Think outside the bus

Take a minute today to leave your house. Walk outside. Even if it's just on your patio. Appreciate something green. Use your own feet to transport yourself. Don't take your car or the bus. Wax Poetic.

Donors Choose

How cool is this site?

www.donorschoose.org/

You can donate online to classrooms throughout the country in need of financial resources for material, equipment or projects.

The material is delivered to the kids, and then you can see online exactly how your gift is impacting lives. Pictures, thank you notes, the whole deal.

Remember how I posted earlier about the new age of Philanthropy? This is it, right here. Donate and you get the practical, social and tribal benefits of philanthropy all in one place! The name of the site says it all. It's all about you and what you choose.

Embrace the unfamiliar

There's so much we can learn about marketing from everyday life! Here's a basic marketing lesson we can learn from Sukkot, the festival which Jews around the world are currently celebrating:

Embrace the unfamiliar: Jewish law dictates that we build outdoor booths and eat, sleep, and generally spend as much time as possible in them. Anything we would normally do in our houses, we now do in a temporary dwelling. We are commanded to pick up and leave our homes for an entire week. One of the many meanings behind this practice is to force us to look at the world from a new perspective. Nothing can achieve this as well as changing our place of dwelling.

There's a great song by John Mayer called The Great Indoors which describes our fear of the unfamiliar. He sarcastically recommends just sticking with what we're used to: Scared of the world outside you should go explore / Pull all the shades and wander the great indoors.

But it's the simplicity of his conclusion that is so compellingly relevant for us : So go unlock the door / And find what you are here for / Leave the great indoors.

Sometimes we spend so much time "inside", looking at things from our familiar, narrow perspective. We forget that there is a key. A key that opens the door and allows us to solve the simple problems that have been plaguing us for years. Just by stepping outside and looking at things from a different point of view.

Organizations would do well to learn from this simple life lesson. Sometimes we need to leave our old ideas behind, get up, and look at things from an entirely new perspective. Usually it's enough to inspire us to think creatively and innovate. And it's refreshing.

Philanthropy 2.0

Philanthropy is changing quickly. Organizations have to do more with less. Social media is changing everything. Donors are more particular about who they give to.

So how can nonprofits keep up?

Well, BBMG did some solid research and published a white paper which summarizes these changes and addresses what you can do to stay in the game. Their findings struck a chord with me so I thought I'd share a few of the main ideas with you:

Americans are re-evaluating what truly matters in their lives and seeking brands that deliver both value and values. Specifically, consumers are looking for brands that offer personal relevance, social purpose and meaningful participation.

1) Practical Benefits: How does this brand improve my life?

2) Social Benefits: How does this brand help me make a difference in the world?

3) Tribal Benefits: How does this brand connect me to a community that shares my values?

In this age of radical transparency, nonprofit organizations must show how they live their values in every action and interaction. By engaging the new consumer, yesterday’s nonprofit brands can move from legacy to leadership and become tomorrow’s passion brands. Demonstrating personal relevance, driving social impact and mobilizing a community of true believers ensures that consumers share in the conversation, help spark innovation and change the world.

You can check out the rest of their findings here.

Thanks ejewishphilanthropy for bringing this research to my attention.

Have a pleasent day

Ever feel like you're getting a new present when you're really just enjoying something you already owned? That's what it feels like when I pick up my shirts from my dry cleaners.

My whole life I was used to getting my clean clothing back on a hanger. A hanger! Can you believe it? How passé.

Now my shirt comes nicely folded, buttoned, wrapped and I even get those cardboard inserts to make everything stay put. But most importantly, I get a personal greeting from the dry cleaning management:

"Have a pleasent day."

Yes, you read it right the first time. Pleasent. Not pleasant.

We've all seen some funny misspelled words. This probably isn't very high on my list of "all time bests". But it's more annoying than most precisely because it's such a small, silly mistake that could have been solved by 10 seconds of investigative research.

The funny signs we see are the result of sheer stupidity and ignorance. But this misspelled word comes from an otherwise smart company. They offer a great service, have good prices, are centrally located, and get me my clothes back quickly and squeaky clean. And that's why it's so frustrating to see this blunder.

They should have known better than to print a million of these things without running spell check first.

Normally something small like this is enough to deter me from going back to a store. Any slight whiff of a lack of professionalism and I'm gone. I'm crazy like that.

But despite being annoyed, I still bring my clothes here. Turns out that bad/stupid/silly marketing material doesn't always affect consumer decision. Sometimes companies have enough good things going for them that we can overlook the mistakes. This is one of those cases.

What do you think?

Biblical Marketing

How good is the Bible at marketing? What can this holy book teach us about the art of selling? Well, judging from the book sales it has certainly done a pretty good job of marketing itself. But what about its ability to sell other products?

Here's a product I came across last night at a local supermarket. Ezekiel 4:9 Organic Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Flour-less Almond Cereal, made by Food For Life Baking Company. Got all that?

