tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124827822008-09-04T10:36:56.140-07:00This blog has quick, digestible tips and pointers that help you write better, persuade more people to buy your stuff, and close business.Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-92157542535537195982008-09-04T10:16:00.000-07:002008-09-04T10:36:56.158-07:00

This post, which shows you how to change your default browser to Google Chrome in Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Vista, may not initially appear to fall under the marketing category... however, I'll explain further in a minute. Google Chrome is the new browser from the folks at Google. If you're looking for reviews of the browser, check here: Awesome Google Chrome Review, Summary of Google

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-56036368879085056852008-05-19T15:01:00.000-07:002008-05-19T15:25:31.095-07:00

Just read a great article that addresses lead generation and white papers. Roger Warner makes a great case for ditching the carrot method of trading email addresses or login info for white papers. I’ve clipped some of the insightful tid-bits below. Thanks Roger! Insight #1: “For B2B web sites, the content that really matters in terms of positioning and prospecting isn’t your ‘

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-18804667498364482132008-05-15T15:53:00.000-07:002008-05-15T16:37:02.128-07:00

How do you market to Generation Y - a class of texters, Twitterers, and Facebook/MySpace junkies? Sarah Perez does a great job uncovering the issues and delving deep into the behavioral trend that typifies this elusive demographic in her article titled: Why Gen Y Is Going to Change the Web To me, it's difficult to imagine how to reach an audience with an important message in 144 characters or

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-27184736008978458542008-05-13T06:51:00.000-07:002008-05-13T06:53:54.715-07:00

I read the following Jack Canfield article this morning. It’s a good general piece, but it’s also particularly useful for marketing folks that need new ways to test ideas, create intriguing copy, make money, test products, open new markets and innovate. Creativity is, after all, a leap of faith. It requires boldness and a healthy approach to fears. The article offers useful strategies for moving

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-25183581059746428652008-05-06T14:15:00.000-07:002008-05-06T14:24:35.710-07:00

Most progressive companies are now blogging to drive thought leadership, manage public relations, sell products and provide customer service. Most simply post when they can. A new study discovered that there are advantageous and disadvantageous times during the day and week to blog. Ah data analysis. I love it. In a nutshell (hey, I’m in a nutshell get me out of here)… here’s what they found:

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-91978625310787780332008-04-01T17:24:00.000-07:002008-04-01T17:27:16.383-07:00

I recently wrote an article for MelissaData. It's called "5 Tech-Savvy Sales Lead Generation Ideas" and can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/2owbqw

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-47019471529040449612008-01-30T09:31:00.001-08:002008-01-30T09:31:26.216-08:00

Ask a question and grab attention. This is a good example. One critique I have of the ad is that there's not much effort to differentiate or offer a unique, compelling USP. Beautiful use of context, though. The audience is reading the paper. The ad engages them in that specific context. The niche is dead on - it's the investor section of the WSJ.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-58280262762788571462008-01-26T10:50:00.001-08:002008-01-26T10:50:48.660-08:00

This kiosk ad at fashion island, ca positions the smart phone as a social networking tool. Expect to see more references to this theme in new ads this year. Social media is a big buzzing topic, and the lines between work and socializing continue to blur. Nothing new in itself. But the high dollar cell phone tools are now positioning around the new IP and cell technology services.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-35220449536091918812008-01-24T10:21:00.000-08:002008-01-24T10:31:09.568-08:00

We talk a lot about conversational voice and tone in these pages. Conversational style engages and persuades people. That's the gist of it. A lot of businesses still shy away from this type of writing in their Web sites, eBay listings and marketing collateral. I came across validation for the conversational approach in another book (which is great, by the way). It's called Presentation Zen:

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-84728200522712870212008-01-12T09:14:00.000-08:002008-01-12T09:18:25.558-08:00

If you’re interested in technology trends, I wrote an article for D-Link about RSS photo feeds. This kind of application is simple, like ring tones – hence the title of the article. Yet it’s so much more clever and elaborate. I write blog posts for D-Link from time to time, and this is the latest one. Which reminds me… are you blogging about your products and services? It’s a great way to

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-49034608299985790582008-01-11T11:30:00.000-08:002008-01-11T11:31:58.457-08:00

I read a good article on PowerPoints yesterday. And it applies equally well to copywriting. I read it in John Forde's newsletter (which is great). It's also up at the author's site: http://www.psychotactics.com/artpowerpoint.htm Some highlights.. "Step 1: Kaboom Them Into Waking Up! Ever noticed how most presentations start with, "Welcome to this presentation...blah, blah, blah."

