There are two types of marketing messages: Buy This, and Buy Us.

Buy This messages sell products and services. Buy Us messages sell the company and the brand.

Here’s an example of a Buy This message: a sales letter to a farmer. The letter tells the farmer about a new line of organic seeds. It makes a case for why they’re better than all the other seeds on the market. Then it asks the farmer to make a purchase and try them for himself.

Or here's another example: a brochure for driving lessons. The brochure mentions the instructor’s pass success rate, and how long he’s been in business. It says on the cover, ‘Take driving lessons with Driver McDrivey and you’ll pass your test.’

The Buy This message is powerful, direct and most businesses rely on it to sell their products and services. It’s a tried and true method and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

But a Buy Us message is a totally different animal. It sells a brand, not a product or service. Big companies use it really well.

Buy Us doesn’t sound like a sales pitch. It never says, Hi! We’re Big Deal Computers! Buy Our Laptops! That’s because a Buy Us message has a different purpose.

We’ve all seen adverts on TV that don’t seem to be selling anything. But look closer. They really are. They’re just not selling a particuar product. They're selling a brand.

Here’s a madeup example of a TV advert for an insurance company: a babbling brook cuts through the scene. Some tall pines stand in the distance. A deer walks across a meadow. A tiny corporate logo pops up in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Huh? What was that?

They're still trying to sell you something. But instead of selling you an insurance policy, here, they want you to see them as a friendly, natural choice. They want you to see value in their brand.

Sound silly?

Good brands often associate themselves with the things we love. They create strong emotional bonds with customers. Just ask Coke or McDonald’s if Buy Us messaging works.

It’s what separates them from all the other companies selling cola and hamburgers. It’s what turned them into billion dollar giants.

But you don’t have to be a big company to do it. You don’t have to launch a big TV advertising campaign. And you don’t need babbling brooks or wildlife.

You can accomplish it on a scale that makes sense for your business and with the resources available to you.

All it takes is a creative approach.

Contact me today to find out more.

Think of what they do on Mad Men. The guys and girls on that show write big advertising campaigns for multinational companies. And they swill scotch and smoke a lot of cigarettes while doing it.

But writing adverts happens on a much smaller scale, too. For example: a local retailer wants to put an advert on the radio for Christmas.

He goes to a copywriter to write the advert. The writer wracks his brains, and knocks out a brilliant script two days earlier than promised. The retailer sells a thousand extra turkeys and his wife finds him more attractive.

Bada Bing. There you have it: another instance of true blue copywriting.

But the term copywriting has come to be used for writing marketing materials, not just adverts.

These include: brochures, sales letters, promotional copy, catalogues, direct mail, web copy, even business blogs and social media posts.

But, what do you mean? The term copywriter doesn’t technically describe what people calling themselves copywriters actually do?

Not always. Many copywriters, me included, don’t only write adverts. We write marketing and promotional materials of all kinds. The term copywriter is just shorthand for what we do.

It’s handy, so we use it.  

Here’s a new definition of a copywriter: a person who knows how to write the words that make your businesss more money.

That's what I do.

Click here to see how I can help you.

As a copywriter, It's great working with small business clients and entrepreneurs. I think that's because they still have plenty of pluck and spirit. 

It's the same sort of pluck and spirit many of the big boys once had--before they got big. 

Mighty oaks are impressive. But the satisfaction of seeing a sapling sprout and stretch skyward is just as exciting. Besides, not all small businesses are 'saplings'.

Some are sturdy, perfectly formed bonsai trees. They are carefully shaped over the course of years to be the sizes they are. They are perfect in miniature. 

That's because their caretakers listen to them, and let them grow the way they are meant to. 

It's not that they couldn't be big. They just shouldn't be big. Their growth is intuitive and balanced. 

Some new business thinkers suggest that becoming a mighty oak shouldn't be the goal of every new or small business--that turning one's little boutique into a chain of megastores isn't always the best course. 

