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Who says direct marketing is dead? While the internet has opened hundreds of alternative avenues for marketers – long-term techniques, list building, and word-of-mouth marketing methods – it certainly hasn’t made the old favorites any less competitive or successful. From sales calls to crafted copy, the world of direct marketers has adapted to the internet age more effectively than almost anyone else.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no room left for improvement. From copy-driven marketing techniques to simple content changes, there are hundreds of ways for online direct marketers to improve their messages and boost responses. These nine words, phrases, and language features won’t make your copy hot overnight, but they can help you significantly improve your sales figures.

Use them sparingly, or all at once; one-at-a-time or independently. Whatever your social media marketing strategy might entail, these nine power words, sales phrases, and language features can and will help you refine and improve it.

1. Use ‘Free!’ sparingly.

‘Free’ is good. Marketers love free, customers love free, and audiences like hear ‘free’ assigned to products they love. The problem with free is that it’s overused; in an effort to become the most visible offer on the face of the earth, just about every marketer has exhausted the free prize or free report to the point of irrelevancy.

So use it sparingly. Don’t make every promotion or event a free giveaway; don’t make every user entitled to free privileges, and don’t plaster free on every billboard. Instead, use free sparingly and create a more effective promotional tool in the process.

2. ‘Guaranteed!’ can boost sales.

Scams, spam, and annoyances are notoriously common online. We’ve all suffered through email blasts for the same old products, complete with minimal after-sales service and a transparent promise of poor quality. It’s exactly what you don’t want to be, and it’s the perfect anti-model for your promotional writing.

Instead, focus on guarantees that build security and trust with your audience. If you can promise just enough to win people over, don’t be surprised when your eventual delivery blows them away. Create guarantees that don’t just win people over, but build long-term trust and confidence in your product or service.

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3. Use ‘Now!’ to gain attention quickly.

‘Now!’ creates urgency and grabs attention. It also causes anxiety and a distinct lack of trust when overused – two emotions that almost every marketer wants to avoid. When used in balance now can be a powerful written weapon, but overuse has made it a blunt instrument for many marketers.

Save your attention-seeking copy and urgency-building phrases for the most important parts of your copy or presentation. Think of them as isolated elements in your grand plan; each should be used in limited quantities to ensure it doesn’t become tired, boring, and repetitive.

4. Don’t explain how you do it, explain what you can do for them.

Take a look at the technology industry and you’ll see an interesting paradox. Developers and manufacturers that focus intensely on performance and development find a small audience of dedicated professionals, while their design-focussed rivals end up dominating in terms of sales.  Few experts were surprised that Apple overtook other manufacturers in the MP3 player market – their focus was on what they could do, not how the technology made it possible.

Process doesn’t sell, results do. Whenever you find your articles, sales pages, or promotional materials covering the process and technology involved in your business, rewrite them to focus intensely on the positive effects of those processes.

5. Bullet points convince, convert, and sell!

Bullet points are a mixed blessing. They can be highly effective when used to summarize, explain, and demonstrate value, and equally ineffective when used as an all-purpose writing tool or on-page element. For every example of great bullet points there’s another of poorly used bullet points, often in a situation where a simple paragraph or page header would have been more effective.

Like other sales writing tools, bullet points are best used as a divider. Limit their usage to essential points and benefit summaries and you’ll see a distinct improvement; use them almost everywhere and they’ll become less of a benefit and more of a curse.

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6. Use bold type to help skim readers absorb your message

Leading magazines teach their writers to employ a different style and syntax for the internet. Unlike print magazine audiences – disciplined readers who have grown used to looking at everything – online audiences tend to be focused on the key points of an article. Small details are glossed over, paragraphs are ignored in favor of headlines, and bold text becomes a speed bump instead of a tool.

Don’t fight the skim readers, encourage them. By incorporating bold sentences, calls-to-action, and section dividers within your articles, you’ll end up capturing the attention of both in-depth readers and focus-challenged skim readers.

7. Always have a call-to-action planned.

Marketing is all about purpose and intentions. The smartest marketers don’t write a single word without a goal in mind, be it improved sales, long-term trust, or merely a temporary interest which can later change into desire or desperation. Every word, every sentence, and every paragraph is planned in advance, each leading up to an eventual call-to-action sentence.

