Write Thinking

How to avoid doing the marketing

2011-05-19T01:11:00.000-07:00

Write Thinking’s blog has been rather neglected recently. You know how it is – client projects, essential maintenance to keep the business functioning and personal stuff seem to combine to take over all your time so there is none left to give to the things you would like to do.

Or maybe that’s just an excuse as to why the marketing doesn’t get done.

I’m sure it’s like that for some of Write Thinking’s clients too. As a professional copywriter I work with a number of client companies on their newsletters. Their approaches can be very different, but basically it comes down to...

Commitment

On the face of it they are all committed to publishing a newsletter – why otherwise would they be discussing it with me? But the level of commitment is what determines how successful they are with this form of marketing.

We’d like to start a newsletter, but…

One company has had a number of conversations with me about producing a newsletter. We first spoke about this at least 7 months ago and despite discussing what to put in a newsletter, nothing has actually moved forward. Each time I prompt this client for a meeting to collect the relevant information for the articles there is always a reason why now is not the right time.

The relevant people are out of the office.

They haven’t had time to consider what should go into the newsletter.

The main contact has to work in a different department for a while and can’t think about it for at least another month.

We end up perpetually postponing the meeting to the extent that I wonder if it is ever going to happen. A copywriter can certainly help manage and drive a newsletter project, but cannot magic up another company’s news from nothing.

We have a newsletter, but…

Another client knows the benefit of working with a copywriter to bring focus to the project. Together we have produced a couple of newsletters and the feedback has been favourable.

At the beginning of the year I approached them about their next newsletter. We had a meeting where we agreed the articles and who would be providing the basic information. That was 4 months ago.

In the meantime, I have received information for some of the copy but there is still a lot missing. There is always something else that has to be done first. It strikes me that if the contributors had spent the time giving me information instead of excuses we could have had the newsletter finished by now.

This project has been dragging on so long the readers have probably forgotten that this company has a newsletter!

We make sure our newsletter works

This is a dream client.

As soon as one newsletter is complete they start collecting potential articles for the next issue. When the time comes to start work on the next newsletter we have a meeting where I see and interview everyone who is contributing content.

From this one meeting I collect all the details and can quickly prepare copy for each article. Within a few weeks the newsletter is written, laid out, printed and distributed.

Using a newsletter as a marketing tool has been very effective for this company. It allows them to showcase new services and to describe how they handle ‘out of the ordinary’ requests, as you can see for yourself. The result is an increase in business from existing customers who weren’t previously aware of everything this company can do.

These three very different approaches show that desire to have a newsletter and discussing it with those who can help you prepare it is not enough. A freelance copywriter can prompt you when your newsletter is due and write the text, but will not know what is going on in your business unless you tell them and make it a commitment to do so. Many companies publish a regular newsletter with engaging content – and understand that getting help can make that easier.

However, as I know from experience, finding excuses is easier still.

How do you ensure you follow through on your regular marketing?

How does a young brain help a copywriter?

2011-04-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

I recently heard about ‘old brains’ and ‘young brains’. It appears that there are physiological differences between old brains and young brains that make it naturally easier for the younger brain to soak up information.

What makes a brain young?

The report I was listening to was putting forward the idea that the age of our brain and some of our behaviours are related. Those with an ‘old brain’ generally don’t like change, take longer to get to grips with new things and usually do not enjoy being in large crowds. If you have a ‘young brain’, you tend to enjoy the noise and bustle of being among a lot of other people, follow new trends or ‘the latest thing’ and can quickly take on new concepts, technology and ideas.

Our brain age need not be related to how old we are – people of advanced years can train themselves to think like young people and apparently, putting yourself in situations where you are forced to learn or adapt help to keep your brain young. So it seems that keeping a young brain is more about attitude and mental agility than how old you are.

And my brain age? I’d like to think that working as a freelance copywriter helps to keep my brain young. One of the great things about being freelance is that I am constantly dealing with different people, getting to know about them and their various businesses. Quite different from working in one industry and going to the same office and seeing the same people every day.

This means for each new client I have to learn a lot in a short time – that ‘young brain’ training comes in handy. In fact, I believe it to be essential for a freelance copywriter. Looking back over the last few months I am amazed at some of the things I have learnt from my clients and business associates:

The challenges of creating subtitles for 3D videos and the ideal positioning for 3D subtitles
The history of a Cambridge University college and how the facilities are used to commercial advantage
The requirements for publishing ‘best practice’ white papers for RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)
The difference between a carpenter and a joiner
The benefits of cloud computing and software as a service

And from first-hand experience I have been learning rather a lot about root canal fillings and the action of the jaw, and how efficient my backup procedures are – though in some ways I would have been quite happy not to have had to learn about those!

3 steps to choosing a copywriter

2011-02-25T01:58:00.000-08:00

In one of her business column articles for the East Anglian Daily Times, my friend and business associate, Rachel from Apparition Marketing and Design posed the question: ‘Can your clients also become your friends?’ As it happens, Rachel and I seem to combine a personal relationship and a professional relationship quite comfortably.

But that doesn’t mean I’m friends with all my clients. Nor do I need to be – I need to act professionally in a professional environment, and I am sure my clients would expect no less from me. So if Write Thinking clients aren’t looking for a best buddy, what are they looking for?

How do you select a freelance copywriter?

First you have to find one.

Recommendation – if someone you know and trust gives you the name of a copywriter they have used and believe to be good, this should go a long way to helping you make a sound choice. You can ask for a first-hand and honest opinion of what it is like to work with this copywriter.

Referral – by this I mean someone passes you details of a copywriter. The person giving the referral may not have used the copywriter’s services, and so cannot comment on the copywriter’s qualities. Beware, some people join organisations where they are targeted on giving referrals and the person giving the referral may not be too discerning.