Now I haven't actually tried the product. But I'm still curious: is this a good marketing effort from Food For Life?

I think so.

Here was the reaction of the person I was with upon seeing this: "Just because of the name I wouldn't buy this." Is this how you would react? I disagreed. I personally think the name is interesting, enticing, out of the ordinary and a pretty good selling point. It also plays to the subconscious of a Bible following individual. Irrational as it may be, there is a feeling that one is doing what the Lord wants by eating this cereal.

And for the many people out there looking to live in line with the Bible in a more literal manner, this may be another avenue for their self-expression. But if we're gonna be literal, let's just read the rest of the verse. You know what it says? It tells you how long Ezekiel had to eat this stuff for. No not one...not 10...but 390 days! Chew on that!

What do you think? Good marketing or bad?

(By the way, the New York Times Magazine rated this product 4 out of 4 in their cereal taste test.)

Please interact with me

Most promotional or marketing emails bore me. Maybe it's just me. Mabe it's because all it takes is a click to get it out of my face. Or because I'm old-fashioned and want something physical in my hands.

Think about this word: interaction. How often do you get emails that really connect to you? That stimulate you? For me, the answer is 'rarely'. Even the well-designed fundraising appeals with really emotional graphics and killer copy usually don't do it for me. That same appeal in snail mail form might work. But in email, it loses its edge.

So here's a breath of fresh air for you marketers out there. I got this email from MASA the other day, and quite frankly, I really like it. If you haven't heard of them, MASA is known as "The Gateway to Long Term Israel Programs," as they call themselves.

The email starts with their logo and catch phrase at the top. Clear and catchy. Then it asks us a question: "In this new year, what are you hoping for? A Challenge? Adventure? Romance?" Great so far. They've captured my interest. I want to know more.

But it gets better. Now they offer me a chance to interact with them: "Take the Rosh Hashana Quiz below to find your perfect match!" Amazing. I can interact with the email itself without having to click on a link first! It's only after I've already done this that I need to click on a link. It also doesn't hurt that the content of the quiz is witty and original. And then they follow it all up by capturing my contact information, and again, all in the original email.

I'm loving it. PLUS, there is the prominent Happy New Years wish (with cool logo), the succint 3 sentence description of who MASA is, 'send the quiz to a friend' button, 'connect on facebook' icon, and 'follow us on twitter' link. Talk about interaction!

Thank you MASA for renewing my faith in the potential of email marketing. Everybody else, take notes.

Friendship marketing

I spent most of yesterday at the 2nd international Jewish Bloggers Convention here in Jerusalem. Overall it was pretty good. Informative, entertaining and good networking opportunities. And the onion quiche at the dinner buffet was just fabulous. One of the workshops I went to dealt with blog content - what to write about and what to avoid in order to interest readers.

In his own words, the main point was, "Don't write about what you ate for breakfast."

Generally, I would agree. But with one small caveat:

Lunch is a whole different story. Breakfast can be boring, generic and often non-existent. Lunch is totally where it's at.

So with no further ado, this is what I eat for lunch most days.

A sandwich with hummus (the best), avocado, sprouts, spinach and peppers on a foccacia roll from Teller Bakery (74 Agripas Street, Jerusalem). It has the perfect consistency, the right blend of flavors, and it's pretty darn healthy - aside from the potential salmonella threat of the sprouts. But that's a risk I have to take.

Now. The question you are all asking yourselves: Why should I care what Oren Kaufman eats for lunch?

It all boils down to what I'll call 'friendship marketing'.

When you communicate with donors, you are trying to develop a personal connection with them. Something that tells them, "Hey, I'm real. I'm not a stranger. I know you. We're friends. Friends help each other. We're in a tough spot right now and we need your help. Can you lend a hand?"

In order to do that, you can't sound like a coorporation. You have to sound human. When you write a direct mail letter, use less "we" and more "you". Because that's what people do. They relate to others, they're curious about others. People don't want to be friends with self-centered jerks. And nothing says self-centered jerk like the word "we".

Posting about my lunch habits is a good way for people to get to know a little something about who I am. It makes me real. There is a man behind the blog. A pen behind the ink.

It's a good way to illustrate the necessity of keeping it personal.

"Inspire me" marketing

Football season is right around the corner. And you know what that means: It's almost Rosh Hashana! And of course, my yahoo inbox is seeing a good share of Rosh Hashana greetings. Amidst the well-wishes, two emails that I got seemed eerily similar to one another - yet significantly different.

On Tuesday, I got an inspirational video greeting from Aish HaTorah and then another one from my alma mater on Wednesday. Here are the links:

http://www.aish.com/h/hh/rh/49592942.html

http://www.yu.edu/president/messages/ecard0909/

Which was more engaging and inspirational for you?

Normally I wouldn't compare these two videos. One is from THE Jewish outreach organization, the other from THE Jewish University. Presumably they are reaching out to different audiences and trying to acheive different goals. What's to compare?

