Every now and then, someone asks me where they can go for overall information on how they can build their business. And, knowing I have a love of copywriting, they also ask me where they can find information that will help them write better promotional materials and website content for their business.

Well, there's one site that week-in-and-week-out seems to offer up great marketing, advertising and copywriting advice. On the surface, it's focus is on copywriting, but, in realty, every week it features several articles that touch on the much broader aspects of marketing and advertising.

It's Clayton Makepeace's Total Package and it's a continued source of inspiration and solid marketing advice for me and thousands of others.

So if you're looking for ways to produce better responses to your marketing efforts, both online and offline, visit it roday. In fact, if you stop by this link and sign up, they'll send you some great free white papers/reports that any marketer could benefit from reading.

in addition, there are close to 300 articles on marketing, advertising and copywriting available there. Check it out.

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A recent survey by Forrester Research tells us that are three things visitors want when they come to your website. And if you do these things, the odds of having them stick around, and become a client or customer (if you happen to be offering a service or product) increase tenfold.

The top three things website visitors seek:

1. High-quality information: Content is the biggest influence on a visitor's decision to return to a website. If they don't see anything of interest, they're out of there. Sometimes in as little as five seconds

2. Ease of use: The site architecture should be simple and intuitive. Basically, I (an extremely technically challenged type) should be able to find what I'm looking for without a lot of work.

3. Quick to download: Visitors hate lag time as a site downloads. They get frustrated if they have to wait more than a few seconds for a page to download. and most will abandon your site in less than five seconds if they are forced to wait.

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Normally I try to avoid rhyming headlines, a little too cute in msot cases. But somehow, this one seems appropriate.

You see, I come from a direct marketing writing focus. That means that I was trained to write to evoke some action out of the reader, e.g., click on a link or buy a product. To me, that should be the goal of all copy, to get the prospect to take some action a client wants them to take.

Way, way too many agencies and writers these days are focused on awards. You know what? The first ad I ever wrote, won an award. But it didn't sell squat.

And, since it didn't get anyone to part with their money, despite the award, it was a failure.

Since nearly all Zunch clients are either B-to-B or B-to-C, or both, I assume that's what they want when they ask me to write for them. "Sell our product or service." "Get the prospect to click on this link." "Convince the prospect to subscribe." Or whatever action it is the client wants the prospect to take.

Now, just because I write with a sales bent, doesn't mean my copy is sales-y. I sure as heck don't want to come off sounding like a bad car salesman.

It is possible to write interesting, attention-grabbing copy that is also creative, persuasive copy. And that's my goal every time a client asks me to write for their site.

My goal, and Zunch's goal, is to make out clients successful.

Claude Hopkins, who is considered the father of modern copywriters, once said, "The only purpose of advertising is to make sales."

I try to take it a few steps further-- "The only purpose of marketing is to create profits."

If your Website marketing isn't working, give us a call here at Zunch. I'll bet we can pump some life into it and make that a site a profit center, rather an expense on your balance sheet.

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There are three major mistakes that most Websites, especially corporate and B-to-B sites, tend to make. Avoid them, and you increase your chance of turning a prospect into a customer.

1. Using corporate speak or language that's too formal

There's a little secret that coypwriters who understand marketing and creating Website content know. It can most easily be summed up as-- "Write like you talk."

Here's a sample of language that actually greeted visitors to one company's Website:

Government spending is a major economic driver that has a tangible impact on the economic well-being of every business and individual.

Wow, that's insightful. And sure to keep those prospects hanging on every word.

Here's the problem--

It's basically gibberish. Doesn't tell me a thing about the site I've just arrived at, the company, what they do or why I should stick around and read more of this scintillating, "keep-em-on-on-the-edge-of-their-seat" copy.

Your Website should be actively marketing your services or products. In plain English.

Don't William F. Buckley or bureaucrat-speak your visitors to death.

Trust me on this.

If you write your own content, or even if you hire someone else to do it, write it in a conversational voice. To help you do this, just picture yourself sitting at a cafe across from a potential client who's interested in doing business with you. You'd never spew the above drivel in a face-to-face with someone. Why do it online?

2. Focusing on "me"

I've got a relative who can literally suck the air out of a room talking about herself. Based on some Websites I've seen, they're doing the same thing to the bandwidth on their site. And driving prospects away in the process.

Don't tell me how incredible your service or product is, how great you are or how you "continuously work to improve" your products.

Focus on the visitor. Sure you want to tell them about your products and services, more importantly about the benefits of them, but you've got to engage the visitor. Show them that you are interested in them.

3. Going for the Sale too Soon

Believe it or not, if you interest your visitor by speaking to them in a conversational tone and by focusing on them, they will stick around and read what you have to say.

Even if it means reading below the fold on the screen. Seriously.

Way too many Websites "go for the kill," far too early on the page.

Think of it like this. If you walk into a store and a salesperson approaches you and says, "What can I sell you today," odds are you're not going to be buying from that store.

The same is true of a Website. Take your time asking for the visitor's business (and, by the way, do make sure you have a "Call to Action" on your Webpage). Let them develop a degree of comfort and trust with you before you ask them to buy or contact you.

Admittedly, there is a bit of an art to this, but you can probably do a decent job of enticing your prospect to take action if you take your time in asking them to do so.

4. Bonus Mistake-- No Headline

A personal pet peeve of mine. Although come to think of it, all four of these mistakes are pet peeves of mine.

I'm not talking just any headline, but one that tells them why they came to your site in the first place and entices them to read on. You need to give them a reason to read on and to explore your site.

The headline should compel them to read the first sentence. The first sentence should compel them to read the second...and so on.

It really frustrates me thinking about how some businesses will spend thousands of dollars, and sometimes hundreds of hours, designing a Website and then just throw some copy off of their brochure (probably a very bad brochure) up on the site. Copy that has no headline and lacks any thing in the way of persuasive qualities.

Give yourself an advantage...

over your competition. Spend time crafting a well-developed message on your Web pages. Most Websites make at least two of the above mistakes. You don't have to. You can get an edge on your competition, simply by spending time crafting your message so that it is understandable and persuasive.

If you need help, give us a call here at Zunch and ask for me. I'll give you copy that overcomes all of the above mistakes.

Oh, and it will also be optimized for the search engines.

After all,on the Web, you're writing for two audiences, your prospects and the search engines. You have to give both a good reason to visit and cruise your site.

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