Use a search engine – I know we only ever look at the first page of results, but remember the ones at the top of the list are the ones who know how to market themselves, not necessarily the ones who would be most suited to your project. If your project is quite involved you may prefer to search for a copywriter who is local to you. For some projects it will be easier to communicate your requirements if you have face-to-face contact. For other, simpler projects the location of the copywriter may be less important – a copywriter can edit text without needing much contact with you.

Now you have a contact name, you’ll need to check out what they can do.

As the copywriter will be representing you in print (literally or online) look for one who produces the type of work you like and who is on the same wavelength as you.

Do some online research – look at their website for the company information, then you might also like to search for them on social networks such as Linked-In, Facebook and Twitter. Are you getting a consistent message? Do they seem to be well respected?

Talk to the copywriter – tell them about your project and ask how they could help you. Do they ask questions about your project, or tell you how great they are? Do they explain how they would work with you?

Meet the copywriter if you can – if you want a copywriter to create text from scratch, it will be easier on you (and them) if you feel relaxed in their company and can build rapport. It will take up too much of your time if you are constantly having to explain your requirements or argue for what you want. Much easier if the copywriter ‘gets it’ and can guide you through your thought processes in a gentle way. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to like the copywriter, though in my experience you’ll work together better if you do. You will potentially be telling the copywriter a lot about your business, so you’ll feel easier about that if you trust them.

Find out their background – if you can find a copywriter with background in your industry you will have to spend less time educating them about such things as industry jargon and custom and practice. Most copywriters I’ve met are intelligent and quick learners, capable of asking enough questions to get to grips with your business. If they can demonstrate such ability to you this may be a good substitute for specific industry knowledge. In some cases it can be an advantage – asking questions that take you back to basic principles can be quite refreshing and enlightening!

Ask for proof – ask the copywriter to show you samples of their work and any client testimonials they have. You could even ask to speak to one of their clients.

Explain your requirements – if you are working to a deadline or within a budget, make sure you tell the copywriter straight away. This gives the copywriter a chance to confirm quickly whether they are able to take on this project, or discuss what they might be able to deliver within your constraints.

Make your choice.

I’m not sure I can help you much here. Once you’ve done the research and considered what you want the copywriter to do, my best advice would be go with the one who most demonstrates they are easy to work with and have a proven track record, whose writing style fits with your business and who can deliver to your timescales. As always, this is subjective, so you will have to decide for yourself!

If you have found a copywriter you would like to work with, it is always a good idea to confirm that this is the person who will actually be working with you on the project. Agencies could provide a copywriter who is not the person you have been speaking with.

You never know, whoever you decide to work with may also become a friend.

What’s the most efficient way to build your website?

2011-01-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

Having worked with clients on many different websites, I have seen various approaches to developing a new site. It rather depends on the starting point:

Some already have a website and wish to use the existing structure and design, changing only the content
Others are creating a website for the first time and choose to complete the design before considering what the content should be
For others, the content comes first, and only when this is in place do they move on to the design

The first two are design-led processes, the last is content-led.

With a design-led process, the content has to fit the design. In this case, there may be little opportunity to vary the design if the content does not fit well into the chosen structure or design.

With a content-led process, it is possible (and usually preferable) to think about the purpose and content of the site first and then use this to influence the structure and design of your site.

What makes an effective website? The most effective websites are those where all aspects of the website function together – meaning potential visitors can find your website, when they land on the site it is easy to navigate, the pages look enticing and are visually easy to follow, and the site contains the information they are looking for.

Ensuring that this is the case takes careful planning, with specific consideration given to:

How you intend to use the website and what you expect from it
How the site visitor will use it and what they expect from it
Consistency and ease of navigation around the site
What the structure of the website should be
An overall design for the website
The specific graphic content of each page
The information (written content) on each page
Linking of pages with related content
Search engine requirements

If the above are given appropriate attention during the design and development, the finished site is more likely to present a consistent, quality image and bring you the benefits you are looking for.

How would you develop a completely new site? Creating a new website requires various skills – technical skills to build the website, design skills to prepare the visual content and layout, and copywriting skills to produce the written content.

If you are creating a website from scratch, you can develop the design and the written content in parallel rather than one after the other, and if necessary, make minor adjustments to the structure, design and/or content as the website is developed. This approach generally produces a more effective site and can reduce the overall time it takes to achieve a new live site.

Whoever is building your website is likely to work from a plan approved by you. If you contract an independent web designer or agency, they will probably consult with you and may produce a site plan based on the content you wish to include.

It can be helpful to involve the person producing the copy at this planning stage. Why?

Structuring information is a skill, and one that a copywriter uses much of the time. If you don’t involve the copywriter until the plan has been agreed, their ability to help you with structuring the content of your website will be limited.

If the web designer (either in-house or external) is not guiding you through the necessary planning stages, your copywriter could help you to define what you want from your website and help you create a site structure plan.

Write Thinking has certainly helped several of its clients in the planning stages before writing any of the copy.

If you have experience of commissioning a website, what worked well for you, and what would you do differently next time?

A copywriter’s year

2010-12-24T03:45:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the close of 2010 and on the cusp of 2011, and like the two-headed Janus (the Roman god of beginnings, endings and time who gave his name to January) it is good to take a moment to look back at achievements last year and plans for next.

