Copy (the written part of any marketing material) is the secret to sales success. So, is long copy or short copy more effective? The answer is both are effective when well written. Publishers Clearinghouse wouldn't send out long sales letters if they didn't work and coincidentally, newspapers wouldn't sell small space ads if no results were seen. Bottom line, it's the copy inside the ads that makes the difference.

As a marketer it's important to realize that there will be a difference of opinion from consumers regarding what is more effective (this mostly depends on where they are in the decision making process regarding purchase).

There's also an age old debate about long copy versus short copy. The long and the short of it is that both are effective when incorporated in your overall strategy. Some marketing strategies will call for longer copy while other will call for shorter copy. This is often determined by price point, delivery method and market. For example: You probably don't need a 19 page sales letter to sell an item that retails for less than $100.00. If you're offering a high-end coaching program a small space ad is not likely going to answer all the questions your prospects might have let alone overcome any objections to empower a well-educated buying decision.

Determining the length of your copy will really depend on your market and where you're placing your ads. Depending on your strategy you may need to masterfully blend long and short copy techniques to customize messages per medium while incorporating direct response techniques. While typically higher-end products warrant longer copy, the emerging trends of social media may force punchier, more concise pitches upfront to create interest and lead to longer, more informative messages. Think pithy Tweets and Facebook status updates or longer Facebook notes, depending on the message. Carefully gauge the approach that gets the most response and blend long and short copy techniques to continue to increase response rates.

Take a moment to review your marketing materials today. Ask yourself the following questions regarding your content (copy):

How does your marketing message measure up?

Are you skillfully matching your message to market?

What's your copywriting style?

Are you getting results?

Copywriting Expert

Lisa Manyon is the President of Write On ~ Creative Writing Services, LLC. and a Professional Copywriter and Marketing Strategist specializing in POWERFULLY communicating your marketing message to increase results. She’s a published author and is a featured in the International Association of Web Entrepreneurs Official AWE Guide to Emerging Trends Every Online Entrepreneur Must Know and has written promotional, advertising and marketing copy for internet gurus and a wide variety of brick and mortar businesses. She's completed Glazer Kennedy’s Creating Copy that Sells certification and is a Copy Coach for Lorrie Morgan Ferrero’s She Factor Copywriting Bootcamp. Manyon offers a free Copywriting Action Plan with 7 Power-packed Insider Tricks of the Copywriting Trade to Dramatically Increase Sales of your Products & Services on her website at www.writeoncreative.com

This is my first blog post for Group Coaching Mastery and I am excited about the opportunity of sharing information with you on how to grow your business by speaking.  This blog post will give you information about performance while you are on stage or in front of an audience. But check back often because I will share some valuable tips about audio visuals, speech delivery, promotions and much more.

Below are some tips to help you when you are on stage:

• Know Your Content
  Have your key message points memorized or displayed visually. These points will keep your material flowing naturally and jog the less familiar statements out of you. If you happen to stumble, your next message is there to help.
• Perfect Means Practice
  Your first audience is you – in the mirror, and on a voice recorder. Watching and listening to yourself as others will is important to gain confidence and spot weak points.
• Constructive Criticism
  Your second audience is family and friends. Have them critique you on body language and clarity. No audience handy? Video record yourself for a similar effect.

DeLores Pressley, Professional Speaking Expert

DeLores Pressley is an international keynote speaker, author, life coach and the Founder of the Born Successful Institute and DeLores Pressley Worldwide. DeLores has spoken to more than 107,000 people in over 65 major cities and countries. She has been interviewed on America’s top rated shows including, OPRAH and Entertainment Tonight. She produces Speak for Hire, an educational program teaching entrepreneurs, speakers and coaches how to speak and grow their business. More about DeLores

Because you shouldn't be writing for your group.

People hate being addressed as groups. With the possible exception of members of weird cults. If you're a cult coach, stop reading now. For the rest of us, our readers are individuals and they crave being understood as individuals.

It's one of the most common mistakes that I see as an online presence coach. When you write like you're talking to a group, you'll probably find yourself talking to an empty room.

Happily, it's easy to fix. Just back away from the blog podium and take your reader out for coffee instead.

Want to write a bigger, better blog with a more devoted following? Write for one person. Counter-intuitive, I know.  But effective AND less stressful. Not only will your blog speak to more people, I can guarantee you'll have more fun writing it.

I like to think very specifically about my ideal reader.

For this post, it's Andrea. She's a coach who wants to cultivate an audience for her group coaching practice.  She's a 45-year-old, irreverent corporate refugee who wants her coaching groups to empower others to consider life outside the corporate realm. Her personal motivation is to create a flexible lifestyle to accommodate her family and her business. She coaches three groups a week and creates information products from the results of her groups.

