We used to hear about neighbors who'd knock on the door and ask to borrow a cup of sugar.
Frankly, I don't know anybody who ever did, although my statistics may be skewed because I'm a city dweller.
Nowadays most people I know wouldn't (a) admit to owning sugar in any form or (b) knock on people's doors without notice.
After all, your work-at-home neighbor might be holding a webinar at that very moment! But what if you want to borrow a cup of content? Let's think about this from a marketing perspective; I'm not trained or licensed as a lawyer anyway.
Copywriting Lesson #1: Don't imitate mindlessly.
Understand exactly what you're doing and why.
Let's say you go over to someone's website and you're impressed.
You've heard they're raking in millions every year so you figure they've got the right stuff.
So you decide to format your squeeze page the same way and you can use their copy - the promotional content - as a model.
We'll consider format first.
These days many squeeze pages are set up with templates.
You can buy plugins and themes to set up your own page.
Squeeze page templates are pretty useful because they consider testing and research conducted by many successful, experienced marketers.
Generally the rules are pretty straightforward: Keep your headline and sign-up box above the fold (i.
e.
, where people see it when they come to the page, without scrolling).
Make it easy to opt in and don't offer distractions, such as menus and widgets.
However, you will see controversy.
One marketer just produced a training on squeeze pages, saying, "Don't use video - it slows visitors down.
" The same marketer promoted a video program that recommended videos for opt-in pages.
You'll also see differences of opinion about whether to use blue, red, maroon or even brown headlines.
Copywriting Lesson #2: Don't fall for the "Omniscient Millionaire" myth.
When I'm reviewing a client's website, I often ask, "Why did you make these choices?" Sometimes clients say, "Because I saw what X was doing.
X is a gazillionaire so I figured he knows what he's doing.
" Well, that's partly right.
However, when you're extremely well known, you often make sales based on your reputation.
So you may get away with so-so copy (or no copy at all).
On the other hand, your gazillionaire probably tested the content and format six ways from Sunday...
for his market.
Your market may be different and you will never know.
People don't get to add 6 or 7 zeros to their income by sharing all their secrets.
Most of all, you're creating a completely different online personality, even if you are competing head to head with this illustrious marketer for the identical audience.
You need to create your own message and be very aware of how you're different, especially if you're offering a service (like most of my clients).
Your online personality comes across in the way you present yourself, the features you emphasize, the benefits you promise and a whole lot more.
Copywriting Lesson #3: Don't get dazzled by the small stuff.
Keep focused on strategy.
Sometimes a client will say, "I really liked the video on X's website.
They introduced each new slide with a different colored flag.
" Or, "They created a flip chart and pulled down each page in each slide.
" These tactics can be cool, although they lose their charm after you've seen them a dozen times on 25 different sites.
But they're not creating success for the website owner.
For all we know, they're distracting from the message and actually hurting the website owner's sales.
But even when they're supremely helpful, these tactics have limited power.
They can showcase a message.
The real work of marketing goes into creating a message and then putting that message into compelling, enviable copy.
And we know who does that, right?