It’s a Miracle

We copywriters are often miracle workers.

I’ve written for cars I never drove, audio systems I never heard, beverages I never drank and even places I’ve never been to. I suppose it’s the same for pretty much every copywriter out there.

The days of getting up close and personal with the product are truly gone.

I remember when I started out as a novice – which was far too long ago if you’re wondering –  that clients actually sent their products to the office so we may check, test, use or just fiddle around with them.

Services are a bit tricky. It would be impractical to get into a huge debt just because you need to write for a new mortgage plan. But clients still took the effort to send over market insights, strategic reviews, target market analysis, competitive analysis and the works.

CopyGoogler
Yes, I Googled this image... what?

These days however, our work really does require us to create something out of nothing, especially in the last decade. Google has become the primary source of information on virtually any product or service. ‘Just Google it’ is a phrase that now replaces ‘do you have enough information?’.

While I often admire a client’s confidence in our resourcefulness, how are we as marketing writers to develop a unique tone-of-voice based on materials sourced from Google? Indeed, Google is a great resource, but it is a vastly generic resource. And when the work delivered is not insightful or outstanding enough, the finger-pointing begins.

But there have been bright sparks. As a freelancer, I’ve met clients whom are genuinely focused on creating communications that are compelling, insightful and truly unique.

Well how are they different you ask? Here you go…

They Care
Their brand is their lifeblood, they live and breathe it. They are intrinsically wired to the growth and development of their brand. They care enough to provide relevant, insightful material along with reasonable lead time to exhaust all possibilities.

They are Transparent
Every aspect of their business open to scrutiny. They give copywriters no-holds-barred access to the inner workings of their organisation, creating the possibility of uncovering unique business traits that can result in the much coveted ‘aha’ moment.

They Work
They know the ins and outs of their business, and willing to work to translate that knowledge into a solid brief. You won’t hear the words Catchy, Punch or Juicy from these guys. They know what they want as much as knowing what they don’t want.

How to use copywriting fundamentals to court a woman

If you’re a guy that’s currently trying to woo the love of your life, then you would know that your attempts are ridden with challenges.

In addition to convincing your potential suitor that you’re not a serial rapist, you must also appeal to her heart, mind and soul. Easier said than done, especially when women have the uncanny ability to sense jerks and see through fakery.

Women get hit on more times than we guys can even imagine; so more often than not their initial reaction is to seem disinterested or be wary. Much like how we consumers think that every piece of promotional message – be it in ads, sales calls or e-mails – are too good to be true.

So before she switches off for good, here are a few tips based on copywriting essentials that could help you close the deal, or at least improve your chances:

Love Typewriter
The art of copywriting can captivate more than just consumers...

1. Open with a Bang
Before you get the wrong impression, let me set this straight. In copywriting, the first words the consumer reads or hears are critical. Better yet, if you are able to weave in a benefit at first contact, such as a headline that answers the question “what’s in it for me?” In the case of courting, don’t just ask her out, instead find out what she enjoys and propose an outing with specifics. Example: do you want to join me for a sunset picnic this weekend?

2. Be Persuasive
But not pushy. There are certain words we copywriters use to subtly influence consumers in their decision making process. I’ve written about these power words in a previous post that you may want to check out. In the same vein, courting is also about using subtle influences to compel a desired outcome. Not only in words, but gestures, confidence and mannerisms… just take it easy or you risk looking pushy.

3. Highlight What’s Worthy
Nobody reads, and this is especially true today where people just scan through text in search of only the interesting bits. That’s why copywriting these days involve heavy use of subheads, crossheads and bullet points to highlight the more compelling points. In the same way, you’ve got to appreciate her attention and get to the interesting bits of the conversation quickly. No two hours stories about your grandma, please.

4. Maintain Authenticity
Believe it or not, we copywriters tend to be as genuine as possible when crafting our prose. We may misdirect but never mislead or overpromise, because we hate it ourselves when promises fall flat. So while courting, stay true to yourself and most importantly be believable; women are as likely as consumers to smell the rat.

5. Focus on the Relationship
Ideally, copywriting is the art of making a sale.  But before consumers can part with their money they must know, like and trust you. It is a long-term process that emphasizes on building relationships than just making a sale. So before a woman parts with her heart, mind and soul, you must endeavour to work on the relationship and build trust. It takes time, but the rewards will be worth it.

And in case you’re wondering, this doesn’t apply for courting guys, we’re easy… aren’t we?

