A site that I worked on last year finally launched (whoohoo!) but much to my dismay they changed my original copy (gasp!).
Now, I’m not naive enough to think that my copy will remain intact all the time. (Oftentimes it does.)
Legal folks poke at it. Department heads tweak. Management dabbles. When it comes to copywriting, some companies like to have every cook in that kitchen.
IF you’re going to do this, let me caution you to have a professional on-staff or freelance writer take a final run through of the copy.
Otherwise, you’ll end up with what I saw online today: unparallel sentence structured, mucked up messaging and inconsistent punctuation. (And I’m holding back a little here.)
Sometimes ya just gotta trust the writer, okay?
No CommentsA colleague and I are in the midst of creating an informative and helpful three-part podcast on e-newsletters that will be available very soon. We’ll be talking about when, why and how to create an e-newsletter campaign that will let you engage with your target audience in a whole new way.
Until then, I’d like to offer my faithful blog readers a free download of my “18 Reasons to Create an E-newsletter Strategy.” This one-page document will help you decide if investing resources in an e-newsletter is right for you — or not.
No Comments“The language of journalism is concrete and specific. A saying at the St. Petersburg Times requires reporters to ‘get the name of the dog, the brand of the beer, the color and make of the sports car.’”– Roy Peter Clark, Poynter Institute senior scholar
You’ve heard it said that the devil is in the detail. Well I think the picture, the descriptive, the detail is in the detail.
Get details and specifics. Ask, ask and ask again until you have the details. Then use those details in your marcom, web copy or print brochure to paint a more valuable picture for your audience.
No CommentsAs many of you know, I’m a huge fan of comparing pop culture, books, movies, characters, etc. to the writing and communications process. But you may not know that I’m a huge fan of Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages.
So I was thrilled when fellow writer and blogger, The Copywriting Maven, posted — and graciously granted me permission to share — this fabulous article: “Are You Writing Copy in Your Customers’ ‘Love Language?’”
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I just hung up the phone from the circulation desk of my local newspaper. My newspaper is suddenly being thrown on the wet ground instead of delivered in the news slot of my two-part mailbox, so I called to alert the customer service folks of this undesired change in service.
The reply? “They changed their policy and now only deliver to the driveway.”
Since I was only given the choice of soggy delivery or no delivery, I chose no delivery. As the call ended, disappointed that the only newspaper in town would rather lose me as a customer than keep me for little effort, I thought, “Who is they? SHE is they!”
Indeed. The woman on the other end of the phone was “they” whether she knew it or not. Perhaps she just wanted to soften the bad-news blow by blaming an unknown entity. Or perhaps she hadn’t been thoroughly trained. Dunno. Don’t care. It just left me feeling badly about them.
The writing and communication lesson here (we won’t even go near the customer service one!) is this: offline communication channels — like the telephone — are equally important to your customers’ perception of your brand. The best ad campaign, web copy or direct-mail postcard won’t stand up if the people who represent you fall down.
No CommentsI’m in the midst of changing my email address and I must say it has not been an easy or smooth process. One of the most difficult and frustrating things I’ve encountered is changing my email address on my subscription newsletters.
While most email marketers include an “unsubscribe” link, few — even those purported to be experts — have a “change email” or “update profile” link.
Not very customer-centric thinking, I say. They forced me to unsubscribe under one email and then re-subscribe under the other. A timewaster at best; a chance for me to opt-out permanently at worst.
Don’t lose subscribers or credibility. If you’re sending emails, make sure it’s easy for your subscribers to update their profile.
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