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Carl OlsonThought…not fluff.The Written SaleMarket Research Strategy Copycarl@thewrittensale.com231-239-0532

Good marketing and copy doesn’t just happen. It is crafted from market research and fits into a well developed and purposeful strategy. It then provides thought…not fluff. It’s end result should also be something more tangible than “views” and “likes”. It’s purpose is higher; to provide leads, sales, brand enhancement, thought leadership and a positive ROI.Because of that, marketing and content should work in unison towards a clearly defined goal with a logical flow that benefits your business immediately. Marketing’s job is to clear the way for sales. Content’s job is to inform the buyer so they can make a favorable decision. I always bring the two together so our joint efforts don’t take mountains of time to see results. I could try to guess what you want to see in terms of specific examples, and provide them, but with 20 years of experience working with every type of industry in almost every conceivable niche around the world I think it’s more important that you know my thoughts on what I can bring to your project. At the same time a good copywriter can match the tone and style of a client, so to show blogs is pointless as any example will probably be a mismatch. I’d rather write you a short, 500-word blog as an example. This document will therefore give you insight into what drives me as we work together. It’s about your goal, not mine, and with 20 years under my belt I know how to get you there.Take a look, then let’s talk.Sincerely,Carl Olsoncarl@thewrittensale.com

Web CopyYour website is more than a static business card. It should be alive with logical chains of thought taking readers ever deeper into more of your story. It must:• Clearly outline why anyone should do business with you -your value proposition.✓ In all my years of doing competitive analyses I’vefound that 96% of your competitors will notinclude this important element…so imagine howfar your message would stand out if this elementwas front and center on your website.• Lead readers by the hand and take them step by step to apurposeful call to action.✓ Readers shouldn’t have to hunt and peck forinformation. Show them what to do next.• Display your products or services in ways that solve aproblem for your readers with language that makes senseto decision makers - not necessarily you.✓ Remember that the decision maker who writesyou a check may not have or need the expertisethat you have…but they may not need it to make adecision.I am passionate about web copy that makes you stand out from the crowd, leads visitors to your desired end result and shortens that sales cycle.

Blogging works if…1. You have a complete sales message elsewhere blogs can be linked to.2. There is a developed content map that gives their copy direction.3. A promotion strategy is used to drive traffic to them.4. You have the stamina to realize they are not over-night sensations, but build an audience over time.Beyond that, good blogs use a formula to keep a reader’s attention:• They must draw the reader in with a hot-button question or issue.• Introduce a story or example that resonates with the reader and makes them want to know thesolution.• Include facts and citations to boost your credibility.• Use readership breaks (such as sub-headlines, bullet points or lists) that cause skim readers to stopskimming and start reading.• Are broken up with graphics every 250 words, m/l.• Offer multiple links to more information.• End with a question or thought that causes the reader to think and/or take action.• Offer thought leadership which helps the reader but are not a constant flow of sales messages. Inthe 10% that are sales oriented, make the message extremely engaging and relevant.Poor, meaningless blogs are easy. Anyone can write them. Good blogs are hard work. They take thought…not fluff. Mix Them Up!Not all blogs need to be text. Use a mix of text, infographics, tables or charts and interesting graphics to draw more readers into your thought leadership.Blogs

I’ll let you in on a secret…Most white papers, guides and ebooks are written and used for the wrong purpose.The world will not beat a path to your door if you write papers soley to providesnippets of information to your audience or make a sales pitch.Most downloads sit on the electronic bookshelves gathering dust, and so to use them with the expectation that they’ll lead to a sale is usually misplaced hope.I enjoy writing white papers and guides and I dig deep into the research to deliver the best possible results. They are insightful, fully formatted and, like a good novel, readers go through them cover to cover. But to get them downloaded in the first place I always try to work with clients to write them for a specificpurpose… …as part of a necessary step that culls out “tire-kickers” and delivers qualified sales leads. This is a process, and I can’t overstate its effectiveness.1. Develop web copy - instead of an ebook - that explains the benefits of buyingfrom or working with you which has prospects drooling over your solution.2. Use the guide to help prospects go through a task or project - something youprobably need to know about a prospect before the sale - which makes theminvest time in finding out if your solution is right for them. (But, of course, theobvious solution will be, “Yes!”)3. Promote the web page, not the ebook. Let getting the guide be a naturalextension of the web copy.4. Enhance your position with a short burst of emails which takes the readerthrough the guide and steps so that……prospects will actually apply to work with or buy from you.White papers, guides and ebooks are powerful tools if developed correctly and used as part of a larger purpose. Talk to me about what I call the Fast Funnel Sales Channel. It’s an interactive sales channel that gives new meaning to “ebook”. It’ll turn your guides and white papers into sales magnets.White Papers, Guides, Ebooks

