Here are a few of the best copywriting and marketing articles I’ve read in the past seven days:

Sean D’Souza – Is Your Headline Good or Bad? Give it the Breath Test
“When your headline can’t be easily said aloud in a single breath, your message gets garbled.”

Roger Dooley – What Color Makes The Most Green?
“Could wearing a particular color influence the results obtained by a salesperson? If that salesperson is selling to a buyer of the opposite gender, the answer may be, ‘Yes!’…

…The magic color? Red.”

Do you think this also applies to online sales? I think so…

KISSmetrics – How do colors affect purchases?
“For retailers, shopping is the art of persuasion. Though there are many factors that influence how and what consumers buy. However, a great deal is decided by visual cues, the strongest and most persuasive being color. When marketing new products it is crucial to consider that consumers place visual appearance and color above other factors such as sound, smell and texture. To learn more about color psychology and how it influences purchases, see our latest infographic.”

Jay Steinfeld – Make Eye Contact With Customers — Even When You’re Not Face-to-Face
“What makes eye contact so powerfully effective when communicating? Think of what you might infer when someone doesn’t look you in the eye: Maybe he doesn’t care much about what you’re saying or he is afraid to face the truth. Is he hiding something?

A customer of mine last week not only reminded me how important eye contact is, but how you can make it even when you’re not face-to-face with your customer. That’ right — ‘eye contact’ is possible even when you and your customer are separated by a phone line or a computer…”