But lots of small business owners already know that. They've been happily tending to their bonsai trees for decades, and have seen many a mighty oak cut down and sold for firewood.

To connect with a copywriter who understands small and independent businesses, click here.

They're tangible. They're direct. They're personal. They take more time and effort than an email. And they're signed by a living breathing human being.

They work business to business, or business to customer. 

The right sales letter tells a customer or prospect you’ve thought this thing through--that you know who they are and why they’re worth the effort.

And the sales letter is honest. They know you're a business. You know they're a potential customer. And you get to pitch them your offer in a conversational tone. 

You can build a case for your product or service--without mouse clicks and pixelated birds and character limits being thrown into the mix.

It's decidedly low-tech.

It doesn't involve the latest social media craze, 'PintoTwittaFaceOBox'. 

It's old school.

But, this kind off-line marketing is incredibly effective. Ask any seasoned sales veteran, and he or she will tell you.
  
The sales letter is personal. It has the power to tell a story and build a case for your product.

And very few businesses are using them effectively.

As the saying goes, 'when everyone else zigs, you zag.' Take advantage of the opportunity. 

Reach customers in a bold, direct way. Don't chirp at them, or email blast them, or drop a thousand virtual leaflets from the sky,  Go old school. Zag.

Let me help. Click here.

Having a company blog can do a lot for your web presence, and your business.

It’s a fact that search engines value sites that regularly contribute new and useful content to the web. So having a company blog is an excellent way to improve your page rankings and get seen by more people. 

And ultimately that translates to more business and a healthier bottom line.

By providing content that is relevant to your audience, you can gain greater credibility and build relationships more quickly.

And here’s the big point: a company blog is an ideal place to give away free information, tips, and ideas that will be useful to your customers.

By providing a little expert guidance for free you can showcase your expertise, and customers will trust and value your brand.

Doing this can transform your website from a mere portal for doing business, to a valuable resource for people. That’s something both search engines and customers will appreciate.

What’s nice about this approach is that it’s not sales. It’s more like meeting your future customers outside of work for a drink and a chat.  

But it can be daunting to produce content on a regular basis, especially if you’re a company without an in-house writer.

It can be difficult to know what to write about and how to make it interesting and helpful.

But it’s not impossible. If you have someone in house who can do it, go for it. Get started today.

If not, consider hiring a pro—someone whose sole job it is to produce regular content for your business.

I can help. Click here to find out how.

Good copywriting is about finding the right message to speak to your customers in the moment. Right where they are.

But, a message that works well one moment will often fail to work the next. 

Take a great brand like Ford or Coca-cola as an example. Do they ever settle on a single message? Nope. They're masters of reinvention.

Classic brands only stay classic through a constant process of reaching out to their customers--finding new ways to speak to them. 

Make your brand a classic. 

Whether you're a national tyre distributor, or a boutique coffee house, never settle. Always innovate; search out fresh new ways to tell the story of your brand. 

Click here to find out more

Would you buy an expensive new car from a showroom with an inch of dust on the windowsills?

If you went to a restaurant and the host seated you at a sticky table, how likely would you be to order a bottle of their best red and the most expensive steak on the menu?

Would you order at all?

If you were on a first date and the person looking across from you had a persistent hacking cough, would you go in for a kiss at the end of the night?

Or would you look at your watch and suddenly remember that early morning meeting?

Don’t feel bad. It’s perfectly normal to make value judgments based on appearances. There’s a reason we behave this way, too, and it’s down to science.

The simple truth is, as human beings, we make an unconscious and automatic association between beauty and health— between how something is presented and how ‘good’ it is likely to be.

In other words, it’s hardwired in our brains.

That’s great news for people with shiny hair and pearly white teeth. But here’s a little secret: it can be great news for your business, too.

With the right words— the right presentation— you can make your business a thing of beauty— and a great success.
 
Click here to find out more.