I understood that the writer was highlighting the fact that we can find affordable rugs at this website. However,  to use “cheap rugs” on a company whose name is SuperiorRugs is a little weird to this marketer here. Cheap can be an attractive and  luring word but it can be derogatory as well. It is a word to be used carefully in all marketing message – verbal or written. In fact, I recently recommended a friend to amend his self-introduction elevator speech. He always called himself a freelance safety auditor. Freelance means you work independently but regrettably, a large part of the market sees freelancers as cheap labors offering services at average quality. You and I know that’s not true but a lot of people felt differently. We hired lots of freelance copywriters and designers to help us during peak hours but we don’t call them “freelancers”. We called them “independents” and we encouraged them to do so too. “Freelance” and “independent” – Which word instill more pride and more values? I would substitute the word “cheap rugs” to “clearance rugs” as it is used at the rug company’s website. The latter is by far a more positive word.

The cheap rug section is aptly called “Clearance Rugs”. In no way did Superior Rugs gave the impression that the rugs listed there are of less superior quality. They were just clearing off old rugs to make way for new ones.

Consumer like to pay cheap price but they don’t like to buy cheap goods. Next time, when you are going to hold a sale,  give a reason for the sale – clearance for new stock to come in, best price for early birds … whatever. You can offer a cheap price but never ever give the impression that your product/service are of cheap quality. Go see SuperiorRugs’ site, it did not use the word “cheap” but the prices are (at the clearance pages)!

These days it’s quite easy to make a lot of money online writing and selling e-books and other information products, plus, writing an e-book is a virtually risk free endeavor. Even in the unlikely event that you don’t make any money, the initial investment is very small, that you have almost nothing to lose. If you are considering writing your own e-books then here are some e-book writing tips:

1. Write about something that interests you.

When you discuss a topic you enjoy, the e-book practically writes itself. You’ll provide readers with valuable information, and make more money as a result.

2. Use conversational language.

Talk to your readers as if they are your friends and family.

3. Before you write the e-book, create an outline containing topic ideas and points you want to discuss. As you write, follow the outline and flesh out the content.

4. Set a deadline for completing the e-book.

It will take some time to get everything written and proofread, but it’s all worthwhile in the end. Don’t rush to complete an e-book, quality work is more important than getting the job done in a day. Establish a deadline by estimating how many pages you can write on a daily basis, and then go from there. For instance, if you decide to write a 400 page e-book, and can schedule in 10 pages per day, plan to finish the book in 40 days.

5. Always proofread and edit the book before publishing.

Grammar and spelling errors are unacceptable if you plan to sell a lot of copies. To be blunt, it looks unprofessional and is a big turn off for most readers.

6. Craft a great title that will really catch people’s attention.

If you can hook people with an amazing title, you’ll come out a winner in the end. It doesn’t matter how great your e-book is in between the covers, if you don’t have a super title, no one will get past the first page.

7. Create a professional cover.

Hire someone to design a graphic e-book cover for you, it’s worth the small investment. A catchy e-book cover will help you make more sales.

8. Know your audience.

If you write with a specific target market in mind, your e-book is more likely to contain sales worthy information. Do some market research and find out what your audience wants to learn, what will make them grab a copy of your e-book? Discover problems that haven’t been solved, and create an e-book that offers the solution.

9. Write sales copy that will cause your book to fly off the virtual shelves.

In your sales letter, talk about the benefits of your book – this is the best way to successfully sell e-books online. If copywriting isn’t your strong point, hire a professional copywriter to handle the task. It will cost you a little bit of money, but it’s worth it. If you’ve written a high quality e-book and then fail when it comes to marketing, all your hard work will have been for nothing. A good sales letter will convert prospective buyers into paying customers. For much more info on writing and selling your own high profit e-books visit my link below.

David O Connell: How to Write Publish and Market Your Own High Profit e-books at http://www.make-n-market-ebooks.com

1. Use SEO friendly key words

Online marketers depend on a killer sales letter to make sales. Online articles depend on keywords to get readers coming to their sites. So writing for online is different from the off-line copy in some ways. Online copy writing is associated with a form of article called a Search Engine Optimized (SEO) article. The copywriter will fit in a series of keywords or phrases that rank high in an internet search through such search engines as Google or Yahoo.