On a professional level, in 2010 Write Thinking has provided writing, editing and proof-reading services to a number of businesses. Projects have included:

Website copy for businesses as diverse as a doctor’s surgery, a recruitment agency, a vehicle conversion company, a freight forwarder, an online accounting package provider
Website planning for a CRM company and a hotel
Newsletter copy for a contract packing company, a software company providing business management systems, a print provider
User guides and training manual for a software company providing subtitling software
Brochures for businesses within recruitment and freight forwarding
Articles for a travel guide

We’ve also prepared sales letters, mailers, flyers and press releases for these and other businesses as well as developing a brand new website for Write Thinking itself. It has been enjoyable working with different people with such varied businesses, and illustrates how we can quickly assimilate different business requirements.

Our projects this year have also helped strengthen our relationships with clients and in particular with web and design agencies.

On a personal level 2010 has been a pretty good year too. I have remained healthy and happy and have continued to expand my knowledge of current trends – notably social media and henkeeping! The year has not treated many of my friends so kindly and sadly some are struggling with illness and coming to terms with bereavement.

Looking to 2011, we can never tell what fate has in store for us. For Write Thinking there are ongoing projects that will continue into the New Year and a number of new projects planned or being discussed. Twelve months is a long time in business, and both challenges and opportunities are being created all the time so I am sure there will be new projects coming along too.

In my business life I will continue to provide a responsive and consciencious service to clients and will continue developing strong business relationships.

Personally, I hope for continued health and happiness, and wish the same for everyone I know.

What’s your copy worth?

2010-12-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

Now that’s an interesting question.

How do you measure worth? If I had asked: ‘What is your house worth?’ a common answer might be ‘what someone is willing to pay for it’.

Quite right – when you’re asked to pay for something you make all kinds of personal judgements and calculations to work out the value to you and once you’ve arrived at that, you’ll compare it to the price tag. If the two are roughly in line, you’ll probably part with your cash and make the purchase.

But have you also noticed how the way we calculate the value can be very flexible? I’ll wager you would prefer to spend £100 on a treat, such as two tickets to see your favourite football team play, a knockout pair of shoes, or a slap-up celebration meal for you and your partner (depending on your personal preferences) than you would on your weekly supermarket shop or road tax for your car.

Worth is flexible and personal. We tend to assign worth according to how much better something makes us feel and that can be very subjective. I’ll bet you didn’t give all of the treats I listed an equal rating!

Spending money to obtain something that makes you feel good or improves your situation is somehow easier than spending it on something that simply maintains the status quo. That means we don’t mind paying more for something if we feel it is ‘worth’ it. We can persuade ourselves that a football match lasting 90 minutes or a meal that might not last much longer has more value to us than the ability to use a car on the roads for six months or so, even though the amount of money we hand over may be similar.

So if I were to ask you: ‘What’s your copy worth?’ I wonder how you would answer.

What’s the value of copy to your business? Businesses have so many demands on their financial resources – IT support, accountants and bookkeepers, and basic expenses required to run the business can take a big chunk of the available funds.

There’s often not much money left over for those things that are considered ‘optional’ like starting a newsletter, keeping your website up to date or producing the brochure you need.

But have you ever considered the value of these ‘frills’? When marketing and the materials that support it are done well, they can make an enormous difference to the profitability of a business. If they are not effective, you can spend a lot of money for little return. They key is to make them work for your business.

What return does your copy give you? In my role as a copywriter I speak with lots of people who are working on marketing projects, such as a website, brochure, or newsletter. As a consumer I’m also exposed to marketing communications.

I’m forever amazed that businesses will spend money to produce a fantastic web design or a glossily printed brochure with seemingly little or no attention to the written content. From associates in design agencies I frequently hear that their clients ‘have no budget for professional help with the copy’.

Is this a false economy?

Surely the real value is in getting your message across and persuading your customers to buy from you? The most wonderful website and the most beautiful brochure won’t do that if the copy is ineffective. All the time and money spent on producing that website or brochure could be wasted if it doesn’t increase sales.

How can you increase the value of your copy? Well, the first piece of advice I would have is spend your money where it can make a difference – allocate some budget for preparing the written content. Finding this money may not be easy, so here are some ideas that may help you.

1. If you don’t do anything else, at least get someone to proof-read your copy

Due to the way our brains work, it is incredibly difficult to proof-read your own work. You become too familiar with the material and your eye/brain skips over the mistakes. A proof-reader can help you avoid errors.

One of Write Thinking’s clients changed the copy after I had sent the final draft and then sent it to the printer’s without asking me to give the once-over to the updated draft. What a pity. In changing one of the headings the client had introduced a very obvious typographical error. It was too late to stop the print run and the whole lot was scrapped and then reprinted after the error had been corrected.

A few minutes of my time could have saved them a great deal of money.

2. See if you can save costs elsewhere to free up some budget

Another Write Thinking client had asked me to proof-read their brochure. I went back to them saying that I could do what they asked, but I had some suggestions for making the copy more persuasive. This would require some editing, and the costs would be more than for simply proof-reading.

The client told me there was no more money available, so I suggested they looked at their printing costs.

Printing is a sunk cost for producing a brochure. If you want offline materials you’ll have to pay for printing. It doesn’t really add value (as the design and the copy can) and shopping around for a supplier means you can often get a better deal.

As it turned out, our client was able to find a lower quote for the printing and this allowed them to pay Write Thinking for the editing.

3. If you’re on a limited budget, get help with the most important content

A professional copywriter will be able to help you engage people quickly so they read more of your content, and can help you work out what your most important messages are and make them prominent.

Particularly with websites, the landing page is crucial. The visitor makes an almost instant decision as to whether this site provides the products, services or information they are looking for, and if their perception is that it doesn’t (even if it does) they’ll navigate away and move on to the next site.

4. Talk to a copywriter and ask what they can do to help you

It is sometimes easier to react with ‘I can’t afford to pay for copywriting services’ than it is to spend a bit of time understanding what a copywriter could do for you and how they could add value to your business. A copywriter will be able to show you the difference that getting help from a professional could make.