EmailWhy do my emails consistently outperform industry averages - by a lot?1. I put a lot of thought into the subject line…theonly thing standing between the delete and openchoice..2. The body is well written, engaging and targetedto the audience’s need for more information. Thisdedication pushes up the click-thru rate.3. I write them in the tone generally used in theindustry or niche, or one that matches the sitewhere emails are captured.4. I use short paragraphs and one-line questions.Most emails are looked at on smart phones.Don’t lose your audience in long, hard-to-followparagraphs.5. There is always a call to action of some kind, andit is tied to something the audience knows will beworth the effort of seeing.Tips• Purge your lists frequently. Immediately eliminateany entry from info@Name.com or any otherdesignation you know is a dead end. Running thelists through a scrubber also pulls out email spamtraps.• Avoid heavily formatted and HTML emails. Toomany individual companies and email servicesblock them.• Segment your lists to deliver relevant emails to theright person at the right time.• Watch your analytics closely. Fix problems.• Use scoring tools on each email.• Don’t buy a cold list and expect reputable vendorsto allow you to upload it. They won’t.Case StudiesFor many decision makers, case studies prove you can deliver on expected outcomes. They also allow readers a chance to imagine their own success in their own situation when they use your solution. But to be effective they must include the following:✓ An opening paragraph about the commonsituation and problem found in theapplicable industry.✓ A scenario which paints a mental picture ofthe past client’s/customer’s specific problem;the challenges involved with other solutionstried; your solution or product’s “fit”.✓ How your solution was implemented,outcomes and, if possible, added benefits ofusing your solution.✓ Truthful facts, such as cost savings or timesaved, showing all considerations werecovered favorably.✓ A short testimonial(s), if possible.Making Connections With Other Collateral

You can’t fix what you can’t measure.Wherever possible and whenever asked I always stress the importance of KPIs and tracking. Yes, I take my best educated guess for success based on research and proven copywriting elements, but rarely, if ever, will a marketing strategy and content reach its full potential right out of the gate. Through the use of tracking tools, KPIs and split-testing, however, results can be optimized, time can be saved and money can be made.• Where are your visitors or readers coming from; whatare they looking for; what creates a roadblock invisitor flow on the way to a conversion? Tracking willtell you.• Throughout the content and sales funnel there arekey points where success or failure rides on a singleindicator. Can you pinpoint where a singlepercentage point up or down will have a huge impacton your revenues? That’s what KPIs are for.• Rarely after a good strategy is developed or goodcopy is written do you have to reinvent the entirewheel to boost results. Once you’ve pinpointedtroublesome areas, often all that is needed is slighttweak, saving you time and money while bringing ingreater rewards. Knowing how to conduct split-testing and interpret results will set you on a highertrajectory.I can help you set up these important tools and suggest many, or I can set up and monitor results and report to you how things are progressing. Just remember a key point:Your own experience is the only experience thatmatters. Industry standards are only averages. Don’t settle for average! Measure everything - fix it -measure it again. It gives you a huge strategic and financial advantage.

Solution Example: Leave BehindsIt’s hard for an outside sales force to go out into the world and make an impression without something in hand.In this case a medical device company was preparing to roll out a new mechanical massager to chiropractors, sports therapists and physical therapists. They needed sales collateral to not only explain the physiological issues in treatment, but the machine and the business opportunity. “Exactly what I wanted…this is good!” was the CEO’s immediate reaction - and he should know as he had already taken many well-known brands to market. Aside from the removal of their name, logo and a few comp images theirgraphic artist said she would buy and insert, sheets were presented exactly as shown here, ready to hit the streets.For this project I did the medical research, came up with the entire strategy for not just the pages but their ongoing marketing support to customers, wrote all of the copy, gathered testimonials and statistics and formatted the pages to match their brand while their graphic artist designed the company branded folder.It doesn’t matter what the industry is: I take great pride in offering exactly what my clients need to get the results they are looking for.

23A specialty manufacturer needed organization and a total overhaul of all of its sales materials for numerous skus. I suggested we batch and color code them according to the skus’ industrial application. For each industry application a case study (1), application sheet with cut-aways and/or diagrams (2) and technical data sheets for each sku were designed and written. (3) On top of this an overall PowerPoint presentation was developed to demonstrate (with hyperlinks) their technologies that went into each sku’s formulation. (4) This opened the door for larger amounts per sale, as opposed to singular products sold, as customers now saw the manufacturer’s capabilities for providing total solutions for their particular industry applications.Understanding the client and market, then developing a strategy before the copy is written, makes for favorable outcomes.Solution Example: Complete Sales Collateral

✓ Content - Better Than Expected✓ Market Research - To Position YouAhead of Your Competition✓ With a Dose of Strategy - to Drive,Optimize and Speed ResultsRelax…I’ve got you covered. Don’t you think we should talk?Carl OlsonThought…Not FluffTheWrittenSale.comWorth the visit!carl@thewrittensale.com231-239-0532With vast experience in:• SaaS/Technology• Manufacturing & Distribution• Professional Services• Insurance• Financial and Investing• Online Courses and Services• Entrepreneurial, Affiliate and OnlineMarketing• Health and Related Services• B2B Services & Consulting• Start-ups, Solopreneurs, SMEs and LargeCorporations

Copy Credits The Written Sale has come up with a way that gives you control, better outcomes and full, end-to-end content creation without nickel and diming you for every step and piece of copy. Unless they only want one piece, our clients buy “credits”. Once purchased they are free to order anything at anytime, or simply follow the content strategy and timeline without worrying about recurring billings. Types of content are assigned credit values that simply get deducted from your account. Make your life easy - Top up your account, get free credits added when you do, and let’s get to work! Let’s face it - Writing copy on a consistent basis is a pain and ideas are in short supply. You have 1001 other things to do other than worrying about deadlines, best practices and ROI optimization. Let us take the load off your shoulders. Self-schedule a time when we can talk about your copywriting projects - and breathe a sigh of relief!