Rain on me

It rained all day and that’s about as exciting as it gets when it comes to the weather here in Austin, Texas. Adding to the giddiness was the incredibly cool 70° F high temperature. It hasn’t been that chill in Central Texas since March.

We need a drought buster and this system could be it. A low pressure system near the four corners is trudging east at a snail’s pace. As a consequence, more precipitation is predicted through Friday.

Folks were seen dancing in the rain. It’s a bit pitiful, really.

Rain of a different cloud

It continues to rain on my copywriting parade. I’m tasked with crafting product briefs and videos. The instructions are always the same: make the copy brief and not too technical. People have little patience and short attention spans. If they have to think too hard about the features and benefits of our solutions, they’ll seek out our competitors.

Pitiful. Isn’t it?

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Am I missing something?

Prevailing wisdom dictates that blogs, articles and web content will not be read if they lack visuals.

Really?

Precision in communication calls for utilizing all available tools to help convey ideas and knowledge. Where an appropriate infographic, picture, icon or graph visually punctuates a concept, definitely include it.

But I’m not for inserting an image simply because prevailing wisdom dictates.

Why?

Because sometimes it looks forced, and that’s just dumb.

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Tennis anyone? Copywriting anyone?

I love tennis, especially doubles. There’s something about the creativity that’s required when there are two imposing players opposite you covering most of the real estate that appeals to me. You work angles, depths and speeds to develop advantages and openings.

Between points, I talk to my partner about the ebbs and flows of the match. They happen. When the momentum seems to be squarely on the other side of the net, I strive to keep a calm and positive demeanor as we work to turn the tide in our favor.  Unless we are just flat out overmatched, invariably, we regain the upper hand. Fortunately, more often than not, we have a positive final result.

So where’s the parallel to copywriting?

The ebbs and flows.

When writing, I have bursts of creativity and I ride the wave until it crashes. Many times, that coincides with project completion. But not always, and when that’s the case, I stop writing and move on to other tasks.

While I’m relaxing and recharging, the thoughts are still formulating and flowing into place.

Eventually I return to writing and the creative energy begins as a stream. As I gain momentum, ideas burst forth like rains coursing over an arroyo. I write until the project is completed, I’m exhausted, or the river runs dry.

Ebbs and flows. Like tennis, they are part of copywriting. Fortunately, I know how to work through them and produce a positive final result for the client.

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Hear ye! Hear ye! Come one, come all

What is the most important skill for a copywriter to possess? Sweet writing skills are obvious, and they are certainly near the top of the list. A strong command of the language is paramount. A broad vocabulary is advantageous. Yet all of these fall behind the skill nestled in the number one spot.

The best copywriters are superb listeners.

What say you?

In order to craft the brand narrative, it is imperative that the writer hears how the stewards of the brand express their passions for the company or product. As I wrote in yesterday’s post, the copywriter must probe for insight into the character of the company, it values, and how employees express their views and passions. Within their answers will be the key messages and differentiators that help you craft the brand message.

To elicit the insights a copywriter seeks, she or he needs to be a smart interviewer and ask open-ended questions:

• Why are they believers in the brand?
• How did they make believers out of their first customers?
• What were their early challenges?
• How did they slog it out with their competitors?
• Why did (and do) they win?
• Why are they excited to come to work every day?
• What are their aspirations for the brand and their association with the brand?

What was heard

A careful listener will recognize common themes in the answers given by employees and executives. The adroit copywriter will transform these gems into the brand messages that attract customers and strengthen bonds.

Listen. Learn. Cogitate. Create.

And from there the story will unfold. It will inspire. It will motivate. It will set the brand apart.

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There’s a story in there somewhere

Every small business has a story to tell.

Somewhere within the inspiration that lead to creating a business is the message that embodies the company’s value proposition and differentiation. It is incumbent upon the marketing copywriter to extract that information to serve as the basis for a communications strategy.

Keep asking questions. Dig for details. Draw out the tales from the early days as the company was formed. Within these narratives are nuggets of gold. The savvy copywriter will recognize a unique selling proposition, a positioning statement, key messages and possibly even a slogan.

Listen. Learn. Cogitate. Create.

The content the copywriter crafts will be original, genuine and a mirror characterization of the small business owner’s vision and values when she or he opened the doors and served the first customer.

And from there the story will unfold. It will inspire. It will motivate. It will set the company apart.

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It’s in their ad, it must be true

Exaggerated claims. Demand created by playing on insecurities and false perceptions.

In advertising and marketing communications, I find nothing more distasteful. I’ve written a few posts taking companies to task on misleading statements in their ad copy.

It’s a fine line

How about it copywriters, content creators and product marketing managers? Where do you stand?

Is your copy sprinkled with puffery or glittering generalities that may produce warm fuzzies but no market benefits?

Are there little white lies here and there in your content? Are the product performance numbers you publish theoretical and based on conditions that customers have no shot of realizing?

Have you published data or claims that made you cringe? Were you suspicious, but unwilling to question your client, boss or colleague?

