In international business your clients will look for you online because they expect a certain form of communication online from an international business. But they’ll need to find you online first and this is why search marketing is critical for your international marketing success today.

I recently came back from a trip to Toronto where I attended the Search Engine Strategies Conference. At the summit much of the talk on international search was about language and how many people fail to get the “translation” right for search marketing and this causes businesses to lose money.

But international marketers know that language is just the visible part of the challenge. Mastering the navigation among different languages while keeping your business focus requires a deeper skill set. And beyond this, there are the fundamental cross-cultural challenges of doing business with people who are different to your home market. This is where businesses are challenged to deepen their knowledge of marketing and how to learn about their own markets.

With this is mind, here are five tips for successful international search marketing that go beyond language skills and translation.

#1: Get To Know Your International Audiences

This is where your international business begins. People from different cultures are different. There are often opposing differences in how people like to do business. You can’t expect to connect with people in any meaningful manner unless you understand them well.

First you need to research your market. You also need to stimulate as much feedback as you can from each of your international markets. And while doing both of these you need to adopt a sort of cross-cultural lens to ensure that you come to the right conclusions.

Understanding your international audience starts with language and communication, but you also need cross-cultural competency to connect on a level deep enough to develop an international business.

#2: Get Your Research Right

There are a few ways where you can get your research wrong right from the beginning.

• How you carry out your international search marketing campaign will depend on your business objectives. You’ll have different strategies for branding, selling products or qualifying leads. And you’ll need to adapt the research you carry out for each of these different business objectives.
• There are a variety of reasons why it’s not always easy to interpret statistics and research in an international context.  Most of these reasons relate back to cultural differences, different ways of doing things and differences in markets.  Although you may get more traffic from one country, your best business opportunities may be within another country.
• These cultural differences also impact language translations.  The translations you use may not be the ones you need to obtain the information you need. This is why you need a local marketer to help find the right keywords to use. There are jobs where you absolutely must use humans… and humans with the right professional background.
• And to complicate things, you also need to have a good understanding of how local markets use the web in your particular industry. The web continues to evolve for everyone and you need to have this local knowledge to get your international search marketing right.

It’s not easy to research international markets without actual international business experience and local expertise in both your particular market and in search marketing. You can save time and avoid potential blunders by working with people with these skills. If you don’t have this option, start small, take your time doing your international market research, and above all question all of your own assumptions. (Learning how to recognize your assumptions is a skill by itself.)

#3: Learn About Local Search Engines

The Google algorithm is used by most of the search engines out there. The only exceptions are for a few countries with non-Latin alphabets. It’s easy enough to find out the leading search engines in the countries you are targeting. But don’t assume that just because they use the same Google algorithm as you are used to in your own country that everything’s the same.

Spend a bit of time looking at how the local search engines work and monitor this regularly. Keep your search marketer’s hat on while doing this and you’ll probably notice some little differences.  Use these little differences can help you strengthen your own international search marketing campaigns.

It’s often easier to rank for keywords in countries outside of the US, simply because there is less content, which means less competition for those keywords.  So you need some fine skills in analyzing which keywords to target in different countries.

#4: Use Multiple Competencies

Language competency is essential to getting good international search results. But so is are good marketing skills, and marketing skills are needed both in understanding the local market and also in how this is applied online specifically for search marketing. This is why a successful international search marketing campaign is the fruit of good:

• Translation
• Search marketing
• Local marketing expertise in your industry

Keep this in mind. You don’t want to rely solely on a translator or a search marketer or a local marketing expert.  You’ll need to find the right balance within your international marketing team.

#5: Invest In Localization

This is just a reminder… For best results you’ll always need to have a localized web presence and this means:

• Local language content
• Local web host
• Local domain registered locally
• Local currency
• Local address and shipping practices
• Local physical address
• And anything else that’s specific to your industry that needs to be local

Although it’s usually not possible to begin with 100% localization, you should keep striving towards this goal. Think local until it becomes second nature and you’ll get better results from your international marketing.

Now it’s your turn…

• What tips can you share for successful international search marketing?
• How important is search marketing to your international business success?
• How does language impact your current international search marketing results?