Always plan ahead, even when you’re writing basic promotional articles or one-off letters. Every transaction, be it attention or business-based, is an opportunity to form patterns and generate eventual results. Have a call-to-action in mind before you start, and keep it in mind whenever you use language to promote your product, service, or business.

9. Explain key points in italics.

Alongside bold type, semicolons, and call-to-action headers, italic text is one of the most frequently misused parts of promotional writing amongst marketers. From all-italics essays to annoyingly frequent highlighting, italics misuse tends to do more bad than good for marketers, alienating readers and pushing away people that would otherwise have considered opting in to your form or expressing interest in a product.

So eliminate it, except when dealing with key points, quotes, and important information. When used sparingly italics can draw attention to your text and give you a different promotional voice – when misused they’ll do nothing but confuse readers and limit your promotional text’s ability to flow.

We write hundreds of link baits each year for dozens of clients and we expect nothing in return… except some of that durable paper with the Queen’s head on of course. But it’s always nice to give a bit back which is the honourable approach portrayed by one of our top clients, 08Direct – who have provided us with some complimentary non-geographical numbers. We feel like we’ve gone truly global!

Out with the 01772 and in with the new, which means numbers such as 0845, 0844 and 0800 which come in handy when it comes to handling inbound calls whilst also helping us to further improve our high standards of customer service.

08Direct, hailing from Leeds, are the UK’s leading provider of non-geographical numbers which can help to provide your business with a national or even international look and feel. You can even pick your own easy-to-remember number which means clients and potential customers will find it easier to get in touch – and after hearing that a recent study by Henley research reported that 68% of people felt that companies using freephone numbers cared about their customers – it was a no-brainer!

Head to 08Direct if you’re interested in 0845 numbers and the rest…

Content marketing is one of the oldest and most effective forms of marketing around. A mainstay of 20^th century newspaper marketing, content marketing has since developed into complex online marketing blogs, press releases, and ultra-specialized trade marketing materials.

At the top of the viral marketing food chain is the linkbait – a highly targeted, reader-friendly article designed to achieve massive online exposure. For businesses, there’s no better tool for gaining search authority and valuable online marketing power. If you want to make linkbaits a part of your online marketing strategy, read on to find out exactly how they can help you.

1. Linkbaits go viral quickly.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfield/2306001896/

You’re the owner of a successful performance car parts store. After just a few months of operation, your business is already profitable, with a stream of returning customers and loyal service clients coming back week after week. However, your business needs an extra push – a new wave of marketing power and customer exposure.

After briefly studying online marketing, one platform seems to appeal above all others: article and content marketing. This is where the divide begins, between boring how-to or specialized articles, and potentially explosive link bait articles. While both provide long-term online exposure and growth, its delivered in a different fashion, and at a different speed.

As a marketer, you’ve got to put yourself in your audience’s shoes when marketing online. An article entitled “The fundamentals of a performance engine” isn’t going to attract attention outside of car enthusiasts and mechanical circles. However, a linkbait article entitled “10 Amazing Performance Car Accessories” will do just that – attract attention.

2. Linkbaits are cheaper than ultra-specific articles.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartpilbrow/2942333106/

There are two ways to gauge expense: through time, or through spending. While specialized articles – how-to guides, detailed case studies, and technical content – require serious expenses, most linkbaits can be created relatively quickly and inexpensively. Rather than hiring a professional mechanic or engineer to craft an article on car parts, most businesses can simply hire a motoring journalist or marketing firm at a lower per-article cost.

3. Linkbaits appeal to a wide audience.

Measuring the effectiveness of any online article always comes down to the goals and intentions of the marketer behind it. Some writers post their work to gain attention, others for SEO power and inbound links, while others do it to build their online credibility. Linkbaits, as their name suggests, are all about inbound links.

Inbound links require one thing: mass appeal. The greater the amount of readers, the higher the chance of valuable inbound links. By moving away from ultra-specialized content and focusing on wide, reader-friendly, and marketable linkbaits, your business could receive the online SEO boost that you need.

4. Linkbaits can be consumed quickly, but leave a lasting impression.

Speed readers will know how wildly a piece of writing can control reading speed. Light fiction texts lend themselves to quick and easy consumption, while dense academic studies and papers require constant analysis and revision. These analytical requirements share one more difference – a change in the level of involvement and connection.

While complex texts and difficult pieces require intense concentration, they typically fail to involve the reader or present any long-term recognition. A faceless academic study requires work for consumption, while a light piece of fiction or a magazine article can be quickly glossed over in minutes.

