The Copysmith

Why you should use a copywriter

Every now and then that ‘vital’ project comes around. It’s the big one – the latest sales brochure, a new website or an annual report – a piece of communication that clients will scrutinise and bosses pore over. It’s the project that could change the way people view your company and, with your limited budget, you can’t afford to get it wrong.

As anyone knows, the main tasks in creating marketing communications are design, photography, illustration, web development and content writing. Ask most professionals which they’d tackle themselves and they’ll say the last one. Yet, ask which one is the most important, and the answer is unanimously the same – ‘the writing’. It’s obvious why: No matter how beautiful your design, or how stunning your website, your project will fail if no one reads past the first line.

So what are the benefits of using a copywriter?

Professionalism.
Bad writing can be spotted a mile away. It casts an amateurish shadow over what you’re trying to say, while polished, professional copy immediately elevates you into the realm of established brands. Copywriters are trained to avoid flat language and hideous clichés – grabbing attention (and respect) by using fresh new language.

Results.
Effective writing needs to be carefully structured to attract interest, be relevant, be convincing and drive a response. A copywriter will help you define exactly what your readers need to hear and craft persuasive messaging to get the desired reaction.

Value.
Chances are, a good copywriter can draft better copy than you in much less time – so using a copywriter will actually save you money in wasted man-hours. What’s more, a brief glimpse at your budget will show that the amount you’ve allotted for this, the most important part of the project, is actually a tiny fraction of the total cost. Yet it makes sure the overall investment delivers much better returns.

Brand consistency.
No matter how big or small your company – and no matter how big or small the job – enhancing your brand image is vital. The the tone of voice needs to be consistent across all your communication. And a good copywriter will be a brand custodian as well as a potent salesman.

More sleep.
Internal projects have the knack of coinciding with the busiest times of the year – a product launch, a big marketing campaign or year end. Outsourcing the content to a copywriter takes a massive load off, so you can look at the big picture and make the project brilliant.

At the Copysmith, we’re experts at understanding the marketing needs of businesses. We don’t just do the basics of writing well, we bring ideas and insights that make communications achieve exciting results. Why not drop us a line to discuss your next project? Our clients would tell you that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Why not email us at on projects@thecopysmith.co.uk to discuss your next project? Our clients would tell you that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Original article by Richard Hollins: www.richardhollins.com

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The perfect stocking stuffer? Or just down right revolting? Marmite, Britain’s kitchen cupboard ‘favourite’ has extended it’s product line to… chocolate bars!

Launching just in time for Christmas, the 100g bars have been described as creamy milk chocolate with a hint of ‘that’ famous yeasty flavour. In a peculiarly confident moment, Unilever, owner of Marmite, said the chocolate bar’s potential success could see it is a permanent addition to Marmite’s brand offering. In perhaps a more pessimistic moment, Unilever suggested people may just buy it this Christmas as a “devious treat for the in-laws”. Quite.

Supported by in-store activity and a PR campaign, the Very Peculiar chocolate bar is hitting stores, including BHS and Debenhams, today.

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Asos.com turns up the competition with consumer publishers by appointing former Elle UK editor, Melissa Dick.  Dick will lead the content strategy, overseeing the content of its monthly customer magazine and Asos websites. Asos MD Clare Dobbie explained the position was created “due to the increased importance of editorial content to our business.”

Dick comes with punch, having held senior editorial roles across digital and print publications at places like Hearst Digital and handbag.com. She says: “Asos is one of the most dynamic and innovative fashion brands that exists right now and I am delighted to be joining it. The ability to integrate content and commerce online is something that is really shaping the future of fashion editorial and the opportunity to combine my editorial experience with global fashion retail and media is a proposition I’m excited to be undertaking,”

Dobbie adds that Dick will be “invaluable to providing our customers with compelling and relevant content.”

Read what we’ve got to say about the power of Branded Publications.

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.

: 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.

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.

We assisted Brand Union in writing and compiling Mubadala’s communication guidance. Other guidelines that we’ve worked on have been Nokia Online Guidelines and Nokia Wiki online Guidelines for Interone Worldwide.

We worked closely with Brand Union on a corporate book for Saudi giant Al Hokair. Al Hokair represents over forty major labels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including GAP, Dorothy Perkins, La Senza, Monsoon and Accessorize.

The board wanted a book that captured the essence of their business and would break through the notoriously dull world of corporate literature.

We wrote magazine-style articles from high level documents and reports resulting in a slick, chic 180 page corporate book with the compelling feel of a glossy editorial.

Dubai Freight Services flies people and cargo to the hard places few will dare to go – and where shipments are often a matter of life and death. This hard-hitting brochure needed to talk to corporates, governments as well as military and aid-organisations in a language that was both professional, persuasive and sensitive.

We helped Genius Loci write the launch literature, including this brochure for luxury resort, Miramar. Part of the task was to come up with an engaging tone of voice which embodies the beauty and tranquility of the destination.