Plenty. Firstly because they arrived in my mailbox one after the other on subsequent days. In my mind, the second email felt like a response to the first (no conspiracy theory here, but I have my suspicions). But more importantly, I'll compare them because the structure was the exact same for both of them. As was some of the content. That tells me that on some level, both organizations are trying to acheive the same thing here.

They both have the generic but inspirational New Age / Contemporary / Jim Brickman-esque piano music thing going on. That's a must. And they both have the obligatory-inspirational-sentence-fragments (OISF for short). Plus the uplifting pictures in the background. The 3 amigos (music/words/pictures) of the genre.

But in my mind, one of them does a far better job of engaging the viewer. It provokes us to think about the big issues by asking us questions that we know are important but rarely stop to ponder. It provides us with a picture of a potentially better future - along with concrete steps to acheive that goal. There is a call to action. Something to do with the inspiration after the video is over.

The other one throws random OISF's at us and hopes we will somehow be inspired (to do what exactly?). There is no structure. No cohesiveness. No prodding our curiosity.

I still think they are both effective on some level. But one of them had a far greater impact on me than the other. Can you figure out which one yet? If you haven't, watch them both and decide for yourself. Am I totally wrong?

Non profit never tasted this good

Last night I ate at a great restaurant in Tel Aviv. Lilit is the name. I had Atlantic Cod with portobello mushrooms in a pumpkin sauce as my starter, and the grilled entrecote steak for the main course. Both were phenomenal. In fact, Lilit has a reputation as one of the better

restaurants in Israel, and certainly as one of the best kosher restaurants out there.

I know what you're thinking. This sounds like the start of a very unsophisticated restaurant review. One which concludes like this: good food, I'd eat there again. Which is true, I would. But this is a blog about marketing, not succulent cuts of meat.

And Lilit, after all, is much more than just a restaurant. Non profits take note: Lilit is an example of social entrepreneurship at it's best. Here's their story:

Partnering with 'Elem', the Israeli organization for Youth In Distress in Israel, Lilit offers vocational training to at-risk youth in a therapeutic, supportive environment.

The teens undergo training, with the objective of later integrating them into the restaurant industry. They receive both theoretical and hands-on instruction in cooking, baking, waiting tables and bartendering. Fifty-four teens have succesfully completed this program.

On its own, Elem is a wonderful organization. They do good work, and help children that others ignore or assume will never amount to anything. But the merger with Lilit takes them to another level. It's ingenious in many ways.

1) Great publicity for Lilit. It doesn't hurt that the food is amazing. But this partnership makes Lilit unique. They were the first restaurant in all of Israel to do this. Many people now have heard of them simply beacuse of the good work they do. And a good number of socially conscious people will go out of their way to eat there to support their work.

2) Great publicity for Elem. On the flip side of things, the excellent food has an attraction in and of itself. People come for the food, but then hear about Elem. When I sat down at the table, there was an elegant card next to the place setting explaining the Lilit/Elem partnership. BAM! That's one more potential donor to Elem.

Ok, so it's a good publicity stunt, yes. But it's more than just that.

3) "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime." Lilit is the perfect expression of the ultimate level of charitable work. Helping people help themselves as opposed to furthering people's dependencies (though often times necessary).

4) It's a unique example of a successful merger between the non profit world and the business sector. And neither side has to compromise on their principles. Lilit runs a successful business (judging from the full house last night) with professional employees and Elem gets to train youth in a serious, hard-working environment.

Normally the words "non profit" and "business sector" do nothing but stir up a little bit of cognitive dissonance in our minds.

But why should they? Why should we seperate these two worlds from each other? They're just two sides of life that we usually don't see operating in tandem. Bringing them together can unify a needlessly conflicting universe.

Lilit and Elem show us the mutually beneficial results that are possible from a merger between these two worlds. And beyond the particulars of this type of merger, they have taught us the power of teamwork, the wonders of creativity, and the limitless potential of human nature.

All it took was a little imagination and some pumpkin sauce.

Job Fair in Tel Aviv, September 8, 2009

The Ministry of Absorption is holding a large job fair in Tel Aviv at the beginning of September 2009.

Who

This job fair is aimed at new immigrants (olim hadashim) and returning Israelis (toshavim chozerim) but any job seeker can attend.

What

According to the official announcement, there will be hundreds of positions available in these fields and more:

• Programming
• Lab work in the field of life sciences
• Language teachers
• Customer Service and Sales
• Mechanical Work
• CNC, Factory and Technicians
• Chefs and Food Service
• Industry and Management, Electronics, Mechanical, Civil, Structural, and Electrical Engineers
• Construction and Building
• Warehouse
• Administration
• Hotel and Guest services

Where

Tel Aviv Fairgrounds (Ganei Hata’arucha), Bitan 20
Tel Aviv

Train: get off at Tel Aviv - University
Bus: Egged: 521 or Dan: 47, 48, 28

There might even be free transportation from cities in the Center of the country, call these people for more information:

• Tel Aviv: Miriam 03-5209171
• Petach Tikvah: Zimrah 03-9123006
• Rishon LeTzion: Esther 03-6337666
• Kfar Saba and Netanya: Avi 09-8890307
• Ashdod: Aliza 08-8546004
• Holon: Osnat 03-5023107

Entry is free.