I can feel more comfortable writing when it's just a chat with Andrea. The details of her practice don't necessarily color the content of my post but they help me feel connected to her.

And isn't blogging really about connecting?

Who is your ideal reader? What's her name? What's her job? What's her goal? What motivates her?

How would feeling her presence change how you blog?

image credit: fredjk

Laurie Foley, Blogging Expert

Is your online presence energizing you or overwhelming you? Laurie Foley is an online presence coach who helps people and organizations thrive online. With more than 25 years of technology experience and 15 years as an entrepreneur, she is a resourceful and intuitive guide for those who want to establish a strong personal brand and learn the vital social media skills to flourish in a rapidly changing environment. Besides writing as Group Coaching Mastery's Blogging Expert, you can find Laurie at http://lauriefoley.com and on Twitter as @lauriefoley.

One of the moments of celebration included going to see Who's Bad - the Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band.  It was SO fun and I made a few observations that I think will help you practice, Seriously Simple Shameless Self-Promotion:

1. Do SOMETHING to get the email of people present. The opening act (who wasn't very well known) gave away their record if peeps joined their email list.  They actually had people walking around with a clipboard.  I love the back-to-basics approach to list-building.  It works every single time!
2. Brand your program and business consistently. The main band must have said their name 12 times throughout the show.  I stopped counting at 6.  LOL  Remember, branding means ensuring your potential clients know who you are by name, look and feel.
3. Engage your readers so they remember your brand. The main band also asked the audience several times, "What's the name of the band?"  How kewl is that? I definitely will remember Who's Bad for years to come.

How do you practice seriously simple shameless self-promotion? Share your comments freely.

Wendy Y. Bailey - Master Certified Group Coach

Wendy Y. Bailey is a Master Certified Group Coach, Certified Experienced Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner. Affectionately called "WendyY" by her business associates, colleagues and friends, she's also the Creator and Founder of Group Coaching Mastery - Master Group Coaching with an NLP Twist. WendyY helps coaches, speakers and trainers learn to create, design, market, fill and deliver bestselling group coaching programs using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (persuasive marketing, language skills and influence strategies.) More about Group Coaching Mastery programs

What is NLP and how do you use it in group coaching?

It's been more than three years since I earned my certification in NLP or neuro-linguistic programming.  I enjoy looking at the many ways NLP can be used to enhance group coaching and even some aspects of life.  It's very kewl stuff!

NLP is brain science at it's best!  NLP is understanding how to use language to consistently achieve desired outcomes for your group learners.  Now, that's the WendyY definition so let me give you some official language to help you understand NLP better so you know how to use it in your group coaching.

NLP was created by Richard Bandler, Ph.D and John Grindler, Ph.D. These guys are really smart in what they've created to support the world of learners.  Here are the three parts to NLP:

• Neuro means the brain processes information through the five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, sound and smell.
• Linguistic is understanding that how the brain processes the information through the senses is based on various filters: words, pictures, images, behaviors, matter, energy, time, space, language, memories, values, beliefs and attitudes.
• Programming acknowledges the existence of certain repeatable patterns about how people respond through their senses to those filters.  When you understand the patterns, you can connect with people more fully based on that programming.

As I've learned more and more about NLP, I truly feel I've become almost multi-lingual.  I love it!

So, What Would WendyY Do?

NLP lends lots of depth and power to group coaching.  The application of NLP is the basis for everything I've created and teach at Group Coaching Mastery.  These are the four pillars of NLP as it relates to group coaching:

1. Relationship
   Focus on the linguistic filters to establish relationships and build rapport with your learners in your group.  Every aspect of your group coaching program involves building connection to strengthen the relationship.  All activities are designed to increase the rapport you have with the group.  The strength of that rapport guarantees mutual trust and an excellent environment for learning.  It's all about creating lifelong client relationships.
2. Achievable Outcomes
   Recognize the tangible, S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals you want your learners to achieve as part of your program.  According to Business Coach, T.C. Coleman of Upward Action, LLC, S-M-A-R-T-E-R goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Time Limited, Energizing and Ready for Your Upward Action.  That's SO kewl!  Set milestones to help your learners achieve those outcomes through the activities, exercises and masterful content of your group coaching program.
3. Sensory Acuity
   Understanding which of their senses your learners rely on as well as what filters will help them absorb your content based on their sensory learning style.  It's a great way to approach what you're teaching from multiple perspectives. You want to support the mix of learning styles within your group learners and share your content via various sensory vehicles.
4. Behaviorial Flexibility
   Helping your learner understand the role of choice in how they respond to various situation.  As the group coach, you guide your learners to tap into memories, engage in action, support their learning and hold them accountable for their choices.  Now, that's transformation!!

