Tag: Marketing

Copywriting

What does a business copywriter do?

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A business copywriter writes words that help you win business. By helping you communicate with your target market in a way that truly connects, a business copywriter will help you build your brand, deepen your customer relationships, and win new contracts.

Working on your copy

A business copywriter will make sure your words make sense – that your sentences flow cleanly and carry meaning effectively. Similarly, they’ll check that your grammar is correct. This may seem pedantic, but grammar helps the reader to successfully navigate the text.

More than just finding the weak points in your writing though, a business copywriter will actively add to and improve your copy. They’ll help you articulate what you want to say. They’ll understand what you’re getting at and will re-write, if necessary, to make things clearer. 

They’ll also write new content for you based on interviews with you and material you supply. Of course, they can’t know your business like you do; but they do know how to present your product or service in a customer-focused and professional way for maximum sales and marketing impact.  

An outsider’s perspective

Another point-of-view is often very valuable; an outsider can suggest things that you haven’t thought of, which could open up new possibilities and revenue streams. Certainly, a business copywriter will add value by pointing out anything that doesn’t quite make sense to them. They’ll also highlight any assumed knowledge that the reader may not, in fact, have. Clearly, there’s nothing less engaging than not understanding what you’re reading!

Further, a business copywriter will push you to do better: to back up what you’re saying with evidence, graphics, photographs, testimonials and more. With the benefit of working across industries and seeing how different companies approach the same issues, they can advise you on best practice. This saves you from doing the research yourself or learning through trial and error.

What does a business copywriter do?

I work on all types of sales and marketing, business development and compliance material, helping you to present your business in the very best light. My expertise includes:

  • marketing communications, 
  • white papers, 
  • annual reports, 
  • tenders and proposals, 
  • award entries, 
  • grant applications and more.

For help with your business copywriting, contact Caroline Roberts on caroline@luminous-copy.com or 0404 960 908.

Copywriting, Marketing

Content marketing that connects

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Often business owners intuitively ‘get’ social media. They can be themselves and engage with their audiences naturally. Communication is authentic and they can build a loyal following which leads to increased sales and referrals.

But with other forms of communication like EDMs and web copy, business owners can come unstuck. Unsure how to market themselves in these channels, their language can become stiff, formal and a barrier to engagement.

This is where you may see grandiose and unfounded statements, such as: “We’re Australia’s number one provider of XYZ”. Of course, that’s great if it’s true but all such claims need to be substantiated with evidence. Otherwise it all sounds rather hollow, boring and, most significantly, rather disconnected from the customer and their buying experience.

Know your customers’ needs

The key to strong content marketing is to know your customer and their needs, and have a definite service offering that delivers for them. This means no “we look to provide…” statements: you either provide something consistently or you don’t mention it. Content should be focused on what clients gain through doing business with you.

It’s worth considering what factors influence your customers’ buying decisions. For example, it could be your product range, service, price, value for money, quality, reliability, results, convenience, style, creativity – or something else entirely. Having a clear customer value proposition will guide your content writing, making marketing easier.

The trick is to fully understand who your target market is and what their pain points are, and then ensure that your business provides solutions to these customers. It takes a mental shift to step outside of your business and take on the perspective of your customers or prospects, but it’s one that gets results. In essence it’s not about you, it’s about your customers.

Help business clients win business

The same is true for business-to-business marketing; you need to communicate very clearly what you offer that company and how they will benefit from working with you. Their ultimate goal is, of course, to sell; so how specifically will your business help them achieve this? Rather than by talking about how great your business is, you need to make a compelling case as to why this firm should work with you.

To find out more, or for help with your business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing copy, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com

Copywriting, Marketing, White papers

White paper dos and don’ts

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A white paper is an in-depth form of content that showcases a company’s leadership and expertise in a particular field. It presents research findings and analysis on a point of interest to a firm’s target market.

