“Creative Marketing: The Natural Alternative”

Hi there…Tony here,

When it comes to success in business, internet marketing, offline marketing, or any endeavor where you hope to make money…should you:

A. Write…re-write…and market consistently? or…

B. Create products to sell? or…

C. Both A & B

If you picked A, you’re right. But guess what; if you picked B or C, you’re still right.

Because you need to do all this. And it goes either way. If you’re in the business of selling products, you either have to create them, buy them (to sell them), or endorse and promote somebody else’s. And you need to consistently tell as many people as possible that you have this stuff. So, you need to write your ads, your website content, radio spots, or whatever. And re-write them any time you can make improvements.

On the other hand, if you write for a living (like I do), you should be creating products you sell or will eventually sell. The good news is…anything you write (that works anyway) can be a potential product, so don’t throw anything away. Don’t forget; a series of articles on fitness can be turned into an e-book on the benefits of alternating your fitness regimen. Or a sales page for a client who sells a similar product to yours could turn into a “swiped” direct mail piece for you.

Keep your brain flowing freely. Keep your eyes open to the endless possibilities. Someone’s gotta get paid for good ideas…it might as well be YOU.

See you at the bank,

Tags: radio spots, Tony, tony funderburk, Tony Writes, website content

Hey there…Tony here…

I’m gonna start giving you some audio versions of some of the posts I put here on my site. Yep…they’re just easy going, downloadable MP3’s, and all you have to do is “right click” ‘em, and save ‘em to your computer, and they’re all yours. You can delete ‘em as soon as you’ve listened to ‘em, or you can post them on your own website…or you can feed ‘em to your digital dog.

It’s up to you. I just thought some audio copy for free would be a fun way to add to “the direct response copywriting mix”.

Thanks for reading, listening, and keep moving forward. Oh yeah…the MP3 links are just below…

7 Reasons A Direct Response Copywriter Is Good For Business

Internet Marketing Is Dying

You can’t expect to have any success
if you’re marketing your products, services, and information on the Internet.

How’s that for an opening line on a blog post? You believe me, don’t you?

What’s that? NO?! Incredible. I can’t believe you wouldn’t believe something written on a website. If it’s written on the internet, it’s gotta be true. And if it’s on the internet, it’s gotta be great. And if it’s written on the internet, it’s gotta be relevant and spectacular.

Right?

See…I know you don’t believe this stuff. And I don’t blame you. With all the hogwash circulating on the web these days it’s harder and harder all the time to get good stuff through.

What’s an honest internet marketer to do?

First…stay honest. It’s really worth it. Next; figure out who’s gonna appreciate it (your target market) before you start shooting out tons of information about yourself and your business. Then; don’t ever, never, ever, never, ever give up. If it’s true what “they” say about taking 20 attempts to get a “yes” to your offer, then why in the world would you ever stop at 7 “no’s”? Or 10? Or 15? Or even 19?

Learn from good marketers. Learn from honest and straightforward people. And never stop learning. Then…never stop implementing.

Now; go get busy!

Tags: gotta be true, honest internet marketer, internet, relevant

Hey…I’ve just been technorati-sized. It’s great to be part of the Technorati blogosphere.
Technorati Profile

Here’s to more trips to the bank,

Tags: blogosphere, technorati, tony funderburk

If you’re building a business…whether it’s offline (brick and mortar) or online or both…the best tool you can use to increase response and results is good “direct response” copy.

You’ll never have a hard time finding agencies, PR people, and other “creative” types to put together a really cool advertising campaign. They’ve been around as long as business, and they know how to construct slick, polished ads for you. The trouble is, your competitor is probably doing the same thing. If you don’t think this is happening, just watch TV or listen to the radio for a while.

Ad after ad uses humor, or fast talk, or lots of images, or puppies, or cute babies. You get the idea. Anyway…what’s really going to stand out in the mind of your target customer or client? You gotta give your prospective customer or client the product or information they’re looking for, and you just need to talk to them directly.

