The marketing expert and founder of Twinlife Marketing, Sonja van den Bosch, gave a seminar recently. She is a hugely knowledgeable woman and a ball of energy who inspired everyone in the room with the depth of her expertise and her passion for what she does. What was so refreshing and invigorating was how in tune she is with the modern trends in marketing that are being shaped by social media.
Let's be clear here: Sonja is not telling everyone that they need to Tweet and post pictures of their pets on Pinterest. For some businesses, this approach could make sense but only if it's relevant. From a marketing point of view, what social media creates is a whole range of new ways to communicate with your current and potential customers. There are huge advantages in this. For one thing, the low cost of publishing on social media means that a small company can now compete with much more cashed-up rivals. Another point that the group discussed with Sonja was the fact that genuinely ethical companies can be discovered online and compete with the less morally driven businesses in their industry. This is becoming a more and more valuable asset as educated consumers look to do business with companies that they can trust.
Sonja's seminar was also very clear about what marketing is and what it isn't. If your business is struggling from a lack of sales and you need to get some cash in the door, developing a new marketing strategy is unlikely to solve your problem. Print some flyers with a special offer and get out onto the footpath if you need to drive quick sales. Marketing is for the medium and long term, building your brand and creating relationships with your market. It also relies on research, so that we are addressing a real need that you market knows it needs. Research also allows us to test our marketing efforts for effectiveness.
Let's be clear here: Sonja is not telling everyone that they need to Tweet and post pictures of their pets on Pinterest. For some businesses, this approach could make sense but only if it's relevant. From a marketing point of view, what social media creates is a whole range of new ways to communicate with your current and potential customers. There are huge advantages in this. For one thing, the low cost of publishing on social media means that a small company can now compete with much more cashed-up rivals. Another point that the group discussed with Sonja was the fact that genuinely ethical companies can be discovered online and compete with the less morally driven businesses in their industry. This is becoming a more and more valuable asset as educated consumers look to do business with companies that they can trust.
Sonja's seminar was also very clear about what marketing is and what it isn't. If your business is struggling from a lack of sales and you need to get some cash in the door, developing a new marketing strategy is unlikely to solve your problem. Print some flyers with a special offer and get out onto the footpath if you need to drive quick sales. Marketing is for the medium and long term, building your brand and creating relationships with your market. It also relies on research, so that we are addressing a real need that you market knows it needs. Research also allows us to test our marketing efforts for effectiveness.
When you have expert marketing help from someone with the experience, inventiveness, drive and knowledge of Sonja, you will increase your chances of connecting with your customers dramatically. When you know who your market is and what you need to say to them, then a copywriter can be incredibly helpful to work out how to say it.
Where Copywriting Fits In The Business Cycle
Whenever you need to communicate really effectively with your customers. Writing is a key part of your marketing and sales process.
When you are starting a new business or launching a new product, a professional writer can help with product and company names and tag-lines. A writer can also help you word your company mission statement - these have gone a little out of fashion, but they are very valuable tools to keep everyone focussed on the same goal. A writer will help you express what your business does on your website, choosing every word with care. Any web developer will tell you that the single biggest delay in launching a site is caused by the owner struggling to write the content. It can be intimidating and that causes delay.
So, when you call your marketing team, make sure they have a professional writer that they can call in to help you. When you call your graphic designer to create a logo, call a copywriter to work with them. When you are building a website, speed the whole process by calling in a writer. Be prepared to spend some time with the copywriter to brief them fully so the process can move ahead smoothly. And one last tip: writing is an iterative process. Any writer worth their salt will expect to write more than one draft, so expect to give constructive feedback to your writers and they will improve and improve the copy until it is as good as they can possibly make it.
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