At Write Thinking we don’t charge for discussing your projects with you – we like to understand what you are trying to do so we can assess how best to help you. You may find that working with a professional copywriter turns out to be more of an investment than a cost.

So, what’s your copy worth? To answer that question it may help to break the question down. What value do you place on the copy? What value do you think your customers place on your copy and what value do they get from it? How much better might your return be if you spent a bit more on the written content?

What difference does a copywriter make?

2010-11-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

Funny how talking with people can throw light on what you do.

Several of Write Thinking’s clients are agencies, such as web designers, graphic designers, marketing agencies and PR companies. As a copywriter, it is beneficial for me to create strategic alliances with people who work in agencies like these and the agencies gain because using the services of a professional copywriter means they can often provide a fuller, more inclusive service to their clients.

That’s the theory.

In practice what frequently happens with graphic and website designers is that the client provides their own copy. In some instances, the designer can see that the copy doesn’t have the persuasive power that it could, but doesn’t know how to bring up the subject of how to improve the copy with the client. (Strange how subconsciously we know when something is well-written and purposeful and when it’s not.)

At a recent meeting with a graphic designer we were discussing how we might work together. When asked: ‘How can I explain to my clients what difference using a professional copywriter makes?’ I answered:

Let me show you!

It’s not difficult to find examples of copy that uses vague terms and doesn’t say clearly what the offer is. If the copy isn’t specific you’re probably not getting your point across.

Specific is persuasive

Here’s one example that uses terms that either have no real meaning or that could mean different things to different people.

Before…

“Company X’s powerful and leading-edge email marketing solution allows you to harvest real-time insights from each and every customer interaction allowing you to easily deliver personalized, relevant, and automated online campaigns throughout the customer lifecycle. As a result, your customers will become more attached, receptive and engaged, leading to higher levels of response, satisfaction and repeat sales. By creating a deeper understanding of the customer, Company X delivers valuable insights to help you meet and exceed your acquisition, conversion and retention goals.”

That’s a real example taken from a website. Did you stop reading? It’s not particularly easy to understand what the company does, is it, or what the specific benefits are for you? Those vague ‘marketing’ terms don’t seem to mean much when you try to analyse them.

So, this is what I think they are trying to say.

After…

“Whenever you interact with one of your customers you can learn something about them.

“Often that information is not captured, so the marketing emails you send may not be relevant to your customer. Company X’s technology allows you to collect customer information and to send automated, personalised and relevant emails.

“As a result, customers will become more loyal and willing to deal with you, bringing a better response, greater satisfaction and repeat sales from your customers.

“Company X helps you to understand your customers, which will help you meet and exceed your targets for finding new customers, winning business from your competitors and retaining customers.”

A copywriter can express what you are really trying to say, specifically and in a way that is easier for the reader to understand. And while we are on the subject of helping the reader:

Personal is powerful

Talking direct to the intended reader is a good way to grab their attention. By making your message personal to them they are more likely to read and understand what you can do for them – but so much copy is written from the perspective of the business/seller not the reader/customer.

Here’s an example from one of Write Thinking’s own clients (a web design agency, as it happens).

Before…

“Company Y is a website design company based in the north of England, specialising in all matters of website design and implementation. Our goal is to produce professional stylish sites that endorse and expand your company’s image whilst ultimately improving sales and market presence. We hope you like our work and visit our website soon.”

This was their proposed copy for a brochure. It tells you a lot about Company Y, but very little about why you should buy from them. Here is what they ran with after consulting Write Thinking.

After…

“Company Y can help you to endorse and expand your company’s image and ultimately improve sales and market presence. We have already helped many businesses to appear professional and stylish by working with them to design, implement and manage their website. If you need to make changes to your existing website or are introducing one for the first time, start by visiting ours.”

These are just two examples of how a professional copywriter can work with your ideas and your text, and they show the difference using a professional can make.

If you find the ‘Afters’ more compelling and easier to read, you’re not alone. Most people can see the difference though they may not be able to tell you why one is easier to understand than the other.

As a professional copywriter I can usually tell when the copy has been worked by an experienced copywriter and when not, and subconsciously so will any reader. We all notice poor copy (because it slows us down and makes us have to think) but barely notice when something is easy to read and interesting!

What does a copywriter do all day?

2010-10-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

Today…

Well, let’s take today as an example of what this particular Suffolk-based copywriter does.

Writing

You may think of a copywriter as someone who spends all day in front of a computer bashing out words, and yes, there is an element of that. Today is an office-based day, so much of my time will be spent writing for clients. Write Thinking has a number of client projects on the go at the moment, so I’ll be crafting text for four websites, a sales letter and a flyer, as well as the user guide (help files) for two software products.

Where I focus my time depends on the relative urgency of the project. Sometimes I’ll be waiting for feedback or input from a client, so that gives me some space to work on one of the other current projects.

One of my clients has just signed off on the wording for a press release, so I’ll be sending that out today as well.

Other office stuff

Writing could fill my day, but there are other things that need my attention when I’m in the office. Write Thinking is a business, so inevitably there are things that need to be done to keep the business running.

Finances – it’s end of the month, so there will be the invoices to raise. My professional insurance is due for renewal very soon so I want to make sure that’s taken care of and the quarterly NI bill is waiting to be paid. I’ll also be reviewing the status of previous invoices and chasing any that haven’t yet been paid.

Sales and marketing – following up new contacts, new leads and promoting the business (that includes this blog post, but I guess you could argue that’s writing).

Yesterday…

As a comparison, yesterday was quite a different day – not much time in the office at all.