Linkbaits follow the second principle: simplicity and connection. While frequently dealing with topics that just aren’t that personal, most linkbaits tend to connect with readers more effectively than in-depth articles and complex guides. Accessibility counts for a lot, especially online, and many businesses are better off using simple and effective linkbaits instead of difficult, complex, and intimidating studies.

5. Linkbaits are favorites for aggregators and communities.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/370282903/

Traditional articles act as a funnel for content. Effort goes in one end, and is subsequently diluted to the point where it’s almost completely ineffective in amassing an audience. Rather than maximizing the promotional value of their content, most articles deal with topics so irrelevant and ineffective that businesses end up limiting their promotional audience right from the start.

Linkbait articles are a magnet for content. By employing a list structure instead of a typical article, writers no longer conclude the conversation with their content, but start it. Top-10 lists empower readers to comment on their own personal favorites, while how-to lists invite readers to chime in with advice and information. This involvement aspect, one that’s so often missing from traditional articles, is what makes linkbaits such a hit with news aggregators and online communities.

6. Linkbaits are thin on connection, but deep on branding.

It’s not difficult to tie “The Best Moto GP Crashes” to your motorcycle business. While most articles appeal to an audience that’s already invested in your niche or industry, linkbaits give businesses an avenue to attract new customers to their niche. While most linkbaits provide little in the way of personal connection or tailored advice, they provide a lot for businesses looking to brand themselves.

7. Linkbaits are fun!

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotbenjamin/2765083201/

Product manuals are boring. Traditional marketing materials are headache-inducing. Advertisements can be fun, but they’re mostly useless as an SEO resource. Few online marketing materials are fun, especially outside of the entertainment industry.

Linkbaits give marketers an avenue to entertain and engage their audiences. The reason for the popularity of list and “how-to” style articles is clear – people enjoy reading them. When your business promotes itself with content that prospective customers enjoy, then you’re already a step ahead of your competition and certainly a step closer to becoming the online leader in your niche.

8. Linkbaits are short, punchy, and social-media friendly.

Pay-per-click advertisers are constantly complaining about social media platforms. Engagement is low, click-through rates are abysmal, and overall ROI can be disastrous, especially for eCommerce and affiliate products. The human element of social media takes away marketing power, especially for companies that have built their success on marketing to audiences that want to buy.

Linkbaits, however, are different. There’s no direct marketing goal for a linkbait article, only an indirect SEO goal. Their short structure, punchy and quick content delivery, and perfect topic choice for conversation makes linkbaits one of the most effective resources for marketing on social media. By bypassing the purchasing aspect of marketing altogether, linkbaits have moved social media from an unmarketable platform into one of the most valuable marketing resources available.

Linkbait articles are one of the most effective tools in any online entrepreneur’s arsenal. While many businesses prefer to outsource and subcontract their online promotion, an ever-growing wave of online businesses are taking promotion into their own hands. Whether you want to write a linkbait article from scratch or simply edit one that’s been written for you, these eight must-have features will help you create something that generates attention, discussion, and – if required – controversy.

1. Style your headlines on the New York Post.

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When it comes to bizarre, attention-grabbing headlines, no tabloid newspaper comes close to comparing to the New York Post. From sex scandals to mundane daily events, every possible news story was reported as if it was a play-by-play disaster recap, complete with ludicrous claims and sensational photos.

Online content is all about competition. When there are millions of articles out there for viewers to read, what’s going to drive them towards yours? Use a tabloid-style headline and get attention right from the beginning, then drive it home with content that lives up to the hype.

2. More than one image.

The blogger standard seems to be a single image at the top of every post, but a great linkbait article requires much more than just one image. Structure your article so that images can weave between paragraphs and major talking points, giving you an opportunity to clarify in the caption. If you need a fool-proof guide for adding images to your linkbaits, try keeping a 1:200 images to words ratio.

3. A list, comparison, or how-to guide.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aheram/409863531/

Look at the front page of any social bookmarking website and you’ll see an awful lot of one thing: lists. Online readers, particularly those that consume a lot of media per day, prefer lists and how-to articles for their simplicity and reader-friendliness. Lists attract attention online, even if the subject is somewhat dull and uninteresting. The next time you find yourself stuck promoting a dull niche or business, use a list or how-to article to make your writing more marketable.