When

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009, 12-5pm.

Bring your Teudat Zehut (ID card) and copies of your resume.

Originally posted on http://jobmob.co.il/

Delusions of Expertise

The other day I was eating lunch with a friend in a nearby park. We noticed a newlywed couple behind us being photographed. So we congratulated them on their recent marriage.

Just as they were finishing, we heard a random man passing by yell at the photographer, "That's a bad angle. You should take it from over here!"

We waited until they left and then we both starting laughing hystarically. I'm no photographer, but I'm smart enough to know that, a) this guy was dead wrong, and, b) if he was right, he should have been holding the camera instead!

Not everyone is an expert in every area. I can't sing "Heart Of Gold" as good as Neil Young can (or as bad, depending on your taste). When I try, my brother is always there to ask me, "Who sings that?" When I respond with the name, he replies, "Let's keep it that way."

This guy was no expert, and even if he was, nobody was asking for his opinion.

In business as in life, we need to be clear about we're good at and what we're not. And beyond that, we need to be clear about what we have time to be good at, and what we don't. Bill Gates may be a computer programming whiz, but I doubt he's doing much of that anymore. Just because we are experts at something, doesn't mean we should be the ones to take care of it.

This is a subject often discussed when hiring freelancers. "Why should I hire her, I can do the same thing?" Maybe yes, probably no. But either way, you have your own job that you should be doing.

If you do what she does, who's gonna do what you do?

Cheaper is better than cheap

I have the good fortune of living close to an incredible open air market. Yes, it's noisy, crowded and dirty, but cheap fruits and vegetables are in abundance.

I passed through today around closing time, when many vendors are trying to get rid of extra merchandise. At the bakery I really like, the guy was offering rolls for half price. I probably would have bought one anyways, but he made my decision a lot easier. The answer was 'yes'.

This old-fashioned marketplace has a lot of valuable marketing lessons to teach us. This time-tested selling principle never fails to impress me:

People are more willing to buy something that's cheaper than something that's cheap.

Let's say I know that Product X normally costs $5 but now it's on sale for $2.50. Compare this to the same product in a different store which is regularly sold for $2. The first product is more attractive even though it's more expensive. Why? Because humans like to compare things. And they appreciate novelty.

A $2 product costs $2 more than I would ideally like to spend. A $5 product that's now $2.50 is $2.50 that I now don't have to pay. That's the comparative element. It's the draw behind the "Comparison shopping" phenomenom which is so popular.

And the break from routine is the novelty. $2 all the time is boring. Yeah it's cheaper, but since it's always the same there is nothing attracting my attention. The $5 halved is out of the ordinary. It grabs us.

More marketing lessons learned from "the shuk" coming soon.

What "language" does your audience speak?

Working with Jewish non-profits has exposed me to the wonderful and not-so-wonderful traits of many of these organizations. Of the latter category, one of the more common faults is a failure to truly appreciate their audience. So I ask you:

How well do you relate to your donors, clients, or potential customers? Do you understand their needs and interests?

Like most organizations, sometimes you probably feel like you're just not getting through to them. What can you do? Elie Rosenfeld, COO of the Joseph Jacobs Agency gives some solid, big picture advice on how to make yourself relevant to your desired audience.

Typos gone good

I've been known to rant about misspelled words and how much they annoy me. I even posted about it a while back. I do differentiate between digital typos and physical typos, if we can call them that. Misspelling a word in an email or even on a blog post is regrettable, yet understandable. Doing the same on a traffic sign is appalling. Emails get sent by the boatload. They're a casual means of communication. Mistakes happen. Traffic Signs....well, a little more thought should go into them.

So you can imagine how annoyed I was when I read this from Jeff Brooks of the Donor Power Blog:

13. Typos improve fundraising results. I’m sorry, but I can’t prove that. Seriously, I can’t count the number of times we discovered an egregious typo, then waited in horror for donors to voice their wrath and confusion by not responding in droves … only to experience instead an unusually high level of giving. My theory: Once someone finds a typo, she pays a lot more attention — and that dramatically improves the chance she’ll be moved by your message and give.

I don't think you need my editorial advice on this but I'll give it anyways: Don't bank on it! Overwhelmingly, typos send the wrong message about the professionalism of your organization. Take the time to check your work.

Launch an Organization in the Mail? Now? Are you Crazy?

From DM News and Views - July 2009

As bleak news about year-end fundraising came out in early 2009, two organizations that had never acquired donors through the mail took the plunge and sent a test mailing. And, both organizations were tremendously successful.

