On his brochure card, there were no less than a dozen grammatical or punctuation mistakes, not including the curious font changes throughout the copy. If you were a potential customer looking for a contractor, (where building specifications and measurements need to be pretty exact), it’s not exactly a good impression to see numerous and obvious mistakes in the marketing material. Naturally, you might think, “If this is the attention (or lack of ) they give to their marketing materials, what does this indicate about their work?”. Of course, your thoughts would be justified.

It doesn’t matter if you are a contractor, carpenter, brick layer or business executive. If you want more clients and/or customers, your marketing materials need to present your business, its services and (most importantly), the direct benefits to your target market in the best possible manner. Getting your copy right is a good first step.

Take a look at your marketing materials. Are they broadcasting the right message to your customers? If not, or if the materials are not bringing in the business, give me a call at (401) 842-8151 or email: kevin@wordsworthwriter.com and perhaps together we can create a better first impression for you and your business. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. I hope it was helpful.

The customer does want to know about the company, its products & services, differentiation from the competition, etc. All of this is important. It’s how this information is presented and relates to them and their desires that separates the motivating, call-to-action copy from the so-so variety that isn’t getting results. To be effective in your marketing, you have to present your products and services as beneficial to your target customer in a clear, understandable manner. While all the features, bells & whistles may seem wonderful to you, the customer is only thinking WIIFM (what’s in it for me?). That’s it, plain and simple.

The first step is drilling down to the core need and/or want of the customer. Why does he really want that covertible? He might like the color red or the feel of the wind through his hair on the highway, but maybe it’s the cool, sexy image he’s after? (Ego is a big consumer motivator). The next step is applying how your products or services fulfill that core desire. While features may be interesting (and stroke your ego as the business owner or marketing manager), answering those core emotional needs and wants of your target audience with benefits from your product or service in your marketing copy can bring surprising results. Make sure you’re including benefits along with all those features. If you’re not sure how to do this, drop me an email or call and let’s talk about how to juice up your copy.

One nice result of my time away from work (resting and recovering from surgery) was very small amount of client issues I needed to attend to. This was, I’m hoping, due to the pre-op preparation I did; getting client projects and work completed ahead of time, alerting clients to my impending absence, and postponing meetings and future projects to when I felt I would be ready to tackle them.

Keeping clients in the loop about pending surgeries and industry trends, new ideas and products, new services being offered, etc., can be accomplished via the client newsletter. In fact, newsletters can be an effective client communication tool in many ways. The key here, though, is creating a good newsletter that is concise, informative and interesting to read. Good newsletters can also increase your sales, improve client goodwill and set you apart from the competition. If they’re dull, unimaginative, or even sloppily slapped together, they can create negative perceptions about your business and your own professionalism.

In my career, I’ve read (and slogged through) many newsletters and information pieces. Some were good, a few were interesting enough to keep, but many were just awful. Ironically, many of the worst were those that were professionally printed. Why? Because these newletters, (with a professional picture of the smiling agent in the upper-left corner), didn’t “speak” to me. They contained generic information that I could have found in many other sources, didn’t apply to my own situation or interests and usually contained promotional text blatently trying to sell me something, (and we all know how appealing that is!).

If you are using or considering using a client newsletter, here are some tips:
1) Make it personal. In today’s competitive environment, regurgitating facts and figures may or may not peak your customer’s interest. If the information is the same as they read last month in USA Today or heard on the evening news, they’re probably not going to be all that impressed. Newsletters ought to demonstrate your awareness of your clients’ concerns or issues and even point out future issues they may not be aware of. Adding your personality to the newsletter sets it apart from the “boilerplate” variety we’ve all seen a hundred times before.
2) Make it relevent. Discuss items your clients will understand and appreciate. Include examples and simple stories on how a particular product or solution solved another customer’s problem. Show your customers or clients you are up-to-date with current industry or consumer trends.
3) Include new product or service information, but keep it light. Don’t allow your text to drown in jargon or details. Talk about new events at your business, but provide just enough information to possibly tweak their interest and invite the customer to call you for more information. (Could lead to new sales to current customers!)
4) Include upcoming sales or promotions, but don’t “shout” the details. Newletters should be interesting information pieces, not sales flyers.
5) Thank your customers and clients for their business. It’s competitive out there. Make sure they know you appreciate their business.

While I’m at it, Thank YOU, for taking the time to visit my website and read my blog. If I can help you with a client newsletter or other marketing material, send me an email (kevin@wordsworthwriter.com) or call me at (401) 842-8151. Think spring!

Kevin

In brief, a white paper is a combination of a sales brochure and an article. Its purpose is to explain the subject and the subject’s benefits to the reader, but also to identify with the reader’s potential problems or concerns and then quietly guide the reader persuasively to the conclusion that the process, product or service of the white paper sponsor is the perfect solution for the reader’s needs. In sales parlance, it is the “soft sell”, but the important aspect is the notion of identifying with the target audience’s needs and then suggesting a solution to them, with persuasive and logical reasons why they should choose your business for these solutions rather than others. In fully explaining the subject, the reader’s potential problems or needs and why your solution can solve their problem, you’ve potentially distanced yourself from the competition, especially if their marketing methods are merely brochures with features without understanding the nuances of the customer’s needs.

I will have more to say on this subject later in a downloadable article about white papers. Check back to this website periodically or better yet, sign up for our monthly newsletter! As always, if you have questions or would like to discuss how good copywriting can improve your marketing efforts, feel free to give me a call or send an email. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.

Kevin