Title: 22 Questions to Ask Before Writing a Word Summary: To write effectively, you need to know as much as you can. This doesn't just mean reading background material, skimming through old marketing documents, or doing a quick search on the Internet. You need to get inside a person's head. Keywords: text, marketing, creative, client, customer, business, internet, copywriting, tips, success Article Body:
To write effectively, you need to know as much as you can. This doesn't just mean reading background material, skimming through old marketing documents, or doing a quick search on the Internet. You have to get inside people's heads.
Start with your customers. They know their business and their customers better than you do. (If they don't, they should, and you can help them learn more.) How? Use a marketing/creative brief to get the information you need to tackle your copywriting (and marketing) tasks.
(Marketing/creative briefs are tools used by advertising agencies and corporate marketing and creative departments.) Below is an edited version of a marketing/creative brief I used when I worked at an ad agency in Seattle. I work solo now, but I still use it. (Begin Form) Marketing/Creative Briefing (Note: Designed for B2B. Much of this description also applies to B2C.)
The right input is key to any successful project, campaign, or marketing program. This marketing/creative brief is designed to get the right input. However, you should provide thorough and thoughtful answers. Answer the following questions carefully: 1. What is the description of the work? (advertisement, website, brochure, radio script, direct mail, etc.) 2. What is your marketing focus? (What product or service will you be reporting on?) 3. What communication problem does the piece need to solve? (Awareness, positioning or repositioning, product launch, category launch, etc.) 4. Who is your audience? (demographics, job title, role, responsibilities, etc.) 5. What do you think about the product/service/category? 6. If there is a secondary audience, who is your secondary audience? 7. What business problem or question does your product/service solve for your target group? (Efficiency problem, profitability problem, operational problem, technical problem, etc.) 8. What impact does your product have on your target group? (Purchase, call, visit your website, request more information, raise awareness, etc.) 9. What can you offer to achieve the desired response? (Demo, situation assessment, sales deck, one-on-one visit, white paper, etc.) 10. What are the key messages that need to be conveyed to the audience to achieve the desired effect? (Be as precise as possible.) 11. What evidence supports our claims? (Features and benefits, testimonials, case studies, etc.) 12. Can anyone else make a similar promise? 13. Are there any technical issues you need to solve? (e.g. compatibility, operating systems, hardware requirements, etc.) 14. What industry-specific problems do you need to solve? (trends, etc.) 15. Are there any industry-specific, product-related, or competitive issues that need to be avoided? 16. What tone should the article adopt? (hard/serious, educational/informative, humorous, etc.) 17. What do you like about your current work? (Look, vibe, tone, message, functionality, etc.) 18. What do you not like about your current work? (Look, vibe, tone, message, functionality, etc.) 19. What overall impression (look, feel, etc.) should your work leave? 20. Are these pieces used in conjunction with other pieces? (proposals, promotional materials, letters, etc.) 21. How will the pieces be used (online, gifts, exhibitions, mailings, etc.) and at what point in the sales cycle? 22. Any further comments? (end of form) Admittedly, it's not always easy to get your customers to answer these questions. That's why it's best to be flexible when using a marketing/creative brief. You can ask your customers to fill it out. You can use it to interview your customers. You can even type it out yourself for your customer to review. Any kind of collaborative approach works well. Finally, emphasize to your customers that if they want more clicks, more leads, and more sales, they need to be an active participant in the submission process. Once you have all the necessary information, you're ready to write your winner.