Why?

They followed the rules that work for effective fundraising – both had concrete missions and proven track records of success; they mailed prospects who were most likely to support their work; and, both created a compelling package with a strong case for support in a persuasive letter.

The Koby Mandell Foundation relied on fundraising events and direct solicitation of individuals to raise money for their programs in Israel that support men, women and especially children who have lost a family member to terrorism. Born of a tragedy – the murder of Koby Mandell, a 13-year-old American Jewish boy living with his family in Israel – the organization that bears his name offers grief counseling, support and camps where children can begin to heal.

The test mailing the Foundation sent in February reached donors to Jewish organizations, particularly those that support Israeli and children’s causes. The mailing exceeded all expectations, and acquired donors for a very low investment of only $15 each. The letter pulled prospective donors in through its gripping opening:

Dear Friend,

On the morning of May 9, 2001, the American Jewish community awoke to the news that a 13-year-old boy named Koby Mandell had been brutally murdered by terrorists in Israel.

That day, the front page of every major English-language newspaper carried a picture of me and my family weeping over the shrouded body of our dear, sweet Koby.

For most of the world, Koby’s story ended that day. But for me and my family – and hundreds of others whose lives have been ripped apart by terrorism – Koby’s story and his legacy had only just begun.

For out of the ashes of his brutal murder grew an organization that is helping hundreds of children, mothers and fathers who have suffered similarly devastating losses, find hope, healing and the strength to live productive and purposeful lives…

You see, unfortunately, here in Israel, there is often new sorrow. Beyond the immediate loss of life, these attacks rip apart families and destroy their emotional and physical health. As Koby himself told me just weeks before he was killed, “I feel bad for the people who die in these attacks, but I feel worse for the people who are left behind.”

We need your help to be there for every family who is left behind

Too lazy to learn complicated words?

If you answered 'yes', good for you. You'd probably make a better copywriter than your friend who answered 'no'. Yes, laziness in this regard is actually a good thing. Here's why:

99% of the time, simple words will do a better job of communicating your idea than complex ones. Big words are annoying. The average person doesn't wan't to take the extra second or two to digest their meaning. And not only that, but these so-called "fancy words" actually distract the reader from trying to understand your message.

Simple is better. Here are two fictional product headlines I made up. Which one reads better?

1) "Our amazing new product will help you lose weight, feel great, and keep your wallet full."

2) "Our staggeringly innovative invention will facilitate weight loss, positive sentiments, and still leave you with sufficient capital."

Ok, so I totally exaggerated with the second one. But it's to prove a point. And the truth is, I've seen some writing which isn't too different. Where people use fancy words just because they wan't to, not because it helps. And it doesn't help.

So don't feel the need to show off your SAT vocabulary just because you can. The human ego must be put aside when engaging in marketing writing. If simple is more effective (and it is), then by golly, go with it. After all, do you really have the time to start learning abstruse words like "complicated"...eh, I mean, complicated words like "abstruse"?

The AIDA formula and how it can help you in marketing

There are many formulas out there for structuring sales copy. The first one that I heard, and one I still like to use is AIDA. That stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Here's how the theory goes:

First, you need to "create a reader". That means doing something to pull a person into your copy. Before they become readers, your audience is just a bunch of random people. It's your job to get their attention and turn them into readers. Generally speaking, only a 'reader' can become a customer. A random person can't.

There are many ways to do this. You can start by telling a story. Open with an interesting and relevant quote. Ask a provocative question. State a seeming contradiction or paradox. Each of these methods can be effective in different situations.

But creating a reader is a very "pareve" occurence. ("Pareve" is a Yiddish word meaning 'neutral', but frankly the former word does a better job of conveying the idea.) Now you have their attention, for better or for worse. So what? You're not necessarily any closer to selling your product. You need to tell them why they should care. You need to pique their interest.

Creating interest takes the attention you've elicited and focuses it in on your specific cause. There should be no more neutrality. The reader is on your side now. They are interested. To acheive this, you need to show them how your message is relevant to them now.

Ok, so we've got their attention, and they are genuinely intrigued by your message. So far, so good. The next step is to instill in your reader a strong desire to own your product, use your service, or donate to your cause. This is where you convince them that they need what you have. If you're doing fundraising, offer them the opportunity to make a difference or show them how they can partner with you.

At this point, the deal is almost over. They are on board. At least theoretically.

They're captivated, motivated and ready to go. But if you don't do one more thing, all that hard work will be for naught. Sometimes it's the hardest thing to do, but it's also usually the easiest. You need to ask them to take action. It's hard because instinctively we don't like to make demands or impose on others. Informing, persuading or even annoying people are second nature to us. But to ask someone to do something, even if we know they're interested? Forget about it.

So there you have it. AIDA. Remember it, and use it next time you write your marketing material.

