Mail from Dale
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Pitch What It Does, Not What It Is!
Have you ever waxed eloquently about your product or service in a meeting with a prospective client, watching as they folded their arms and their eyes glazed over? "What is the matter with them?" you asked yourself silently; this product is the best thing since sliced bread! It is exactly what they need!
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What you may have slowly realized is that they really didn't care what your product is, they care about what it does and how it may help them solve a problem. In marketing the challenge is always about identifying the market segments with problems that your product can uniquely address, and then communicating how it solves those problems.
Successful businesses usually do this in reverse: identifying problems for specific market segments and then developing products and services that solve those problems. A case in point is Bibby Financial, a SOHO client located in Westlake Village, CA (www.bibbyusa.com). Bibby recognized that there are many companies with strong customer bases and great products that struggle with cash flow problems as a result of short payable cycles and long receivable cycles. Bibby's factoring service provides funding for these companies based solely on the financial strength of their customers, bridging this cash flow gap and benefiting all parties.
So the next time you see those eyes glaze over, switch gears! Talk about how your product will solve a problem and watch your company -- Take the Lead. |
| HOW TO WRITE WEB ARTICLES |
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Writing Web Articles
Since online articles can be an additional source of contract leads, it is important that you write them in such a way that they are "web friendly"-and thus more accessible to your readers. This is especially important for articles you published previously in magazines, journals or other print media. While long paragraphs are visually acceptable in print magazines, they are a bane to Web users.
Web users don't read; they scan.
When you write for the web, you must first consider how people read on the web. A study by Jakob Nielsen, deemed the "guru of webpage usability" by The New York Times, found that only 16 percent of his test users actually read the copy they found online; 79 percent of them simply scanned it.
Given those numbers, web-content providers who truly want to get their information across to their readers must follow what has become the cardinal rule of web writing: Make it "scannable." Web users, notorious for their impatience, don't want to get bogged down in long blocks of text as they search for the information they need; instead, they want that information to jump out at them.
Keep it short and scannable.
There are a number of ways you can make your text easier to scan:
- Use bulleted or numbered lists. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Make sure all your writing has substance. Say it straight. Use subheadings. Use typeface variations.
- Start with the conclusion.
Use your keywords.
To get visibility on the major search engines, your site must be able to be "indexed" by their robotic software. To do this, they must be able to compare the code, keywords & other Meta tags, and the actual written content of the site and reach a consistent conclusion regarding the context of your site. Other factors are important as well, but that is the most basic requirement. Use these guidelines for other online copy.
These guidelines hold true for all kinds of web copy, not just your online articles. Keep them in mind when creating content for your own websites or when contributing articles to other electronic media. The same things that encourage users to read your online articles will encourage them to read your other web copy.
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| SOHO's New Website! |
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March, 2005 will mark the kick-off of our new and improved SOHO Prospecting website! Our new site is designed to provide easy access and navigation to in depth information about the services we provide and a portfolio of our work. You can access the site by clicking on the link: www.sohoprospecting.com, there, find information on our specialized services, starting your business, and our own 'Marketing Tactics' document for ways to improve your business and how to get the most out of your time.
We hope you'll join us!"
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Company Start-Up Package!
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We have a great package for any startup business!
SOHO Prospecting is offering a Start-Up Package for new businesses. SOHO will build a cohesive, effective representation of your business that will get you noticed. A strong identity means that with one quick glance your existing and potential customers will identify your business and the advantages of doing business with you.
- Logo Design
- Business Card Design
- Stationery Design
- Tagline
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Find out more.... |
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