Every now and then that ‘vital’ project comes around. It’s the big one – the latest sales brochure, a new website or an annual report – a piece of communication that clients will scrutinise and bosses pore over. It’s the project that could change the way people view your company and, with your limited budget, you can’t afford to get it wrong.

As anyone knows, the main tasks in creating marketing communications are design, photography, illustration, web development and content writing. Ask most professionals which they’d tackle themselves and they’ll say the last one. Yet, ask which one is the most important, and the answer is unanimously the same – ‘the writing’. It’s obvious why: No matter how beautiful your design, or how stunning your website, your project will fail if no one reads past the first line.

So what are the benefits of using a copywriter?

Professionalism.
Bad writing can be spotted a mile away. It casts an amateurish shadow over what you’re trying to say, while polished, professional copy immediately elevates you into the realm of established brands. Copywriters are trained to avoid flat language and hideous clichés – grabbing attention (and respect) by using fresh new language.

Results.
Effective writing needs to be carefully structured to attract interest, be relevant, be convincing and drive a response. A copywriter will help you define exactly what your readers need to hear and craft persuasive messaging to get the desired reaction.

Value.
Chances are, a good copywriter can draft better copy than you in much less time – so using a copywriter will actually save you money in wasted man-hours. What’s more, a brief glimpse at your budget will show that the amount you’ve allotted for this, the most important part of the project, is actually a tiny fraction of the total cost. Yet it makes sure the overall investment delivers much better returns.

Brand consistency.
No matter how big or small your company – and no matter how big or small the job – enhancing your brand image is vital. The the tone of voice needs to be consistent across all your communication. And a good copywriter will be a brand custodian as well as a potent salesman.

More sleep.
Internal projects have the knack of coinciding with the busiest times of the year – a product launch, a big marketing campaign or year end. Outsourcing the content to a copywriter takes a massive load off, so you can look at the big picture and make the project brilliant.

At the Copysmith, we’re experts at understanding the marketing needs of businesses. We don’t just do the basics of writing well, we bring ideas and insights that make communications achieve exciting results. Why not drop us a line to discuss your next project? Our clients would tell you that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Why not email us at on projects@thecopysmith.co.uk to discuss your next project? Our clients would tell you that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Original article by Richard Hollins: www.richardhollins.com

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The perfect stocking stuffer? Or just down right revolting? Marmite, Britain’s kitchen cupboard ‘favourite’ has extended it’s product line to… chocolate bars!

Launching just in time for Christmas, the 100g bars have been described as creamy milk chocolate with a hint of ‘that’ famous yeasty flavour. In a peculiarly confident moment, Unilever, owner of Marmite, said the chocolate bar’s potential success could see it is a permanent addition to Marmite’s brand offering. In perhaps a more pessimistic moment, Unilever suggested people may just buy it this Christmas as a “devious treat for the in-laws”. Quite.

Supported by in-store activity and a PR campaign, the Very Peculiar chocolate bar is hitting stores, including BHS and Debenhams, today.

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When it comes to rags and mags, consumers have never had it this good. Gone are the days when consumer magazines were just glorified catalogues. Countless brands like John Lewis, Waitrose and Red Bull are producing high quality publications to rival the high street’s established glossies. And they’re working for advertisers too – supermarket Asda claims it’s magazine contributes £260m to its business each year.

As you’ve probably noticed, the branded magazine landscape is burgeoning – it accounts for seven out of the the top ten most distributed titles. Sky Magazine tops the pile with just over 7 million readers and Tesco Magazine is at no. 4 with almost 2 million. (Source: ABC Top 100 Magazines – total average net circulation/ distribution to end June 2010.)

What makes them so powerful? Branded magazines seem to be the vehicle of choice for broadening consumer loyalty.

Paul Porral head of brand creative at John Lewis explains how it allows the retailer to spend time with its customers, building relationships that wouldn’t be possible in store. “It allows us to have a different customer relationship – we see it as a 25-minute conversation with our customers. It allows us to be braver and have an opinion, which usually our brand wouldn’t have.”

Brands are tapping into this new demand for content, says Publicis Blueprint’s Richards: “Clients are realising that you can engage with your customer to a greater extent through editorial content because you’re telling them you understand them, and are talking to them in the right tone at the right time.”

And despite the iPad revolution, marketers believe that printed customer magazines will still have their place: Consumers will continue to value them as “free gifts” from their favourite brands.

Hoorah. AOL has launced mydaily, a newsy, fashiony site with a premium magazine feel. It features beautiful glossy-style images and a sharp editorial voice, with emphasis on debate for ‘forward thinking women’.

David Shing, AOL Europe’s top media and marketing suit said: “We’ve adopted a new editorial approach, blending the best of premium publishing traditions with our rich heritage in online content, advertising and technology.”

Indeed. MyDaily’s launch coincides with London Fashion Week, featuring exclusive content like designer and celebrity vodcasts, including Christopher Kane, Yasmin Le Bon and Manolo Blahnik. It’s also nabbed Carla Bevan – former Ed. of www.marieclaire.co.uk as editor-in-chief for the UK.

Says Carla: “MyDaily is the definitive destination for super-stylish, quick-thinking women in the UK. Every day, we’ll be delivering inspiring, entertaining and informative features for women who care as much about today’s headlines as today’s hemlines.”

