How to Borrow the Brain of Your Very Own “Mad Woman” and Get Big Brand Ideas for Your Business

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The original Mad Men like Lisa Rothstein

This was my life at Young & Rubicam

Stuck? Blending in with the crowd? Having a brand identity crisis? Or does your copy ring as hollow as a cheesy pickup line at Happy Hour (and work about as well, too)?

You need a Peggy or a Don.

OK, so I may have been 20-odd years later than Peggy Olson of Mad Men when I got my start as a copywriter at the famed Young & Rubicam ad agency on Madison Avenue, or even when I became a Creative Director like Don Draper…but the  demands were and are the same. On Mad Ave you have to have great ideas and the smartest copy for clients, or go home.

After years doing just that all over the world for brands like IBM, Hanes, The American Cancer Society and many more, I brought my Madison Avenue big brand creativity, strategy and problem-solving to entrepreneurs such as high-level coaches and consultants, inventors, startups and creative entrepreneurs of all stripes. When they hire me as a consultant, it’s like having their very own Don or Peggy concentrating on how to make their business hit it big with customers.

And being an entrepreneur myself since 2004, with all the ups and downs that entails…well, let’s just say I “get” how it is for you, too.

Here are just some of the ways I can help you:

  • Decide which of your many creative business ideas has the best shot in the marketplace right now, and what to do about the others
  • Name your products (like I’ve done for companies like Chevrolet, Capital One Bank and Vivendi Games, and for entrepreneurs and coaches too) or even your whole business
  • Help you create your products from scratch — with little or no overhead cost!
  • Guide you through all the nuts and bolts of online marketing such as social media for business, blogging, how to build a list and more. You’ve got questions, I’ve got the answers.
  • Develop your copy strategy and marketing plan across all media
  • Be there to bounce your ideas off of, and to critique and tweak your marketing materials as they are created.
  • Troubleshoot pretty much any problem in your business, marketing-related or not.
  • And pretty much anything else you can throw at me. I’ve sold everything from computers to contact lenses. My commercials convinced people to leave money in their wills to cancer research. My ideas and copy have boosted donations to churches, synagogues and the Urban League, turned plain white underwear into a fashion product line and even sold a DVD of 50-year-old TV sitcom that almost no one remembers. I can certainly help you sell whatever product or service you’ve got.

Want to talk about any of the above — or something else? Book an intro session below at a fraction of my normal rate — refundable should we decide to work together.

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45 Minutes on Madison Avenue Strategic Brainstorm Laser Session
45 Minutes on Madison Avenue Strategic Brainstorm Laser Session
Want to chat about your business and marketing ideas and challenges? You'll get a LOT of ideas and tips out of this fast-paced, fun and interactive session. You'll also receive the Mp3 recording. And if you purchase any services from me, your session fee will be re-applied to the cost of your purchase.
Price: $197.00

Top 3 tips for entrepreneurs

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As an entrepreneur who serves entrepreneurs as a copywriter and business/marketing coach, I see a these three  things come up over and over again. Handle these and you will be well on your way to a better, saner business.

1. Decide who you’re talking to MOST. Sure, your product/service might be helpful to many types of people, but if you talk to everybody, nobody will think you’re talking to her. Imagine your perfect customer and write your communication to her, as an individual. Your copy will be much stronger and ironically also appeal more even to people outside the target market too because it is more focused and “real” instead of bland corp-speak.

2. Think outcomes and strategy, before you think tools and tactics. Yes, social media IS important, blogging is a great way to connect with customers. But I see too many clients running themselves ragged because they heard they “have to be on Facebook” or “video is hot so I need YouTube channel.” There’s a candy-store (or living hell, depending on how you feel about the technology) of tools out there and there is not enough time to use them all. Be in control. Decide what you want to achieve first. Is it to build a mailing list? Demonstrate your product? Sell a program? Look like a leader in your industry? Then choose your tools to help you accomplish that.

3. Outsource before you are ready. I’m guilty of this myself. Entrepreneurs have a DIY attitude and want to save money… but there just isn’t enough of you. Someone else can do what you aren’t good at or don’t like a lot better than you, and often cheaper if you consider your own hourly rate while slaving over your copywriting, web design or email management. You can find people easily on Linked In or through personal recommendations from your network. And for certain tasks you can find overseas help for very affordable rates. Just invest at the level that the service requires for quality. For your sales copy– which is your “voice”  and directly connected to your income — hire a recommended professional and be prepared to invest at the level to which you expect an ROI. To set up your email autoresponder or add a blog page to your website, you can get away with a friendly and capable Filipino VA for as little as $5 per hour. Save your time and energy for your “genius” activities. A good mantra is “Only do what only you can do.”