Meeting with a webdesigner

The day started with a meeting with a locally based web design agency. Many of Write Thinking’s clients are local, but not exclusively (several of the current projects are for a client in Leeds). Agencies, such as webdesigners, graphic designers, PR agents and marketing agents feature often in the Write Thinking client list. Mostly they need a bit of extra help to provide a complete service to their clients and Write Thinking can help fill their resource gaps.

This was the first time I had met anyone from this particular design agency and fingers crossed, it looks like it may be the beginning of a fruitful relationship for both parties. We certainly discussed a number of projects where our complementary skills could be used together for the benefit of the client.

Visit to a B2B exhibition

For the last two years, local business-support agencies MENTA, St Edmundsbury Borough Council and the town’s Chamber of Commerce have come together to host an exhibition. I went along and saw two of my direct clients there. Both were companies who have used Write Thinking’s services for web copy, newsletters and staff profiles. I also met lots of new people and made a number of very useful contacts, two of which certainly sound keen to use Write Thinking’s services.

Going along to exhibitions and networking events has proved a very useful way for me to get myself known in the local area and it is great that I have met so many people I can help at events such as these.

Client follow-up

I did make time to contact some of my clients to find out how they were getting along. In all cases I was waiting on information, approval or authorisation back from them. Keeping in touch with my clients is a big part of what I do – they need to know what is going on, the status of their project and what information I need from them in order to complete it.

For one of these clients I was able to pass on the details of a contact I had met at a networking event on Tuesday. It occurred to me that my client could use this company's services within their business.

It’s great to have an excuse to talk to so many different people and learning about their various businesses. I cannot think of a better way of mixing business with pleasure.

And tomorrow…

Well, tomorrow is Saturday, so I’ll be taking a break from the office and Write Thinking. That doesn’t mean I won’t be working though – this time of year there is so much to be done in the garden.

What do you put in your newsletter?

2010-10-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Having just completed a newsletter for one of Write Thinking’s clients, I was reminded just what a variety of topics a newsletter can cover. So how do you go about choosing what to include? Here are some ideas that may help you to get those creative juices flowing.

Producing an effective newsletter
The most effective newsletters are the ones that are read! This may seem obvious, but the time and money you spend producing a newsletter is wasted if no-one reads it. There are several factors that will influence how successful your newsletter is. Many of them are interdependent and the skill is to get the balance between them right.

What’s the purpose of your newsletter?
Some newsletters (for example, community newsletters) are a collection of articles designed solely to inform. However, commercial organisations producing a newsletter would be looking for some kind of return, I’m guessing, and the main consideration is ‘what are you going to get out of it?’

A newsletter can be a great marketing tool that generates further sales. You may like to list what you want to achieve from producing the newsletter, and review and measure whether it is working for you.

Who is the newsletter for?
Think about who you going to send your newsletter to. Customers, potential customers, employees, prospective employees and suppliers may all be a recipient, but they will only read the newsletter if there is something in it for them.

How frequently will you send it out?
If you choose to distribute your newsletter by email, you might send short newsletters with effectively one item of news or a link directing readers to your blog or website where they can read a number of articles. You may therefore wish to send these out relatively frequently.

With paper newsletters you may decide to send out a regular newsletter, for example, quarterly, or perhaps produce them only when you have enough content to make it worthwhile.

If there is a long gap between newsletters, you may like to start making a list of potential articles for the next newsletter immediately after you publish.

What do you say in your newsletter?
Content comes down to what you want to achieve by sending out the newsletter and who you send it to. You could use a customer-focused newsletter to educate the readers about your products and/or services, promote special offers and potentially save costs.

The list below is not exhaustive, but it may give you some ideas for the type of articles you could include:

Profile of people at your organisation
Frequently asked questions
Tips (on the use of your products or how to deal with your company, for example)
Legislative changes that affect customers
Success stories – how you helped solve someone’s problem
Unusual or difficult projects you completed successfully
Client testimonials
Ways you can use the newsletter to save admin (for example, directing people to your website)
Reader feedback
Competitions
‘A day in the life’ – a written and/or pictorial diary
Introducing new staff members
Awards/certifications won by your company or members of staff
Events you are attending/hosting
White papers, possibly summarised and/or through a link to a web address
New products and services you’re introducing
Future enhancements to existing products

Make sure the content remains relevant and engaging for the readership – as soon as you lose their interest they will stop reading not just the current newsletter, but potentially future newsletters as well.

So what articles have worked particularly well for you?

Write Thinking works with a number of companies to prepare the content for their regular newsletters. We discuss potential articles, turn ‘news’ that is important for clients into something of interest to the reader, interview relevant people to understand the stories and draft the articles.

7 signs you need help with your copy

2010-10-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

As a freelance professional copywriter, I get to work with lots of different people with diverse businesses. Quickly getting to grips with such variety – everything from builders of log cabins, contract packing companies, hotels, and recruitment agencies to internationally known software development companies – can be a challenge, but one that is infinitely rewarding.

Being involved with so many different clients got me thinking about why each of them looked for help with their newsletters, websites, user guides and other projects. They have different reasons for working with a freelance copywriter and their reasons illustrate why anyone might need help with their copy.

So what prompted them to consult a copywriter and what are the signs that you might need some help?

1. Feeling that “I don’t know where to start!”
Ah yes, the ‘blank page syndrome’. When faced with having to write something, particularly to a deadline, the blankness of the page seems to make the mind go blank. If you’re in this situation you can spend a lot of time trying to produce copy rather than focusing your energies on things that only you can do within your business.

Anyone who seeks help with their copy at this stage has most to gain. Why attempt to do something you find difficult when getting someone else to do it would free up your time? How much time will you waste trying to do it yourself?