Next Question in What Would WendyY Do?: Coaching whine: "Why do I have to focus on one ideal learner for my group coaching program?"

What burning questions do you have about group coaching? Maybe you want to know how to get more people enrolled in your program or how to create masterful content. Ask your question and I'll answer in an upcoming post.

Wendy Y. Bailey - Master Certified Group Coach

Wendy Y. Bailey is a Master Certified Group Coach, Certified Experienced Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practictioner. Affectionately called "WendyY" by her business associates, colleagues and friends, she's also the Creator and Founder of Group Coaching Mastery - Master Group Coaching with an NLP Twist. WendyY helps coaches, speakers and trainers learn to create, design, market, fill and deliver bestselling group coaching programs using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (persuasive marketing, language skills and influence strategies.) More about Group Coaching Mastery programs

Here's the way I see it. There are thousands of marketing strategies you could choose for your business. Likely, you've tried many of them. Some work and some don't. Is it because the strategy is faulty? Probably not. Most of the time marketing strategies are created because someone tried it and it worked. However, it may not work for everyone. Have you ever heard the story of how someone had crazy, wild success with a strategy, then you decided to try it? Did it work for you, like it did them? If so, great!! Stick with that marketing strategy. If not, then you may want to consider trying something else.

Each one of us has a marketing strategy combination that's going to work for us. It's just a matter of finding that combination. For me, I'm always trying different marketing strategies. I don't try them for a day or a week, but each year I try about 3 or 4 different strategies and see how they work. I am a creative person and I enjoy trying new things, so playing with new strategies gets my creative juices flowing. I get excited and I can't wait to work on it. I find that when I'm looking forward to the marketing, then I attract more clients.

Here is how you can find your "authentic" marketing strategies:

1)  It helps to know how you work best and what activities you find exciting. You see, if you aren't excited about the marketing you do, then it likely won't get done and won't be effective.  What activities excite you?  Do you like writing?  Do you prefer conversation?  Maybe video is your choice?  What mediums get you excited?  Make a list.

2)  Next play with your marketing. I know, marketing doesn't seem like play most of the time, but try it.  Just pick a medium that you find exciting.  What strategies could be applied?  Start playing with the strategies.  Notice how easy it is to do.  If it's hard, move on.  If you find that you are consistently using that strategy, then keep on using it.

3)  Commit to the play. Once you find a strategy or two you want to keep for a while, commit to playing with it.  Give it 4 months and see how it works for you.  Are you attracting more clients?  Are you keeping up with it?  Is it something you enjoy?  If you answer yes to all three of these, then this is a keeper!

4)  Keep trying new things. As you notice that one strategy wanes in it's effectiveness, look for a new one.  Go back to your list and see what's exciting there and replace the ineffective strategy with a new one.
Consistency in marketing IS important, but if it's not effective, then it's time to move on.  If you are connecting with the medium and strategy that you are using, then you will have no problem attracting clients.

Consistency in marketing IS important, but if it's not effective, then it's time to move on.  If you are connecting with the medium and strategy that you are using, then you will have no problem attracting clients.

Kristen Beireis, Marketing Implementation Expert

Kristen Beireis is the Marketing Implementation Expert for Group Mastery.  She works with elite life-changers who are so buried in marketing they are leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table.  Kristen and her team free coaches up to earn those hundreds of thousands of dollars without breaking a sweat so they can focus on helping others make positive changes.

"Record everything, everything, everything!" That's what I tell my community of learners and I do a pretty great job of doing that myself.

"Transcribe everything, everything, everything!"  Usually I do pretty well with this part. too.

However…

I was writing a blog post the other day and it was taking me much longer than usual to write.  I would think of what I wanted to say, type it on the page and keep going from there.  After a few minutes, I realized my thoughts related to the post were things I'd said recently on one of my calls with Mastery candidates.  It was a fairly new call so I hadn't had it transcribed yet.

Through the experience of rewinding my brain, I realized I was actually reinventing the proverbial wheel by trying to capture those thoughts and memories that were so brilliant for me during the Mastery call.

If the transcript of the call had been complete, the blog post would've been finished in short order — a little bit of cutting here, with some pasting there, add a picture or two, and the post would've been finished.

I've actually used transcripts from Group Coaching in 33 Minutes as the foundation for my upcoming book.  How kewl is that?

Don't transcribe a thing!  It's just not worth the expense or the time, right?

Here's the lesson for you:  Transcribe everything, everything, everything so you can repurpose that delicious "in the moment brilliance" for blog posts and so much more.  That is all.

