Hello, again!

Welcome to the April GOT COPY? newsletter!

Before getting on with this month's issue, I want to thank everyone who emailed feedback regarding last month's At Issue topic - "The Copywriter's Role in a Creative Team." Almost every person concurred with my assessment that the copywriter's role is becoming more blurred, but isn't dying. VPs from ad agencies on both coasts acknowledged the trend; a copywriter from Australia said the same thing was happening down under. Much of the blame appears to fall on the economic downturn forcing many marketing and agency staffs to shrink. So while readers expressed hope that the trend would reverse itself somehow, they did not see it happening anytime soon. Some admitted that they are expanding their skill set just to remain employed - even if it isn't in copywriting.

In the meantime, you're invited to read past issues. I've redesigned the site (much easier on the eyes) and added testimonials from subscribers (I'd love to hear from you and post your comments in the future with your permission).

Enjoy your day,
~ Stevie Ann Rinehart, Independent Copywriter

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GOT COPY? - Issue 6 - April 2002

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IN THIS ISSUE:
(1) AT ISSUE: When It's Wise to Bring in the Copywriter
(2) MARKETING/WRITING TIP: Starting the Copywriting Process
(3) RECOMMENDED WEB SITE: Guide to Grammar and Writing
(4) UPCOMING ISSUE
(5) NECESSARY BLURBS

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(1) AT ISSUE: When It's Wise to Bring in the Copywriter
How do you know that you even need to bring in a copywriter? This can be a conundrum for many companies. The answer may vary depending on your company or your situation. Here are just a few instances:

~~ At the beginning of the project...
Bringing in a copywriter early in the process ensures that the message has the opportunity to be refined during the project's development phase. Just as important, the message will ideally drive the components around it as much as possible: the structure of the information (how it's organized), and therefore, the images and design.

~~ To create a consistent "voice" for your collateral...
When companies revamp their collateral, creating and maintaining the same tone and message is crucial. This is especially so if your company is re-branding itself or wants to appeal to a new audience. Copywriters can help develop the tagline, unique selling proposition, proposal templates, brochure, Web site, talking scripts, product data sheets, public relations... whatever you need to have in place to deliver your message to the relevant masses from the get-go.

~~ To boost unsatisfactory response rates...
Some pieces simply don't "pull" as well as they should. This can happen if a non-writer crafted the message, or the message wasn't appropriate for the audience, or the call to action wasn't clear, etc. If your response rate isn't reaching the numbers you anticipated, consider bringing in a wordsmith to help out.

~~ To conserve costs...
There's a growing emphasis on return on investment as businesses more closely track their spending in a weak economy. Sometimes, companies hasten to bring tasks "in-house" in order to reduce and control outgoing costs. However, it's actually less expensive to hire writing professionals for the time period or project for which you need them. It's also a lot cheaper than paying to do it twice if it wasn't done right the first time by a non-writer.

I'm curious what you've experienced. While I've outlined some of the more practical (and perhaps obvious) instances in which to hire a copywriting professional, I'd love to hear some of the more unusual situations in which you hired or were hired as a writer. The more "interesting" stories may make it into the next issue. Email me at gotCopy@cox.net.

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(2) MARKETING/WRITING TIP: Starting the Copywriting Process
Yes, there's more to starting the copywriting process than a good caffeine buzz.

For those of you who've asked about how to get started, here's a little cheat sheet I use to make sure I have the information I need for the piece (whether the piece is a brochure, Web site, advertisement, letter, etc.). It may vary depending on the client, project, or purpose. For those of you who hire copywriters, let this guide you when providing information to him or her. Remember, these are just basics.

(A) Verify the goal of the piece. (Increase sales, provide information, update services, generate leads, etc.)

(B) Where does the piece fall in the sales cycle? This helps determine the message's tone and detail, for example.

(C) What are the measurables? How will the client measure the success of the project? This will help focus the call to action.

(D) Determine audience specifics. (Industry, job role, pain points/fears/concerns, motivation to purchase, purchasing cycles, etc.)

(E) List key features and corresponding benefits.

(F) Product/service information (how it works, price/ value, who would use it, capabilities, the problem(s) it solves, etc.). You can use background information from existing product collateral such as data sheets, product reports, articles, marketing plans, etc.

(G) Get competitor info to examine product differences and positioning.

(H) Ascertain how much information will be provided to you versus how much research you have to do to get it.

(I) Find out what tone and style is desired (especially if it will be used with other collateral pieces).

Do some of these sound like components of a Creative Brief? I'll address the importance of such a document in a future issue.

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(3) RECOMMENDED WEB SITE: Guide to Grammar and Writing
Be prepared for a very enlightening yet humbling experience as you spend hours discovering the real rules of writing, courtesy of Professor Charles Darling. His "Guide to Grammar and Writing" is amazingly helpful. Face it - we could ALL use a site like this! You'll see why Writer's Digest® ranked it as one of the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers this year.

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(4) UPCOMING ISSUE: May 2002
~~ At Issue: Should Copywriters Learn Non-writing Skills?
~~ Marketing/Writing Tip: Marketing Yourself As a Copywriter

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(5) NECESSARY BLURBS
Promote viral marketing! Just copy and paste the above URL into an email message and forward to a colleague. Feel free to CC me as well. (I don't give out e-addresses.)

Questions? Comments? Kudos? Call 602.391.9536 or click Feedback.

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