Mike is an independent marketing writer based in San Francisco. He has written marketing materials for a variety of clients, include organizations in the technology, publishing, and not-for-profit sectors.

klariti: Could you tell us a little about what you do? What attracted you to this line of writing in the first place? 

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