Starting a marketing campaign from scratch each and every time is tedious and not a great way to leverage time and creativity, which is why most successful marketers build and maintain a marketing swipe file.

A swipe file is your own personal collection of creative marketing examples that can include direct mail packages, sales letters, emails, advertisements, etc.

Personally, I have several large boxes in my office where I keep my creative marketing examples and my marketing radar is always on – looking for new things to add – which might help me in the future (I recently wrote about just such an example in this article (http://www.mikecapuzzi.com/marketing-ideas).

I also maintain a set of folders on my computer hard drive where I collect and store online creative marketing examples, like emails and web pages.

I use these swipe files to generate ideas and spark creativity. Sometimes I use the materials for to get ideas for my copy writing, but regardless of what I need to accomplish, by simply maintaining a healthy swipe file of both print and web materials, I can beat the blank page blues.

If you haven’t been keeping a swipe file of creative marketing examples, here’s several ideas to help you get started.

Offline Marketing (print) – study the mail you’re receiving each day and be on the look out for unique and creative ideas that grabbed your attention. Read magazines and newspapers and pay attention to the advertisements. Again, you’re looking for examples that catch your attention. Pay particular attention to headlines and eye-catching ads.

Recently I took home several ads, from the SkyMall catalog that you find on every airline flight, because the headlines were so good.

When you attend tradeshows or marketing events, don’t just walk through the vendor area – look for marketing ideas you can use in your business.

Online Marketing (web) – watch for email headlines and emails that grab your attention. Either print them off or store them in a folder on your computer. I like to use SnagIt from TechSmith to capture web sites, optin pages and sales letters. SnagIt take a picture of the entire site – no matter how long it is – and I use it many times throughout the day to build my digital swipe file.

And speaking of swipe files… we just put together a HUGE collection of creative marketing examples from over 160 CopyDoodles members. It’s our brand new CopyDoodles Swipe File book and you can learn more about it by visiting:
http://www.copydoodlesbook.com

The CopyDoodles Swipe File book is the ultimate companion for anybody who uses CopyDoodles to improve their marketing and is the short-cut for smart marketing ideas and strategies for boosting response with over 180 real-world examples from real-world business owners around the world. It’s over 5 lbs. and 700 pages of idea-generating examples covering just about every type of media possible, including...

• Advertisements
• Books
• Business cards
• Emails
• Envelopes
• Faxes
• Flyers
• Greeting cards
• Newsletters
• Order forms
• Postcards
• Sales letters
• Special reports
• Websites

There’s even a CD-ROM containing the full-color versions of each example in the CopyDoodles Swipe File book and a special interview video with a number of individuals who submitted examples describing their marketing and results generated. For example you will see…

• The business card from the dentist in Texas that’s stopping people in their tracks…
• The postcard from the restaurant owner in California that brought in the biggest turnout he’s ever seen in one of his locations…
• The advertisements from the magician in New Jersey that took his marketing to another level…
• The email from the insurance agent in Ohio that brought in 632 more sales…
• And the list goes on.

You can grab your copy of the CopyDoodles Swipe File book and CD at a very special introductory price by visiting:

http://www.copydoodlesbook.com

Finally, one last point I feel it’s important to make – swipe files should be used for inspiration and to spark creative ideas. I do not recommend simply copying these creative marketing examples verbatim.

The bottom line is to always have your marketing radar set to on and keep your eye open for creative marketing examples you can use add to your swipe files!

What others say about you and your products and services is much more compelling and powerful than any marketing copy you could write for yourself.

The important lesson here is the word “real.”

Lately, I have seen an increase in a practice I personally detest and one I believe has no place in a business built on integrity, authenticity, quality and service.

It’s the use of canned, pre-written testimonials or what is more appropriately called a “testiphonial.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I know fake testimonials have been around as long as there has been authors and copywriters writing ads and sales letters.  What  I am talking about is different and it’s done with the guise of being an acceptable way to market in this age of “too much to do and too little time.”

It goes something like this.  A marketer has a new product or book that has yet to be released.  In an effort to build up their testimonials they will send out a slew of requests often with an incomplete product or the first few chapters of the book.

Due to the nature of product marketing, this is often a necessary practice, but here’s where it gets slimy.

Also sent is a list of pre-written testimonials about the product with a wink and nod that “these are being sent to give you ideas for your testimonial.”  All you need to do is pick which testimonial sounds like what you would write and put your name on it and send it back.

Ask the marketer why they do this and they’ll tell you nobody really has time to read the book or check out the product, so why not just write it for them.

BOLONEY!!!

This kind of marketing is an example of the epidemic of low quality, no-relationship, do-whatever-it-takes-to-make-a-sale mentality that is rampant out there.