Typos improve fundraising results

I've been known to rant about misspelled words and how much they annoy me. I even posted about it a while back. I do differentiate between digital typos and physical typos, if we can call them that. Misspelling a word in an email or even on a blog post is regrettable, yet understandable. Doing the same on a traffic sign is appalling. Emails get sent by the boatload. They're a casual means of communication. Mistakes happen. Traffic Signs....well, a little more thought should go into them.

So you can imagine how annoyed I was when I read this from Jeff Brooks from the Donor Power Blog:

13. Typos improve fundraising results. I’m sorry, but I can’t prove that. Seriously, I can’t count the number of times we discovered an egregious typo, then waited in horror for donors to voice their wrath and confusion by not responding in droves … only to experience instead an unusually high level of giving. My theory: Once someone finds a typo, she pays a lot more attention — and that

dramatically improves the chance she’ll be moved by your message and give.

Eight type and layout facts you need to know now

Here's some good advice from Colin Wheildon's book, Type and Layout: Are You Communicating or Just Maiking Pretty Shapes?. Thanks to Ivan Levison for pointing this out and for his comments here:

On Headlines:

Wheildon has a lot to say about headlines, and well he should. Just as the job of an envelope (in direct mail) is to get opened, the headline's job is to get the reader into the body copy. That, of course, is where the heart of the message is communicated. It doesn't matter whether you're producing an email, a brochure, a Web page -- you want your headline to be easy to read and to communicate quickly. Check out some of Wheildon's key research findings . . .

1. "Headlines set in capital letters are significantly less legible than those set in lower case."

2. "The darker the headline, the greater the comprehension level. Black headlines are well understood by nearly four times as many readers as brightly colored headlines."

3. "Slightly condensing headline type makes it easier to read. Settings between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of natural width appear to be optimal."

4. "Using periods at the end of headlines may have a detrimental effect on readers' comprehension."

On Body Type:

A headline may be eight or nine words long, but body copy can run on and on. This means that readablity is an extremely important issue. People just won't stick with you and keep reading if your art director or graphic designer makes things difficult. Here are a few more of Colin Wheildon's findings that make excellent sense . . .

5. "Body type must be set in serif type if the designer intends it to be read and understood. More than five times as many readers are likely to show good comprehension when a serif body type is used instead of a sans serif body type."

6. "Text must be printed in black. Even copy set in deep colors is substantially more difficult for readers to understand. Seven times as many participants in the study demonstrated good comprehension when text was black as opposed to either muted or high intensity colors."

7. "Black text printed on light tint has high comprehensibility."

8. "Text set in capitals is difficult to read."

New Look

In honor of our 1 month anniversary, the Negev Writing blog has received a minor face lift! I hope you like the new look. Do you?

Ahhh, yes. In case you didn't know, there's some neat stuff you can do on our blog. For many of you these things are ridiculously obvious, but I still remember the day when I thought RSS was an acronym for the Russian Secret Service. True story. So for all you non-techies out there, read up:

1) Subscribe to our blog via email - This will send you an email updating you with new posts.

2) Grab our RSS feed - If you use an RSS reader like Google Reader or My Yahoo!, you can see when we have new posts up.

3) Receive our Free Report - Type in your email address and get a free pdf report that will help you navigate the waters of direct mail writing. Or any other type of marketing writing for that matter. It is free.

4) Become my friend on Facebook - I have a Facebook badge on the right side of the screen which you can click on and then be redirected to my profile.

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Psychology of a Sales Letter, Part I

I thought it might be interesting to delve into the step-by-step process of receiving, opening and reading a sales letter. Each step is a world in and of itself - perhaps one day we can investigate each one in more depth. For now, the general overview will suffice.

What goes through our mind as we're reading it? What do we look at first? What motivates us to act?

To answer these questions, I picked up a sales letter I recently received and observed my reactions to it. This is what I came up with:

Step 1: I get a sales letter in the mail. Congratualtions! I made it on the mailing list. Ok, so Company X is off to a good start. In addition to getting my information from somewhere (how did they get it?), they also got my address right. Quite a feat indeed.

Step 2: I decide to open it. This is even better news for Company X. Countless letters across the country have already made their way to the trash at this point.

Whoever was in charge of the outer envelope design for this letter did something right. It caught my interest. Or maybe I was already familar with the company. Either way, I'm curious, so I open it up. Of all the decisions that occur during this process, this is probably the most significant. The second I open that envelope, I invite Company X into my home to make their pitch. By opening the letter, I subconsciously tell myself, "I'm interested in what's inside." In effect, I make a subtle commitment to keep going. To "play the game." To keep reading.

Step 3: The Investigation. At this stage I had yet another opportunity to throw the letter out. But after opening it, I am still interested enough to keep going. So I open the envelope and find a few things: A letter, a reply card with a SASE, a lift note and maybe even a free gadget or toy. Cool! There is nothing cerebral about this stage. I'm just noticing the different elements of the package.

