Entries from April 2008 ↓

FeedBurner is the #1 service for tracking blog readers through RSS. If you have a FeedBurner account, you can log-in and track how many readers you have, and whether your readership is growing or shrinking.

You can even publish a widget on your blog that dynamically displays the number of blog readers you have. For instance, Michel Fortin’s FeedBurner widget says he has 22,838 readers today.

Once you’ve got a sufficient number of readers, displaying a FeedBurner widget becomes a good form of social proof, and could possibly encourage more people to subscribe to your blog. (”Hey, if he’s got 250 readers, it must be a good blog!”)

But FeedBurner’s numbers are not always a good indicator of the value of a blog. For instance, FeedBurner says my old Typepad blog has 169 readers today… even though I haven’t posted to that blog since early January!

And for this blog, FeedBurner only reports 13 readers today. (I know those numbers are low based on traffic statistics and my Aweber email subscribers, which FeedBurner doesn’t track.)

So if not the number of readers, how should you judge the success or value of your blog?

I suggest it’s not about how many readers you have; rather, it’s about how loyal and responsive your readers are.

On a secondary level, it’s also about how many people of influence you’re reaching.

When I write a blog post, my aim is to provide value, spark critical thinking, and encourage interaction. And if some readers decide to link to what I’ve written, so much the better.

I would much rather build loyalty with a few influential and connected readers than gain exposure to thousands of disconnected readers with little or no influence.

Said another way, exposure is meaningless, but loyalty is priceless.

The same principle is at work in advertising.

There are many headlines that will grab a reader’s attention. But a headline’s job is not only to get attention. It’s also to drive the reader into the advertisement.

So in the case of an ad, getting attention is meaningless, but getting a sale is worth something.

When I write a blog post, I’d rather attract 15 people who actually read and respond than 100 people who read the headline and leave.

And when I write an ad, I’d rather attract 5 people who actually read and buy than thousands who read the headline only.

I share all this because it is far too easy to become obsessed with meaningless numbers. To place importance on statistics that are of little import.

As you write articles for your blog, adopt a proper mindset. Don’t try to get the most readers or a bunch of transient traffic from Digg. Simply focus on developing a loyal and responsive readership. The rest will fall into place.

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 48% [?]

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Today, the VeriChip Corporation launches their first direct-to-consumer marketing campaign for human-implantable passive RFID chips.

The identification system has been dubbed “Health Link” because its purpose is to store patients’ health and medical information and provide an “information bridge” between patients and hospitals.

When a patient becomes unconscious or is unable to communicate, emergency room doctors and nurses can instantly access private health data by scanning the Health Link RFID chip implanted in your arm.

Although the cost of Health Link is not mentioned in this press release, the use of the word “subscribers” indicates the business model will operate on some kind of subscription basis.

Questions:

1. Would you personally promote or market this product to the public?

2. Would you subscribe to this service as a consumer?

3. Why or why not?

Please leave a comment below. Thanks!

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Interesting that the VeriChip is headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida… the same place where AWAI is based.

Popularity: 41% [?]

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Terry Dean has recently made two public statements on his blog about the value of copywriting. In one post, he wrote, “Copywriting really is the million-dollar skill.”

Only four days later, Terry wrote, “If there was one skill you could learn that would almost guarantee the success of your Internet business, it would be copywriting.”

Of course, I love it when Terry (or anybody else, for that matter) gives the skill of copywriting such high praise. After all, I am a copywriter.

But is copywriting really the most important skill in business?

I would like to suggest that it’s not. In fact, I believe copywriting is one facet of a broader skill. And so I want to elevate your thinking a little bit.

But first, let me tell you a story…

My Dad Tells Me Something, and It Sticks

Parents must say a million things to their kids in an effort to raise them up to be successful, functioning adults. And probably only a small fraction of what parents say actually sticks.

I’m the oldest of five kids. It’s funny to talk with my siblings because often something our parents said is firmly lodged in my brain, but my siblings can’t remember it at all. And vice versa.

Well, one of things that stuck with me was something my dad said. He said:

“Ryan, the most important skill you’ll ever master is communication. If you know how to communicate well, you can do anything.”

Boom.

I never forgot that.

The Most Important Skill

It’s my belief that communication is the most important skill you could ever learn.

There are then many sub-specialties within communication. For instance, copywriting, negotiating, direct sales, etc. Heck, even body language is communication.

Occasionally, someone will say, “Everything is copy.”

This is only partially true. I think it’s more accurate to say that, “Everything is communication.”

And by adopting this view, you can begin to focus on where you want to excel in the field of communication. Perhaps you want to be a copywriter. Perhaps you want to be a negotiator. Perhaps you want to be a public speaker.

All of these are different specialties within communication.

Become a Student of Communication

Ideally, you will not become a student of copywriting only, but a student of communication.

Because at the end of the day, you’ve got TALK with customers and clients, PERSUADE influential people to joint venture with you, NETWORK with other entrepreneurs at seminars, and WRITE the copy that appears on your blog and sales pages.

The list goes on.

Now you see why I say that copywriting is not the most important skill, although it certainly is a “million-dollar skill” just like Terry says.

Really, communication is the most important skill. And copywriting is one critical part of it.

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 47% [?]

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Shea Homes owns Highlands Ranch, which is a massive community in the county where I live. Shea also builds most of the new homes in Highlands Ranch.

