Welcome to Compositions, James DeKoven's column about brand communications. This time around:

- What you’re really going against
- One thing designers shouldn’t do
- The feng shui of content
- Album of the month

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What you’re really going against
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Some people can buy whatever they want. Take trust-fund kids and self-made millionaires. Their only restrictions are whether or not they feel like buying a given item.

Then there’s the rest of us, the common folk, those with a finite amount of dollars that can either go towards product A or service B but not both. At some point, however we rationalize the choice, we’ll decide that the nifty espresso machine has priority over a fresh coat of paint for the house.

Executives at espresso machine companies probably never think they’re competing against housepainters. But maybe they should.

See, when your prospects are even mildly considering your offering, consciously or not, they’re weighing that offering – say, nifty espresso machines – to something on their shopping list in a completely different category. While it’s tempting to make the straight-up claim that your gizmo makes a better cup than the competitor’s gizmo, first consider the other things vying for the customer’s limited dollars: a new flatscreen, a new couch, fine dining, a flight to Maui.

So rather than selling with an obvious, factual idea – “Make gourmet coffee at home” – you could target people thinking about furniture: “What good is a comfy couch if you can’t sit with an amazing cup of coffee?” The contrast makes people pay attention, which is the first step in any sale.

This approach provides two nice benefits: You get people to think about coffee machines who didn’t even have them on their radar screens. And, those already considering coffee machines now see them from a different perspective - it’s no longer a mere product but rather something that enhances their lifestyle.

Contrasts like this can be made with any product or service. Anti-virus software can compete with free employee snacks (“Protect data, not bellies”). A comedy club can compete with dry cleaning (“A night of laughs for the price of 5 clean shirts”). I’m not suggesting to literally use those copy examples – use the underlying concepts as foundations for overall campaigns.

Think about where your clients’ money may be going instead of to you. This new strategy can help you sell more. Which means you can buy more – of whatever you want.

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One thing designers shouldn’t do
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Would your doctor ask you to do your own blood work? Would your attorney ask you to research the legal precedent of the case? Would your plumber ask you to sandblast the drainpipe before beginning repairs? Would your mechanic ask you to change the timing belt while he handles the rest of the tune-up?

In all these scenarios, the professional is asking the client to provide something that should be provided by the professional. It’s just the same when a designer asks the client to supply the copy rather than insisting they bring on a professional writer.

What’s wrong with client-created copy? Below are five reasons, in descending order of priority:

5) The client rarely delivers copy on time, delaying the overall design and development process. Designers always complain about this. So why do they continually get in this situation?

4) The client may be the expert about her businesses. But that doesn’t mean she’s the most qualified to persuasively convey the benefits of the business.

3) The client doesn’t have experience collaborating with a designer to develop concepts, aligning copy with brand guidelines, assuring that content works in unison with the user experience, thinking about things like call-to-action strategies, understanding how visual placement of copy affects response rates…and on and on.

2) The client thinks he only needs to inform the audience. The professional writer understands he must motivate the audience to take action.

1) When the client supplies the copy, the final product isn’t as effective as it should be. Which makes it a disservice to ask the client to write it.

To be clear, this isn’t an indictment of designers. Most of the blame rests with the clients. There are those that don’t see the value of hiring a professional writer, and others that recognize the value but resort to the standard “there’s not enough in the budget” excuse (which is a euphemism for not seeing the value).

But in some cases the blame does rest with designer, the type who views copy as simply another design element. He either believes that sales completely depend on look and feel – and thus have nothing to do with messaging - or worse, doesn’t fully consider the business objectives on which his design should be based.

Whether it’s a client problem or designer problem, everyone needs to understand that great design with poor, non-strategic content is a half-baked pie: it looks good but tastes horrible. Clients don’t hire designers only to enhance aesthetic appeal; the goal is to increase something, be it awareness, leads, sign-ups, memberships, sales or profits – and those results only occur with the professional designer/professional writer collaboration.

When content is supplied by a pro, the designer can focus more on her craft. She produces better results – ones that truly align with client goals. It’s a situation that, if left to the client to describe, would unfortunately be called a “win-win.” Whatever. As long as they’re happy.

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The feng shui of content
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A quick note for those planning a new site, e-mail blitz or interactive campaign. Remember that it’s not always about what you say, it’s WHERE you say it. Meaning that the visual placement of content often affects response rates (and other measures of success) more than the content itself.

In the digital age, marketers often forget this fundamental, decades-proven direct response strategy. As you design and produce, continually ask: What do people need to see? If they scanned the page and only read a single word or short sentence, what should they notice? Then make those items stand out.

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Album of the month
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From the mid 60s to the early 70s, musicians throughout Africa were influenced by the sounds of the west: James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Motown and the British Invasion. One particular gem from this era is “Try and Love”, the lone album by Ofege. Released in 1973, this Nigerian band combined sweet soul-based vocals, mid-tempo grooves and melodic, fuzzed-out rock guitar. Don’t waste time listening to the samples online – just buy it.