So long, 2013…

Yes, I admit it. Since the time I started this copywriting blog in 2010, I’ve never been as laid-back as this year. My posts have been too few and far in between, and I feel like a disgrace to bloggers everywhere.

But as with all things, every downside has a reason.

You see, the momentum I built in my first full year as a freelance copywriter in 2012 spilled over rather kindly to 2013. That meant more time working on projects rather than soliciting for work.

So let’s just say I took the foot off the blogging accelerator just a tiny bit and now the New Year is staring cynically at my face.

2014
It's the 14th year of the new millennium... phew!

Ah yes… another reason for my lack of posts is also because I was busy preparing for my matrimonial plunge for the most part of the year. But this is hardly the space to talk about it, so I shall leave it at that.

Anyway, around this time last year I ended with a post that recapped my toils for 2012, along with a couple of videos that inspired me to do the unthinkable. But this time around, I’m looking forward by outlining a few things that I’d like to see happen among clients in 2014:

  1. A change in outlook to be more concerned about communicating effectively rather than calculating cost.
  2. Less emphasis on being catchy (whatever that means), and more effort in being able to identify a unique, compelling proposition.
  3. Realise that personal preference should just complement and not influence any piece of communication.
  4. Understand that copywriting is a craft that isn’t entirely based on preset formulas or guidelines; great work comes with time.
  5. Endeavour to keep things simple, concise and clear. The attention that consumers bestow is a luxury that should not be screwed with.

Amateurs get angry with clients, professionals educate them. I’ve done my bit of educating for the year; just don’t hold it against me yeah?

Here’s to a smashing New Year… cheers!

What’s the difference?

In my 15 odd years as a copywriter, the word ‘different’ is something I’ve constantly heard from clients.

There nothing wrong with wanting to be different, but the truth is copywriting alone cannot position a product or service as being different in the eyes of consumers. If what you offer is also being offered by a gazillion other competitors, then simply saying ‘we’re different’ isn’t going to cut it.

Think Different
They were truly different and sparked a revolution

Difference does not come from how copy is crafted, it comes from the core of your business itself. A few examples:

  • A totally new or innovative product that fills an existing untapped need (I know, not the easiest thing to discover)
  • The difference in serving customers (you have to go beyond saying ‘thank you’)
  • The way your company operates or a distinct difference in culture (easier said than done)

If your business cannot align itself with any of the above points of differentiation, then sadly the copywriting can only be skewed or tweaked to a certain extent. We copywriters call it tone and manner of delivery; which is to craft the same message your competitors are saying in an alternate way.

But tone and manner can only differentiate how you are saying it, but not what you are saying. Sometimes, how you say it can make a difference, but if your business can figure out something totally different to say, then your proposition becomes more meaningful.

If you want to be different, you’ve got to back it up by living and breathing distinctiveness. Don’t just expect a different copywriting tone and manner to mask the same-ol’.

You have to be the crazy one, the misfit, the rebel, the troublemaker… the one who see things differently.

Fluff is Out

Copywriting is the business of misleading people to buy things they don’t need with the money they don’t have.

Well it’s not that we copywriters tell outright lies to convince people. Sometimes it’s just about too much fluff.

While most of my clients these days understand that effective communication involves a clear, concise message with a touch of personal warmth, I do get enquiries to work on the old ‘catchy-punchy-juicy’ stuff.

FluffMarsh
If it ain't marshmallow, go easy on the fluff

I tend to steer clear from these kinds of requests because, well, the fluff isn’t all that convincing. We’re dealing with young, smart consumers whom are becoming increasingly averse to marketing speak and vague catchphrases.

We’ve all seen those websites, brochures, corporate profiles or even mail drops that are full of meaningless superlatives, mindless ramblings and generic ‘industry’ word play. That’s either a sign of a novice copywriter or a client unwilling to adapt to evolving consumer mindset.

Consumers just want you to tell it as it is so they can then decide whether to do business with you. Besides, none of us want to nor have the time to make sense of  textual mumbo jumbo.

If you still want to take the fluffy route, beware of these pitfalls:

Can you deliver as promised?
Fluff raises consumer expectations, and they expect you to deliver as fluffed. Can you?

Bye-bye repeat business
Once fluffed, twice shy. When all that fluff falls flat, the customer goes to your competitor.

Risk of attracting negativity
We live in a very social world. One disgruntled customer can start a negative crusade against your business.

