The Copysmith

Studies have shown that people lean forward when they read online. It’s because they are actively seeking information. And that’s good news for your brand. You’ve got people’s attention, you just need to work not to lose it.

Love your audience. Meet them where they are and give them what they need. When people read online they are busy and easily distracted. So copy needs to be solution-focussed and to-the-point to keep users reading.

And like any other medium, web copy has to be written well. There is no such thing as generic ‘web-language’. What you say needs to identify with your readers, yet still be faithful to your brand’s tone-of-voice. Engage the reader with compelling lines. Answer their questions quickly. And display your values through the power of words.

There is a perception out there that copywriting is expensive. SO expensive, in fact, that it’s preferable to use home-made wording on a swish new collateral than hiring a professional to write it, well, professionally. The irony is that your DIY copy probably costs more in the long run. Readers hate bad copy. It’s slows them down. It bores them. And it works their backspace reflex like nobody’s business.

Racking it up
You’ll find the best copywriters are always too happy to oblige. If you’re too busy to write them a brief, they’ll gladly spend time talking it through with you on the phone. If you haven’t been able to give them reference, they’ll happily while away the day doing the research. If you haven’t thought about what you want to say with your communication, or what response you’d like, they’ll sit with your for hours to thrash it out.

The trouble is, the more time they spend doing the stuff that isn’t actually writing, the more you’re going to pay before they even put pen to paper.

Racking it down
The best way to slim your budgets is to appeal to your copywriters’ inherently lazy nature. So ask, “What can I do to reduce your hours on this job?” You probably have loads of info to hand that would save hours of billable time.

Your best ally: The Brief
Very basically, just give your copywriters key info as a list of bullet points, and tell them what the piece needs to achieve. And when it comes to getting the style right, give them samples of what you love and what you hate. Then ask for a sample to approve before they go ahead. This could shave up to a day off your copywriting costs.

Writing a brief isn’t hard, but to make it even easier, click here to download our cheat-sheet. This handy little document will not only guarantee your status as ‘Favourite Client’, it will also save your writer a whole load of time – and you a whole whack of money.

Good luck with your next project.

: Musings from our Business trip to Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom’s capital city seems poised for change – how will it strike the balance between conservative Muslim kingdom and inviting in the modern world?

GLITTERING URBAN SPRAWL Riyadh, a breathtaking view by night as seen from the geodesic Globe Restaurant at the top of Al Faisaliah tower.

SUBDUED OR DIGNIFIED? Modern Saudi women are required to wear the abaya, but not the headscarf – even though many still cover their hair. Although that women’s touch is largely absent in the culture, women are being engaged more and more in business and public debate: At Al Faisaliah Hotel, the elegant and contemporary South Wing has been designed by one of the Saudi princesses, newspapers earnestly discuss women’s rights issues, and driving into Riyadh you can’t ignore the sprawling 8 million m2 building site of the Princess Nora University for young women.

SWEET DREAMS. Nobody’s fool, Saudi Arabia has embraced the best of the western world, while rejecting the worst. Upmarket Riyadh indulges in the most exquisite 5-star cuisine. Here at Hotel Al Khozama, La Patisserie lays out an exquisite spread of Continental dainties.

SUFFUSED WITH LUXURY. At Al Faisaliah Hotel every tray comes with a single fresh rose – even a small pick me up for a tired writer.

SUPREME HOSPITALITY reigns at the centre of Saudi culture. The hotel reflects this by assigning guests complementary butlers who operate on 24-hour alert. The pinnacle of efficiency and professional conduct, these gentlemen can help with anything from wake-up calls to shopping, packing and bookings.

THE SECRET WORLD of Saudi Arabia seems to exist in another dimension. There is an almost unnerving calm, a relaxed pace, a feeling of safety that is rare in most parts of the world.

Women with beautiful flashing eyes laugh with their husbands and tend to their children. Starkly concealed in black, they bear their traditional garments with self-respect, rather than the indignity assumed by the west.

While the plazas and streets are splashed with sunlight, the modest culture seems to hide from it. Rather expressing itself in a more intimate way, retreating indoors for personal pursuits and comforts.

And indeed Saudi Arabians have retreated from the prying eyes of the non-Muslim world. But with astonishing plans for the future – The Kingdom eyes a $20 billion income from tourism by 2020 – the new Saudis, sunny and young at heart, seem willing to reveal their mysteries to the globe. And daring enough to make it happen – here in Riyadh, new hotels rise despite the economic downturn.