2. Thinking that you don’t communicate very well in writing
This is one step on from the blank page syndrome. You may know what you want to communicate, but also know that expressing it in writing presents different challenges from presenting it verbally. There could be many reasons why you may not feel strong in written English – perhaps English is not your first language, or perhaps you’ve had years of poor marks for essays at school to undermine your confidence, or maybe you are dyslexic.

Your readers will probably not consciously recognize well-written text, but they will definitely recognize when your message is confused or difficult to understand. When the medium gets in the way of the message they will notice it. And don’t forget, they will be reading lots of text elsewhere that has been well-written as a comparison.

3. ‘We’ing all over your copy
If you know what you want to say and you feel happy creating the copy yourself, take a dispassionate look at what you have written. How many times have you used ‘we’?

For example:

“Essentially we've been in business nearly 20 years, under the same name, and at the same address. Historically we've had the press and printing machinery but many years ago we removed that from in-house (but kept large format printing) to concentrate on our core strengths - design.”

I’m not suggesting that you should never use ‘we’ and ‘our’ in your copy, but use it too much, and you are telling the reader where your attention is focused – on you, not on them.

4. The copy doesn’t sound natural or flow well
Read through your copy again, this time asking yourself ‘Does it sound natural?’ Or have you gone all formal? Have you used long words when there are perfectly acceptable shorter ones? Are your sentences long and difficult to follow? Will the reader have to work hard to understand you?

Clients often tell me that their copy says what they want it to, but that it’s not snappy enough and needs to be made shorter and more punchy.

Unsurprisingly, when the text is easy to read and follow you stand more chance of it being read.

5. Your points could be more specific
Once you’ve worked out what you want to say and have made sure your copy is easy to read and focused on the reader, what have you specifically guaranteed, stated, or promised? If your copy is full of vague terms and doesn’t say clearly what your offer is, your reader may not get your point.

If you are writing marketing communications, are you actually saying what your company does rather than using vague ‘marketing’ terms that when you analyse them don’t actually mean much? For example:

“Company X’s powerful and leading-edge email marketing solution allows you to harvest real-time insights from each and every customer interaction allowing you to easily deliver personalized, relevant, and automated online campaigns throughout the customer lifecycle.”

That doesn’t make it particularly easy to understand what the company does. I interpret that as:

“Every time you interact with one of your customers you can learn something about them. If that information is not captured, the marketing emails you send may not be personalised for the reader or relevant to them. At Company X we use technology to harvest information from your customers so you can send them automated, personalised and relevant emails.”

My interpretation may not be correct, but there would be no confusion if the person writing the original copy actually explained it in a way that left no room for doubt.

If you’re not sure whether you are communicating effectively, ask someone impartial who is not familiar with your business to read through your text and tell you. Copywriters like Write Thinking often offer this as a service.

6. You’ve not told the reader what to do next
This is most relevant for marketing/sales copy. Once you have explained clearly what your company does, how you help your clients and have given reasons to buy from you readers will want to know how they can actually do that. Make sure you tell them.

This ‘call to action’ directs the reader and may give an incentive, as in ‘place your order by the end of October to receive your 5% discount’. On a website for a service-based company it might be ‘call now on 01234 567890 so we can discuss your situation and advise you on your options’.

7. You’re not getting the response you expected
Maybe you are not getting interested customers calling you, or in the case of a user guide, perhaps you’re receiving a high number of calls from people needing help to use your product. Some of the above points could be the reason for this and there may be changes you could make in the text to refocus it or to make it more precise, targeted and persuasive.

What do you do if you recognise any of these signs?

If you can identify any of the above signs within your own copy, there are things you can do to improve its effectiveness. You could ask a professional copywriter to give you an impartial review and advise you what changes they might make. For example, a copywriter should be able to turn facts about your business (things that may be important to you) into reasons why the reader should buy from you. A copywriter would be able to advise you where the copy could be simplified and made more compelling, and help you with writing, editing and proof-reading to ensure your text does the job you want it to.

There are numerous self-help books and advice and copywriting tips to be found on the internet if you prefer to do it yourself. Doing so may be less productive overall – how much time will it take you to learn and apply what you know and what else could you be doing during this time? Paying a copywriter to work on the copy while you work on something else often proves to be more cost-effective, as Write Thinking clients already understand.

Why being online may get you noticed but not increase sales

2010-09-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Does your website get a lot of visitors?

If so, how many of them buy your products or services?

To be an effective marketing tool for your business, your website must first attract visitors and then make them want to buy from you. The principles of preparing engaging and persuasive copy are similar whatever medium you are writing for, but with online copy there are additional considerations.

It’s all about search engines

Write Thinking’s clients are businesses, so it is important to them to be found on the internet. With company websites, the website designer/builder should to some extent be taking care of SEO – optimising the website for search engines.

Search engines such as Google survey not just company websites, but all internet content, so any written content, whether posted in a blog, within a directory, on a news site or elsewhere is potentially a marketing opportunity for a business.

The thing is, the way search engines find and rate content changes frequently as the algorithms they use to assess the relevance of content to the search string you enter become more and more sophisticated. Have you noticed how now when you enter your keyword or phrase into Google, even if you misspell what you are looking for, miraculously the search engine seems to find what you want and put it somewhere near the top of the list?

SEO and the copywriter

Increasingly, Write Thinking’s work involves preparing online copy. What this means for me as a professional copywriter, and indeed for anyone writing online copy, is that while preparing copy it is important to think about those search engines. There is a lot of information – and misinformation – on how the search engines rank content, but it is clear that what you say and how you say can affect how noticeable your content will be to the search engines.