Wendy Y. Bailey - Master Certified Group Coach

Wendy Y. Bailey is a Master Certified Group Coach, Certified Experienced Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practictioner. Affectionately called "WendyY" by her business associates, colleagues and friends, she's also the Creator and Founder of Group Coaching Mastery - Master Group Coaching with an NLP Twist. WendyY helps coaches, speakers and trainers learn to create, design, market, fill and deliver bestselling group coaching programs using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (persuasive marketing, language skills and influence strategies.) More about Group Coaching Mastery programs

The shopping cart is actually a software application that will normally run on your computer where your site is located or on the server itself. With this software a customer can choose items that you offer and place them in a shopping cart, similar to a grocery cart or basket that will keep the items there until ready to check out. What makes this possible is the way the actual program is written. Some programs are available that allow an experienced programmer the ability to change codes and features, while others do not. Much of what happens behind the scenes of shopping cart software is difficult for someone who is not technologically savvy in that particular area. Many individuals that use shopping cart systems basically want to know the features it contains.

Since not every shopping cart software is made alike, it is wise to do some comparison-shopping before deciding on a particular system to use for you website or online business. Determine what features you will need to make your experience one that is hassle-free. Shopping cart software typically consists of two components: storefront and administration.

The storefront is the ‘store’ that is accessed by clients to an online shop or website. The categories, products and other pages are generated by the software and saved in the store database. The look of the storefront can be changed or designed to match the shop or site. The administration involves the area of the store that is only accessible by the merchant who can then manage the shop. In other words, the administration is the ‘behind the scenes’ section where the merchant can add, delete, edit, categorize, set prices, as well as hourly, and monthly fees, etc. This area can be web-based or implemented on your computer. Most are web-based which makes it easier for the merchant without the fear of computer crashing and losing all the information.

If you have an online coaching business that offers coaching services or products such as E-books and audios chances are you are using a shopping cart. A little knowledge on the mechanics of a shopping cart is always helpful and the ease of having a shopping cart software that is web-based with features that will benefit your business is important.

Coaches need ecommerce solutions too! Contact me for a free 15 minute ecommerce solution consultation, I look forward to answering all of your questions.

Regina Baker - Ecommerce Solutions Expert

Regina Baker is the co-creator of Wahmcart and the Ecommerce Solutions Expert for Group Mastery.  She created Wahmcart as a full ecommerce software solution for work at home moms without the huge price tag. She's dedicated to educating the small business individual (sole proprietors) and companies with ecommerce solutions that will allow them to work smarter, not harder while at the same time providing an affordable solution that the “average” person can afford.   More about Wahmcart

Sue - Lancaster, PA

How do I optimize a video on a video sharing site to get the most exposure?

When uploading your video to YouTube (or any video sharing site), it's important that you use your keywords in the title, description and tags.  Using "My New Video" as your title will certainly not give you any SEO benefits, so be descriptive.  Also, when uploading to YouTube, be sure to start the description section with your website's entire URL.  This will show up on YouTube as a live link back to your site!

Nikki - New Orleans, LA

What's the best sequence of attention-getting benefits to attract and keep the viewer intrigued for addressing their problems? What are the best, most attractive places to shoot your video?

To make your video more engaging, keep it short and relevant. Get to the point, address the needs of your target audience, and offer some value in your video.

As for setting or background, that really depends on your brand and the message you are trying to deliver.  If you're an attorney, the best background may be your law office or a courtroom.  If you're a work-at-home mom, it's perfectly acceptable to shoot video from your home office or even your living room.  Shooting video "on location" outdoors is also an option, as long as there is some logical connection to what you're talking about on camera.

Jerry - Montclair, NJ

I am disappointed by the audio quality of the new mini-cameras (like Flip). The pictures are fine. How do I get both good pictures and good audio without buying a professional rig?

One of the few limitations of a pocket camera like the Flip video camera is that the microphone is in the camera, and there's no way to attach an external mic.  If you're using a Flip, the best advice is to stay no more than 3 or 4 feet away from the camera when recording.  If you're too far away from the camera, the audio will fade.

One alternative is to look at video cameras that allow you to attach a separate, external microphone.  Kodak's new Zi8 pocket camera is similar to the Flip, but you can plug in an external mic - giving you much more control over your audio quality.

Ashley - Dallas, TX

How important are written comments that show up on the bottom of your screen while making a YouTube video? e.g."call this number (finger pointing down) for more information," or "check out this website: www.abcdef.com".

