Welcome to the November 2005 issue of Compositions, James DeKoven's column about strategic copywriting. This time around:
-- Baby Steps
-- Finding the Marrow
-- George Bush, Copywriter?
-- -- Album of the Month

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Baby Steps
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What's the hardest part about crafting persuasive copy? For me - and I suspect for most of us -- it's figuring out where to begin.

Okay, you may have your messaging, you may have a bulletproof copy outline, yet you still need to take the first step. I suggest starting your journey on the Path of Least Resistance.

By that I mean, do the easiest part first. So for example, if you're creating a direct- response package, come up with the business reply card copy first. Or if you're tasked with an 8-page brochure, warm up with the company description.

How do you identify the easiest part? It depends. Either way, be sure to create an outline first, with all the information organized along with as many specific details as possible. Then keep those messages handy by cutting and pasting the objective into each section of your Word document.

For example, if you're writing copy for a web site, create an outline for each web page. This way, as you write, as you scratch and claw to find the right word or transition or headline, you can easily come back to the objective.

Otherwise, if you try to write by memory, the copy will drift farther away from the intention.

Interestingly, the process of beginning with the least challenging section eases the creative pressure, allowing you to envision how the other, more complex areas could come together.

Last, don't fret about whether it "sounds good". You can always apply cosmetics during a revision. Focus on the strategy, creating the right perception, and producing a response.

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Finding the Marrow
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While you need to keep your eye on the objective, there is also our OVERALL objective as professional communicators.

We create brochures and Flash demonstrations, PowerPoints and direct-response pieces, ads and ghost written articles, trade show materials and all kinds of other paper and electronic things.

But what's the purpose of all this marketing and sales stuff?

Promote the company? Market a specific service? Drive the user to fill out a form? Build the brand? They're all correct, but not entirely.

Isn't the purpose to sell something? Yes, that's closer. But here's the truth:

You're not selling products or services - you're selling ideas.

Helping someone to lose weight is really about building self-esteem, isn't it?

Starting to invest in a mutual fund is really about reducing your anxiety about the future, right?

But don't take my word for it.

This issue gets validated in Robert Sapolsky's new book "Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals". In one essay, Sapolsky's discusses how although our world has grown increasingly sophisticated, our capacity to understand it hasn't necessarily kept up.

This is why, according to Sapolsky, we cant always remember someone's name. Instead, we put them into categories: race, occupation, where we met, so and so's friend, etc. It seems that we need to simplify the data that enters our minds, not just to access it but also to make sense of it.

And that's why simple ideas compel us more than complex ones.

Try this exercise: Just like the weight-loss and mutual fund examples above, go through your service or product and drill down to find the core idea. Even if you think you already know, do it again (just like you might visit your psychologist to gain more and more clarity about a facet of your life.)

Uncover the layers until you've chewed the meat from the bone and cut to the marrow. Only then will you pluck the idea that creates the sale.

Sure, it's an obvious, fundamental process. It's not a breakthrough concept. But that doesn't mean you've done it. So do it.
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George Bush, Copywriter?
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It seemed that within hours of Harriet Miers' nomination to the Supreme Court, both political parties were questioning her qualifications. So when she decided to end her bid, it was easy to spot president Bush's obvious mistake.

Don't worry -- I'm not about to get political, or discuss whether or not Miers was a good choice. I'll leave that to the Sunday morning talking heads.

I'm looking at this through the lens of a marketer.

You see, the president's mistake was one that every marketer and copywriter wants to avoid: trying to sell without anticipating potential objections.

Okay, Bush wasn't writing a sales letter, but he was trying to build a case for Miers. And whether you're selling a judge or juice, the fundamentals of building a convincing case remain the same. You need to filter the messages through the prospect's potential objections.

In other words, the answers to your audience's potential reservations should be weaved into your messaging. Eliminate, or at least reduce, the barriers before the prospect even thinks of them.

Typical concerns are credibility, level of experience, cost, technical performance, and the validity/need for the product or service. Consider how people may apply these to your business, and then develop messages that alleviate those concerns.

Of course, you shouldn't necessarily change, or entirely ditch, a message just because there's a chance of objection. Nor do you have a crystal ball. However, by going through the process, you'll have a better idea about what does and doesn't resonate with your audience.
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Album of the Month
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Jazz freaks like me recently saw the arrival of something special. "Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall". This would be an extraordinary release at any time, but you can crank up the elation because of the circumstances: a concert recorded on November 29th, 1957, but "lost" until earlier this year when researchers discovered the tapes in the vaults of the Library on Congress. Another gem from two giants of music, of jazz, of American culture.


Until next time,

James