Apparently, Shea is trying to drum up some home buyers. So they sent me an email with a headline that says:

“Shea Homes Value for an UnLimited Time Only”

Then the body copy says:

Shea Homes Value Can Be Yours Today. As one of the nation’s most respected builders, Shea Homes’ character is built on honesty, integrity, and quality. While many are playing pricing and incentive games, we deliver competitive prices, unbeatable value, and exceptional designs. Hurry, for an UnLimited Time, Shea Homes Value Can Be Yours Today.

Who is the genius who came up with this?

First of all, there is no offer. Nothing specific is being sold at all.

Secondly, the offer (which we’ve already established doesn’t even exist) is for an unlimited time. There is no urgency whatsoever.

So for as long as you want, you can take advantage of an offer that doesn’t exist.

Brilliant.

This is a clear example of how NOT to advertise.

Popularity: 54% [?]

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As you might remember, I moved my blogging activity from my Typepad account to this Wordpress blog in early January. I’ve been blogging for over three years about copywriting and marketing, so it’s been interesting to monitor traffic levels on this new domain.

According to MyBlogLog, this blog received 1,338 readers in March 2008, and 2,762 page views.

But what I find most interesting is the traffic levels on my other blog (which, by the way, has nothing to do with copywriting or marketing). I started it in October 2007 as an experiment. So it had zero readers starting in October (compared to this blog, which had at least 800 loyal readers when I switched domains).

So during the same time frame (March 2008), my other blog received 2,382 readers and 4,270 page views. That’s 178% more readers!

Is my writing better on my other blog or is this merely a result of being in a bigger market?

I suspect the latter. Bigger markets have more readers.

And I’m learning different markets have different etiquette rules, different phases of sophistication, different interests, etc.

Maybe I’ll revisit traffic levels at the end of April to see if the disparity between this blog and the other one continues.

Popularity: 44% [?]

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I have been a freelance copywriter for almost three years now. The 3-year anniversary of my start in the freelance world will be June 13, 2008.

As I’ve reflected on my short career (and the careers of others), I’ve recognized three distinct stages in a copywriter’s life. They go something like this…

Stage 1: “If I could just replace my income…”

In Stage 1, the freelance copywriter is mostly concerned with replacing his income. Of course, he wants to make a lot of money; that’s one reason he became a freelance copywriter in the first place.

But the big income is a long-term goal. In the short-term, he wants to be able to get paid to write while suffering no loss of lifestyle. Basically, he wants to make as much as he did in his last job.

Many copywriters never fully achieve Stage 1. In which case, they are either forced into another career or back into a job. If they do fully achieve Stage 1, then they are not far from Stage 2.

Stage 2: “If I could just crack the six-figure mark…”

After a copywriter has some projects in the bag and some testimonials rolling in, his next aspiration is the six-figure mark. He thinks he would be happy if he could make a hundred grand or more a year in copywriting fees.

In a way, the long-term goal in Stage 1 becomes the short-term goal in Stage 2. He has already successfully replaced his income, and earning six figures a year is the next natural target.

To achieve this goal, a copywriter must either raise his fees or take on more projects. Usually, a copywriter will do both. It’s a classic case of earning more while working more.

It’s also a classic recipe for burn-out.

Stage 3: “If I have to write one more sales letter, I swear I’ll…”

As a copywriter, it’s easy to get jaded. You see all the sales pitches, and then some. You witness what goes on behind the scenes. You realize there’s a lot of shady stuff that happens in sales and marketing.

And eventually you see sales and marketing for what it is: giving people what they want, even if what they want is not necessarily in their best interest.

Instead of finding joy in all projects (as you might in Stage 1), the Stage 3 copywriter finds joy in only a select few of the most profitable and most interesting projects. He resents any project he feels compelled to take out of obligation. And he longs for the day when he can stop trading hours for dollars.

Some people have asked me, why is it so hard to find a good copywriter?

That’s because it takes just as much time for a copywriter to get really good as it does for him to become disillusioned with being a full-time freelance copywriter. It is at this point he decides to strictly limit the number of projects he accepts and begin writing copy for himself.

Q: Who makes more money? The copywriter or the person hiring the copywriter?

A: Generally speaking, it’s the person doing the hiring.

Q: What did Claude Hopkins say was the biggest mistake he ever made?

A: Not going into business for himself.

Most freelance copywriters eventually figure this stuff out, take themselves off the market, and finally start earning more while working less. Which happens to be an excellent recipe for happiness and long-term success sans the burn-out.

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 83% [?]

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I shut off my computer on Friday night. I disconnected my Wi-Fi. And I didn’t turn on my computer or check my email until this morning.

Felt great.

That’s a full 58 hours without email or Internet.

Instead of sneaking to my computer to peek at email or blog comments every few hours, I played with my kids, went to the park, vacuumed the garage, put together a puzzle, bought a new pair of shoes, did some reading, and did a little bit of list-making and writing in my notebook.

Not much different from what I might normally have done; the difference was a feeling of clarity. A feeling that I wasn’t chained to my laptop. A feeling that I was living in the real world.

I’m sad to confess that until this past weekend it had been months since I went two days or longer without checking email.

It’s my fault for letting down my guard and allowing my own busy-ness to consume my time.

Note to self: Turn off my Wi-Fi more often.

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 51% [?]

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Last week I asked, “Does transparency hurt business?”

With a few extreme exceptions, the consensus was no, transparency does NOT hurt business. In fact, it is a good thing in many cases.

But what about a lack of transparency?

What about the fabrication of a “grand illusion”?

Turns out, people respond quite negatively when they discover the truth. Many feel like they’ve been duped–played for a patsy.

Which is why I think you should read this post immediately (and the comments too).

• The Grand Illusion: The Real Timothy Ferriss Speaks

-Ryan M. Healy

Popularity: 64% [?]

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