Step 4: The Glance. Now I turn my brain on first gear. I flip through all the content, on the lookout for stuff that stands out. The lift note attracts my attention. Any free item of value will do the same. Free pen? I'll put that aside for safekeeping. But I'm not really "reading" anything yet. Just browsing. Basically my eye is naturally wandering, taking in the overall tone of the mailing.

Ok, now I have a good sense of what the mailing is all about. What are they selling? Am I interested? Is this a professional looking company? I can probably answer these questions already. Human intuition works incredibly fast. And amazingly, I haven't even read one sentence of the sales letter yet!

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That's it for Part I. Look out for Part II soon, starting with Step 5: Skimming the Letter.

Electronic Dictionaries Gone Wrong

From Haaretz.com

The Strange Linguistic Marriage of Shakespeare and the Bible

By Or Kashti

A recent matriculation exam testing English knowledge asked students to write a short essay inviting a guest - a scientist, writer or actor - to lecture at their school. Alongside demonstrating the students' proficiency in English - or lack thereof - the results revealed that strange things happen when the language of Shakespeare meets the language of the Bible.

One student seemed not to realize that the Hebrew lesaper can mean both to tell and to cut hair, and that these are different words in English. "I want you to barber about your experience," the student wrote.

When asked to explain why anyone caught drunk driving should have his license suspended on the spot, another student wrote: "They should punish in a hard hand." It makes sense in Hebrew - but doesn't quite make the grade in English. Another student added, for good measure: "Drivers don't curfew in red light" - the Hebrew word otzer means both stop and curfew.

Another stated, "The reasons that support this law immigrant on the reasons that opponent the law" - since oleh can mean both "an immigrant" and "to surpass or outweigh."

English teachers said many of these errors could be explained by the misuse of electronic dictionaries.

Read the rest of the article here

This video is to get you in the mood for the post below

(Kvetch Marketing).

Priceless! And now the post...

Kvetch Marketing

If you could learn any new language, what would it be?

My first choice would be Yiddish. Syriac is a close second (Syriously). Yiddish is very expressive and it's filled with delicious neurotic hints. Plus I already know Hebrew, so that helps. And there's the historic argument: Just three generations ago this was the language my family spoke.

But far more important than these trivial facts is the following Yiddish/English sentence I just created:

"Hey Shlemiel! Stop shmoozing with that shmaltzy Shmendrik's shikse. Her spiel is all shtick."

Case closed. I'm learning Yiddish.

Whoah! Wait just a minute.

I just thought of yet another reason: I could become the world expert in Yiddish marketing! Why have I never thought of this before? And to think that all this time I've been competing with thousands of other English language copywriters.

There are 215,000 Yiddish speaking Israelis out there who I should be selling shmaltz herring to.

I'll call my business "Kvetsh Marketing"

It's one of the great things about English: the plethora of foreign loan words. You can express nearly any feeling or emotion with the hundreds of "English" words which are ultimately taken from other cultures and languages.

Suprisingly, (or perhaps not) Yiddish provides a large number of these loan words to English.

I present you with The Yiddish Handbook, 40 words you should know from dailywritingtips.com. Click here for the guide. For a more complete list, check out the 'haimish' wikipedia.

A few of my personal favorites that I use regularly:

2) bissel - a little bit

11) klutz - clumsy person, literally "block of wood"

19) nosh - a light snack

Do these three words sum up my life? Quite possibly.

Words You Can Use: Improvident

Remember those SAT words you had to memorize years ago? Of course you don't! You forgot them the moment the test was over, if not sooner. Well, turns out some of those words are pretty darn useful. No grades given here. No tests. Just words you can use.

One of my very favorite quotes comes from the Babylonian Talmud:

"Who is wise? One who sees what is going to be." (Tractate Tamid 32A)

No, it's not telling us that fortune tellers are smart. Most of them probably aren't. It's teaching us something much more profound: Wisdom is judged by the ability to recognize the consequence of ones actions. What I choose today influences the choices that will present themselves to me tommorow. That's a very empowering lesson!

OK, enough moralizing. What's this got to do with vocabulary words?

I was reminded of this quote today as I read my Merriam-Webster word of the day. The word was 'improvident'.

It refers to the inability to see the future. 'Im-' is the negative prefix. 'Providere' comes from 'pro' which means 'forward' and 'videre' which means 'to see'. Literally, "unable to see forward". Here's the example sentence they give:

"Judy's bankruptcy is the result of several years of improvident borrowing with little thought as to how she would ever manage to repay her debts."

Ok, so you may never use this word as much as "that" or "whatever". But it's still good to know for at least three reasons.

1) It describes succinctly something which is rather common to human experience.

2) It's not a tongue-twister.

3) It would be improvident behavior to not know it for when the proper occasion arises.

Use it in a sentence once a day for a week and you'll remember it.

