tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75363207311435685582009-10-23T02:14:34.290-07:00Advice and comment from an experienced freelance copywriter on copywriting for print, the web and SEO. Setting the structure, tone and content of your writing to suit your audience, the project in hand, and the outcomes you want to achieve.Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-28023927837699855682009-10-13T05:10:00.000-07:002009-10-13T05:20:09.376-07:00

White papers, brochures, data sheets and case studies do influence potential technology purchasers even before the sales cycle begins, but for maximum impact those pieces of collateral have to be well written.So says research carried out by marketing communications agency Eccolo Media Ltd amongst 500 technology purchasers and buying influencers.White papers rule as the most influential piece of

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-78622332740630687072009-09-30T02:41:00.000-07:002009-09-30T02:52:49.563-07:00

Do you ever receive - or send - totally unintelligible emails? Just because someone hasn’t bothered through lack of time or interest to re-read what they’ve written before they hit the “send” button? Happens all the time with friends and it’s easy to go back and ask they what they really meant. But when it’s business, it’s much more difficult. It’s when you’re talking to total strangers,

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-30843140823973768782009-09-02T02:47:00.000-07:002009-09-02T03:02:11.028-07:00

When you're advertising, leafleting, sending out direct mail - what do you suggest the reader does next? They could just give you a call, or you could give them a web site address for further information. That could be your general web site, or you could put together a special page - a landing page - that relates to your promotional campaign. How helpful would that be to encouraging sales?Say you

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-198400967798341082009-08-13T03:43:00.000-07:002009-08-13T03:47:46.739-07:00

We are generally advised that once we have some customers, we should keep in touch with them regularly. An e-newsletter can be the way to go. But my plea is that you don't just send out newsletters because the diary says it's time. How about only saying something when you've got something to say? And that something has to be a something that your readers have a chance of caring about. Using

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-11141353407655436792009-07-30T02:41:00.000-07:002009-07-30T02:51:18.513-07:00

Writing "advertorials", where you get an article published free (possibly in exchange for paying for advertising), is a really good way of getting your business noticed. You might have editorial in a local paper supplement, or get a story into a magazine where the deal is that you write it yourself.As an ex-editor myself, I know some of the pitfalls that unpractised contributors face. So here are

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-65715572546635819092009-06-24T04:25:00.000-07:002009-06-24T04:27:35.925-07:00

Just been asked to give a web site a quick overview to see why it's not attracting many visitors, or turning visits into sales. Reviewing someone else's business really reminds you of things you should have done for yourself...1. Think hard about the name of your business. Our name – Wrightwell – seemed like a bit of fun when we coined it 20 years ago. After all, I do write well, IMHO. But:

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-54397653130752993202009-06-03T04:32:00.001-07:002009-06-03T04:35:51.182-07:00

Once upon a time, getting published was tough. Now everyone can say what they want to say on the Internet.Only got time for a few pithy words? Tweet on Twitter. Want to pontificate, inform or rant on a regular basis? A blog like this one is great. And now, you can publish your thoughts at length, in an e-book.Today there are one million e-book readers at large on the Internet. In just five years,

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-80161803038813360972009-04-03T02:18:00.001-07:002009-04-03T02:18:39.498-07:00

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 staff? This affects the sort of story you include. Staff changes are

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-91658677423470648222009-03-30T02:16:00.000-07:002009-03-30T02:22:04.439-07:00

I love reading letters pages in the national papers. So often the writers of the shorter letters are pithy and thoughtful - but with their viewpoints all squeezed into a few cogent words.Last week, a contributor to one letters page wrote to say he had offered his services as a proofreader to his local UK Member of Parliament after browsing the MP's web site. The MP rather surprisingly replied by

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-84256692174914898772009-03-18T06:22:00.000-07:002009-03-18T06:27:38.817-07:00

In an effort to stop local councils from using impenetrable jargon, the UK Local Government Association has issued a list of 200 banned terms. As the LGA chairman Margaret Eaton said: “"If a council fails to explain what it does in plain English then local people will fail to understand its relevance to them or why they should bother to turn out and vote.” It's not a hard task to edit that

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-51692817339989951332009-03-16T05:04:00.000-07:002009-03-16T05:13:37.749-07:00

I am coming across a growing number of their clients who are rejecting direct mail marketing, are putting their faith almost entirely in search engine optimisation (SEO) to bring in new customers.Take one of the reseller partners of a major software company. It's just one of many similar businesses across the country, offering much the same mix of implementation, consultancy and support. I've