2. Have a Killer Headline

As another website is just a few clicks away, you must captivate your readers’ attention the moment he steps into your online space. Most people only skim through a webpage. If the headline of your article or advertisement does not grab a person’s attention, you can bet that the time and resources invested in writing the entire article will be a total waste. 90% of readers will decide after reading the headline if they should continue reading the rest of the article/ads and navigate further. Internet marketing gurus will always tell their students and supporters that headline can make as much as 80% difference to their sales.

3. Relevant Links

Of course, other than the headline, the sales letter or article got to offer real benefits. You must offer information and values by offering your opinions, citing examples, convincing via figures and charts, etc. The readers must acknowledge that you are the expert and that they can get almost all the information at your website. The remaining can be found through your links. If you are not an expert in related fields but such additional knowledge will enrich your readers, link to appropriate sites who offer such expert opinions.Such generosity will win you lots of readers, buyers and lots of online friends and joint venture partners.

Technorati Tags: online writing

1. Understand your topic

The key to writing an article quickly and expertly is to understand your topic well. You should only write of things that you have actual knowledge. You can start writing about something you are familiar with. If you have to tackle a topic that you are unfamiliar with, you will need to educate amply on the subject. Take time to research and cross reference to make sure that the information you got is accurate. Never take from one source.

2. Writes Everyday

Practice made perfect. You must cultivate the habit of writing regularly and frequently. Many professional writers will recommend that you write every single day. Whether you are in the mood or now, whether you got an idea or not, just write. The pros write regardless if it is a dark and stormy day or night. If you can’t, it’s unlikely you can when the situation calls for an immediate ad copy or press release.

3. Organise Your Structure

The articles you write should be well organized. Well organised means you have an introduction that leads your reader into your main story willingly. Your main story will have to be systematically and logically arranged in appropriate paragraphs where each paragraph emphasize on one point only. Many amateur writers try to squeeze too many points within one paragraph. This is not recommended because it makes reading and understanding difficult. A confused reader will get frustrated and give up reading altogether. Finally, a compelling conclusion to offer your parting shot and round up the entire story.

4. Keep it Simple

A good article is not one filled with bombastic words and complex sentences. If a simple word works as well as a big word, take the simple word. You don’t want to alienate people with limited vocabulary. In fact, you want as many readers as possible.

Technorati Tags: copywriting

His recent query was: “How do I write better?”The standard answer from any 1st grade teacher would be “Read more and write even more.” We told him that and we advise him to start writing everyday. The easiest way to start is to write something related to you. You can keep a journal and write about the interesting and frustrating things that happened that day. After you have let it all out, then you can go through it critically and polish it.

OK … for those who like to do your copy-writing, you can start to hone your skills at this contest at ReallyLousyDates. That blog is inviting folks to submit entries on their WORSE Valentine Day Stories.

We would like you to share your Worse Valentine’s Day Story with us. This could be all about you, or it could be something that happened to someone else which ruined your day. Whatever the circumstances surrounding it, you must feel that it is the worse Valentine’s Day you have ever experienced.

Top Prizes

1st Prize: US$100
2nd Prize: US$50
3rd Prize: US$20

Special prizes

The first 100 qualifying entries submitted before 31 January 2008 will receive by mail, a pair of naughty, cheeky Valentine’s Day greeting cards that you can send to your friends.

Try writing something casual, something close to heart and something related to you is easier than writing for your product. There is no pressure, there is no risk, there is no concern about sales and profit margin. When you are comfortable with writing, you can start to tackle your own product writing.

Go check out the contest on Worse Valentine’s Day Story, at least it will be fun. Oh, you got to submit it by 10 February 2008 to qualify for the top 3 prizes. Of course, the folks there would want you to response faster so there’s an early bird prize of a pair of naughty Valentine’s Day card. Check it out there.

Go write for fun.

Technorati Tags: worse Valentine’s Day stories, ReallyLousyDates