Copyblogger Weekly Wrap: Week of February 28, 2011

I had this weird dream last night that I was at the Copyblogger party at SXSW, and Brian was in a huff because he wanted a wizard at the party. So a guy dressed like a wizard shows up with a wand and a hat with stars on it. And Brian was all, “I need a REAL WIZARD so he can turn these POP TARTS into GOLD!”

But just then, the fake wizard pulled off the disguise and it’s really Shari Lewis and her puppet Lambchop. As you might imagine, the debate over authentic wizardry was pretty much over, as Shari smacked Brian with Lambchop and a 400-person Battle Royale ensued.

Now my expectations for the party are pretty high, so I hope this kind of stuff happens for real. And I also think I should quit eating so close to bedtime.

Here’s what happened this week on Copyblogger:

Monday:

6 Questions to Ask Before You Spend a Dime on Graphic Design

Interesting. So you shouldn’t just hire a designer to make your site all pretty and snazzy without giving any thought to its function? What an unusual thought. But, whatever — if you care if your design actually helps your business, I guess you should ask these six questions before just getting a design done willy-nilly. And also, don’t forget the seventh question to ask: “Did I leave the iron on?” (Because what if you did? Think about it.)

Read the full post here.

Tuesday:

Will OnSwipe be the Mobile Publishing Platform of Choice for the New Influencers?

I figured that mobile computing would take off the same way that ghetto blasters did back in the 80s. If you wanted your stereo to go mobile, you hefted it up on your shoulder and walked around with it. So I figured we’d have people jamming with full-size monitors on necklaces and PC towers on their heads… but alas, it went the way of the mobile phone and tablet instead. Which is unfortunate because you need to publish your stuff in a mobile-specific way, which is what OnSwipe makes easy. Read on to find out why, how, and if you’ll be able to breakdance to it.

Read the full post here.

Wednesday:

How Can The King’s Speech Help You Build an Extraordinary Online Business?

I didn’t see this year’s Oscar “Best Picture” winner The King’s Speech, and I also didn’t see last year’s winner, The Hurt Locker — proving either that the rest of the world is too high-brow or that I am irretrievably low-brow. Don’t tell me which it is. Regardless, Geoffrey Rush can teach you tips on how to make your business stand out if he’s in character, and you should read this post to find out how.

Read the full post here.

Thursday:

Aristotle’s Ancient Guide to Compelling Copy

There are three big copywriting superchargers that you can learn from the ancient Greek masters, and all three of them end with “os” because that’s how the Greeks roll. I figure this has to have more universal appeal than just the Greeks, though. So, while I am indeed stocking up on gyros, I also bought a crapload of burritos and Spaghettios. Kneel before my powerful copy!

Read the full post here.

Friday:

Did Social Media Kill the Marketing Star?

In this episode of the IMfSP podcast, Brian and Robert discuss whether social media killed the marketing star — based on assertions, yet again, that marketing is dead, the queen is dead, Paul is dead, blogging is dead, Béla Lugosi’s dead, and a fringe opinion by this German guy with an awesome mustache that God is dead. People will say anything for attention, and that certainly includes me.

Read the full post here.

This week’s cool links:

• The power of a social media audience: Someone starts something. Someone else retweets. A little fire spreads and before you know it, a phenomenon is born. That’s the kind of thing that happens with the right social media ties.
• Anecdotes Persuade More Than Data: The bonus? If you DO cancel Mr. Data from Star Trek’s speaking engagement at your event and tell anecdotes instead, you’ll save a pretty penny.
• The Future of Community: Think you know where online community is headed? You should compare notes with Chris Brogan.
• Do Distractions Make You More Creative?: Now this is interesting. Conventional wisdom says that laserlike focus is best for getting things done and I tend to agree, but let’s just consider the alternative.

About the Author: Johnny B. Truant specializes in selling through stories and is the proud creator of The Badass Project, a site profiling amazing people who make your excuses look stupid.