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-68406394620873355492009-03-04T00:56:00.001-08:002009-03-04T00:57:50.252-08:00

After refreshing my web site recently I've been taking time out to brush up on search engine optimisation (SEO) skills. These are the techniques you can use to push your web site up to the top of search engine rankings. Find a phrase that describes your business accurately, that is regularly used in searches, but that few competitors have on their web sites, build it into your web copy, and

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-38543605539369985102009-02-18T02:51:00.001-08:002009-02-18T02:53:22.582-08:00

Here's an example of why it's a really good idea to understand your audience and tailor your message to suit them. This invitation was sent to a Yahoo group whose members have a slight interest in statistics to help them with predicting racing winners. The email is pitched at such a level though, that instead of being encouraged to attend, the recipients were bemused. And instead of bolstering

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-43564950043712886632008-11-25T03:03:00.000-08:002008-11-25T03:05:59.980-08:00

Have just heard that the latest press release I wrote for a small but up-and-coming business has now been published in over 60 sources, with many still to be counted. The copy I produced has been published almost unchanged – except to be edited for length in some cases, and to be given the byline of an inhouse staffer in some cases!This is huge success for this company, which focuses on press

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-89469902842300193612008-04-22T04:52:00.000-07:002008-04-22T04:54:31.300-07:00

Email newsletters are a great way of keeping in touch with your customers. Approached the right way, an email newsletter will: remind people that you are still here and ready to serve themannounce your new products and servicesemphasise your expertise in your area to underline your credibilityultimately, help increase your sales As with any venture though, your success

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-85837487361591284512008-01-22T04:58:00.000-08:002008-01-22T04:59:46.524-08:00

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 were asked to present specific products to pseudo-customers. We read the brochures and we read the data

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-26710854900856735962008-01-21T02:14:00.000-08:002008-01-21T02:15:19.533-08:00

Every industry and every business has its own language. Very often it’s not the same language as its customers. So if your web site and keywords are full of corporate-speak rather than customer-speak, you won’t be getting the hits you deserve. Here’s an example. Content expert Gerry McGovern carried out research on how consumers in the US and the UK search for cheap flights. "In the United

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-54138973111209114522008-01-15T06:16:00.001-08:002008-01-15T06:16:50.176-08:00

Have you ever found yourself sitting behind a truck on a clogged up motorway and idly wondered just exactly what service they’re advertising splashed across the rear doors? You’ve been looking at the slogan for the last half hour, but you’re none the wiser as to what they’re actually offering. What a waste that slogan is for that business. There’s a very strong possibility that you’ve been

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-91897626762861745662007-08-22T01:31:00.000-07:002007-08-22T01:39:39.851-07:00

The people at SubscriberMail have put together a list of a 100+ words and phrases that will deter your audience from receiving your emails, let alone reading them. As well as the more obvious "As seen on" and "online pharmacy" there are other phrases that you may actually have thought of including in your email marketing:"Free""x% off""Amazing""Apply now""Compare""Double your""Get""Information

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-1001261422106031642007-03-26T03:19:00.000-07:002007-03-26T05:05:51.402-07:00

Clearing out the filing cabinets this weekend, I came across an article I co-wrote about editing for the handbook of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communications. I wrote this article with Ronald Brown, the principal technical communicator at KBC Process Technology, and I am delighted to see that although the handbook was originally published eight years ago, it is still in print,

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-57189716754126796292007-01-22T02:36:00.000-08:002007-01-22T02:43:09.522-08:00

It's a horrible feeling. You finally get your beautifully crafted brochure printed, and people start pointing out the typos. Why didn't you spot them before you went to press? You read it over and over again. You should have noticed them. The truth is, we read what we think we wrote, not what we actually wrote. That's why getting someone else to proofread for you is absolutely vital. Not only can

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536320731143568558.post-81724186709671630092007-01-15T05:42:00.000-08:002007-03-13T02:11:21.386-07:00

It happens so easily. And it happens to businesses of all sizes. Maybe you launched the site in a bit of a hurry (and who doesn’t?). Maybe it’s been a while since anyone in the business has had time to look at what’s there. If they did, they might find that new content has introduced overlaps and inconsistencies. Perhaps when new information has been posted, old, out-of-date stuff hasn’t

Kathy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07458328141927967119noreply@blogger.com1