Even if telling it as it is goes against convention, your product or service can still shine through and appeal to your intended target audience. A case in point is a company in Wisconsin, USA that tells the absolute truth, even it may result in some consumers not buying their product.

ZeroFLuff

Ahhh… I wish I wrote that.

Feels Two Good

Two years ago, with no serious planning whatsoever, I decided to become a full-time freelance copywriter.

24 months, that’s a pretty long time to go without a pay cheque. And the fact that I’m still standing is a miracle of sorts… almost too good to be true.

VictorySign
Two good years, but nothing peaceful about them either...

But it was not like I didn’t have to work my butt off to get to this stage. Obviously finding clients was among my major headaches when I started. Eventually, this blog (yes, this very sorry excuse for a blog) became my number one lead generator, and still is.

Now, all my clients I work with and the projects I handle are the direct result from the enquiries I get from this website. Of course, I still had to convince these leads to become clients, which wasn’t easy nor was it always successful.

Sometimes, I get a barrage of enquiries within a space of a week, which is great. The downside to this is that I can’t work on turning all these leads into clients, without creating a backlog. And recently, I had to let go many opportunities that came my way.

This is something I hate to do. It feels like I’ve let myself down.

Being a self-employed copywriter, I tend to wear multiple hats. Often the writing itself is only a small portion of my daily routine because there are meetings to attend, clients to lunch with, brainstorming sessions to go to, materials to pick up and quotes/invoices to send.

There is only so much I can handle without compromising my quality of my copy, which is often how I’m judged on.

It’s a case of keeping existing clients happy vs. bringing in new business. I suppose I’m a loyalist rather than a capitalist.

Anyway, I would like to thank all my clients and readers for making the past year a great one. I’ve learned so much over the year that no book, classroom or even job can ever teach.

Finally, for those of you who enquired about my services, and in turn received a very polite message saying that I was very busy, please accept my sincere apologies. I truly hope our paths will cross again.

The Name Game

Yes, I admit it. The thing that I dislike most about my profession as a copywriter is coming up with names.

For me, names are personal. Think about it this way, would you ask another person to name your newborn baby?

You created it, you name it. And I believe the same analogy should apply to companies, products and brands as well. The person who created them should be the ones naming them.

Hello
I'll make you a deal, lunch on me for the person who comes up with the best name for this... errr... juice...

Indeed, we copywriters can help name your product or service. But there will always be a sense of disconnect when we – a third party – attempt to create a name for something that holds many intrinsic values.

I always suggest to my clients to give naming a shot. And sometimes they find it very difficult, even when they themselves have incepted the product or service. So you can imagine how difficult it would be for me?

However, nothing is easy. So here are 5 key considerations to naming that might help:

1. Sensory Appeal
Ideally, a name should be able to activate any one, or better yet all five senses. A name that people can see, smell, taste, feel or hear subconsciously creates a sensory experience that’s memorable. A brand name like Apple activates all senses.

2. Service is Serious
The game changes slightly when it comes to naming a service though. People expect services to be credible, trustworthy and professional, and a name should reflect these qualities. Don’t ask me how.

3. Be Uncommon
Habituation is a human trait where we are desensitised by all the common things around us. You name needs to rise above the clutter or people will tune-out. Do you really want to be another ‘Pro-something’ or Expert-something’ or ‘something-Solutions’?

4. Break It Down
Break any names that you come up with into syllabuses. Read out aloud every syllabus to make sure nothing sounds unsavoury. This is especially useful in Malaysia, where multiple languages are spoken. I once saw a Bengkel Tah Yik… seriously!

5. Domain-friendly
These days, securing the URL you want can be a real pain. So make sure your name list is domain checked as early as possible because you will surely need to have a website. Sites like www.namestation.com is worth a try too.

If all else fails, do what I did. I just used my name for my business. It may not be the most ideal name, but it’s a true reflection of me.

Copywriter’s Constipation

Sometimes it’s hard – even after being a copywriter for 14 years – I don’t have it easy all the time.

Often, when I’m tasked to write something, I can immediately get cracking. Words swiftly turn into sentences, which leads to paragraphs. Some jobs take minutes, other hours and the rest days, but the word-flow is constant and premeditated.

I know exactly where I’m heading, and I’m usually pretty confident that the client will appreciate my take on their product or service.

