Crystal Clear Messaging
I was approached last month by a national brand to help them sort out their overarching Group messaging, write copy for the ABOUT page on their shiny, new website and if a strap-line came out of the process too, then happy days! Well, that’s how it started.
The words didn’t reflect reality
An extremely experienced and capable marketing team had been leading the way with the Group’s messaging for over a decade. Fast-forward 10 years, they were agreed, the messaging on their new website no longer reflected their vision, values and the direction they were headed.
Clear perspective
They wanted a clear perspective. A clear message that differentiated them from their competitors and truly represented their brand values, who they are, what they mean to their customer base and what they want for the future.
But how did I do it?
Saturate
The client threw anything and everything at me. Links to their existing and new websites, competitor's websites, responses from customer surveys, historical marketing literature, old and new strap-lines and messaging under consideration.
Engage
As a copywriter (and marketeer) it’s up to me to ask the right questions, listen carefully, engage my marketing brain, take notes and sift out the gold.
Brain-dump
Once I’ve got all my answers and notes, I dump it all in a research document.
I go through all the competitor’s sites, making notes of the good, the bad, the ugly. Rifling through customer surveys, pulling out key points and comments, typing up all the notes from client meetings, including everything, key phrases, anecdotes, language. Typing up things I'm not sure of, questions to ask, ending up with a multiple paged brain-dump.
Filtering
Then I put my marketing brain to work. I spent 10 years in ad agencies, 10 as a consultant. Briefing creatives, reviewing concepts, analysing marketing collateral, testing campaigns, listening to customers, monitoring results. So I'm pretty good at filtering through the clutter. Working out what’s a distraction, irrelevant for the customer, confusing, repetitive or just not good enough! Deleting the unwanted, pulling out the key drivers.
Walk away
Then it’s time to walk away. Take in the view. Relax and let my thoughts settle.
To mull over and over what I’ve learnt. Immersing myself in the task. Asking questions. Walking. Repeating ideas out loud. Walking. Recording phrases and thoughts into my ‘phone. Walking. Playing with words. Listening to how they sound, what they mean, what they infer. And a bit more walking. I keep going until I hit on that key phrase and first sentence that just won’t budge.
Then I’m ready to start copywriting.
The result
For this particular project, the strap-line and ABOUT page went down so well, the client asked me to write additional pages for the site, an advertisement plus a few blogs to get the website launched.
This has led to me writing regular monthly blogs to keep the site populated, current and in keeping with the developed messaging.
Sometimes you need a fresh pair of eyes and a marketing brain to sort through all the clutter and cut through to what really matters to your audience.
With crystal-clear messaging.
Does your messaging cut it? For a copy review contact Vicks Ward Copywriter