More On International Web Marketing

• Define International Marketing
• How Too Many Contributions Spoil International Communications
• International Article Marketing
• International Email Marketing
• International SEO For Quick Results
• Marketing Segmentation
• Mindset Differences Between Offline Marketers And Online Marketers
• More Segmentation = More International Sales
• My Own Case Study – Small Business Flexibility In An Online World
• The Difference Between An eMarketer And A Geek Marketer
• Ways To Enter International Marketing
• What Is Marketing?
• What Is Your Definition Of International Web Marketing
• Your International Marketing Choice

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

5 Tips For Great International Search Marketing

Twitter

Here is my article which was first published on Social Media Examiner:

Twitter is a networking haven for businesses. But is there an easy way to draw the right people to you with Twitter?

The answer is yes and there’s a great Twitter feature that can help you: Twitter lists. Twitter lists can grab the interest of people you most want to meet, help you make a great first impression and can help you with marketing segmentation.

Below I’ll show you some unique ways to use Twitter lists. But first…

How Do Twitter Lists Work?

Twitter lists creates separate lists of people. If you haven’t already used Twitter lists, watch this video to see how you can get started.

There are two interesting points to remember about Twitter lists:

• You don’t need to “follow” people on Twitter to include them in your lists.
• You can have both public and private lists.

Now here’s a look at what you can do with Twitter lists.

#1: Listen with Private Lists

Twitter lists are great to monitor and listen to different groups of people. No-one else can see your private lists, so this is a good place to start using the Twitter list feature. You can create private lists to:

• Monitor your competitors
• Carry out specific market research
• Keep track of different networks of friends and colleagues

Private Twitter lists can help you segment the fire hose of information streaming in through your Twitter feed, according to Rohit Bhargava. Segmenting people into lists also helps you more effectively listen to and monitor your market.

John Jantsch says Twitter lists make it easier to listen to what others have to say.

And monitoring people without following them makes it easy to carry out specific market research or intelligence gathering. Once you’ve finished doing your market research, you can simply delete your list without making any changes to the people you usually follow.

#2: Craft Your Brand With Public Lists

There’s not much space to brand yourself on your Twitter profile page. You do have space for a few words in the bio box and you can add in background graphics. But you can also add another dimension to your branding by carefully crafting your public Twitter lists. Here’s how.

Choose appropriate names for your lists
Spend some time finding the best name for your list. There are a few things to keep in mind when naming your Twitter lists:

• Engage the right people. You’ll get more people interested in looking at your list if the name sparks their interest.
• Remember to communicate with everyone. Don’t limit your audience. The right name could help you reach more of the people you want to connect with.
• The SEO bonus. Another reason to think about how you label your lists is for search engine optimization (SEO). Look at the screenshot below. This Twitter list is in a good position in Google search results for a competitive keyword.

The bad news is that if you change the name of your list, the URL of your Twitter list changes too and you’ll lose the people following that list. So take some time to get this right.

Choose appropriate Twitter lists for your public profile
When creating your Twitter lists, you want to think of how lists help you:

• Connect with your Twitter followers
• Achieve your main goal for using Twitter
• Continue the story you began in your Twitter bio

As you build up a following on Twitter, your followers will be interested in your Twitter lists. The choice of Twitter lists found on your Twitter home page is important for engaging with people.

Choose the number of public lists
Remember, there’s a limited amount of space available for your Twitter lists on your home page. Although you can create a larger number of lists, only about 4 to 6 will appear on your home page depending on the character length of the names of your lists. Your audience will have to click on the “View all” link to see all of your lists if you have more than this.

So you may want to think carefully about the number of lists you want to create and the order in which you create them. Put your most relevant lists at the top.

Advertise your Twitter lists
Create Twitter widgets for specific Twitter lists and put them up on your blog or website to engage people and establish your areas of interest and expertise.

Better Marketing With Twitter Lists

Twitter’s list feature can add some extra marketing power to your Twitter strategy if you take some time to get it right. You also need to find the right way to make your lists work for you. This will depend on your goals for Twitter, your audience and how they like to connect with you.

