It gets kind of hard to write on my own time now because I spend so much time at work chipping away at the keyboard. But, writing for me allows me to express myself. My clients don’t always want to take risks with their brands and so sometimes my little jokes get edited out of copy I write for them. Boring! The best marketing copy I get comes from MarketingProfs. Their style is fun and humorous and I always read the copy because it’s so refreshing. I feel like I’m listening to a real person (who happens to be fun and lively) and not some stuffed-shirt-corporate-scaredy-cat who wants his/her brand to stand out but is too afraid to do it.

I jest—but just a little. I get the fact that sometimes the audience is made up of very serious people and maybe the topics are serious and the company doesn’t want to come across as silly or incompetent. Having said that, take a look at some of the most successful ads and marketing campaigns. You love them because they are creative, intelligent, out of the box, and at times—laugh-out-loud funny. So don’t be afraid to show your personality. Your customers are human and buying decisions are based on emotions. Tap into those emotions!

Here’s my advice on how to get people to stop and come into your store to shop. I have to say it’s one of the most ingenious things I’ve heard of. Better than the invention of chocolate. Okay, I take that back—nothing is better than the invention of chocolate, thank you very much French monks or whoever invented it. But this is good. Ready?

Place a huge sign (handwritten will be better for that personal touch) outside your store—or on your homepage, ad, brochure, email, etc., that says:

FREE PUPPIES!

When you’ve done that, call me and I’ll give you some more brilliant ideas. If you have any of your own, please share them here!

The Grendel dog is not free, but he would be a good prop for selling some hunting gear.

Grendel and the fake duck.

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