English Superiority Complex Questioned

I know all 3 of you who are reading had been anxiously awaiting my next post. Stop staring anxiously at your computer screen while hitting the refresh button. It's here.

If it had simply been laziness, I might apologize for my tardiness. But it most definitely was not that. I was actually on a short backpacking trip in Europe with some friends. We went to Paris, Nice and Rome.

A splendid time it was. But since this isn't a travel blog, I won't bore you with details of the 3 am bike ride around Paris, our late night jam with a

Senegalese bongo player on the streets of Nice, or the best Italian food ever in...yep, Italy. I will narrow my focus to linguistics. Specifically French.

I found out that most French people don't like speaking English. Many don't know it and have no desire to change. And that's fine by me. I've gotten over my disdain of French people for their linguistic stubborness. I may still disdain them for other reasons, but that's another story.

I don't expect myself to learn Arabic or Russian in order to communicate with the many people around me who speak those languages. Why should I demand that of the French?

We Americans have an implicit, subconsious sense that everyone in the world should speak our language. And especially Europeans. That is somehow a given to us. Going to France was a slap in the face for me. A healthy slap in the face.

When I travel, I try to take one lesson or insight from each place I visit. This was my French lesson. Only after this visit did I realize how deeply ingrained this linguistic superiority complex is within me. I haven't yet shed myself of this nasty habit, but now I'm much more aware of it.

It especially hit me at the Louvre.

I love the historical element of museums. That sounds funny, but it's true. At museums, I end up spending more time reading the historical background than I do looking at pictures.

But at the Louvre, these text displays are only in one language. French. I didn't know anything about any of the pictures I was looking at! It was terrible. I was forced to actually appreciate them as works of art.

And that's hard to do when you're looking at amateur stuff like the Mona Lisa. Au revoir!

"Divung Prohibited"

I saw this sign at a swimming pool here in Beersheva. Since I didn't know what divung was, I had to assume that it probably wasn't related to the word diving with which we are all familiar. So I dove in. 

For English speakers living in Israel, this is a recurring part of our life: English words misspelled in the public eye. From street signs to menus, brochures to government literature. Nothing is spared. And I am completely torn as to which emotion overcomes me most when I see these mishaps: Depression or sheer ecstasy. 

You see, on the one hand these signs confirm my lack of faith in humanity. How are people so recklessly incompetent that they are unwilling or unable to spellcheck words which will be in public view for the forseeable future? Have they no shame?  

 

But they also never fail to make me laugh. Most decent comedy films won't get the smile out of me that one poorly translated sign can. Want to fall off your chair? Check out these pictures. Hence the ecstasy.

Man, we need a linguistic police department. 

Until that day, I will continue documenting this tragic-comedy right here on my blog. I'll try to find more funny translations and report on them. Hopefully with pictures too.

Great Product Copy - Part 1

Ever pick up a product you've never heard of, read the label, and know immediately that you HAVE to buy it? Usually it's the packaging and design that seal the deal. It just looks too good not to have.

But occasionaly the text alone is so compelling, you're actually happy to part with your last dollar to try it. You don't know the brand, it's really expensive, and frankly, you don't even like granola. But you buy it anyways.

This is the first in a series of posts about these types of goods and services. 

Our first case study is dorset cereals. Here's what I found on the side of their berries and cherries cereal box:

We believe that life really is too short to settle for second best and that simple, honest pleasures are often the most rewarding.

We take delicious things and add some more delicious things, then we blend them together. We try lots of combinations. The ones everyone here likes, we make. 

It's very English to say that life's not a bowl of cherries - however, we'd have to disagree. Living in Dorset has inspired us to add loads of tangy, juicy berries to our bowl, creating this delicious recipe. 

Simple, but then the best things in life usually are. 

I actually read the label twice only because I enjoyed reading it so much. The second paragraph is one of the greatest snippets of copy I've seen on a food product. It's simple, down-to-earth, and it appeals to our intuitive sense of logic:

1) Everyone likes delicious things.

2) The more delicious things the better.

3) Not all delicious things go well together. 

4) We've tried all the options.

5) These delicious things do go well together. 

Have a good example of great product copy that you've seen recently? Please share it with us!

RE: Email Subject Lines Are Important

I used to just ignore the subject line when I wrote emails. Figured nobody reads them anyways, so why bother?

But then I started noticing my own email reading behavior. And I discovered that the first thing I did when I got an email was read the subject line.  

I also discovered that the subject line shaped my entire attitude towards the email:

• Whether I would open it or not
• If I would be interested
• What action I would take after reading the email
  

Ivan Levison suggests that we think of the subject line as as if it were an envelope:

When you're creating a paper direct mail package, you know you have to come up with a  killer envelope. If the envelope doesn't get opened, the letter doesn't get read and you don't make the sale. Same thing with the subject line. It determines whether the prospect will  read your message or trash it.  (The Levison Letter, Vol.22, No.2)

The subject line needs to motivate the reader to act. Make sure that yours are working in your favor!