A good Twitter list improves your visibility in your market. Here are a few more benefits:

• The people you follow in your public lists will appreciate the recognition.
• By providing a useful resource, you’ll increase your credibility in your market and attract more followers.
• As you become more popular, you’ll be listed on other people’s lists. This is another way to measure your social media influence.

What are your thoughts about Twitter lists? How are you using them? Do you regularly follow other lists? Please share your thoughts and comments below.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

How to Market Your Business With Twitter Lists

Membership Sites

I’m tired of hearing the word “risk”. This is one of the top excuses most of the business owners I speak with use for not developing their international markets.

Of course, I fully understand and appreciate the “risk” involved in developing international markets. Honestly I do. I’ve been in international businesses of various sizes for over 25 years.

But risk should not keep you paralyzed. Not taking action means losing business opportunities in today’s world.

Read more to find out how I believe the WishList Member Training can help you get a handle on the risk elements involved in international business development.

Learn More About Your Markets

Instead of complaining about risks, you need good market evaluation tools. You need to find out more about your international markets and within a good international web marketing strategy.

Today’s social media and web marketing environment enables us to get more relevant feedback from international markets than ever before.

I know this first hand from how I am developing my own international business.

WishList Membership Plugin

There is one tool I want to talk to you specifically.

• WishList Membership Plugin

Full disclosure: I own WishList Membership Plugin and all the links on this blog are my affiliate links.

It’s a solution built for “everyday people” – that means you don’t need to be a technical genius to figure it out.

Marketing Possibilities Using Membership Site Software

I have a particularly interest in using WishList Membership Plugin within an international web marketing campaign as a tool to learn more about my own international niche markets, but you could easily use it to market to your own audience.

I’m writing this blog post because I’m excited about the marketing possibilities it offers. Of course it is a tool to create membership sites. Using the popular blogging platform: WordPress. And this has three great advantages:

• It’s super easy.
• You can create different membership environments using different mixes of other WordPress plugins.
• It’s just started, there’s going to be many more marketing possibilities this time next year.

WordPress Can Do This?

There are some fabulous plugins out there but you had to “tweak this” and “tweak that” and if you aren’t technical, it becomes very frustrating. That’s why I was very excited when I saw WishList Member. It’s a membership solution that was specifically built for WordPress.

The best part is, it has all the features you would want in a membership solution AND it is compatible with all of your other favorite plugins! So you get the best of both worlds

Plus, they’ve added some very cool features to make running and managing a membership site a whole lot easier.

Free Membership Sites For More Effective Market Research

I’m much more interested in the free membership sites right now. I’m starting to change all of my niche websites into free membership sites. I’ll use the membership site capabilities to learn more about my audience and market to them in a much more effective way, than simply with a blog or website.

And after I learn more about what my audience wants?

Then there is always the possibility of easily adding in paid membership levels.

Building Your Community

With the WishList plugin you create a membership site. This membership site is about creating community. And if one thing can be said about the web today, it is that it is quickly moving towards a greater sense of “community”.

That’s why membership sites have quickly begun to experience a tremendous resurgence. It gives people with a shared interest a place to connect, discuss and share their thoughts and ideas on a topic of interest.

Ideas On How Your Business Can Use WishList

They key as a business owner is to identify how you can create a community around your product or service.  Here are links to 3 different videos.

• 10 of the most popular kinds of membership sites (and some of them don’t even have content inside!).
• Micro-continuity membership sites
• Get a deeper idea of how you can incorporate WishList into your business.

After watching these videos you’re bound to have lots of “membership site” ideas – I know I did.

WishList Membership Training

To be honest with you, although I appreciated the benefits of having a membership site, the marketing lightbulbs did not really go off until after I listened to the recordings of the WishList Live Training Event.  This is when I realized WishList was opening great possibilities for me to use in international market research.  The kind of market research that would help get rid of the paralyzing effect of the fear of “risk” in international business development.

To set up a membership site, all you need is the WishList Membership Plugin.  It is very easy to set up and use, especially if you are used to WordPress already.

To really get the fully marketing potential quickly out of the plugin, I think it’s worth investing in some extra training. And I know you like a good deal so I wanted to quickly share this link with you in case you want to jump onboard full throttle this year and learn how to use this great membership tool.

