Better Copy: The Interview is the Key
Most of us spend our days persuading others to buy our service, product or idea. Here is how to create powerful marketing copy to make your job easier: INTERVIEW YOURSELF.
If you hired a writer to create the copy for you, he/she would likely start by interviewing you. He would ask every question he could think of about your subject and keep probing until he found illuminating answers. You could find a colleague to help in this endeavor. Or, if you are feisty, you can interview yourself.
Write out a series of questions about your subject. (I'll suggest what kinds of questions below). Then ask your colleague to pose these questions to you and record your answers. Or you can write your own answers down.
The key to interviewing is to keep probing. If an answer doesn't make sense,say so. "I understand that your clients need to create strategy at the corporate level, but I don't understand how your software is going to help them do this." If you don't believe an answer, say so too. Keep asking for further and better particulars until you get answers that interest you and which you believe in.
SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Here are some high-level questions to ask yourself.
What is the business problem?
Can you describe the problem in plain English?
How did the problem arise?
Is it a new problem?
Why is it hard to solve?
Why hasn't anyone found a solution to it yet?
Does your client know he has this problem?
Is he willing to pay the price in time or money to solve his problem?
What is his key concern?
What is your solution?
What services / products do you offer to solve his problem?
What benefits will these produce? (This is the hardest question to answer. It means going beyond the features we offer and really understanding the solution from the clients' viewpoint.) If you are going to work on producing only one answer, this is the one to work on.
Which benefit is the most important? (This will be your core message).
Why should your client trust you to solve their problem?
Who are you?
How long have you been in business?
What can you say about the stability and creativity of your organization?
Who are your clients?
Is your service unique? If not, why is it better than others'?
Do you have a robust marketing plan to execute against? How clear and persuasive is your website, brochure copy or direct mail? Call Neroli Lacey NOW to win more business TODAY.
CALL ++ 612. 215. 3826 NOW
or email: neroli@beyondcommunications.com
About The Author
I'm Neroli Lacey of Beyond Communications Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. I've been helping executives transform their businesses and their lives with outstanding marketing materials since 1995. VISA, 3M and Perot Systems are some of my bigger clients. I have worked with clients in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Delhi. I used to be one of the top journalists in Britain writing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, New Statesman, Vogue and Tatler.
Before newspapers I was an investment banker. I grew up in London, England, studying Latin with Greek at Bristol University.
Please visit my website: www.beyondcommunications.com
MORE RESOURCES:
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Become Qualified As A Proofreader
The field of proofreading is not as easy to get into as you might think. In fact, there are many proof reading qualifications that you must possess in order to qualify.
Copywriting: Engage Prospects By Involving Their Senses
Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste, silence surrounded you and everything smelled the same.
Dissolving Buyer Scepticisim ... A Lesson In Copywriting
When making a purchasing decision, people have their "rip off radars" on high beam. They're wary and so they should be -- after all, they're about to spend money so they want to be sure they're not going to get ripped off, AND they want to be sure they're going to get the absolute best return on their advertising dollar.
Deciding What Voice to Use in Copy
You have to choose a character or an angle that you, the copywriter plays. Copy is interactive.
The Second Most Important Element of Your Ad... after the Headline
Hi {FIRSTNAME Friend},Next time you're flicking through your local newspaper, take a good hard look at the ads. And notice how many of them give you a compelling reason to pick up the phone and get in touch with them now.
Writing For Sex Markets
Many professional freelancers will go their entire career without ever once writing a story about sex. Oh, they may craft a racy scene or two in the course of writing the next Great American Novel, or they might someday write an article about the latest in sexual research, but that's about as far as many writers will ever take the concept.
When Panic Attacks Writers
If you write for a living, you deal with deadlines. Sometimes you will have several jobs on your plate at the same time.
42 Deadly Ad Copy Sins That Ive Made
I have read thousands of ad copies online and offline
over my lifetime. I have read excellent ad copies that
made me buy right away and some that may have had
a decent product, but had a poor ad copy that turned
me away.
Tech-writers: A Necessary Evil
New to tech-writing, or thinking about starting? The key to success is recognising that tech-writers are a necessary evil.Tech-writers are necessary because someone has to write the user doco.
Traffics Nice... But Whos Driving?
In the competitive marketplace of the new millennium, the demand for specialized products or services will increase. If your site sells everything or to everyone, chances are that your audience will not perceive a value in shopping from you any greater than from anyone else.
How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer
As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer can be a challenge. The first challenges involve factors such as cash flow, getting clients, and maintaining some sort of order.
Copywriting Secrets Of Indias Mystics
Hi everyone,Been ruminating on this one for a little while now but it's probably one of the most profound discoveries of my life. It all began with a little book about music and it's had such a deep influence on my copywriting and small business, indeed my whole outlook on life, I'd like to share it with you all now.
How to Get Instant Attention
Most of us have seen a heckler at a baseball game. Sure, he's likely to draw attention, both positive and negative.
Segmenting Your Target Audience Through Your Copywriting
Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is and they'll quickly tell you "Know Thy Target Audience." In order to write effectively you have to know this one group of people and know them well.
Cause and Effect
"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.
How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a few things you need to do in order to get the freelance copywriting jobs that you have been looking for.
The Formulas Freelance Copywriters Employ When Creating Web Content
What is it exactly that copywriters DO when they produce new text for a site makeover? You often see the advertisements; a designer is looking for a freelance web writer who is going to create content around a number of keywords. There's not a lot more information about the process.
10 Tips for Writing Effective Web Copy
On the Internet programmers and designers rule, not the writer. Yet words drive targeted traffic to your site, carry content, make the sale, convey marketing messages, persuade people to buy and make the difference between your site's success or failure.
Health and Fitness: A Huge Industry in Need of Writers
Think about how much you read about and spend on health and fitness.Do you ever exercise? Take supplements? Go on a diet? Visit the doctor sometimes? Most of us do all four.
Freelance Business Writers - How To Get The Best From Your Writer
At times, it can be frustrating to find freelance business writers that are of good quality, dependable, and within your budget. The good news is that there are many people who can perform at the level you need.
|