There are times however; I’m left staring at a blinking cursor. Minutes turn into hours before I write even a single line of copy, which I re-hash over and over again until I realise that I’ve actually been watching TED talks the whole day.

I curse myself for being an idiot. The client has trusted me and I can’t even string a couple of decent sentences together. Idiot!

Writer
... or watch TED talks

These are the days when self doubt creeps up stealthily and I conclude that I’m not really a good copywriter after all. Then I shut down for the day and grab a… errr… cool, refreshing beverage, pondering whether I should have become a word-challenged pilot instead.

Another day dawns and the struggle continues, despite the looming deadline.

Then I stop working on the copy and start looking at the product or service I am writing for, just to see if there’s any inspiration hidden within the brief, e-mail conversations or materials.

Nothing. Zero. Zilch.

Finally it hits me. Maybe it isn’t me; maybe it’s the product or service that’s flawed in some way that my internal sensors aren’t being activated.

A weak product or service is the antidote to inspiration. Even the world’s best copywriter can’t turn a Proton into a Toyota in the eyes of the consumer.

If I can’t write a reasonably good piece of communication that promises some decent benefits to the consumer, perhaps the product or service needs fixing.

But of course, I can’t tell that to the client. Can I?

Done is Better Than Perfect

Perfection is an illusion, or some might even say it’s a delusion.

It’s okay to strive for perfection. The problem is it isn’t very practical. We humans are flawed in many ways, and these flaws permeate in pretty much everything we do.

In the business of advertising, which includes copywriting, the need to get everything perfect is almost like a disease.

In fact it is a disease. It’s called analysis paralysis.

Medication
No known medication exists for Analysis Paralysis, it just takes guts.

Strategies are rehashed, every piece of copy reworked and designs needlessly redone many times over. Often even before the ad, website or campaign sees the light of day.

Don’t get me wrong, most of these revisions are necessary. It’s part of producing good, if not great work. But overanalyzing things, using assumptions or past performance just hinders the act of producing great work.

Sometimes, when all else fails, and when you are not too sure if something is going to work; the best thing to do is to put it out there.

Let the intended audience do the analyzing for you. After all, that piece of communication is for them. Then gather the audience’s behaviour and tweak accordingly.

No, focus groups are not going to do you much of a favour. Research has shown focus group participants to be favourable towards a brand or product because they are paid for their thoughts. Nobody wants to bite the hand that feeds them.

So get whatever you’re working on done, put it out there and see what happens. If it bombs, try again. If it seems to be working, make it better.

Done is better than perfect.

Apparently, they have that phrase pasted at a corridor in Facebook’s headquarters in Palo Alto.  You may remember, Facebook was very crude when it first started, but now is in the leading edge of social technology.

If Mark waited to get everything perfect, we’d be still stuck with Friendster or worse, actually meeting people face to face.

Nitty Gritty

I never studied copywriting. I mean I have learned the craft on-the-job, but have never sat in a classroom studying to be a copywriter.

In fact, I only decided to venture into copywriting towards the end of my college years. Yes, I actually stumbled into this line of work.

Now, there are few colleges churning out copywriting diploma-totting graduates raring to hit the ground running with stacks of very creative portfolio pieces.

copybook
This could seriously be a hit e-book!

Certainly, the bar has been raised, because I got into the industry knowing nuts about advertising or how to craft a clever headline. Heck, I wasn’t even worthy of a computer on my first copywriting job. I had to handwrite everything onto loose A4 sheets, while constantly referring to my dictionary.

That was a long, long time ago.

But that was the case with most people in advertising back then. We loved to draw, write, or think, and figured we wanted to get paid for it. Not many of us got into agencies willingly, and not many survived for too long either.

Copywriting graduates now though know exactly what they are getting into. At least I hope they do, because the first few years can be rather challenging, to put it very mildly.

But here’s the thing, according to Sanam Petri, an Associate CD at R/GA London:

“because today’s advertising world is largely driven by accolades and awards, many communication schools are churning out kids who think like creative directors, not kids who just love to write. Students are coming into the agency with their sights trained on one thing: being the one to come up with the one game-changing idea that puts them on the map. But what are the implications of hiring an entire generation of thinkers who can’t do?”

While we should not generalize that all copywriting graduates are useless douches, I totally agree that most of them do not want to get into the nitty gritty of the industry. It’s all about big ideas and creative execution instead of learning the ropes and honing the craft.

No wonder good, dedicated writers are hard to come by these days. Blame the colleges.