The WishList Member Training & Certification is starting very soon and there is a $500 Early Bird discount which ends on Tuesday December 1st 2009.  From what I’ve been told, they won’t be doing the Training or the Certification for at least another 6-8 months so now is the best time to get in.

The WishList Membership Plugin is easy enough to use without this training.  But if you are a marketer you might be eager to get all of the little bits of inside information that can give your own marketing a leading edge.

You can see how excited I am about this. What about you?

• Are there any examples of WishList membership sites you would like to share?
• How do you use free membership websites for market research?
• What experience would you like to create with a membership site?

Please leave your comments below.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

WishList – A Great Marketing Tool To Get To Know Your Market Better

International Customer Expectations

In order to get international clients you need to pay special attention to your international customer’s experience.

What does this mean?  Well, you really need to be aware of what your international customer is going through.

Where?  At the intersection of your business and your international customer’s needs.

Response To Customer Needs

Let’s have a look at the two different levels of his needs in international business:

1. The need your international customer has and how your offer fulfills this need.
2. Your international customers needs during his buying process.

Cultural Differences

In international sales the response to these two different sets of needs can highlight cultural differences.

Positioning Your Offer For The Best Cultural Response

The first basic need all businesses need to address is the offer.

Selling a product to different countries usually involves a new product positioning.

• Different cultures may appreciate different qualities or features
• Different cultures respond to different emotional buttons in sales

Identify Cultural Differences In The Buying Process

Different cultures have different ways of buying things.  And they may have different needs during the different buying stages:

• Inquiry
• Evaluation
• Purchase
• Use of product or service
• After sales support

Some cultures may have more developed needs at different points in the buying process.  This can make the buying process seem different in different cultures.  You may need to address different points in varying degrees of detail or differently.

Process And Questions

All good sales professionals follow a process for evaluating their customers needs and moving them towards the sale.

• You need to adapt this process for your international clients.

Part of this process is knowing which question you need to ask your customers.

• With international customers you need to remember to ask the appropriate questions at each of the different buying steps.

Your Offer

First, you need to keep their one big need in top position.  This is the need your offer fulfills.

For sales success, you need to understand exactly how your offer fulfills this need.  And this information comes from your international customers.  Any assumptions based on customers from other countries can be wrong.

Immediate Needs

Next, you need to know what your international customer needs at each specific step of his buying process.

This means systematically asking what your customer needs at this particular point in time.  Again, assumptions based on your knowledge of what works in another culture can be wrong.

If you are just beginning to develop your business in a particular country, these questions and their answers are also vital for your exploratory market research.

Focus On Your International Customer

The process of finding out what your international client needs is important.  Your company might have a process that does not give your full value.

A good process does not need to be complicated.  Often it is the most simple tactics that work best.

International Sales Guide

With the right process you will be able to create an International Sales Guide, or cheat sheet.  This is a very short guideline outlining all of the key sales and marketing information for selling one specific product in one specific culture.

How do you do this?  Well it all starts with:

• Finding the right questions to ask
• Asking the right questions to identify your international customer’s needs
• Finding your best response to these needs
• Identifying anything stopping your international customer from fulfilling his needs
• Good teamwork and collaboration to see the whole picture of your international customer’s experience
• Creating the best experience for your international customers

Use Your Strengths

A very large part of creating a good experience for your international customers is in the details.

Most people focus on language and cultural barriers.  This is natural.

But instead of focusing on your weaknesses, why not focus on your strengths.

You can often create a great experience by paying attention to the details you hear from the international customers you already have.  This is a process most good sales professionals do well.  They simply need to adapt these skills to international customers.

Yes, cultural differences can make the process seem difficult in the beginning.  But perseverance in listening to your international customers will increase your international skills.

The process of finding the right questions and asking them at each step along the way gets easier with practice.  And improves your international sales.

More On International Customer Expectations:

• Cross Cultural Customer Service Expectations
• Customer Expectations, Satisfaction & Loyalty
• International Customer Experience
• Up-Sell Expectations Across Cultures

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Connect With Your International Markets
• Cross-Culture Sales
• Cultural Web Tools

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Customer Experience

International Market Research

Yesterday I wrote about Methodology For International Market Research and the question of whether you can use one methodology for your international market research across a variety of different countries.