Brave plans to lure in the tourists include plans for a $13 billion tourist city and the largest eco-tourism park in the Middle East. Blessed with more than oil, Saudi Arabia’s unspoilt and ‘unseen’ landscape teems with wildlife, kilometres of pristine coastline and undulating desertscapes. Add to that bustling cities, luxurious hotels and spas to rival any world destination, and The Kingdom promises to be the next must-do tourist frontier.

Walking home from pubs while it’s still light. Soaking up the sun after work. Daffodils, blue skies and a jog up the river.

Well maybe not quite.

With the clocks an hour forward, our clients in Europe and the Middle East will be glad to know we’re just that much closer to your time zone.

Just thought we’d post a pic to prove we smithies do scrub up nicely. The Copysmith recently attended hi-brow networking event Only Connect, held at the oh-so-sophisticated Living Room in Bristol.

Centre James Wareham of The Copysmith with Mike Storey of Whype Web Design.

Tom Meighan comments on how self-indulgent and irrelevant blogging is losing musicians their ‘rock-star’ status. Click the link to read more…

Kasabian’s Tom Meighan: ‘The internet has killed rock stars’ | News | NME.COM

Blogging for any brand needs to be focussed and well-written. We’re often asked to write monthly articles or blogs for our clients’ websites. We just ask for the key-points that need to be covered and what the copy should achieve in the heart/mind of the reader. It’s a simple process from there, which frees up business-owners’ time and keeps their web content fresh and growing.

"untitled" by Le Thiet Cuong

The Wow Power of Words

Packing a punch into 35 characters is no mean feat – I’ve already taken more than that and I haven’t even got to the point yet…

But that was the task I asked the Copysmith to help me with – in two lines of just 35 characters, compose a series of compelling advertising statements that will stand out on the internet.

You might think that a professional firm as the Copysmith, as proficient in writing, as good with words, could knock this sort of assignment out in just a few hours.

But here’s where they really stand out. They go to great lengths to understand what it is their clients really want. They ask lots of questions. Some of them quite difficult! They question and search until they understand the words behind the words in their client briefs, The real crux. And this takes time.

Lots of words can be good, lots of words could be compelling. But their research, the time they took before spending my valuable and rather rare characters on each word they chose, enabled them not just to choose good words, not just to choose compelling words, but to choose the RIGHT words.

Peter Quintana

15/1/2010

www.oc-eo.co.uk

Brochure Cover

I am very confident with the written word and would never have thought of using a copywriter to help with my promotional literature until I met Kim from The Copysmith.

Kim is so enthusiastic, so full of energy and ideas, and so passionate about what she does, that I realised she would be the person to inject some excitement into my jaded brochure wording. What I don’t have is the knowledge, experience and creative edge to know what will grab the market’s attention and sell my photography over and above my competitors.

All of this Kim clearly has in abundance.

I was particularly impressed with the questions Kim asked when we discussed what I was looking for. My imagery is very personal, emotive and expressive; Kim asked me how I wanted the reader to feel, for example when they looked at each page, and I even found myself explaining how I felt when I took the pictures and what was my vision at the time. Kim took my thoughts and put them on paper, absolutely expressing the essence of my photography and what sets me apart from the others, in a unique and vibrant way.

Kim is such a lovely person to work with, and so visibly involved in her projects, that she’s hard to resist; so don’t try – book The Copysmith for your words today.

Celia Mannings.
Tel: 01312 080912

celia@celiamanningsphotography.co.uk

www.celiamanningsphotography.co.uk

An ad promoting an exhibition which including Hitler’s glass found at the Eagle’s Nest in the German Alps. For Red Nail Leo Burnett, Johannesburg.

Pulteney Bridge, Bath

6 Fountain House was getting a bit cramped, so The Copysmith has moved. We bid farewell to views of greener pastures for, well, greener pastures.

We’re at 5 Argyle Street now (although the street is curiously marked “Grove Street”, as our first visitor pointed out). The building we’re in used to be a library and it stands on Pulteney Bridge. According to history geeks it’s one of the most beautiful bridges in the world and is often compared to the Ponte Vecchio in Florence (it’s also one of those rare historic bridges with shops built in).

Well here we are – on the second floor, amid the pigeons, above Oxfam and some great bars and restaurants. We’d love to have you pop by for a shop, a bite or a natter:

The Copysmith,

 2nd Floor, 5 Argyle Street, Bath, BA2 4BA Tel: +(0)1225 747 223