A line in the sand

At the 4A’s confab the final week of March, industry leaders asked themselves and attendees if they stood for anything, or were they simply doing the bidding of others without conscience or remorse.

The introspection was under the umbrella of advertising and sustainability, but the self-evaluation is worthwhile regardless of the motivation.

The content we produce must be above reproach. All claims should be verified and approved by legal with supporting data on files.

We owe it to the public, to our profession and to ourselves to be 100% forthright and honest with our words. Our employer’s or client’s credibility, not to mention our own reputation and integrity, is on the line.

Be vigilant. Never compromise.

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A slow news day? There isn’t an app for that

I spend a fair amount of time each day on the web reading content on news portals, publications, blogs and discussion groups. I scan social media feeds multiple times a day seeking something interesting to read. Oftentimes, an article, editorial, blog post or discussion will inspire me or spark on idea that leads to a blog post.

That didn’t happen today.

I don’t know if that says something about the content or something about me. Probably both. It clearly exposes the fact that I don’t adhere tightly to an editorial calendar to drive this blog. My posts tend to be spontaneous.

There’s still plenty of buzz around “The Acquisition” yesterday. I guess I could add my voice to the noise. The price tag alone delivered caused a webquake. I’ve a bit of Facebook Fatigue though, and frankly, I didn’t know a thing about Instagram until the announcement (cut me some slack, I’m a writer).

Actually, my Instagram ignorance has more to do with the fact that I’m not much of an apps guy. I don’t scour the Android market for productivity, finance, entertainment, business or communication apps for my HTC Incredible smartphone. I do have a few of the popular apps, but put a big bold accent mark on few. I pay a visit to Google Play a couple of times a month just to see what’s trending. On occasion, I’ll download something to trial.

Maybe if I had a tablet my “apptitude” would change. That wouldn’t alter the fact that I didn’t find anything interesting to share with you today.

Or did I?

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A network of a different social

Thirteen months ago I authored a post railing against bad behavior on Facebook and the social network’s evolution into something well beyond friends and family staying connected. My rant was driven by the boorish, rude and outlandish behavior exhibited by a vocal minority.

It was further spurred on by the antagonistic, incessant and annoying posts by some espousing their personal beliefs and attacking those with differing viewpoints.

And then came big business.

Of course, no one listened and now my feed is polluted with nonsense of all sorts that has very little to do the social lives of friends and family.

Social winds of change

I believe the environment is ripe for new social networks to emerge. Much like print, electronic and digital media are targeted, social networks like Facebook are prime for disruption by new niche social networks. These networks would be topic driven.

At the top of the list is a political social network. Let the activists and loud mouths take to a social media-like application that is dedicated to political free speech. Imagine the vitriol in a no holds barred social network with Facebook functionality. It would be the online version of ultimate cage fighting.

Social Network Name:  Uncivil Discourse

Second on the list is a religious social network where peeps from every belief system known to humans would gather to revel in their holiness and to attack every other belief system known to humans for being tools of the devil.

Social Network Name:  Divine Intolerance

But seriously folks

How quickly could a social media entrepreneur gain millions of subscribers for a network focused on pets? Kittens. Puppies. Bunnies. Goats. Macaws. A social forum to swap pet ownership tales and share photos and videos would be an overnight success.

Social Network Name:  Pet Net

Would expectant and new moms glom onto a social network where they could share their experiences every day and post thousands of photos? Obviously.

Social Network Name:  Baby Facebook

Yea, yea, I know. Allow me to borrow from the advice Sean Parker gave Mark Zuckerberg…

Revised Social Network Name:  BabyFace

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Can I pique your Pinterest?

I participated in a Pinterest workshop today.

Really? Pinterest for a writer? I know,  I haven’t quite come to grips with the concept myself.

How does a writer leverage Pinterest to express himself and his craft? Pinterest is all about images that tell stories. I’m all about written stories that might be augmented by a few images.

Still, I’m a visual guy, so I decided to give it a try.

Today,  I learned many of the fundamentals for beginners.  I now have an account. I am following a handful of other Pinterest members, and I set up some boards.

Image is everything

But now I’m stuck. What do I add to the boards? I can’t write a poem and publish it on a board. I apparently have to seek out images that captivate me and pin them to the appropriate board. I am then permitted to pen a few words about the image.

A few words? This could be a more significant challenge than writing a headline, subject line or tweet.

Is this writer a glutton for punishment? Perhaps, but I have no one to blame but myself. You see, I decided on the topic and found the Pinterest expert. Was it weird that I was the only male in the room?

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Difficult work beats hard labor every time

On Monday, I compared and contrasted the nouns chance and opportunity. I argued that in many circumstances, opportunity is the smarter word choice, unless you intend to imply an element of luck as part of the expression.

Today, it’s a quick look at the words hard and difficult.