…One methodology for your international market research?

It depends on:

• What you need to get out of your international market research.
• What type of market research you are using.

Today let’s look at three different types of market research.

Online Research

These three different types of market research are particularly suitable for international market research.

• They are suitable for both online and offline research methods.

There are other types of market research for offline market research.  But online research and web marketing are indispensable tools for international business development today.

Let’s have a look…

Exploratory Market Research

This is the type of market research most people think of when contemplating international market research.

General country research from:

• Government sources
• Market research websites
• International news websites
• Search engine queries

This type of research can give you a basic idea about different international markets.

I have encountered many business professionals who want to take important international business decisions based only on results from this market research.  And this is a mistake.

This is one of the reasons why I encourage phone research.  It is natural to continue on to other layers of research when you are talking to people on the phone.

This information is not enough for you to actually do anything with.

But it does give you a base from which to start the more in depth research you need.

Exploratory research is an easy place to start.

• Some people seem to want to find all of their answers here.
• Others seem to want to find out as much as they can here – out of procrastination before moving on to more in depth research.

Remember, you can always come back here if you need to.

Descriptive Market Research

Before starting this type of research you need to feel comfortable with your understanding of:

• Who your target market is
• What they want

You can get this information from your Exploratory Research.

During this stage of research you simply need to flesh this knowledge out much more.

Surveys are the best tool to use here.

Surveys help you to pinpoint exactly what your target market wants and who they are.

This is your goal during this type of research.

Casual Research

Causal research is the ongoing research you must do once you start interacting with your international markets.

This is where you build your international market intelligence.

You need to:

• Cross-verify your information
• Reexamine any assumptions
• Question your international markets
• Get a closer understanding for your international markets

Casual Research involves an interest in your international market. It is about the relationship you create with your foreign markets.

This is not a difficult process.  It is very market specific.

Your International Research Program

These are the three most common types of market research you need to develop an international business.

More on aligning your methodology later this week…

More On International Market Research:

• 5 Factors To Consider When Marketing To Different Cultures
• Choose How You Connect With Your Foreign Markets
• Here’s A Blog To Help Your International Market Research
• How Do You Learn About Your International Markets?
• How Do Your Foreign Prospects Use Their Search Engines
• How To Know Where Your International Markets Really Are With Business Blogging
• Methodology For International Market Research
• International Market Research Essentials
• International Market Research Success
• Target Market Research Versus Persona Marketing, Or Both?
• Target Your Global Market With A Good Understanding Of Their Demographics
• Why Is International Market Research So Important?

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• International Market Research
• Design Your International Visibility
• International Web Marketing

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Market Research Essentials

International Market Research

A reader recently asked me for my thoughts on international market research. He is an MBA student writing a paper:

To be comparable an international marketing research should be conducted applying the same methodology in all participating countries.

I do not agree with this statement as it is written here.

You can only apply the same methodology across different countries for specific tasks in international market research.

…And these are mainly for preliminary international market research – more on this tomorrow.

What You Want From Your Research

So, where can you use the same methodology across any given choice of countries?

And, when do you need to use different methods?

Well, my first question would be:

• What are the goals of your international market research?

And then, the next question is:

• Will different cultures interfere with the methods you get from this information?

What You Get From Your Research

When answering these questions, there is one thing that is obvious to me here.

The closer the information you need from your international markets…

…the more problems you will have at getting valuable information using a single methodology.

This is the thing international business blunders are made of.

Now,that does not mean you should not systematize your international market research.

And there definitely is a place for one single methodology across different cultures in international market research.

…Again, more tomorrow.

The Limits Of Methodology In International Market Research

Today I just want to say something  important first..

International market research for effective international business development has different layers.

• One methodology across the board can work with some of these layers.
• One methodology across the board could give you useful information in some instances.
• And using one methodology across the board could give the advantage to your competitors in other layers of this international market research.

Yes, some people can come up with sophisticated calculations to make methodologies work well.

And, some people will think there is flare involved in certain international successes.

I think there is a time a place when to follow the results from:

• Your international market research
• Specific knowledge acquired through international skills

And, the best international teams I have worked with know when to apply both of these.

