Which Of These Words Attract Your Clients

Whether it's your business card, tagline, article title, web site title and description or ad, just the difference of a few words can either pull in prospects and clients or push them away. Getting it right can determine whether your phone is ringing off the hook or you are twiddling your thumbs hoping someone will call.

Just by changing a word or two or combining a couple of phrases, you can increase your response rate dramatically. Book publishers know that a book's title can make the difference between it becoming a best seller or a loser. Wouldn't you like your service and products to be best sellers?

In the past if you wanted to be sure you'd found the best name for your business or the right phrases to use in your marketing materials, you needed to hire a marketing research firm to get a reliable answer. Using phone surveys and focus groups, a market research firm can tell you which names turn prospects off and which make people want to buy your services and products.

While marketing research firms may still be the best answer for mid to large businesses, most independent professionals and small business owners, don't budget tens of thousands of dollars for this type of in-depth analysis. So how do you find out which key words and phrases will attract clients to you?

You can research and test words and phrases to dramatically increase the response to your marketing. Thanks to the development of the internet and a couple of free and almost free online tools you can easily research which words pull in prospects and which push them away. Use the steps outlined below, to refine the words you use in your marketing.

START WITH A FOCUS ON CLIENT'S PROBLEMS

Don't make the mistake of marketing your services and products by focusing on your name, professional label, your credentials or processes. Your prospects are concerned about their own problems, issues and needs. For example, the phrase "back pain" is searched for on the internet one and a half times as often as "chiropractor".

If you're a chiropractor, your marketing materials should focus on the pain that your clients' experience. Start with words that focus on prospects' problems. If you can't think of any, use words that describe the solution to their problems. What problems and solutions are your clients looking for?

USE ATTENTION GETTING WORDS

Everyone knows that certain words like "sex" attract attention. The problem is "sex" won't attract clients for 99.9% of small businesses. It's not going to help a lawyer, cleaning service, caterer, etc. Other words that get attention are how to, secrets, and free. The title of this article contains at least two attention-getting words. Can you identify them?

FISH WHERE THE FISH ARE

Certain category phrases exist to describe most types of businesses or tasks. If you are a web designer, the phrase "web design" is one. If you sell pyrotechnics, the more commonly used term is "fireworks"; by a factor of twenty-two. Improve the response to your marketing by using the common phrases people use to search online, the same ones used commonly in association with the services and products you sell.

Overture and Wordtracker provide free online tools to help you find the words and phrases your prospects are interested in. Make a list of all the words and phrases you think people associate with your services whether or not have a web site. Then test each phrase to find out which words attract the most attention.

The easiest tool to test word or phrase popularity is Overture's at http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ Type in possibilities from your list and look at the how many times it was used in a search in the last month. Write the number down next to the word or phrase on your list and continue testing until you have a clear winner. Make sure the keywords you use to describe yourself, and the ones you use on your web pages to help the search engines find your site are ones your prospects use, too.

ALMOST FREE MARKET RESEARCH

Once you know the category phrase that best describes your services and products, the next step is to develop your tagline, or the copy you use in your web site description or even yellow page advertising copy. If you are a lawyer you might have a listing in the yellow pages under attorneys, but what should you say to prompt people to call your office? Do you know which of the following phrases is most likely to pull in prospects?

• Free consultation for serious injuries
• Need legal help?
• Find the right attorney
• Maximum cash compensation

Without doing some market research you won't know which phrase, if any of these, is the most effective. Thanks to www.Google.com/adwords it's easy to test out your ideas. Depending on the popularity of your key words and how long you run your test, it will cost twenty to fifty dollars or more at Google. You can sign-up, put up as many variations of your ad as you want, and see which ones people respond to. You may be surprised that changing a word or two can increase your response by factors of five or more. Once you see which phrases are working, try combining them to improve your response even more.

Even if you never run an ad, researching which phrases pull in prospects can help your business grow. Use the results on your business card, in your tagline, as the title to your web site or as the title to an article and pull in many more clients and customers.

2003 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.

About The Author

The author, Marketing Coach, Charlie Cook, helps independent professionals and small business owners who are struggling to attract more clients. To get the free marketing guide, '7 Steps to Get More Clients and Grow Your Business' visit www.charliecook.net or write ccook@charliecook.net

---

Your Business Logo and Color Scheme

My business logo and color scheme started one lovely spring... Read More

How Do You Define a Good Logo Design?

Everyone wants his company logo to be the best but... Read More

A good logo vs. a FABULOUS logo

If you had a choice, which one would you choose,... Read More

Revealing the Roots: The Process of Building Brand

How is branding different than marketing?Branding is not so much... Read More

Brand Love, Part 2

Last issue, I talked about increasing your Brand Love-- meaning... Read More

What is an Artists Statement & How Often Should It Be Updated?

An artist's statement is a statement of ideas and thoughts... Read More

Mascots ? The Killer Promotional Concept

Mascots are the unique dolls or puppets that help identify... Read More

Branding Strategy - Brand Identity

Today, in many organizations around the world, branding is treated... Read More

Strategy and Tips for a Successful Logo Design

Visual processing is the most important way for gathering information... Read More

Logo Files: Versions Of Your Logo That You Should Own

Your logo is the most important graphic element in which... Read More

Entrepreneur Speaks on Brand Extension in the Franchise Cleaning Business

On question I have been asked over and over again... Read More

No Logo? Launching A Business Without a Logo Can Sabotage You

Initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes a... Read More

What the Heck is Branding and Why Should I Care?

There's been a lot of buzz lately about branding. But... Read More

Strategic Moves In The Branding Gamble!

The so called 'globalisation' has cluttered the world markets with... Read More

Its Time For Some Steak

Recently, I was reviewing our website statistics. One of the... Read More

Logo-ize For Instant Identification & Increased Awareness

The task of creating an indelible impact on the memory... Read More

The Art of Successful Branding

Branding: it's a term that carries great weight in the... Read More

Create a Niche: Stoke Your Market With Affiliate Branding

Propose success, demand performance, and brand your market with appeal.... Read More

Product Positioning for Enterprise Software and Information Technology Companies

Good marketing positioning is like good lying. No, we're not... Read More

Image is EVERYTHING

The absolute foundation of your small business is your image.... Read More

Build Brand Value BIG Time

Ask your self this question, In which business are we... Read More

Brand Equity Building - Measuring Brand Value

Measuring brand equity allows a company to establish a baseline... Read More

The Trust Issue In Marketing

One of the prime motivating factors in the purchase decision... Read More

Living Your Brand on the Web - Part 2

Now that everyone has conformed to Living Your Brand on... Read More

Value Proposition Writing - Brand Identity Guru

Your Value Proposition, or as I usually call it, your... Read More

Does Your Message Pass the Test?

Develop an effective benefit message and you're well on your... Read More

Clouds Gather Before A Storm: Utilizing The Power Of Brand

How brand management can help utility organisations to create a... Read More

Brand Positioning - Brand Image

That cross-trainer you're wearing -- one look at the distinctive... Read More

Build Brand Identity - Brand Identity Guru

Successful Guru marketers have a secret weapon that they use... Read More

The Brand Called You

The best brands always try... Read More

Whats In A Name? When It Comes To Your Business, Plenty!

Q: How important is the name of a business? Should... Read More

How A Crazy Branding Stunt Can Bring Results For Years

As a beginner, you would be forgiven for thinking that... Read More

Branding Your Business To Make More Money

Branding your comapny should be the first thing a company... Read More