I've worked as a
marketing professional for several years. But I eventually chose to focus on marketing
WRITING because of a problem I observed constantly: many companies' sales & marketing
materials were, simply put, ineffective. They did not communicate clearly and
persuasively. And so I decided to offer my help. I've been a full-time marketing Writer
ever since.
klariti: When you meet a
client for the first time and they say, "This needs to be written in line with our
company's vision and reflect what we stand for" etc. How do you then go about
capturing this?
Mike: My job
as the marketing writer is to think from the intended customer's point of view.
If I don't, my writing won't be effective and the client probably won't hire me again! So
I first need the client to answer some critical questions. Such as:
- "Why
should your intended customer care about what you have to offer?"
- "How
are you different from other companies that offer the same product or service?"
- "More
important, why should your intended customer buy from ANY company that offers this product
or service? Why is this product or service so compelling that people should change their
existing habits, systems, methods, or processes?"
- "What
specific goal are you trying to achieve? What action do you want your reader to
take?"
This may not
be 'to buy the product,' of course. In cases where the product is expensive and complex,
and a decision cannot be made immediately, the goal may only be to persuade the reader to
join the company's mailing list.
Once I have
the answers to those questions, I usually do research of my own.
For example, I
might visit online communities where my client's potential customers ask questions and
share likes, dislikes, problems, concerns, and experiences.
Then
comes the difficult task. How do I communicate to the sceptical potential
customer that THIS particular company understands his or her needs?
How I
specifically capture that varies project to project and client to client. I often tell
people that while my job title may be "writer" most of my time is spent
thinking. Every project is a new challenge, and that's one of the things I love about what
I do.
klariti: What advise would
you give to someone starting out?
Mike: It's a
universal truth: People like to hire people they know. Or people *recommended* by people
they know.
So start by
telling everyone YOU know -- family, friends, former colleagues -- that you now work as a
writer. Tell them exactly what you do and what services you offer. They may know or hear
of others that could use your help. Or, even better, THEIR companies may need your help!
At the same
time, keep meeting new people. Attend the meetings of local professional associations and
other organizations that bring Businesspeople together.
Yes, there are
ways to meet other professionals without leaving your computer, through Web sites like
Ryze (www.ryze.com). But you
shouldn't rely on them. You have a lot of competition, and people are far more likely to
remember the people they've met face to face. Another universal truth!
More
important, prospective clients want to see samples of your past work before they
will hire you. You wouldn't expect anything less, right? If you don't have many
samples (or ANY samples), volunteer to write marketing materials for an organization that
can't afford to hire a writer. This might be a not-for-profit organization that addresses
a social issue you're passionate about. Or it might be a local professional association
you've decided to join.
klariti: Dry, technical
subjects. How do you transform these into something more interesting for the readers?
Something that keeps them turning the pages.
Mike: Something often
feels "dry and technical" simply because you aren't describing it clearly. So
when you're trying to write about a dry, technical, complex topic, assume nothing. Ask
yourself how you would explain the topic to
yourself if you didn't know ANYTHING about it. Then use that approach to explain it to
your reader.
For example,
you'd connect the topic to something the reader can identify with. A discussion of
"network load balancing" might only sound interesting to a computer network
engineer. But talk about how network load balancing means you're always able to log on to
Amazon.com whenever you want to shop, and something dry and technical isn't dry and
technical anymore.
klariti: What's the best
approach to use when writing for a global audience? How is it different from writing for
local readers?
Mike: It's an apt
question given that, to date, I've usually been writing for a U.S. audience. And here it's a global one. When
I write for my local audience I know I can use slang phrases comfortably. In
fact, I find I use them often because I'm trying to "talk" to my reader -- and
so want the writing to feel conversational and natural.
But when
answering these questions for you, I had to remove or reword any phrases I thought might
be American slang. Otherwise I risked not being understood.
So that's the
simple advice I give anyone who's writing for a global audience. Be careful. Assume
nothing. Don't use words or phrases that someone unfamiliar with your brand of English
wouldn't recognize.
klariti: Have new media, such
as the web and text messages, affected your writing style?
My
professional career began after the Web and new media became widely adopted. So I hadn't
yet developed a writing style that COULD be affected.
By the time I
became a full-time writer, my style already reflected the influence of these mediums.
If we weren't
doing it already, the new media force marketing writers like myself to write as well as we
possibly can. Someone who arrives on a Web site often expects information *quickly*.
So if we don't present it in an easy-to-read and, more importantly, easy-to-SCAN way, our
clients may lose potential customers.
klariti: Readers are barraged
with advertising every day; on the web it can be overwhelming. What techniques do you use
to get readers' attention?*
Mike: Readers
want to know, "Why I should care? How are you going make my Life better? Do you
REALLY have something interesting or useful to say?"
With just a
few words, your ad headline has to communicate that. How you do it: You write a headline
that either hints at or specifically tells your readers what they will learn...*if*
they read or respond to your ad.
Here are a few
illustrations:
"Tax
Planning: End Your Headaches"
"How
to Spend Less Money on Printing"
"A
Graphic Design Tool a Graphic Designer Will Actually Love"
"Why
Good Marketing Programs Go Bad"
"What
Your Web Hosting Company Isn't Telling You"
Such
headlines show your readers you understand their needs. And they'll compel them to want to
read more. Even with so many other ads demanding their attention!
Visit Mike at: www.mikeos.com