Personally, I would not use a pre-written testiphonial. In fact, I know others detest this practice and refuse to endorse  products or services they cannot experience first-hand themselves.

The really interesting fact is, in my experience, whenever a customer writes a "real testimonial" it sounds SO MUCH BETTER than anything I could have written for them.  There’s a sense of authenticity and realism that cannot be duplicated by even the world’s greatest copywriters.

Folks, today when skepticism and cynicism are at an all-time high and when, via the Internet, ill-will can spread like wildfire, it’s more important than ever to market with integrity and true value.

So with this in mind, I want to offer you a few strategies I've used with much success over the years for getting real testimonials.  Many of these were developed back when I did consulting for software companies, where it was common practice for me to implement testimonial programs for every single client.

Interestingly, we had little problem getting top-level executives to give us their feedback and endorsement in writing or often times on video (this was back before the Flip camera so we had to go through the major effort of sending a multi-person crew to capture their words).

Strategy #1: Believe you can get the testimonial.  Many times getting a real testimonial is as simple as asking.  Of course this is based on the notion you have a relationship and proven track record with the person, so why wouldn’t they give it to you?

Strategy #2: Let them know why you are asking for the testimonial, who you are ultimately marketing to and how you intend to use the testimonial.  This is a critical step and gives your testimonial target a chance to say no if they feel it’s not a good fit. (If you are targeting V.I.P. “celebrity” testimonials, this is very important).

Strategy #3: Ask them to write you a testimonial.  If they are a current satisfied customer again this should pose no problem.  However, if you are requesting a testimonial for something that has yet to be pre-released, give them as much background information as possible.  If you are writing a book, send them a pre-release version that is at least 75% complete (when I published my first book, “Dream, Inc.” I waited until the book contents were written before sending out requests).

Strategy #4: There will be times when you send a request the person will push back and tell you to “write it for them” and they will edit and send back.  At this point explain why getting a testimonial from them – in their own words – is so important to you and if they could take the time, it would really help you (remember, more times than not, people like to help one another).

If they continue to push back, you have two choices.  Forget trying to get this testimonial or try strategy #5.  Either way, I would resist the temptation of creating a testiphonial for them.

Strategy #5: Conduct a five minute phone interview.  I’ve used this with much success over the years and you will be surprised how easy this strategy is.  What I will do is request a five minute phone call (I state this exact time right up front).  I will get the person on the phone and let them know I am recording the call so that we can transcribe the call later and create their testimonial from the actual conversation.

When you’re on the call, make sure you get all their contact information as they want it and then ask them some probing questions about your product or service. You’ll be amazed just how much people appreciate this type of interaction and how much they will open up.  The sound bites you get on these calls are invaluable.

Strategy #6: In the event the product is not complete yet, try to get a testimonial based on the overall idea or theme of the product or service.  Or one based on their personal experience with you and your abilities.

Yes this will sound different than if it was specific to your actual product or service, but it can still be extremely valuable in your marketing efforts.  When I created CopyDoodles®, I sent a number of marketers a small collection of CopyDoodles that would eventually be only a small portion of the final product, but it gave them enough to test.

I hope this article gives you a few practical ideas to help you collect real testimonials as you continue to grow your real business.

I would love to hear your thoughts about all this and if you have any of your own proven strategies for collecting testimonials!

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One of the smartest copywriting strategies is to use lists, such as bullet, check, and number lists when writing about your product or service, however 98% of copywriters and marketers overlook the critical importance of how their lists look and what they can do to make them stand out and grab the attention of their reader.

It’s a fact… how your copy and marketing LOOKS is critical for getting maximum readership and maximum response and conversion.  I am currently putting together a book that describes all the unique techniques you can use to improve the cosmetics of your copy and today I want to look at technique # 25 – lists.

If you look at successful advertisements, web sites, sales letters, they typically all use some type of list within them to air out the copy and create short, visual nuggets of information.

One of the smartest strategies for writing lists is to think of all the “reasons why” a prospect should invest in your product or service and use them as the basis for your list.

Once you have your lists created, the next step is to add copy cosmetics to spice up the look of your copy and grab the attention of your reader.

Use several unique strategies, including the use of CopyDoodles® to replace your word processor’s generic black round dots and numbers.  You can easily import a CopyDoodles into your program and create the look of a handwritten list.

If you’re printing in color the double impact of a hand-drawn checkmark in red really stands out and magnetizes the reader to your copy.  Watch the video to learn how to do this.

The other neat technique I like to use is to add CopyDoodles around my lists with phrases like “Check these out!” or “Don’t miss these” and then add a CopyDoodles arrow to point to my list.

By adding CopyDoodles you are creating eye-magnets which allow you to selectively emphasize key points within your copy.  This allows both skimmers and readers to instantly see what it is you want them to see and take the action you want them to take!