Group brainstorming is inefficient and smothers creativity, suggests a recent study conducted at Texas A&M University. This might come as a shock to copywriters, designers, developers, and other creative types, who long for and religiously take part in caffeine-powered idea-generating sessions.
Striking Design: FIFA World Cup Calendar
Kudos to Marca, the premiere sports news source in Spain, which designed a superb calendar for 2010 FIFA World Cup fans. Beautiful, clean and functional — the Spaniards know a thing or two about soccer and good design.
Killing the Filler: What Stephen King Can Teach Us About Copywriting
With more than 350 million copies of his stories sold, it’s hard to deny that Stephen King knows the secret to writing that sells. In his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, he discusses the beginnings of his career, his ups and downs, and his advice to other writers hoping to make a living by selling their work.
Even though King’s writes fiction, his tips easily apply to copywriting, since they encourage being clear and concise with your storytelling techniques. When you write copy, you’re also telling a story – the story of how the business you’re writing about can solve the problems of its potential customers.
Here are some of King’s main pieces of advice for writers that especially apply to good copywriting.
Using ‘Coming Soon’ Pages to Kick-Start Online Marketing
‘Coming soon’ pages are a highly effective way to initiate online branding and presence. Yet, most businesses overlook this valuable marketing opportunity.
If Content Is King, Why Is Apple So Bratty About It?
The popular online marketing slogan ‘content is king’ not only refers to the importance of writing engaging copy that also speaks to search engines. It also refers to the broader idea of understanding your medium and how your audience consumes content, including video, music, and images, within that medium.
This is especially the case when part of a new gadget’s hype is built around the groundbreaking ways it enhances our content consumption. After all, what is a nifty piece of technology without the amazing things that it can show us, customized for our specific interests?