While white papers can be labour-intensive and costly to produce, they can also be a powerful sales and marketing tool. Here are some dos and don’ts for publishing a successful white paper:

Do your research

White papers present research and analysis to provide their readers insight and understanding. Sometimes this might be curated research, but often it is original quantitative or qualitative findings that may take many months to gather and collate. 

Publishing authoritative white papers can differentiate your company as an expert in your industry. Many people will hand over their email address and other key information to access quality content. Therefore, doing your research is imperative; your white paper needs to be original, insightful and add real value.

Do tell a story

A common pitfall for white papers is to become very lengthy and dull to read. Storytelling can be an effective way of mitigating this and engaging an audience. For example, a case study approach can work well, presenting a problem, a solution, and the success story achieved. Introducing real people can also bring colour and interest to a piece. Verbatim quotes add new voices to the content and bring characters to life.

While white papers are information rich, they should not be text heavy. The adage a picture is worth a thousand words is very apt; graphs, diagrams, interactive media and quality graphic design can drive key messages home visually and powerfully.

Do consider how to present your white paper

How will your white paper be distributed? Will it sit on your website and be read online? Is it likely to be accessed via mobile devices? You may, for instance, need to engage a graphic designer and/or a web designer to create a mobile-friendly, interactive and visually appealing experience. Likewise, a copywriter or editor is also a worthwhile investment to ensure your messages come across loud and clear.

Your white paper will need supporting content to publicise it. This may take the form of a landing page, blog articles, customer emails, newsletters, social media posts and more. It’s worth considering how these channels will interact with, and promote, the white paper.

Don’t write without a clear purpose 

A white paper is often a significant investment in time and effort; both in collecting data and in writing and designing the piece. Therefore, you need to be very intentional about what you’re writing about. It’s important to target a knowledge and content gap, rather than writing on a topic that has been written about many times before. The content’s primary purpose is to add value for your customers and prospects.

While white papers should not be overt sales pitches, many businesses may choose to indirectly make the case for their products, services or methodologies by exploring a problem that is common in their industry. A well-written introduction or executive summary should clearly present what the white paper is about (its purpose), and the benefit that the reader will get from engaging with it. 

Don’t criticise the competition   

The tone of your white paper should be neutral and authoritative. You will lose credibility – and look a bit desperate – if you take an opportunity to criticise your competition. The intent of the white paper should be to help the reader make informed decisions, rather than to self-promote; this approach builds trust and positive brand sentiment. From clear, confident communication comes understanding, leading to trust, engagement and ultimately to sales.

For help writing and editing your white papers, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com

Customer letters brand touchpoint
Copywriting, Letters, Marketing

How to write a good customer letter

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A well written customer letter can be a positive touchpoint with your brand, helping to reinforce what you do and what you’re all about. Writing can be difficult though, and if you miss the mark by just a little, you can easily annoy or offend your customers.

Have a clear purpose

Include a subject line highlighting what your letter is about. Then think carefully about what is needed in the communication and include all relevant details. As we all know, it’s very annoying when key information is missing!

Get to the point

Tell the customer what they need to know. Most people are time-poor and want to move through their personal admin quickly. They don’t want to be sifting through waffle, so make sure your writing is clear, concise and purposeful.

Make things easy

Use subheadings, bullet points (as necessary) and plenty of white space to break up copy. This makes the content more scannable, making it easier for customers to see your key messages and take action.

Be friendly

Remember you like your customers very much, so address them in a friendly way. Even if your business tone is professional, take care not to make your communication overly formal or aloof. Write with a specific customer in mind so you can pitch your letter appropriately. Use language that suits your company and what it stands for.

Include call to action / next steps

If you have a call to action, make it timebound so customers take action immediately – otherwise it will be quickly forgotten about! Guide your customers through your process with next steps information, so they feel supported and you get results.

Follow these tips in your customer letters and get the response that you’re looking for.  

For help with customer letters, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com