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-19939077966191237562008-01-10T14:24:00.000-08:002008-01-10T14:25:01.773-08:00

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee wrote a great article on Web trends in the November 26, 2007 issue of InformationWeek. There is so much going on in this market.. the mind reels. Here’s a taste from the lead: “The old days of companies tightly controlling a marketing message are gone…The interactive forces of the Internet - including social networking sites, online discussion boards, and blogs - are

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-83742048611727913852008-01-05T14:07:00.000-08:002008-01-05T14:08:11.016-08:00

Mall in Corona del Mar, CA. Big advertising makes you stop, apparently. We did, for a photo, even. Viral in a sense.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-50556571517659831202008-01-04T11:14:00.000-08:002008-01-04T11:15:02.670-08:00

The following comes from the Online Marketer Blog: “Not only are 1 in 4 internet users consulting reviews before purchasing offline, but they are willing to pay more if the service is ranked as excellent. It seem that after the year of exuberance that was all about Facebook and twitter, business is finally getting around to answering the question of how social media effects ROI. “..Users that [

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-59504200122476614512008-01-03T16:16:00.001-08:002008-01-03T16:16:49.656-08:00

See previous post for details.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-50531892547138257242008-01-03T16:13:00.000-08:002008-01-03T16:14:26.957-08:00

This was in the starbucks near my house. The layers are both fascinating and ironic. .. From both a marketing and general perspective. The ethos campaign wants starbucks customers to buy bottled water - something kind of environmentally wasteful - in order to fund a water development project for the guys in the photo (see next photo). The mind reels. Interesting way to sell a project via empathy.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-81197685763137581812008-01-02T06:01:00.000-08:002008-01-02T06:02:32.215-08:00

If you haven't tried advertising in Facebook yet, it might be worth a shot. Facebook is the social network site that brings friends together according to interests, existing connections, networks and groups. You can place ads and display them to anyone on Facebook based on demographics, interests, hobbies and so forth. It's a good way to reach very targeted audiences. User information is

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-51286851990749321282007-12-27T11:43:00.000-08:002007-12-27T11:44:36.073-08:00

This and the previous photo from the irvine spectrum underarmour store. Notice how they demonize cotton, taking down a direct competitor fabric by decree.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-67094853438020449032007-12-27T11:39:00.000-08:002007-12-27T11:46:44.770-08:00

Under Armour store disses cotton to get you thinking about their materials and benefits.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-86266501578211165112007-12-24T12:22:00.001-08:002007-12-24T12:22:54.319-08:00

The gap used these two comics - from blades of glory - to grab my attention. It worked better than regular models. Expensive, tho.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-57959912707919748192007-12-24T12:04:00.001-08:002007-12-24T12:04:44.197-08:00

Do your offers and promos include freebies? This sony store is chock full of give aways. They are clear about the value of the freebies, too. That's important.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-11012535896673071002007-12-24T11:55:00.000-08:002007-12-24T11:56:25.354-08:00

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-73586947356727438172007-12-24T11:39:00.001-08:002007-12-24T11:50:39.300-08:00

Connecting people, stories and, dreams. That's what consumer technology is about these days. Notice the guy on the girl's screen. Sony store in south coast plaza.

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-79771407387853720312007-12-18T06:38:00.000-08:002007-12-18T06:43:26.367-08:00

This is an advanced tip that concerns Google Analytics and link tracking. If you don't know what those are, I'd suggest taking some time exploring Mark McLaren's site, McBuzz.com (you can ask him questions, too, of course). McBuzz has a good mix of resources concerning SEO, SEM and Google Analytics. He offers video tutorials, articles and so on. Ok - so link tracking.. or more specifically,

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12482782.post-53546356653095628652007-12-12T06:41:00.000-08:002007-12-12T06:43:32.798-08:00

Whether you're writing SEO copy for your Web site or writing SEM copy for a Google AdWords landing page or just writing a new brochure (or even an eBay listing), there are always some very simple, timeless things you need to do. Here they are in stripped down, bare bones bullets: * Write strong headlines * Describe benefits before features * Use specific subheads * Write about the reader (not

Phil Dunn - qualitywriter.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899224733950105735noreply@blogger.com