Marketing content samples

From single ads to complete marketing campaigns, I’ve had the privilege of working with some great graphic designers and prolific photographers to create ads that capture attention and get results. Here’s some of the work we’ve produced.

Zehr Center for Orthopaedics

For long-time client Robert J. Zehr, M.D., of the Zehr Center for Orthopaedics, I emphasized all the things that were “right” about choosing him. These were ads you might consider “typical” — the doctor in his white coat.

Ad copy: “Joint replacement surgery can be scary, but with the right approach, the right technology and the right surgeon, you can’t go wrong! Experienced orthopaedic surgeon Robert J. Zehr is the right choice for:

• Same-day outpatient hip and knee replacement at the new Seaside Surgery Center
• Direct anterior approach hip replacement
• Robotic arm-assisted partial knee replacement
• Biologic plasma treatment of knee arthritis”

The call to action: “Make the right choice with confidence, call today!”

At one point Dr. Zehr supported the local arts community by advertising in theatre programs for two of Southwest Florida’s best-known performing arts centers. Although they featured the same four specialties, these ads took a decidedly different approach, with the doctor exchanging his white coat for a tuxedo. The ad copy emphasized the doctor’s performance expertise. And it was peppered with theatrical terms.

For “Performance — It’s What We’re All About” I encouraged readers to “Let leading orthopaedic surgeon Robert J. Zehr, M.D. and his stellar clinical team cast you in a new role – pain-free living.” The call to action: “Call today, for a dramatic improvement in your life!”

The “Leading Man” ad was particularly powerful, with theatre patrons overheard pointing it out to other theatre guests, “That’s my orthopaedic surgeon!” Great word-of-mouth advertising made possible by a creative approach to ad copy.

Take a look at the sound bites — they’re as much fun to read as they were to write! With a call to action of: “Don’t let joint pain keep you in the wings. Take center stage again — we can help!” this ad was so popular and effective that Dr. Zehr had it made into movie poster size and hung in his office!

For an ad in a regional lifestyle magazine, I positioned Dr. Zehr as a trendsetter. He pioneered the direct anterior approach to hip replacement in the area and performed the first outpatient hip replacement in Southwest Florida. As a founding partner of the first outpatient surgery center in SWFL designed and built for joint replacements, he is indeed a trendsetter. To the list of his specialties, I added descriptions like “superior approach,” “space-age technology,” and “advanced treatment,” along with a call to action for readers to “Get ahead of your joint pain, call today!”

You can see a few more examples on the Zehr Center website (which itself is an example of my online content copywriting). There you can also watch several TV commercials which I wrote and voiced over. You can also read the blog and visit the newsletter archive. Produced via Constant Contact, the Zehr Center newsletter enjoys an unheard-of open rate consistently above 50% from its 5,000+ readers.

Longevity Performance Center

Part gym, part medical clinic, the Longevity Performance Center utilized advanced technology to improve the physical and cognitive performance of aging individuals in a sleek, vibrant, state-of-the-art fitness center where medical professionals plan and monitor dietary and exercise programs customized according to the member’s DNA. Working closely with a local graphic design and web design/development agency, I crafted a strategic marketing plan and the associated marketing and online materials to enhance the opening of the facility. We adopted a signature image — a man dressed as a doctor on one half and in gym clothes on the other — to illustrate the unique dual nature of the new facility.

A direct mail campaign, print ads, brochure, branded social media posts, a branded promotional product, electronic newsletters, corporate materials, and a series of news releases were all prepared for the launch.

Angelina’s Ristorante of Bonita Springs

Admit it — you looked, didn’t you?! That was the goal of this somewhat provocative billboard directing traffic to a newly-opened Italian restaurant. Starting with the owners’ VIP Opening Party in 2007, I handled the marketing and public relations for Angelina’s Ristorante for the next 3 years. Social Media was new then, and I carried the sexy-but-friendly vibe through on Facebook with first-person posts from “Angelina” herself. The community-minded owners and managers participated in all the places you would expect them to, including the restaurant’s first appearance at the Southwest Florida Food and Wine Festival.

But I also created a few out-of-the-box opportunities, including weekly appearances by the chef on a sponsored segment of the local FOX affiliate; sponsorship of a renowned sculptor in the annual American Sand Sculpting Championship held at Ft. Myers Beach; and my two personal favorites. The “Recipes for Disaster” cookbook, containing recipes designed by the chef specifically for use in the days following a natural disaster, made use of limited ingredients and auxiliary power. Sales benefitted the local chapter of the American Red Cross and the project was introduced to the Red Cross Board of Directors and staff with a catered lunch featuring the dishes and illustrated with their ingredients.

To combat the seasonal nature of business in Southwest Florida, I created “The Dog Days of Summer.” I used a stylized photo from Hope Productions Unlimited, Inc. as our mascot for this inaugural program. A specified percentage of sales on Wednesdays went toward the purchase of dog food for Lee County Domestic Animal Services. A local diamond retailer was enamored with the promotion and offered their branded limousine to transport the LCDAS ladies to the restaurant to receive the proceeds. Rather than doing a typical “big check” presentation, the proceeds were used to purchase dog food from program partner BJ’s Wholesale Club — 2,360 pounds of it! It was piled up at Angelina’s front door — the very visual culmination of the program was covered on local television. The program was so popular that 13 years later, the restaurant still runs the summertime promotion!

Case Studies

Case studies are an excellent way to showcase your business/organization through the eyes of a happy customer. They are more in-depth than the typical testimonial, taking care to show how your product or service solved a specific problem. How can you use case studies in your marketing? Here are 24 ways!

Upon completing the coursework for AWAI’s Case Study Mastery & Certification program, a test was administered and a spec assignment was required. I chose Leslie Blaize of Blaize Communications, who specializes in case studies herself, as my subject. Of my submission, the reviewer said: “Your strength in humanizing Leslie’s writing journey was evident from the first paragraph where you provided a thoughtful overview of her background and brought her lived experiences to life through your engaging writing style. I believe you have a profound appreciation of the art of case studies. It was a pleasure to engage with your assignment!” (And yes, I scored 100%). Read her story here.

White Papers

A specialty of B2B marketing, white papers are persuasive, authoritative, in-depth reports on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution. They often include charts, graphs, tables, and other ways of visualizing data. The term “white paper” originated when government papers were coded by color to indicate distribution, with white designated for public access.

For AWAI’s White Paper Certification course, a 10-page paper was assigned on spec. The client was AWAI’s B2B Writers International. The targeted audience was B2B marketing executives and the purpose was to introduce copywriting training as the solution for three challenges facing marketing executives: Producing B2B marketing content faster; producing content that gets better results; improving team morale/motivation by offering training that is valuable to them.

The reviewer’s comments: “You’ve done a good job here. You’ve created a logical progression throughout. Virtually no errors.” Read the White Paper here