With this in mind, I decided to find out more about current good practice. However good you are at something, there is always someone out there better than you to learn from, and in West Suffolk, we are very lucky to have the business support organisation, MENTA.

I signed myself up to a couple of MENTA courses given by Sean Proctor of Phoenix Internet Consultancy. Sean really knows his stuff when it comes to search engine optimisation, and delivers his courses with enthusiasm. It was a fantastic opportunity and I can’t recommend Sean’s courses highly enough to anyone who puts content on the internet. After the courses I certainly came away with a much clearer understanding of how to get your content found on the web.

But it doesn’t end there…

SEO is not the end of the story

Getting your online content noticed and ranked highly by the search engines is really only the first step in making your online presence effective for your business. I meet people whose ‘holy grail’ seems to be getting onto the first page of Google search results believing that doing so will magically make their business take off.

Relating what happens online to what happens in the ‘real world’, SEO is like advertising that you exist, telling people what you are selling and where they can find you. There is still work to do once they know about you. Can they find what they want quickly and do you actually provide what they are looking for? Is your service up to scratch and is the buying process easy?

Think of a shop before the days of the internet, or even a shop that trades only from a physical location today. SEO is similar to getting people to cross the threshold – it doesn’t mean they will buy. But if no-one visits your shop it is unlikely you’ll sell anything! So SEO is the equivalent of attracting people into your shop.

Write your copy for the site visitor, not the search engine

Effective SEO means you will be able to bring people in, but persuading them to buy your product or service is key. You can do everything right to bring visitors to your site, but what really matters is how many of those visitors actually buy?

That’s why the copy is so important. If your site visitors cannot easily find the information they are looking for, or your copy does not quickly engage them and explain why they should buy what they are looking for from you, even though you are getting lots of visitors, you may not be getting lots of sales.

What makes an effective website?

The most effective websites are those where everything works together. That means:

using SEO so people can find your site
making the site attractive with relevant graphics and a clear design
ensuring your site is easy to navigate so visitors can quickly find the information they’re looking for
giving the visitor clear, concise and persuasive reasons to buy from you throughout your site
telling the visitor what to do next (a call to action)

Ensuring that you do this for your website will take careful planning with specific consideration given to:

how you intend to use the website and what you expect from it
how the site visitor will use it and what they expect from it
ease of navigation
what the structure of the website should be
an overall design for the website
the specific graphic content of each page
the information (written content) on each page
linking of pages with related content
search engine requirements

If you give appropriate attention to these things during the design and development of your website, the finished site is more likely to present a consistent, quality image of your organisation and bring you the business benefits you are looking for – sales, that is!

Why copy matters for social media

2010-09-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

As a copywriter I am always intrigued by the written word and how it is used. With a professional’s experienced eye it is often easy to recognise those who take copy for granted and seem unaware of language’s full power or potential.

Perhaps this is even more so in the online world where it is so easy for anyone to publish just about anything they want to. If you are producing a printed brochure or newsletter you at least have to think about the words and how they fit into the overall design. No doubt you will ponder over them, or you may work with a professional copywriter whose job it is to do that for you. With the online world, much of that no longer applies and there are a different set of ‘rules’ to follow.

But what is the impact of the way we use words in the world of social media?

I asked Tina Gibbons, who provides social media and marketing consultancy services to a range of businesses within and around Suffolk, with a specific focus on mental health professionals, mental health organisations and holistic therapists for her view.

How would you define social media, social networking and online marketing?

Social media is any online information that is interactive, where opinions and information can be commented on, shared, rated, liked and/or bookmarked. Social media incorporates different formats, such as videos on YouTube, text (as with a blog) and images. Anyone could interact with or share this type of information.

Social networking is about building relationships through the use of social media. Like face-to-face networking, social networking is about finding people with a common interest, reaching that audience and building a community.

Online marketing is much broader than social media and social networking. Online marketing may encompass both of these as part of an overall strategy that includes using websites, search engine optimisation, online publishing of press releases, submissions of articles and other approaches.

Why is copy important for social media and social networking?

Copy – the words you use – is the essence. Even YouTube videos need scripts or captions. It doesn’t matter whether you are saying it or writing it, if you talk nonsense or in a way that few can understand you will find it difficult to build relationships.

There’s an art to online copy. If you are representing a business, everything you write is effectively sales copy – you are trying to persuade people round to your point of view, but what they want to know is ‘what’s in it for me?’ You’ll need to engage your target audience and get your points across in a very focused, concise manner. That can be difficult when you are restricted to 140 characters as with Twitter.

The use of keywords within your copy is important. They indicate what your content is about and allow your potential audience to evaluate the relevance to them. Keywords will help them to find your content and assess whether what you have to say is of interest to them.

That’s why copy is important for social media. What you say and how you say it will either be effective or ineffective in terms of helping you achieve your business goals. Making your copy effective and building relationships with an online audience is an artform.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to use social media to market their business?

First and foremost, develop a strategy.

The biggest concern for most people with social media is that it is overwhelming and very time-consuming. There are lots of benefits to promoting your business through social media, but if you aren’t working to a strategy, you will get bogged down. Knowing how you are going to use social media will help you cut through it.

Having a strategy means understanding who you are trying to appeal to, what aspects of social media you are going to use and how frequently, and what your content will be. Once you’ve created a plan it is important that you measure the response and/or effectiveness of each thing you do. For example, you may find that Tweets on a particular theme attract a greater response from your target audience, so you can focus on doing more of that.

How could what you say and how you say it online affect your business?

What you communicate will be reinforcing your brand, just as it would offline, such as within the printed media. It may be that you personally have strong opinions about something, but by promoting those opinions will it support your brand?

