 |
Call us on 01733 891 860 (UK) or use this contact form |
 |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Moving communication campaigns into action |
|
|||
|
|
|
A five-step writing process Here is a back issue of Marketing Booster, the email newsletter that Richard Groom writes and sends free every fortnight to subscribers. You can subscribe here or read over 60 back issues using the back issues index page. Yesterday I ran another of my copywriting workshops, this time in Leicester. About 60 marketing people attended, which I believe was quite a good turn out for the Chartered Institute of Marketing group that organised it. I was sure I'd get some inspiration from the workshop attendees. And sure enough, that happened when one of the attendees spoke to me after the workshop. She wanted to tell me about the way that she is often asked by people in her organisation to write marketing materials in a very short space of time - a day or two in some cases. Her experience was that her colleagues didn't understand the amount of work (and time) needed in order to reach the final text. So for anyone in the same boat, here's my quick guide to what a good copywriter will do on each project. You can use this article to explain the writing process to others. Also, it might help you identify some areas where you need to spend more time and effort on your projects. 1. Taking the briefing If you are given a five minute briefing then it's unlikely you will be able to do a good job. Whoever is initiating the project needs to take time to explain exactly what they want to achieve. You need to ask a lot of questions too. In past issues of Marketing Booster, and at the copywriting workshops I run, I have explained some of the information you need at the briefing stage. Things like: * What customers are we trying to reach? * What problems do those customers have? * How does the product solve those problems? * How much will readers already know about the product? * And so on, and on, and on! Unless you complete the briefing stage properly, you will find it difficult to produce effective marketing materials. 2. More research Additional research might include looking at what competitors are saying, reading articles by experts in your industry and/or your clients' industry, speaking to others in your organisation (for example salespeople) etc. Don't just rely on the information you gather at the briefing stage. There is plenty of additional useful information available so take some time to search it out. 3. Creative concepts Instead of rushing into the first draft of your materials, you can try out some different creative ideas first. So think about some different angles you might take, some different formats and so on. For example, a leaflet can be written as a story, an interview with a client, a case study, a questionnaire and in many other ways. Why not explore some weird and wonderful options? 4. The first draft This doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to bring all the briefing and research information together in a logical order. You might need to 'sleep on it' a few times and take breaks from your writing so you can come back with a fresh view. 5. Editing, editing, editing Once the first draft is written you need to get feedback from colleagues so that you can do some brilliant editing. It might take several versions before you reach an excellent end result. To sum up . . . Copywriters should invest enough time into the process to complete all five steps properly. While we have to be pragmatic too, accepting that sometimes things have to be done more quickly than usual, it is worth educating colleagues (or your boss?) about the process. Copyright 2003 Richard Groom |