Taking the hard road

Hard is a powerful word with fabulous flexibility. As an adjective, dictionary.com lists 41 definitions. As an adverb, add another 9 definitions. Now I’m a writer who happens to be pretty good at math; that’s 50 different meanings.

That’s astounding!

That’s absurd!

That also makes the word fraught with peril. Okay it’s a bit of an overstatement, but the term hard is massively over-used and it lacks elegance.

Making your life difficult

Difficult, on the other hand, sports a mere seven definitions. Compared to hard, the word is an underachiever. It’s also underutilized.

Another attraction for this writer is it’s polysyllabic. And as I’ve written in the blog before, there are occasions when a noun deserves more than one syllable to modify it.

You are so hard to please.  NOT!
You are so difficult to please.  YES!

It’s not a hard and fast rule, but nor is it a difficult decision. Wherever possible, meaning when the two terms are synonyms, I will opt to use the word with more syllables.

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Colorful content captures customers

In my USTA doubles match on Sunday, my partner made a wonderful shot to win a critical game. “Yea,” I exclaimed, “great shot!”

I almost immediately rescinded that compliment and replaced it with a grander kudos. “I take that back. That shot deserves more than a one syllable adjective,” I explained. “Spectacular shot!

My partner beamed.

Vitalize your brand

Crafting prose that accurately communicate the beauty, character and unique benefits of your company and its products or services is a valuable skill. 

Writers have a firm command of the language and an extensive vocabulary. With a professional wordsmith on the job, you can be confident your product, service or achievement will be judiciously lavished with the appropriate polysyllabic descriptors it deserves. And the market will respond.

Make your product beam

Color your content. Hire a copywriter.

512 903 9503

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Weekend work

A good day of copywriting ends an excellent week that included some superlative RISE Austin sessions.

With the arrival of the weekend I abandon my desk for a day of physical labor and a day of physical activity.

Spring is in full throttle and I have plenty of work outdoors this weekend beginning with mowing the lawn. I need to put down some fertilizer and I have some weed pulling and dirt turning to do in my gardens.

Saturday evening I’ll watch the men’s 2012 Final Four. Three of the four teams are in my brackets (I picked Florida State out of the east), so I have a reasonable shot at the finals matchup I chose at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament.

Sunday afternoon I’ll be on the tennis court competing in a USTA doubles tennis match. The remainder of the afternoon and evening I’ll actually try to relax. Maybe I’ll get some pleasure reading done and add to my list of unfamiliar words.

On Monday morning I’ll be back at the computer working on content for a client website.

Be safe all, have a relaxing weekend and thank you for reading my blog.

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Can you picture this?

I led a discussion on infographics for a bloggers group today. As a copywriter, the topic is a bit of a stretch for me. I’m biased, you see. I prefer an abundance of words complimented by a few visuals. Infographics seems destined to limit words in favor of an abundance of graphics.

There’s a dichotomy at play here.

A commitment is your word, though, so I put aside my personal views on the matter, conducted some additional research and crafted a presentation entitled “The Rise and Fall of Infographics”. I patterned a fair portion of it after a blog post of the same title I wrote back in December on infographics. A necessary addition to the presentation, however, was a brief (very brief) discussion on the history of infographics.

In addition, it was important to update some of my examples, since many infographics are on issues of the day. Therefore, some are stale after 30 days, and a significantly higher percentage are very dated after three months.

The upshot

The discussion went very well. Attendees were very engaged and asked some excellent questions. As is always the case in a professional organization, I learned some things from my audience. I will incorporate these data points into my presentation in the next few days.

This topic remains very popular, it seems. I’m thinking I may need to be careful here. If my presentation is too well received and word spreads, I may be invited to speak to other organizations.

I’m already scheduled to present on the topic at the Austin Marketing Syndicate on Thursday and at a RISE Session on Tuesday, March 27.

I may gain a reputation as a knowledge authority on infographics. Imagine that: a copywriter who can barely draw stick figures, an expert on infographics.

Can you picture this?

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Help! I’m drowning in content

Content, content, content. Marketing organizations are pumping out so much content it’s becoming a commodity.

This is annoying and has the potential to cause your customers to tune out.

To what purpose?

Content is valuable if it imparts knowledge, makes your customer’s lives easier and reinforces your value proposition.

And that’s the point, isn’t it? All of your content should be telling a story where your brand is the hero. The problems described may be vastly different, and how they are solved may be unique and unrelated, but each tale must reinforce what makes your brand compelling and unique.

Each read should convince the target audience that your brand is the best choice for “X”. In some cases, it may be a specific benefit that only your brand offers. In other cases, such as where it’s a crowded market, take running shoes, for instance, it may have something to do with a personal value, like a race for a cure.

Other methods for imparting value via your content was described recently in this post.

Be pithy

Brevity is in. Write with clarity and focus on precision in your communication. Leave no room for interpretation. Say it in as few words as possible. Be crisp, clear and concise.

And please, don’t repeat yourself over and over again. In other words, don’t be redundant.

Get the point? People are busy. Get to the point and be content with your content. Then get out.

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