The blog
How long’s a good case study?
3rd November 2009 | Posted in Content creation
We’ve written probably hundreds of case studies, and by far the favourite style is the 2-sided A4 sheet, destined to be a handout or a download. We generally settle on a pretty standard format too: introduce the customer, explain their business/technical issues, describe the solution, and then focus on the benefits, now and into the […]
White papers make sales – official
13th October 2009 | Posted in Content creation
It’s easy to dismiss white papers as just a dull necessity for the techies, but latest research shows that they are more influential in buying decisions for technology purchasers than any other piece of collateral. US marketing communications agency Eccolo Media Inc talked to more than 50 American purchasers and influencers, discovering that any kind […]
Repurpose, reuse, revive your content
6th October 2009 | Posted in Content creation
When you’ve sweated blood to get the words right for your corporate brochure, web site, data sheet or any other piece of marketing writing, you want to make that copy work as hard as possible for you. By repurposing your content, you can adapt it to help market your business to your different audiences through […]
Creating web content that supports direct mail
2nd September 2009 | Posted in Web content
When you invite your potential customer to visit your web site for further information, what are you actually offering as content on your site? Are you providing a special landing page, or even a micro site, that is dedicated to drawing the customer further along the purchasing process? Are you truly offering “more information”? To […]
Give your e-newsletters a reason for living
13th August 2009 | Posted in Small business
So the received wisdom is that you need to keep in touch with your customers. If you’re sending out e-newsletter they should drop into mailboxes on a regular basis. But my plea is that you only say something when you’ve got something to say. And that something has to be a something that your readers […]
Is great web content being wasted by a terrible buying experience?
18th July 2009 | Posted in Web content
This week I thought it was probably time for a little more direct marketing of my own. So I headed for the site of a list seller that I had used before to check whether they had new offerings that were more relevant to my copywriting business. I had hardly entered the site when I […]
Top tips for newsletter writing
| Posted in Marketing communications
Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers and your colleagues. They require a bit of thought first though, to ensure you are providing useful and interesting information, and that everyone will benefit as a result. Here are some top tips for newsletter writing. 1. Who is your audience? Customers or […]
What happens if you forget your audience
| Posted in Branding
For effective e-marketing, it is hugely important to pitch your message to the needs and knowledge of your audience. Here’s an example of getting it wrong. This invitation was sent to a Yahoo group of “ordinary” individuals who have a high-level interest in statistics to help them with their mutual interest – horse racing. “Dear […]
Is grammar a matter of class?
| Posted in Editing
A contributor to the letters page of a UK national paper at the weekend wrote that he had offered his services as a proofreader to his local Member of Parliament after browsing the MP’s web site. The MP replied by suggesting that concern about grammar over content smacked of a continuation of class war. Now […]
Is your writing really selling your benefits?
| Posted in Web content
One of the most useful phrases I ever had directed at me when I was a graduate trainee in sales and marketing was “So what?” Sounds a bit offensive, but actually it was great training for roles in both marketing (which I wanted to do) and sales (which the company wanted me to do). We […]