to keep reading?
Imagine that you worked at an exercise facility and wanted to
attract clients for your massage business. Here are some possible
headlines you might use for your flyer and associated critiques.
- George Jenkins Massage
(It's your name but so what)
- Are You Bothered By Back Pain
(Better, it defines the problem)
- 7 Ways to Get Instant Back Pain Relief
(Defines the problem and a solution)
- How Computer Users Can Banish Back Pain in One Hour
(Defines who your target market is, the problem and the benefit)
Grab your prospects attention in the first few seconds with your
headline. Then follow with compelling copy that clarifies the
value of your products and services and you'll generate many more
sales.
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2004 ?© In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
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The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals and small
business owners attract more clients and be more successful. Sign
up to receive the Free Marketing Guide, '7 Steps to Grow Your
Business' and the 'More Business' newsletter, full of practical
tips you can use at http://www.charliecook.net
RECIPES
Jell-O Rainbow Popcorn
- 8 cups popped popcorn
- 1 cup cocktail peanuts
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or
margarine
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light
brown sugar
- 1 pkg. (3 oz.) Jell-O gelatin,
any flavor (or equivalent gelatin)
Heat oven to 300?°. Line a 15x10x1
inch pan with foil or wax paper. Place popcorn and nuts in a large
bowl.
Heat butter and syrup in a small sauce pan on low heat. Stir in
sugar and gelatin. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to
low; gently simmer 5 min. Pour syrup immediately over popcorn;
toss to coat well.
Spread popcorn in prepared pan, use two forks to spread evenly.
Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Remove from pan and break into small
pieces.
CRAFTS
TRANSFERRING PATTERNS
Dressmaker's carbon is suitable for marking smooth fabrics and comes
in a variety of colours from light to dark. Many patterns are
available in hot-iron transfer form, or you can make your own
patterns with a special hot-iron transfer pencil. When using any
marking method, transfer the thinnest line possible, so that you can
cover all the transferred markings with the embroidery stitches.
Place dressmaker's carbon paper coloured side down on the right side
of the fabric. Place pattern right side up over carbon paper. Pin in
each corner or use sewing tape. Use a dry ballpoint pen to trace the
design or roll a tracing wheel over the pattern lines.
For the hot-iron method, cut transfers apart. Test transfer on a
scrap of fabric. Position transfer on right side of fabric. Pin or
tape corners where iron will not rest. Use temperature setting as
indicated on transfer package. Press one area for a few seconds,
lift corner to make sure the design is transferring properly. Lift
iron and press another area without moving the iron. Continue in
this manner until the complete design is transferred.
When using a hot-iron pencil, first trace the design onto tracing
paper with a regular graphite pencil. Turn traced design facedown,
and using transfer pencil, trace the design. Place the hot-iron
transfer tracing against the right side of fabric. Pin where iron
will not rest. Press one area at a time until the whole design has
been transferred.
You can also draw designs freehand directly onto the fabric using a
dressmaker's pencil. Select the white end for medium to dark fabrics
and the blue end for white or light fabrics. Stitch over the pencil
marks.
You can use an air or water-soluble marking pen for transferring
designs. Air-soluble marks disappear anywhere from a few hours to a
day or two depending on the humidity. Water-soluble marks can be
removed by dampening the fabric with water.
Patty Lee
FR*E online CRAFT newsletter!
Craft Tips, Contests, Links to Craft Sites
craftideas-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/craftideas
HOME DECOR
Shoestring Organizing Solutions
by Debbie Williams
It's my job as an organizing coach to help busy women find the balance
between organizing career and family. However, most of us don't
want to invest much time or money to accomplish this goal. Some of
the best organizational tools are very inexpensive and can be
found at most discount stores. Often developing a personal system
involves just a bit of creativity rather than a substantial
investment in a professional product or service.
In a Bind? For bills and other correspondence,
buy a notebook with twelve pocketed dividers, one for each month
of the year. Label each with birthdays, anniversaries, and billing
due dates, then fill with correspondence. The binder can be used
as a portable desk, or can be stored at your work area. Minimize
organizing product costs by clipping articles and recipes, then
discarding the remainder of the magazine. Store in magnetic photo
albums, or a notebook with dividers.
Hangers, hooks, and bins: oh my! Closet
organizing ideas can be implemented for storing clothing, crafts,
sporting goods, and just about anything else you can shove into a
closet. Use dowel rods hung at multi-levels for clothing on
hangers. Plastic bins and shelf dividers keep folded items
stacked. Hang ties and belts on a plastic coat hanger, buy
cardboard cubbies for shoes and purses (or make your own by
decorating divided grocery store boxes). For quick retrieval,
hooks for caps, bags, umbrellas, and purses keep things in sight.
A hanging storage closet system purchased at a home store or
discount store is a portable alternative to built-in organizers.
(These hang by hooks over your closet rod and have multiple milk
crate cubes suspended below.) If you live in small quarters or
move frequently, this is a cost-effective solution to custom
shelving.
Hanging organizers with divided pouches store and display at the
same time. These come with small pockets for jewelry, or larger
pockets for shoes, pantyhose, or scarves. I've used them in lieu
of junk drawers for office supplies. The large sizes can be found
at dollar stores, and the smaller sizes are featured in mail order
catalogs or home furnishing stores.
Secret Hideaway. Use a bedroom closet to create a
niche for hobby work; the doors close to hide work in progress.
Folding screens are decorative and disguise a work area. A folding
card table or banquet table can be stored under the bed when not
in use, which is convenient if your hobby room doubles as a guest
bedroom. Find a large piece of plywood to place over the spare
bedroom mattress as a workspace, which can then easily be stored
when guests visit.
Keep your eyes open for creative ways to contain clutter. Be only
as organized as you NEED to be. This means establishing a workable
system for yourself that you know you can follow for a long time.
Remember that being organized is an ongoing process, not an end
result. Tackle those paper piles and cluttered areas ten minutes a
day until you finally see light under all those stacks. It will
get done, and just think of the sense of accomplishment you'll
feel every day as you do just a little bit more to organize the
clutter in your life.
---Debbie Williams is an organizing
strategist and parent educator who offers tools and training to
help you put your house in order. She is the author of Put Your
House In Order. Learn more at http://www.organizedtimes.com
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