A professional can do this for you and add some great marketing strategies to make your offer successful. So; here are 7 reasons why a freelance direct response copywriter…not just the creative ad agency copywriter, is good for business (not in order of importance):

1. More up-close-and-personal…one on one business relationship
2. Has a direct stake in your success…your results impact the writer’s success
3. Deeper research…most direct response copywriters love the learning process of product research
4. A “DR” copywriter knows the “lay of the land”…in other words how to layout the words to read better
5. Multiple strategies from one source…you may be gently guided into more than one business action
6. Meeting deadlines…probably only works on a couple of clients at a time in order to be more efficient
7. Writes to sell…I said these wouldn’t be in order of importance, and this one may be most important.

The number one goal of a freelance direct response copywriter is to sell you, your services, your products, and your information. Not win awards for “creative excellence”. There are countless award winning ad campaigns where no one remembers what the ad was for. Don’t be “that guy”.

Now…if you want to increase the results to your marketing efforts, I suggest you hire someone who not only knows how to write, but also actually wants you to succeed. That “hunger” for success will come through in better selling words for your business or website, and you’ll both win.

When you contact a writer, have a real conversation. Find out if there’s really a “fit”. You’ll be glad you did when it gets down to the actual marketing process because then you’ll know they’ve “got your back”.

Here’s to more trips to the bank,

Tags: 7 reasons why, advertising campaign, good for business, seven reasons

Be a winner. As long as you have a choice, why not make it a “winning” choice. I guarantee this one fact…

You will absolutely achieve what you focus on. If you get somewhere unexpected, look back and retrace your steps. You’ll see where your focus was and then you’ll know how you got there. Here’s the thing; don’t settle for mediocre. Get the mindset of a winner. Start your mind in a winning direction, and the body will follow.

Check out this video of Seth Godin, a huge marketing success, and his story of getting beyond mediocrity.

Tags: choice, marketing, mindset, seth godin, success, winning direction

And The Best News Is…

It Takes What You’re Already Doing, And
Combines It With A Strategy That Will Never Die
To Pump Up Your Business

Wouldn’t you love a way to double the response and conversion rates of your website and marketing efforts? After all; you don’t want to spend more on advertising than you make back, and there’s one good reason why this might be happening.

After talking with my clients, business and website owners, and entrepreneurs from many walks of life I’ve noticed some key things in common. I keep hearing…

* “My website doesn’t show up in the search engines.”
* “The “other guy” doesn’t even return my calls.”
* “We’re not even making our advertising money back.”
* “I don’t know anything about internet marketing.”
* “There are so many “gurus”. Who’s right?”

There may just be one key missing ingredient to clear up all these concerns.

Hi, I’m Tony, and I say…

“Get The Attention You Need And Deserve”

I’m no “guru”, but I know you can boost your business if you just work with an honest, genuine copywriter. A writer who can also consult with you on your internet marketing.
And a writer who can make sure your business is seen and heard.

I may be the one you’re looking for. I get a real kick out of seeing others succeed.

When I started my writing career, I had the idea of being another “John-Boy” Walton, and I’ve got dozens of notebooks, journals, and computer files filled with my creative nuggets to prove it.

Then I spent years in live music performance and commercial production writing attention-getting 30 and 60 second commercials for scores of businesses from
automotive clients to casinos to health supplements.

So…I can write the “whole story”, get attention, and still tell the truth. And I think like a marketer. I’ll use the copywriting and internet marketing “secrets” of wildly successful experts because…

I know you want to make more money and build your business.

You can do it. Here’s how…

First…Don’t Stop With Just Words On A Page…

Be visible. Be heard. Especially on the internet. Don’t worry about what the search engines and their little “spiders” are hungry for. Give your human visitors what they’re looking for and the search engines will find you. ‘Cause really…do spiders spend any money? Naaa

I’m not saying to ignore keywords, meta tags, and all that. I’m just saying you need to remember this…your target market is people.

And what do people love?

