CopyCopy

Making benefits personal

The other day I was asked to recast a broadcast email campaign (outbound email and landing page), created to target Audience A,  to fit Audience B. For the sake of illustration, let's call Audience A real estate developers and Audience B architects (though that's not who these folks are). And our client sells ... roofs.

Our architects serve in a consulting/advisory role for for our developers, and would likely be making  recommendations to them about what kind of roofs to use The idea behind the copy rework was to let the architects know how they could help the developers by making the "right" recommendation (my client's roofs, of course!).

The copy rework went reasonably well, and the client will get some extra return on its initial creative investment. But doing the work reminded me of a critical direct response maxim: the offer and the benefit must appear to be personally rewarding to the audience.

It wasn't enough to tell architects "You can help the real estate developers.. This free info will show you how." Being helpful is fine, but it as a benefit it's not powerful enough to evoke a click or a BRC. There has to be something "in it" -- and probably more immediately personal and less altruistic -- for the reader.

In this case, we decided to claim that the free information would enable architects to

• Grow their practice by giving great advice and getting more referrals. Still a bit of a stretch.
• Avoid hassles by getting fewer complaints about roofs
• Save time by being armed with tools to quickly and easily recommend the right roof for each client of their customers.

Legitimate benefits? Sure. Compelling? Maybe not but probably the best we can do given no change in offer -- just a change in audience.

Ideally, though, the best offers and messaging will save the audience time, money, grief, hassle, etc. -- or bring fortune, fame, admiration, promotion, or some other wondrous condition -- and will do so quickly and obviously.

Oh oh -- everyone else's tag lines look like ours.

We're doing some SEM work for a great client who plays in a very competitive space. One of the challenges is the high (relative) cost of search ads -- those terms are popular! But even tougher is creating an ad that stands out after we've paid a bundle just to get it in the top few spots on the search results page.

For once, it seems, good, solid, benefit-focused copy that offers eomething exciting isn't enough. Sheesh.

So we're going to break our own rule and get cute & clever (instead of direct) with the copy -- just to see if it generates some clickthroughs. It might work! Or not. But the test will tell the tale, and we won't know if we don't try. Stay tuned.

Inside Their Heads: the next summer blockbuster?

Yesterday an art director asked me how I like to approach a new direct mail or broadcast email project. How do I decide on concept, message, and that all-important opening paragraph?

Here's what's the most fun: I imagine my audience as a character in a movie. The opening scenes show me what kind of day my "audience member" character is having, who he's dealing with, what he wants, and why he's having trouble getting it. A good movie puts me right inside that character's head; so now I'm right inside my audience's head.

Now all I have to do is "talk" to him.  I can be the buddy who shares his plight; the Disembodied Voice that whispers in his ear; the evening news anchor that tells him what's what; or any other character I like, as long as it's one  capable of dialogue. Once in character, all I have to be is compelling -- and it's my script, so that should be doable.

True, I haven't sold any screenplays lately. I'm weak with Plot. But the method seems to work okay for direct response.

Why launching your marketing program will take longer than you think

Marketers are regularly surprised and dismayed about the length of time required to launch a direct marketing campaign. Why?

They know how long these things take. They know the clock doesn't start ticking until they actually start the work. Yet time after time I see panic in the eyes of colleagues who've just realized what the Real Drop Date (or Broadcast Date) is going to be.

Here's what I think: when planning for programs, marketers forget to allow for two critical first steps: campaign definition and vendor negotiation (if appropriate). These things can (and often should) take weeks. And that means a direct mail or broadcast email or whatever kind of project won't really get underway when we'd like to think it will.

But for some reason, marketers and vendors (I'm including agencies, here, mea culpa too) turn a blind eye to the ticking clock while campaigns are defined and funded. And the drop date, out there at the end of the critical path, keeps moving -- but no one sees it.

As marketers we ought to toss the blinders out -- and maybe start eating more carrots. So we can see the clock ticking.

Do You REALLY Need a "Vertical" Copywriter?

The other day a friend -- let's call her Barbara, marketing manager in the Widget Company --  wished aloud for a direct response copywriter with experience writing for the Widget industry.  She didn't want to "waste time" bringing an  otherwise-top-drawer writer up to speed  on the  Widget Industry and all its subtleties.

We talked about the projects she had in mind: lead generation campaigns aimed owners and senior executives in small and mid-size companies. What language did they usually speak? Were Widgets uppermost in their minds -- or were they busy trying to run a business? Were they already looking for a Widget Solution? Or might they simply have a pressing problem that Widgets could solve?

Hmmmm, I surmised, perhaps it would be MOST important to get a writer who can speak owner-and-CEO language, rather than Widget language. Someone who can effectively sell the business benefits of Widgetdom -- and, just as importantly, who can compel readers to act.

You know where I'm headed here. Fortunately, my pal  ended up going with a great dm copywriter -- no, I did NOT recommend this writer -- who knows how to sell business benefits, and knows how to make phones ring and Web visitors click. Our hero (the writer, of course)  will focus on the audience's issues and the benefits of Widget use. And the leads will come pouring in. Probably.

No "vertical" copywriter required.