“It’s a copywriter’s job to be really, really good at listening, and then make it all sound good.”

That quote, from Joanna Wiebe, is a really important one to remember when you’re writing anything. It doesn’t matter if you’re a copywriter or a blogger, listening to your audience will make your writing more effective. And really, that’s what we’re all after anyway.

But, more than listening and understanding your audience, Sonia Simone, from Copyblogger, says that you also need empathy to help them.

So how do you get your audience to feel like you understand them?

One part is a personal voice.

Content needs a personality. If your content doesn’t have one, well, you’re gonna have a bad time. Without a strong, distinctive voice, your audience will ignore you.

But, you really don’t wanna go overboard with the voice. If you’re marketing to CFOs, you need a strong voice, but you don’t want to sound like you’re writing the script for South Park. It’s all about matching your voice to your audience.

Matching your brand voice to your audience is why no one has ever hired Gilbert Gottfried to squawk about politics. It just doesn’t fit.

That doesn’t mean you should get bland with your voice. Just match your audience’s language.

That’s where part 2 comes in.

You need to make sure you’re using kindness and compassion in your copy. Don’t be cold.

But, it’s a balancing act because you can’t use too much compassion.

Sonia says that you need to make sure you’re not ignoring your audience’s problems. If your copy conveys too much kindness and compassion, you might be ignoring the struggle. That, surprisingly, can turn people off.

So, challenge them when it’s appropriate.

If you really want to understand and connect with your audience, become their Chief Empathy Officer.

We barely scratched the surface on this topic. Take the jump to hear directly from Sonia at Copyblogger 👇

Okay, crew, we have two must listen to podcasts for ya today. The first is coming from The Science of Social Media and the topic is neuromarketing. Now, don’t be intimidated. This podcast talks about psychology’s impact on market research and strategy. Trust us, it’s a good one.

The second podcast, we just had to mention, is with Amy Porterfield and Marie Forleo. The amazing duo is covering copywriting. If you struggle with writer’s block, coming up with headlines, or have a fear of putting something out there just to be rejected then this is your podcast.

Well, we’re headed toward the middle of October. So according to many retail stores, Halloween doesn’t matter anymore, Thanksgiving is really just about Black Friday, and Christmas trees are currently on sale.

Might as well start the countdown to 2019. It is only 85 days away… Did you just have a panic attack? We definitely did.

To keep us from losing our minds, HubSpot built a list of retail trends that will transform retail in 2019.

1. Sell the experience, not just the product. Strive for a deeper, more impactful interaction. Think about Sephora. They have new stores solely dedicated to styling, makeovers, and sampling services.
2. The Internet of Things.IoT is taking shopping to a new level of easy, cheap, and convenient. It connects 11+ billion products to the internet. An awesome example is Macy’s. They’ve used beacons, aka Bluetooth devices, to send alerts to smartphones based on their proximity to one of their stores. The Macy’s app can also send you coupon notifications based on where you are in the store.
3. Messenger bots are becoming more important. HubSpot says 53% of consumers prefer to shop with businesses they can directly message on Facebook. Take full advantage of Facebook Messager with abandon cart messages and let consumers place orders in the app. H&M’s bot allows its consumers to customize and buy outfits.
4. Have you heard of cognitive computing? It’s tech that analyzes huge amounts of data in the same way that humans think, reason, and remember. Back in 2016, Hilton Hotels introduced Connie, a concierge robot that helps guests find the best attractions and restaurants in the area.
5. Marketing with Augmented Reality. If you’re a furniture brand, tune into this one. No one wants the embarrassment of picking out the wrong furniture. So retailers like Ikea and Wayfair developed an AR app to insert fully rendered 3D models of furniture into a home. This just has convenience and peace of mind written all over it.

That’s about all we’ve got to say, but HubSpot has more 👇

Unfortunately, most of us have a worry monster. Ya know, the voice in the back of your head that gives reasons why you shouldn’t do things.

Like every time you think about going for a run. Just a short, refreshing run. And the next thing you know, your worry monster points out how hot it is, how you haven’t run in a while, or how you realllly don’t wanna be sore tomorrow.

Your worry monster is basically your inner Debby Downer… But! Hold on one fancy minute ’cause POM Wonderful is the bright side to your worrying self.

POM’s latest ad is simple, creative, quirky, and to the point. Everything we like in an ad.