* WORDS (written and spoken)
* AUDIO (music, books, lessons)
* VIDEO (live, recorded, YouTube, Vimeo)
* Great Products (and different products are great to different people)
* And great “follow through” (without it you’re doomed)

Now, lots of copywriters can write you a sales letter or a web page, but see how many of those copywriters can also produce some personalized media for you.

Maybe a handful.

And how many of those actually have commercial and internet marketing experience. The choices are even fewer. I’m one!

Audio, video, QuickTime, and Flash are all ways to “talk” about your business. Should you use these methods to promote your business? Will they make any difference as long as your copy is great and your sales pages and landing pages tell the story?

Google Bought YouTube…Need I Say More?

So…check this out…I’ll write your copy, consult with you about your internet marketing strategies, and even create personalized media when you’re ready. Then you can:

* Attract attention faster, and
* Build relationships better, and
* Captivate emotions (and buyers) with more success

Even your competitors will be humming your “tune”

Whether my fingers are clicking the keys of my Apple laptop or controlling the console of my digital audio workstation, I’m creating effective, persuasive, and attention-getting marketing messages.

OK…One More Thing

Since people buy from people, and I want you to know I’m a real person, you can call my personal number to set up an appointment: 303-988-6188… You won’t get someone else. You’ll get me.

Remember, it doesn’t cost a dime to find out more. So what do you have to lose, except the hum-drum-usual-normal?

Take action now. Start marketing with rich, memorable information full of YOU.

You’re gonna love what it’ll do for:

• Your business
• Your website
• Your products, services, and information…and even
• YOU

Here’s to more deposits in the bank,

Tags: copywriter, copywriting, entreprenuers, guru, internet marketing, media, personalized, video

Can a direct response copywriter who knows about internet marketing trends be good for business? Does a marketing mindset improve copywriting? Does it matter to you?

Take the short survey, on the left, and let me know. I’ll share the results right here in this column after I’ve received the responses for a week. Thanks and happy commenting…

Tony

Tags: copywriter, direct response, direct response copywriter, marketing mindset, marketing trends

You know what? You should think seriously about becoming debt-free. I’m working on it with short term, medium term, and long term goals in mind. Not having tons of debt will make it easier to invest in your business. You’d be amazed at all the places you may be losing money…when you really should be paying yourself and achieving your goals of financial freedom.

Just for fun; check out this VIDEO

If you think you’d like to drive “free cars”, you’ll want to see this. I love the slogan: “drive free…retire rich”.

When you’re serious about investing in your business, your website, your copywriting, and your marketing, it’s “little tips” like this one that’ll give you so much more income to work with. Don’t be “normal” when it comes to money and business.

And when you need someone on your marketing team who really and truly wants you to “retire rich”, I hope you’ll think of Tony Writes.

Focus And Achieve,
Tony

Tags: copywriting, debt free, financial freedom, income, investing, marketing, retire, retire rich, rich

It’s 10:55 p.m. and I wanted to take the time to post my first installment on the new Tony Writes website. It’s my blogsite, too, and I’m working things out in the design.

This gave me a great idea (even though it’s late at night for me) to pass along to anyone interested in changing the format of your website. I highly recommend going with the Wordpress format and being prepared for the design issues. Don’t worry about it much. Main thing is…get it going so you’re “alive and kicking” on the ever-changing internet.

I’ve gone through the metamorphosis a couple of times, now, with my business website. But I can tell you this is the one that’s going to last. At least for a longer time than static web pages. The blogging format will give you much needed access to your target market, and you’ll have a dynamic way of keeping in touch.

As I get my site going I plan to install some great interactive “tools” so my clients and visitors will be completely up-to-date with what’s going on. In the coming days you’ll see what I mean.

In the meantime…if you need compelling copy + internet marketing (or offline), check out my “who’s Tony” page to learn more about my service. You can get much more from your business when you work with people who actually care and really do want you to succeed. I’m one of those people. But don’t just take my word for it…make me prove it.

Let’s get busy,

Tags: compelling copy, copy, copywriter, internet marketing, marketing, target market