More On International Market Research:

• 5 Factors To Consider When Marketing To Different Cultures
• Choose How You Connect With Your Foreign Markets
• Here’s A Blog To Help Your International Market Research
• How Do You Learn About Your International Markets?
• How Do Your Foreign Prospects Use Their Search Engines
• How To Know Where Your International Markets Really Are With Business Blogging
• Methodology For International Market Research
• International Market Research Essentials
• International Market Research Success
• Target Market Research Versus Persona Marketing, Or Both?
• Target Your Global Market With A Good Understanding Of Their Demographics
• Why Is International Market Research So Important?

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• International Market Research
• Design Your International Visibility
• International Web Marketing

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Methodology For International Market Research

Cross-Cultural Marketing

Two American copywriters recently asked me for my opinions on the potential market of ethnic or multicultural copywriting.

Now, you may have noticed…

Twitter For Cross-Cultural Marketing Research

I have beefed up my Twitter micro-blogging recently.  And following everyone who Tweets about everything related to international and cross-cultural business.

There are a few very useful things that have come out of following my favorite topics this last month.

• I’ve noticed the increased interest in ethnic marketing in the United States due to the Obama effect
• I’ve met a few key ethnic marketers in the US and here in France.
• I’ve noticed top American marketers scrambling to find out more about ethnic marketing.

And I also saw a number of Tweets on about a recent survey on the increase of the ethnic population in the US.

• Americans of ethnic origins will represent the majority of the US population in my lifetime.

As a cross-cultural marketer, it is obvious that this will change marketing tactics.

Marketing gets you more sales when it connects with your customers.  And you need to understand your customers’ behavior for you can create an effective marketing campaign.

The problem is that different cultures have different behaviors.

• Different cultures need different marketing.

Ethnic Marketing Today

Let’s look at ethnic marketing…

Ethnic marketing still represents a few hurdles for businesses today.

• It is not a standard practice – companies do not use this often enough
• Ethnic marketing best practices still have to be ironed out – more businesses need to have ethnic marketing strategies

Not Just Marketing

The trouble is that management often assumes that ethnic or multicultural marketing is “just marketing”.  They do not realize the extent to which selling to different cultures effects the entire business.

In addition, the first hurdles businesses encounter in ethnic marketing often translate into more time and investment.

• Businesses do not realize that will often need to re-position their product
• They underestimate the amount of work this involves
• They underestimate the extent this effects all of their business

An ethnic marketer who does not have the support and participation of the whole business team cannot impact ethnic sales effectively.

Best place to look for insights:

• International marketers

They can easily understand how doing business with different cultures can effect the entire business. International business development is a process that involves new skill sets.

This international process and these skills sets are very similar and can usually be transposed to develop effective ethnic marketing.

Positioning The Sale

The very first task for ethnic and cross-cultural marketers is to reposition the sale.  Different cultures respond to different emotional buttons.

Best place to look for insights:

• Copywriters and marketers with field experience

Copywriters are marketers trained in understanding a market from their side.  A professional copywriter is usually able to grasp the extent of how much you will need to reposition your offer in order to sell to a different cultural or ethnic group.   With two caveats:

• The copywriter or marketer has to have the time to do the research.
• He also needs to know when he needs to continue to dig further. Cross-cultural communication challenges hit everyone, no matter what your profession.

The Future Of Multicultural & Ethnic Copywriting & Marketing

Yesterday, I mentioned the book Megatrends Europe by Adjiedj Bakas and this comes to mind yet again today.  Our societies are changing, but:

• No one knows for sure what they will be like in the years to come.
• No one knows how the different elements will influence each other.

Despite these uncertainties, if you have a business today, it is wise to look at current trends.  You will have more informed insights into where you business will be tomorrow.

There is an obvious trend in ethnic changes in the populations of many of the current leading world countries.  The one assumption you can count on is: a

• An increased need for effective ethnic and multicultural marketing

And my advice to the two copywriters interested in multicultural copywriting…

…Jump onboard now if you can.

