Whats different about marketing writing

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Whats different about marketing writing?

• Presentation 2 August 2004
• Mike Druttman, FutureWeb

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The motivation factor

• Your position in the sales cycle
• Getting attention by creating drama
• The pressures of time (attention-span)
• Vocative tense and call to action

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Emotional power

• Technical Captive audience,
• needing explanations and working
• details How?
• Marketing Free and uncommitted
• audience, needing reasons to take
• a sales step Why?

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Effective writing principles

• Consumers buy your passion, not your prose
• Connect with your audience
• Be active and use short words
• Tighten your construction
• Follow a formula - AIDA
• Change the tempo

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Editing examples (1)

• in accordance with our strategy of leveraging
  resources to optimize the customer experience
• to serve our customers better
• Many low-cost flights are available - passive
• Check out our cheap flights active
• Fly for next to nothing, today - compelling

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Editing examples (2)

• obtain -gt get
• substantiate -gt prove
• parameters -gt factors
• purchase -gt buy
• exhibits the ability to -gt can
• they managed to use -gt they used
• can be considered to be -gt is
• 10 wps for adverts, 15 wps for brochures, maximum
  of 25 wps.

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Writing Goals
You want the customer to

• THINK of the brand
• FEEL a certain attitude
• to the brand
• DO i.e take action
• (visit site, phone, e-mail)

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Creative formula 1 A I D A

• Attention whats different, special?
• Interest the specific product/ service
• Desire want to get hold of it
• Action take steps to get it

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Creative Formula - 2

• I D C A
• Interesting what attracts?
• Desirable what can it do?
• Convincing details, macro benefit
• Actionable next step?
• You not we Keep it simple

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Headline functions

• 1. Get attention
• 2. Select the audience
• 3. Deliver a complete message
• 4. Draw the reader in

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Headline exercise

• EUROSTAR under the Channel
• Encourage more UK people to take
• the train when traveling to Paris

• Use the 4 headline functions
• Write 1 headline for each function
• 3 hours from London. A million travelers

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Eurostar headline samples

• (1. Get attention)
• Cut your traveling time in half
• (2. Select the audience)
• To all weekend visitors to Paris
• (3. Deliver a complete message)
• London to Paris in three hours flat
• (4. Draw the reader in)
• When is a train faster than a plane?

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Heads and leading texts

• Claim Support Pacing Curiosity

A new American plant After 27 years (and nearly 6
million VWs) in the USA, we feel enough at home
to make a home here. So weve opened a factory in
Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, to make VW Rabbits as
fast and as well as we know how.
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Editing guidelines

• 1. Write tighter, more concisely
• 2. Use active, not passive voice
• 3. Write shorter sentences. Use simpler words
• 4. No padding, reduce extra words
• 5. Talk to reader interest
• 6. Add value by adding specifics

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Editing example

• The objective of the daily cash accumulation fund
  is to seek the maximum current income that is
  consistent with low capital risk and the
  maintenance of total liquidity. (28)
• The cash fund gives you the maximum return on
  your investment dollar with the lowest risk. You
  can take out as much money as you like whenever
  you like. (16,13)

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Tips for brochure writing

• Put a strong selling message on the front
• Give complete information
• Organize your selling points
• Divide brochure into short, easy-to-read sections

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How we read web pages

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Writing for the Web
Grab your readers interest Most reading is
scan mode

• 75 of people scan only 16 read
• Reading is 25 slower on screen
• Volume of words 50 less than print

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Greater credibility on the Web

• Concise Scannable Objective
• 124 improvement in usability
• (Morkes and Nielsen research)
• Avoid marketese
• Make it easy
• Dont be boastful

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Only a mediocre writer is always at his best
Somerset Maugham

• Presentation Whats different about marketing
  writing?
• 2 August 2004
• Mike Druttman, FutureWeb