In my earlier post Proofreading – 3 Simple Steps to Perfection, I highlghted the importance of proofreading your work before publication.

Sloppy grammar, spelling and general lack of thought will turn your readers off faster than a blind date with The Hulk. But sometimes, mistakes slip through the net – yes, even I have been known to make the odd slip up in my blogs.

For your amusement, below are some howling bloopers of the worst kind – newspaper headlines. Obviously proofreading wasn’t high on their priorities!

Freelance copywriters love words. They are their tools of the trade.

Words are powerful – they can make us feel happy, sad, empathetic, love and hate. But most of all, in the hands of a skilled freelance copywriter, they can be used to encourage, persuade and convince us to buy the product they are promoting.

When successful copywriters write the copy for a product or website, they choose their words carefully to ensure they stick in the reader’s mind. Just think for a moment – what do beanz meanz? Heinz! See, a simple slogan but one that is unforgetable.

This type of association works when the slogans and messages that ring true for the reader or consumer. If they jump off the page and capture your attention immediately, the copywriter has done their job.

As in the example above, the memorable use of ‘beanz, meanz, Heinz’ using a ‘z’ rather than an ‘s’ catches the attention of the audience Use memorable words in your copy. Remember the goal is to catch the attention of the reader.

This is where the fun starts. If your copywriting is going to be attention grabbing then it is time to get creative. Play with words, their spelling, even their context – anything that will create a phrase or headline that will lodge itself firmly within the minds of your audience as forever being associated with the product you are trying to sell.

Online readers are notorious scanners, but there is some copy that is just so enjoyable that the audience eats up every word. If you have the talent to write in this way, do it. You will be a lot more memorable if you can entertain and interest your readers.

Write for your audience and make sure that your copy sticks in the mind. Whether you are writing for yourself or someone else, it is the one thing that will bring you success.

Times are changing.

Most of us would be hard pushed to recall an economic climate worse than the one we are saddled with at the moment. But something else is happening; something else is emerging.

As the owner of an online business for the past 18 months, I have been overwhelmed by the number of people out there who have helped me. I don’t mean great service providers or anything like that. What I am talking about are ordinary business men and women who have selflessly helped me out, shown me the ropes and given their expertise for nothing, or at the very least as part of a barter deal.

Therefore I was intrigued to read this report from www.trendwatching.com

‘Has it ever been important for corporations to ditch the greed and embrace generosity? It’s something that countless individuals have already started doing, of course: giving is the new taking, and sharing is the new giving. And yes, we do realize that this month’s Trend Briefing is massive, but in this business climate, can you really afford not to spend some time figuring out how to get a little closer to your customers?

GENERATION G

Sometimes big events and ongoing trends clash in a beautiful way, only to converge soon after. Consider the following:

GENERATION G | “Captures the growing importance of ‘generosity’ as a leading societal and business mindset. As consumers are disgusted with greed and its current dire consequences for the economy—and while that same upheaval has them longing more than ever for institutions that care—the need for more generosity beautifully coincides with the ongoing (and pre-recession) emergence of an online-fueled culture of individuals who share, give, engage, create and collaborate in large numbers.

In fact, for many, sharing a passion and receiving recognition have replaced ‘taking’ as the new status symbol. Businesses should follow this societal/behavioral shift, however much it may oppose their decades-old devotion to me, myself and I.”

See: trendwatching.com’s February 2009 Trend Briefing covering GENERATION G for the full story.

Long may this spirit of generosity continue.

Q: What is the biggest mistake to make when writing your brochure copy?

A: Focusing on information rather than persuasion.

Brochures are sales pieces no matter whether they are designed as lead-generators or something that is handed over as customers leave your showroom.

Before you can start to write your brochure copy you need to identify how it is going to be used, as copy for lead-generation will be different from copy that is designed to close a sale.

Here are my 8 tips to great brochure copywriting:

1. Don’t forget the cover – this is a huge opportunity, don’t just give your company name or product, find a headline that will intrigue your reader and make them want to open the brochure.
2. Think customer not product – show them you understand their problems, build rapport and then sell.
3. Page turners – the end of every page is an excuse for the reader to close it. Create copy that will make them want to read on to the next page.
4. Benefits not features – don’t list the features, tell your reader how your product will benefit them.
5. Technical jargon – there is a place for this and that is not in the body of your brochure. Present the information in a chart or graph and keep your copy flowing.
6. Consistent voice – this is a key marketing tool, make it conversational and win your customer over.
7. Establish credibility – provide answers in engaging language, or through visuals. Customer testimonials are also great here. Remember, people buy from people.
8. Don’t forget the end – go out with a bang not a whimper. Tell you customer what to do next – place an order.

There you go. View your brochure as a valuable sales tool and not as something to look pretty on a coffee table.

Copywriting demand will always be strong.

It doesn’t matter whether the economy is strong or weak. In past decades, it was easy to get away with a strong product and some marketing. But today there is far more competition in all markets and the way to stand apart is through marketing.

For many consumers, the only way to be able to discern the differences between competing products is through the marketing. This ensures that freelance copywriters are needed.

Any companies looking to send a consistent message to their targeted audience will employ copywriters. Some companies not looking ahead to the future may cut their advertising budget when they hit weak sales, but that is not a smart move as explored in my recent blog post 4 Reasons Why Copywriting Services Work.

There is a growing demand for copywriters in one particular area – writing for the Internet. With the Web up past four billion web pages, the demand for search engine copywriting has continued to increase. To do this, the search engine copywriters must write well to attract two different audiences – the people searching and the search bots.

Great copywriting will:

1. increasing your sales through targeted website traffic
2. creating continuity in your marketing materials on and off line
3. portraying an image of trust, credibility and confidence in the eyes of your customers

So it’s a no-brainer really. Companies that are serious about marketing and survival will see the benefits in utilising the services of copywriters. It’s the only way to turn a surviving business into a thriving business.