More On Cross-Cultural Marketing

• A Future For Ethnic Marketing
• Cross-Cultural Web
• How Cultural Differences Influence Marketing Segmentation
• Marketing Segmentation Grows Both Sides Of Your International Business
• Sophisticated Marketing Methods And International Sales
• Why Cross-Cultural Marketing Is Not An Option
• Why International Marketing Needs To Do More

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

A Future For Ethnic Marketing

International Copywriting

Copywriting is any type of writing that offers products or services for sale.

Writing For A Call To Action

Copywriting skills are needed whenever you have a call to action, even if this is not a sale.  Calls to action can be:

• Press this button… for any reason
• Sign up here… for anything
• Give me your support
• Call me
• Read more
• Come see me
• Ask for a free trial, report or anything else
• Buy my product

As you can see, a call to action can take many different forms.  Most of these calls to action are part of a lead generation or sales strategy.

Writing For Sales

Beginners are often confused about what is involved in copywriting.  This is because there are different types of writing for sales:

• Feature article copy – editorial writing, a little more formal, but also uses conversational writing style.
• Big ad agency copy – short and clever copy, used to build awareness and does not have a sales order device.  Success performance is not tracked and you cannot measure exact response to see how well the ad worked.
• Direct response copy – asks for an immediate action with a strong call to action.  Success of this copy can be tracked and measured.  Direct response copywiritng is personal.

Good Web Copywriting

Writing for the web is closer to direct response copywriting than any other writing style.  Whether it is for profit or not.

To understand this, you need to understand how people use the internet.  Their behavior online is linked to the action of search.

Your website needs to keep your readers:

• Attention, to get them to stop and stay on your website.
• Interest, to get them to read and look at your website.
• Desire, to spend more time on your website, and even to come back again
• and calls them to Action, to read more, to visit more of your web pages and to click through your links.

This formula, AIDA, is the first basic formula copywriters learn to write sales letters.

There are a few differences between Direct Response Copywriting and Web Copywriting.  But the principles of good Direct Response Copywriting correspond to good Web Copywriting by over 90%.

When you think about it, there is no coincidence that you can use the same copywriting principles.

• You can track and measure results for both Direct Response Copywriting and Web Copywriting.

When people refer to Web Copywriting this usually also involves SEO Copywriting.  More on the differences between these two in a later article.

It Is All About Conversation

Conversational style writing skills are what makes great copywriters.  Conversational skills that connect with target markets.  And these are the two reasons why conversational writing style works:

Empathy – You talk to your reader as a friend. You show that you understand your reader. This is empathy.

Not Selling – You provide solutions. In a conversational writing style you do not sell, you provide solutions to your readers problems.

Conversational copy is quick and easy to read.  It hits the emotional buttons that will get your readers to respond to your call to action.

This is why conversational copywriting is a proven sales technique.

Layers Of Marketing

In fact, a copywriter relies on marketing skills just as much as writing skills.

Let’s look at a typical copywriting project.

Professional copywriters usually spend their time as follows:

• 40% – detailed market research
• 20% – writing
• 40% – editing copy for sales objectives

As you can see, marketing research is a vital part of good copywriting.  This happens before the actual writing.

Marketing guidelines also come into play.  These guidelines look at the whole communication experience for the reader and also include:

• How the reader responds within a specific market
• Where your reader is when he finds your copy
• How the copy works with your reader’s specific environment
• How the copy works with the graphics

And the copywriter also refers to these guidelines when editing his copy.

And… Intimate Knowledge Of Your Readers

When you fully understand your reader, you are able to call him to action.

• You use the same vocabulary and buzz words as your reader.
• You know how to talk to your reader to get him to listen to you.
• You know exactly what his deepest fears, motivations and desires are.
• You understand how he will respond to what you say.
• You know how to respond to his objections.
• You know which emotional buttons to push to get your reader to respond immediately.

With a little tracking to measure results, copywriting skills are a valuable sales tool.  In fact, all successful marketers online have invested in good copywriting skills.  Either by taking the time to learn copywriting themselves, or by outsourcing.  And usually a mixture of both.

More on International Copywriting:

• Marketing Is An Integral Part Of Copywriting

More in the Get International Clients Business Guides

• International English
• Culture Customized Content
• Connect With Your International Markets

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