 

 

What is HER problem?

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When I read copy (which I DO a LOT) there is one thing businesses of all sizes do that really has me pulling my hair out in frustration.

They talk all about themselves.

Telling you about all their great bells and whistles, their “new and improved” technology, how many modules come in their online course, or how much money they made last year.

The more high-minded ones will regale you with their philosophy, their methodology or their mission statement.

It’s like being stuck with some bore at a cocktail party who won’t shut up. And then they wonder why the buyers aren’t salivating overtheir offer.

Some do talk a bit about the problems their product solves. That’s a good start, but it’s not enough to make your reader experience a burning desire for what you’re offering.

You have to talk about your customer FIRST.

Now I do get it. Your product is AWESOME. You’ve been lovingly developing and tweaking every detail for months. Maybe longer.

But if you want anyone to care, where your copy has to start is with a deep understanding of your target customer’s problem. To her, it is HUGE. If it weren’t why would she be shopping for a solution?

Convincing her that you understand and feel her pain will have her nodding along with you. Standing on the same side of the sale instead of staring at each other warily across the table.

(This is even MORE important if you’re selling something at a high price point, especially if it is something intangible or experiential, like a seminar or consulting service.)

How does she know you understand? You paint her a picture.

A vivid, and maybe slightly exaggerated one. (But it’s not exaggerated to her. )

Pain sells more than pleasure.

An old ad from the 50s or 60s used to bemoan “the heartbreak of psoriasis.” Seems silly…unless you’re the one leaving flakes all over the tablecloth on a first date.
So really get into it with her, right at the start of your communication.

If you’re a dating coach, what’s it like eating alone in restaurants with all eyes on her? Having no one to share the Sunday paper with? Facing questions from Aunt Sylvia at the holiday get-together where she’s showing up solo — again?

It works for pretty much any business. A car wash might illustrate the shame of pulling up to the valet kiosk in a less-than-pristine vehicle. An accountant could evoke the flop-sweat of possibly making a mistake that could trigger an audit.
 Look for the strong emotions. Fear. Loneliness. Embarrassment. Envy. Frustration.

Describe it. Think of using all five senses. How does it really look, sound, feel? Don’t hold back.

When I was on Madison Avenue, we did a TV commercial showing women getting so mad at their ineffective dishwasher detergent that they threw their dishes against the wall and out the window, all to an opera soundtrack.

Would they really do something like that? No, but women in focus groups told us that’s how they felt.
So that’s what we shot. And the product launch was a gigantic success.

What if you don’t know what her problem is? Ask. Hang around with your ideal customer, either in person or virtually in a forum, Facebook group, blog or chat room, and get a feel for what’s really bugging her.

Then dramatize that pain in your copy, before you mention word one about your product or service. Go for it. It’s a lot easier to tone down copy that’s “over the top” than it is to inject life into flaccid prose.

Beyond words.

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Lisa Rothstein freelance copywriterMost of my clients contact me because they want me to write their copy for them.  Sales pages, ad campaigns, email blasts.

But they’re not ready for that. Not by a long shot.

Many business owners  have amazing businesses, but they don’t know the half of it.

They aren’t clear on who exactly their product or service is for or why those people should want it.

They’ve only got a nodding acquaintance with their audience, instead of knowing them like best friends, with all their hopes, dreams and fears.

Their communication materials are ambivalent about what they’re asking readers, viewers or listeners to do. They’re giving them a confusing smorgasbord choices. Or worse, they’re not asking them to do anything.

They barrage their audience with how great they are, giving them a laundry list of new-and-improved features, like the blowhard at the cocktail party who only talks about himself, and then wonders why he’s not more popular. (Technology companies are particularly prone to this blind spot.)

So writing for these clients is the LAST thing I want to do.

And I mean, literally, the last thing.

First, we figure out who they’re talking to, and what those people really want. We decide what each of their pieces is supposed to do, whether it’s just to build brand awareness or to make a sale or collect leads. Along the way, we talk about why they’re in business in the first place.  (Often, that’s been forgotten for a while.)

Then, and only then, I write.

Want to talk about it? Hit the “contact”  tab above, or click here to book a free 30-minute session to discuss your business.