4. A casual, reader-friendly tone.

Finding the perfect balance of simplicity and readability can be difficult, especially when you’re writing for a mass audience. While it’s tempting to go “newspaper-style” and write a piece that wouldn’t be out of place in a tabloid, many marketers and writers find that this type of content simply doesn’t gain that much attention.

Instead, write as if you were speaking to a friend or acquaintance. There’s no need to be too formal, but at the same time it’s best to keep things reasonably clean. Keep sentences relatively short and don’t let your article become something that it’s not. It’s never worth sacrificing readability for complexity, especially if your article is aimed at a wide audience. Leave the academic terms for a thesis and keep things simple.

5. A resource box.

The point of a linkbait article is, not surprisingly, to generate links and online attention. As noble as it may be to put a piece out to raise attention and awareness, most marketers want to make sure that the online exposure is directed in their direction. When it comes to linkbait articles, this attention and exposure is channeled through a resource box.

Whenever you publish an article externally, for example on a directory or a niche-related blog, use a resource box to make sure you get due credit. Include links to your business website, a short writer profile, and any other information that you think is relevant.

6. A valuable blog or publishing platform.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/antigone/457089364/

linkbait articles are typically promoted through social bookmarking link services – Digg, Delicious, or Reddit – and rarely gain attention without a valuable or authoritative publishing platform. A two-post WordPress blog is unlikely to be enough to put your content on the front page, though a leading industry blog could be.

If you don’t have an established blog or website, don’t be afraid to use someone else’s. Most bloggers are very comfortable with guest posts, especially if they come with a chance to hit the front page of Digg. If you’re stuck between publishing on someone else’s blog or creating your own, it’s best to use the external blog and work your way towards your own successful publishing platform.

7. Humor, controversy, or enlightenment.

One of the internet’s greatest strengths is its ability to provide content for everyone. Whether you’re interested in Mongolian wrestling or designer shoes, there’s specialized content out there for the thin, highly interested portion of the online population that you belong to. This niche-based content is great for webmasters and companies that grow through long-term customers, but for linkbait marketers it’s a strategy to avoid.

Don’t provide content that only interests a tiny portion of the internet. Go wide and create articles that everyone is interested in. If you’re having trouble thinking of anything to write, stick with the three topics that have consistently provided results for short-term article marketers: humor, controversy, or enlightening content.

8. Topicality or timelessness.

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Pick one or the other. You can either create an article that will be relevant the moment it hits the social bookmarking and aggregator websites, or an article that will be relevant all the time.

Timeless content includes life and business advice, personal stories or anecdotes, or top-ten lists that aren’t based on current pop culture. It doesn’t generate attention as quickly as current content, and it has a minimal chance of going viral, but it does give you a long-term linking resource.

In contrast, topical content rarely provides long-term traffic or online attention, but it generates extreme short-term exposure. Highly successful in social bookmarking communities, topical content is the best pick for marketers that need rapid exposure and a quick wave of online attention.

Smart marketers don’t stick with one strategy or another – they combine them. Shape your output to resemble both a newspaper and a magazine. Provide sensational short-term articles when required, but back them up with in-depth features and long-term link resources.

Social Bookmarking is a term thrown around by online marketing companies or social media companies to clients, but what does it actually mean? Yes, it sounds pretty good, when said in an enthusiastic tone, but when you stop and think about it, it doesn’t really explain an awful lot.  It’s rather like some comedians…you either get it, or you don’t!

Look no further, i will turn your thoughts into a language everyone understands.  Peter Kay language! You’re probably thinking, what on Earth…but stick with me…may you be shown the light through the tunnel of confusion and directed off “The Road To Nowhere.” (“Now, we’ve started, now we’ve started!”)

1. What is it?

Now the term ‘bookmarking’ is commonly used as a way of saving or tagging a web page so that you can quickly access it again.  Well ‘social bookmarking‘ isn’t much different.  It can be defined as:

“the practice of saving ‘bookmarks’ to a public web page and ‘tagging’ them with keywords.”

These bookmarks are uploaded or shared onto social media sites so that other users can view them as well.  Users can create a collection of these bookmarks, just by signing up to these social media sites, such as Digg, Delicious, Stumbledupon and Mixx to name a few.

Users often log on, read these articles or bookmarks and often reference them on their own blogs or websites.