It’s an elegant move in AOL’s strategy to become the world’s largest content creator of premium content. So what are you waiting for girlfriend? Go and get some: www.mydaily.co.uk

]]> http://thecopysmith.co.uk/blog/2010/09/20/it-may-just-become-my-daily-2/feed/ 0 http://thecopysmith.co.uk/blog/2010/07/31/brochure-copy-for-celia-mannings-photography/ http://thecopysmith.co.uk/blog/2010/07/31/brochure-copy-for-celia-mannings-photography/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:54:31 +0000 TheCopysmith http://thecopysmith.co.uk/blog/?p=311

I’m very confident with the written word and would never have thought of using a copywriter to help with my promotional literature until I met Kim from The Copysmith.

Kim is so enthusiastic, so full of energy and ideas, and so passionate about what she does, that I realised she would be the person to inject some excitement into my jaded marketing. What I don’t have is the knowledge, experience and creative edge to know what will grab the market’s attention and sell my photography over and above my competitors.

All of this Kim clearly has in abundance.

I was particularly impressed with the questions Kim asked when we discussed what I was looking for. My imagery is very personal, emotive and expressive; Kim asked me how I wanted the reader to feel, for example when they looked at each page, and I even found myself explaining how I felt when I took the pictures and what was my vision at the time. Kim took my thoughts and put them on paper, absolutely expressing the essence of my photography and what sets me apart from the others, in a unique and vibrant way.

Kim is such a lovely person to work with, and so visibly involved in her projects, that she’s hard to resist; so don’t try – book The Copysmith for your words today.

Celia Mannings.
Tel: 01312 080912

celia@celiamanningsphotography.co.uk

www.celiamanningsphotography.co.uk

Love your audience. Meet them where they are and give them what they need. When people read online they are busy and easily distracted. So copy needs to be solution-focussed and to-the-point to keep users reading.

And like any other medium, web copy has to be written well. There is no such thing as generic ‘web-language’. What you say needs to identify with your readers, yet still be faithful to your brand’s tone-of-voice. Engage the reader with compelling lines. Answer their questions quickly. And display your values through the power of words.

The trouble is, the more time they spend doing the stuff that isn’t actually writing, the more you’re going to pay before they even put pen to paper.

Racking it down
The best way to slim your budgets is to appeal to your copywriters’ inherently lazy nature. So ask, “What can I do to reduce your hours on this job?” You probably have loads of info to hand that would save hours of billable time.

Your best ally: The Brief
Very basically, just give your copywriters key info as a list of bullet points, and tell them what the piece needs to achieve. And when it comes to getting the style right, give them samples of what you love and what you hate. Then ask for a sample to approve before they go ahead. This could shave up to a day off your copywriting costs.

Writing a brief isn’t hard, but to make it even easier, click here to download our cheat-sheet. This handy little document will not only guarantee your status as ‘Favourite Client’, it will also save your writer a whole load of time – and you a whole whack of money.

Good luck with your next project.

The Kingdom’s capital city seems poised for change – how will it strike the balance between conservative Muslim kingdom and inviting in the modern world?

GLITTERING URBAN SPRAWL Riyadh, a breathtaking view by night as seen from the geodesic Globe Restaurant at the top of Al Faisaliah tower.

SUBDUED OR DIGNIFIED? Modern Saudi women are required to wear the abaya, but not the headscarf – even though many still cover their hair. Although that women’s touch is largely absent in the culture, women are being engaged more and more in business and public debate: At Al Faisaliah Hotel, the elegant and contemporary South Wing has been designed by one of the Saudi princesses, newspapers earnestly discuss women’s rights issues, and driving into Riyadh you can’t ignore the sprawling 8 million m2 building site of the Princess Nora University for young women.

SWEET DREAMS. Nobody’s fool, Saudi Arabia has embraced the best of the western world, while rejecting the worst. Upmarket Riyadh indulges in the most exquisite 5-star cuisine. Here at Hotel Al Khozama, La Patisserie lays out an exquisite spread of Continental dainties.

SUFFUSED WITH LUXURY. At Al Faisaliah Hotel every tray comes with a single fresh rose – even a small pick me up for a tired writer.

SUPREME HOSPITALITY reigns at the centre of Saudi culture. The hotel reflects this by assigning guests complementary butlers who operate on 24-hour alert. The pinnacle of efficiency and professional conduct, these gentlemen can help with anything from wake-up calls to shopping, packing and bookings.

THE SECRET WORLD of Saudi Arabia seems to exist in another dimension. There is an almost unnerving calm, a relaxed pace, a feeling of safety that is rare in most parts of the world.

Women with beautiful flashing eyes laugh with their husbands and tend to their children. Starkly concealed in black, they bear their traditional garments with self-respect, rather than the indignity assumed by the west.

While the plazas and streets are splashed with sunlight, the modest culture seems to hide from it. Rather expressing itself in a more intimate way, retreating indoors for personal pursuits and comforts.

And indeed Saudi Arabians have retreated from the prying eyes of the non-Muslim world. But with astonishing plans for the future – The Kingdom eyes a $20 billion income from tourism by 2020 – the new Saudis, sunny and young at heart, seem willing to reveal their mysteries to the globe. And daring enough to make it happen – here in Riyadh, new hotels rise despite the economic downturn.

Brave plans to lure in the tourists include plans for a $13 billion tourist city and the largest eco-tourism park in the Middle East. Blessed with more than oil, Saudi Arabia’s unspoilt and ‘unseen’ landscape teems with wildlife, kilometres of pristine coastline and undulating desertscapes. Add to that bustling cities, luxurious hotels and spas to rival any world destination, and The Kingdom promises to be the next must-do tourist frontier.

Well maybe not quite.

With the clocks an hour forward, our clients in Europe and the Middle East will be glad to know we’re just that much closer to your time zone.