Your social media content will either be perceived as positive, in which case it is demonstrating your credibility and knowledge and supporting your business brand, or negative, in which case it will probably be doing harm to your reputation.

What role might a copywriter play in creating your social media content?

A copywriter with blogging expertise could help you better connect with people through your blog. They would be able to write the posts for you, or edit your draft to make it concise and more online-friendly. A copywriter can make sure your posts are optimised for the search engines and could also contribute powerful and creative ideas to help you develop your strategy.

As a minimum, a copywriter would be able to proof-read your copy to avoid any howlers. While imperfect grammar and spelling may be tolerated by your audience, you don’t want the text to be so awful the medium gets in the way of the message. That would definitely undermine your credibility.

With Tweets, a copywriter can turn your ideas into short, powerful messages and also work on status updates for your other online networks.

Find your online voice. Whatever social media you choose to use, a copywriter will help you find the online voice for your business. A good copywriter will take the time to understand your business and be in a position to help you understand how your status updates might be interpreted. When people start to interact with you, a copywriter will be able to help you respond effectively and ensure your responses come across as reasonable and positive rather than simply reactive.

Tina has more advice on maximising your online presence and also delivers marketing services.

Get the testimonial you want

2010-08-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Having recently revamped the Write Thinking website, it gave me a chance to review and update the Write Thinking client testimonials. It got me thinking about the process and how useful a testimonial can be to a business.

Why would you need a testimonial anyway? If you’ve done a good job for someone and your client is willing to confirm that in writing, you have an endorsement of you, your business and/or your work. Use this on your website, printed marketing materials, in sales letters etc and you will give your business more credibility and offer proof that you are up to the task.

But how do you get a testimonial in the first place?

Ask! No matter how good a job you have done, your clients are unlikely to offer to endorse you spontaneously.
Be bold – don’t be afraid to ask. If you know you have done a really good job and you have created a good working relationship with the client, they will probably be pleased to help you in this way.
If you choose who you ask, they will most likely say yes. If they refuse to give you a testimonial, it gives you an opportunity for some market research and to strengthen the relationship with the client. Find out if there is anything about your product or service that needs to be improved so far as this client is concerned, and if you can fix it, do so and then ask again for a testimonial.
It is always better for the client to write the testimonial than for you to write it and have them endorse it. Why? Because it can sound more natural, it’s more honest and the client may pick out aspects of your product or service that you hadn’t thought about.
Give the person creating the testimonial some guidance. If you are looking for an endorsement for a particular aspect of your service, for example, ask the client to focus on that in the testimonial. Giving the client a few questions to answer can help them focus and gets them thinking about what they would want to say.
If you change the testimonial in any way, make sure the client is happy with the changes you have made before you use it.
Ask the client’s permission to use their name and if appropriate, business title. Testimonials attributed to a real person are more believable than ‘Mrs X, Huddersfield’, or ‘a local business owner’. Those with a suspicious mind may think you have just made it up!
Thank the person giving the testimonial. They have done you a favour, so the least you can do is thank them.

The new testimonial I received from my client SCS blew me away – want to see it?

What's your experience of web designers?

2010-07-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

I should have known. It’s obvious when you think about it.

As a Suffolk copywriter I have worked with many web designers, graphic designers, marketing agencies and PR companies. Without exception, everyone I have worked with so far on a client project has behaved in a fair and honourable way and I genuinely believe they acted in the best interests of the client. In one case, my associate credited the client for work that had been done and was not required, even though in my opinion, the supplier was not responsible for the mistake and could have pursued payment.

As a business owner I am also a consumer of website services. I used a web designer to help me create the design for my initial website and then subsequently transferred the web hosting to another company based in the Ipswich area. Unfortunately, what is obvious to me now is that not all people in the industry share the same business ethics and I should have chosen my supplier more carefully.

I found this particular supplier through a business networking organisation. What I should have realised is that being a member of such an organisation (or indeed, a business directory) is no guarantee of quality of service. It shows only that the business has enough money to join the club or listing.

I now know that a supplier who is more interested in telling you how many design awards they have won rather than discussing what they can do to help you is unlikely to be interested in helping you resolve issues or giving you any real advice. It may be true that a company’s designs are particularly skilful, but that doesn’t mean they will go out of their way to make sure you get the end result you want.

The Write Thinking website is now hosted through Apparition Marketing and Design, who also created the new-look website – great work Rachel. There were glitches and changes of direction along the way, but overridingly Rachel’s main concern was that I got the design I wanted and any hiccups were resolved as quickly as possible.

So, what have I learnt?

When it comes to services, ask your supplier for a detailed written description of what they will be delivering. Any reputable supplier will be happy to provide this because it protects both you and them. If you are taking any annual services, make sure you know when the annual period runs from, what the cancellation notice period is, and look out for automatic renewals.

If your supplier does not give you a written description of what they are providing and their Ts & Cs, make a note of what they tell you at the time and immediately send them a written confirmation of your understanding.

Use a supplier that you know and trust. Next best thing would be to use a supplier recommended by someone you know and trust. (I know, how obvious is that?) It’s okay to select your supplier from a directory or from a business network or even as a favour, but only if they meet the ‘know and trust’ criteria.

Your supplier will display their true nature when you run into problems. The supplier who takes your money year after year, doesn’t help you to develop your website and seems unwilling to give you advice when you ask for it or help you make a decision is unlikely to be there when you need them. If you find a supplier who goes that bit further to help you out of a difficulty, hang on to them.

Suppliers who comply exactly with what you ask them to do without explaining the consequences or advising you what you might do instead are doing you a disservice. Some may even try to charge you to ‘put things right’ when it doesn’t give the result you wanted.

What is your experience of suppliers who in your opinion are less than honourable and what advice would you pass on?