2. Who Is Doing It?

Everyone is doing it, that is because Anyone can do it.  The question is, if you aren’t doing it, why not?  From online marketers, to university students, social media has become the realm of all information.  Whether its gossip you’re looking for, factual information or even a ‘How To’ guide, there is something for everyone.  In a nutshell, there are users looking for useful information, and there are other users looking to share it with you.

3. How Does It Work?

The creators or the writers of these bookmarks assign ‘tags’ and categories to their articles (just like I do with this blog post…you see at the bottom…tagged keywords!) to make searching for information easier for the user.  Instead of crawling through pages and pages of content, searching by keywords or categories makes things so much easier.  Not only that, but each bookmark provides access to other bookmarks by that particular writer that you may find interesting.

Searching via Twitter can help as well.  Often users of the social media sites post their bookmark names with links on Twitter.  This can make it easier for you to follow the people you want to follow, and read what interests you most.  This is especially useful if you are searching for information or users in your business industry.

4. Why Is It Significant?

The significance of this is that it is very easy to tune into, what I call, ‘tunnel vision’.  By that I mean that, you may not be aware of other perspectives, and the social media network can help you broaden your horizons and see a new light.

The social media network is becoming rapidly the greatest source of education.  The World Wide Web can provide you with all the information you need about anything, it’s just a case of picking it out.  So learning more about different industries is all at the touch of a mouse…and a few buttons as well then.

These significances are responsible for users signing up in the first place, but also returning once they have signed up.  This keeps information current, active and engaging.  Everything you need for a good browse on ‘t’internet’!

5. What Are The Downsides?

So all that seems well and good, but to put a bit of a black cloud over it, it’s all just a bit amateurish way of informing the world of your expertise.  There’s no right or wrong way of ‘tagging’ or categorising something, which can make searching quite ambiguous and as a result leading to inconsistency.  Also, with all these different points of view flying around, how can you be sure what your reading is true or not…in fact, thinking about it, how do you guys know I’m not just feeding you a load of codswallop…you don’t…but I can assure you I’m not…or am I…you see, you have no idea…sorry guys, but, “it’s spitting, everybody in!”

6. Where Is All This Going…Tenerife?!

Once you have put your foot through the door of the social media gateway, after taking a deep breath, you will find it’s not a difficult concept to grasp really.  Anyone can do it.  As I mentioned last time, times are changing, sources of information are expanding and new systems and new resources are being developed as a innovative method of managing information.

So what’s it going to be?  Are you one of those people that thinks, the old ones are the best, like some of the classic Peter Kay jokes I’ve managed to slip in? Or are you willing to dive in and give it ago…be innovative, creative, find something new because, “I tell you this for free,” (well I’m not going to charge you) just like garlic bread was…”It’s the future!”…(sorry I couldn’t resist!)

Bigmouthmedia’s 2009 online PR survey has revealed that despite a marked rise in interest, the majority of the UK’s leading public relations firms are still failing to get to grips with the world of online media.

According to the latest updated survey of Britain’s 100 leading press and public relations agencies, the number of PR firms offering online PR and social media services has undergone a sharp rise over the last year, with 40% now claiming to provide a range of internet services.

Representing an increase of 90.5% compared with the 2008 survey results, the boost is evidence of the growth of a interest in online PR from traditional agencies.

“The PR industry is certainly beginning to come to terms with online PR and social media, no doubt motivated by the proven benefits of digital campaigns, but it is less clear whether the sector fully understands the discipline. It is not simply a case of replicating your offline press releases on the web, but requires specialist expertise and an informed understanding of how people engage with news, brands and products on the web” said Leanne Rinning, Online PR Manager at bigmouthmedia.

“Online PR has to be viewed as part of your overall online marketing mix. It is most effective and more measurable when dovetailed with your SEO, PPC and display activity”

The survey also reveals that the number of agencies publishing blogs has doubled in the last year. Despite widespread recognition of the value and importance of blogging as a media tool, however, a surprising 78% are still failing to produce their own.

Some 60% of the agencies surveyed admitted that they have yet to include online PR as part of their service offering. However, only 45% of the operations that claimed to have new media covered actually published their own blogs.

Taken as a whole, only 22% of UK PR consultancies currently use blogs to communicate with clients, colleagues and the wider marketplace.

Get in touch to find out how Link Baits can integrate a hybrid of social media, SEO and online PR into your business and watch it flourish.