With the enormous volume of videos on YouTube, it's always a good idea to keep your call to action front and center.  If the goal of your video is to drive traffic to your website, then be sure to include your web address on the lower third of your screen at the end of your video, if not for the entire length of your video.

Make it as easy as possible for video viewers to find you and take the next step.  Be sure to list your entire web address early in your video description, as well.  For even more interactivity, consider using a video service such as Veeple.com, which allows you to embed live, clickable links into your video!

Janine - Johannesburg, South Africa

I would like to have a website that shows short travel videos. What is the best way to do so?

One of the best ways to begin quickly and inexpensively may be to purchase a "dot TV" domain name, such as www.YourNameHere.tv, so you can create your own web TV "channel."  You can even do this with a simple WordPress blog site, then upload all your travel videos (or any video) to your "TV" site on the web.

Chris - Chula Vista, CA

What's the best and quickest way to make professional style unique videos without being in front of the camera?

There are many alternatives for online video that don't require you to be on camera.  Camtasia or Jing are two options for creating computer screen captures which are great for training or demo videos.

You can also use some of the popular new web-based video creation solutions such as Animoto.com or OneTrueMedia.com.  There are free versions of both online, and each allows you to simply upload some photos, select some music and add some text for an almost "instant" online video.  The online software is easy to use and the end result looks very professional.

Melissa - NY, NY

I want to insert videos into Blog entries. My first video is being hosted by YouTube. Is this the best way to do things (hosting on a server other than where the Blog is)? And is YouTube the best platform for doing so (taking into account cost, performance and overall exposure)?

YouTube is a perfect starting point for uploading and hosting videos that you can then add to your own website or blog.  YouTube (and most other video hosting sites) gives you an "embed code" that you can copy and paste into your site.  YouTube also provides easy, "one-click" sharing options to send your video to your Facebook or MySpace page.  Other low-cost video hosting options include Amazon's popular and reliable S3 service, as well as Techsmith's Screencast.com.

Phil - Perth, Australia

What length of video into do you recommend for a website?

The short answer is as short as possible!  In today's no-attention span society, it's best to deliver your video message as succinctly as you can.  If you can make your point in 30 seconds, then do it.  For most videos, you really should try to keep the length under a minute and a half.

The exception would be training videos, online lessons or demos - which by nature usually need to be longer.  Otherwise, short and sweet is the way to go!

Lou Bortone is a long-time marketing consultant and branding coach who helps entrepreneurs build breakthrough brands on the Internet.  As an online video branding specialist and award-winning marketer, Lou provides services such as video production, brand development coaching, creative support and video coaching.

Lou is a former television executive who worked for E! Entertainment Television and later served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Advertising for Fox Family Worldwide, a division of Fox in Los Angeles. Lou is an author and ghostwriter of six business books, a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and a Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach.  His website is at: http://www.OnlineVideoBranding.com.

Why? In doing so, you're ready for the objections that may arise and more importantly, you know when to ask your learners to enroll. Important, right?!

How do you get intentional about converting?  It's all about closing!

Here are two perspectives to ease you into the closing process:

Get an intentional mindset.
Know what you believe is possible from the connection with your potential learners. Your beliefs affect every aspect of your closing. Be sure you truly believe closing the sale is possible. Yes, I used the dreaded "s" word. If you're in business, you're a salesperson. If you're working to fill your group coaching programs, selling is necessary.

Selling is merely a conversation.  Simple and true.

EVERYTHING you do and say to attract your group learners contributes to how you connect and ultimately, close the sale and convert learners to your groups. That doesn't mean that you're ready to pounce. It means you have a strong belief and confidence that when your learner is ready to move beyond the preview call, you're prepared to ask for her enrollment.

Get intentional about the learner benefits.
Listen quietly and pay close attention to what your learners are saying and doing so you hear with great clarity. Recognize opportunities to continue building on the relationship you've started in each and every conversation.

Listening is a skill that's totally underrated for coaches.

Listen, hear, absorb so you know exactly how to speak the language that supports your learner. Your language determines whether your support as the coach continues and encourages your learners to enroll in your group coaching program.

Belief and benefits! These are two simple strategies to help you get intentional about converting your learners.

Let me know what you think about this post by leaving a comment.

Wendy Y. Bailey - Master Certified Group Coach

Wendy Y. Bailey is a Master Certified Group Coach, Certified Experienced Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practictioner. Affectionately called "WendyY" by her business associates, colleagues and friends, she's also the Creator and Founder of Group Coaching Mastery - Master Group Coaching with an NLP Twist. WendyY helps coaches, speakers and trainers learn to create, design, market, fill and deliver bestselling group coaching programs using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (persuasive marketing, language skills and influence strategies.) More about Group Coaching Mastery programs