Knowing the copywriting basics is more important than most other aspects of running your small business. It occurred to me this morning that I haven't expounded on anything sales copy-related of late, and it's a real shame, considering that your copy on your marketing materials is one of the most important aspects that will determine how effective a mailing or other direct response tool is (like the letters, postcards, etc. that you send to prospects).

Your headline is the number one item that people read when they glance at the page, so you want to make sure it's a good one. Here are a couple hard-and-fast tips to help you:

• Always think about ways to show your prospects that you're speaking directly to them. For example, ask a question that directly relates to their situation, like "Want your editorial staff to get more projects right the first time, saving you time and money during the proofreading phase of your next project?" or "Discover how you can grow your residential real estate sales conversions (and pad your bank account) using a simple technique." Both of these examples show that you know who you're speaking to and why the person should continue reading

• Focus on benefits, not features. In other words, you need to show your prospects what's in it for them. Take, for example, what we do here at Avenue East. No one ever comes to me and says, "You know, I just love being in business for myself and want coaching just to get better for the fun of it." Instead, what they really say is, "I'm struggling to get ahead, I'm not making ends meet, I am getting easily distracted as I try to meet my goals and I know you're the right person to guide me to a better way of running my business." See how I mention that they want to be able to pay their bills, stop struggling, want to stop feeling overwhelmed and distracted? THAT'S what you want to include in your headline, not just the "Hi, I'm a coach" kind of message that so many solo pros use until they learn copywriting basics.

The more you think about your clients' needs, the better your headline will be. And if you're not sure what's best, test 2 or 3 different headlines to see which one gets better results in your next mailing. You'd be amazed how much you learn about copywriting basics just from listening to your prospects.