Keeping it simple

One of my regular (and favourite) clients -  gosimply.com are one of the UK’s fastest growing pre-travel (airport parking, hotels, travel insurance etc.) price comparison websites.  I was originally taken on board to assist in a re-branding exercise, consisting of a complete overhaul of all website and marketing copy. 6 months down the line and I’m pleased to say the working relationship has developed into a regular commitment – supplying everything from weekly web updates and blog posts to press releases.

Recommended by everyone from The Sunday Times and The Mail to the New York Times, gosimply.com are a young, forward thinking and ambitious company set to go places over the next few years. I believe their success can be attributed in part to a light-hearted, positive ‘can-do’ ethos. Colourful, open plan offices foster open communication amongst team members in a vibrant, creative atmosphere. As a copywriter it was certainly a refreshing change to be given full creative licence during the re-structuring phase of the site – a welcome chance to demonstrate my more ‘whimsical’ side and an opportunity to develop my professional portfolio.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk / www.gosimply.com

(Pictured above, Managing and Technical Directors Tim Hagger and James Burrows rub shoulders with James Caan of Dragon’s Den fame)

The thin blue line

I was recently fortunate enough to spend a week working on site with one of my larger clients, Kent Police. As one of the country’s leading forces in terms of both innovation and delivering results, the chance to work with their head of Corporate Communications was a welcome one. I had been asked to work with their dept. on delivering a new initiative county-wide – an area split into six divisions. For a relatively small team, this was a huge undertaking. Of course it goes without saying that they’re an extremely hard working bunch, able to meet pretty much any deadline thrown at them (no matter how seemingly insurmountable). The dept. are situated in the same office as the  equally dynamic media team – their finger (literally) on the pulse of news events around the county. Needless to say it was an eye-opening experience – with an opportunity to see just how, in these PR/PC obsessed days, a busy communications team stay ahead of the pack.

As a freelance copywriter and naturally inquisitive individual, I am afforded the unique priviledge of working with a truly diverse array of clients on a weekly basis – most offering a  great learning experience to boot.

Best job in the world? I like to think so.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Hotter than July……

I know – it’s still June, but only just (I merely wanted to drop in a musical reference, courtesy of my favourites – Mr Wonder). One really has to wonder what constitutes news by today’s standards. It’s the same old same old – temperatures creep towards the heady heights of 30c and every news channel nationwide is declaring a state of national emergency. I now know that a heatwave is technically defined by a temperature range of 30-15c (day/night) on two consecutive days. Wow – a whole two days? Of course the press – rubbing their grubby mitts together – leap at the opportunity to spew forth a torrent of sensationalist warnings of heat-related illness, record temperatures and climate change (a very real threat I appreciate) with almost unbridled glee.  All that after one day of hot weather. Makes you wonder how folk in genuinely warm climates would view such national hysteria. Still, I suppose it provides temporary relief from the 24hr news coverage on the plight of the unfortunate Jackson family……..

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

The path less travelled

I receive at least 3 or 4 emails per week either looking for employment or simply advice on establishing a freelance business. With this in mind, I thought I’d drop a few basic tips for this latest blog.  As always, I would urge would-be copywriters to take the time in researching their chosen discipline.  Start out by pitching for smaller,  relatively simple jobs via outsourcing sites like Elance or Guru – this is a great way of accumulating experience whilst establishing a basic portfolio of work (something that will pay dividends when you cast your net out for the bigger catches). This is something that can easily be achieved whilst working your ‘day job’ – I spent a good year developing my knowledge and skills before even considering giving work up.

Perhaps just as important is establishing your brand. A decent brochure website speaks volumes about who you are and how you conduct business. It is your link to the outside world and is vital in conveying the right image – you will be directing potential clients there. There are those that will tell you a simple WordPress page will suffice – I disagree. Take the time to find a designer that understands your business and build your brand from the ‘ground up’. 9 times out of 10 this will be the deciding factor as to whether a potential client chooses you over the competition (of which there is alot, believe me!). Once you have the portfolio to back it up – you’ll have that killer combination.

Never be too proud to learn or take advice from clients – they all have something to teach you, whether direct advice or simply through learning from your mistakes. Design a professional looking quote and invoice template – easily achieveable in Word. Research rates and pitch yourself competitively (but not too much so) – you can start charging commercial fees when you have the experience and portfolio to back it up. Be firm in quoting for work, but not at the cost of losing the job (within reason) – remember when you’re getting off the ground it’s a means to an end.

When you do finally reach the holy grail and quit your day job, remember this: you get out as much as you put in. Some jobs fall in your lap (a nice feeling when it happens!) and some require a great deal of groundwork – never lose sight of your end goal though (and why you started doing this in the first pace). Be prepared for the quiet times when work dips – use the time wisely but also learn to enjoy the privileged position you’re in.

Lastly – communicate, be up front and most importantly take pride in a job well done and you can’t go wrong. Go for it!

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Make Mine a Pint……..

Can everyone write? Well, of course that depends on how much you value a good pint. Confused?

In modern society the written word remains our principal form of communication. It is generally accepted that language came long before any form of written communication – which is believed to have developed during civilisation’s earliest stirrings, commonly known as the ‘hunter-gatherer’ period.  Language developed first through signs and markings, growing into more complex ‘pictographs’. These rudimentary images went on to represent not just an item, but a theory or concept – a form of communication which remains to this day.

Written language soon began to take form as pictographs were imprinted onto clay to form a basic script known as Cuneiform. At the same time, the earliest building-blocks of organised society emerged in the form of Agrarian culture – rooted principally in  agriculture. This also gives us the earliest evidence of a socio-economic climate (hurrah!).

Which brings us neatly to beer. The principal currency of any agriculturally-based society is grain. Storage of grain lead in a round about way to the invention of beer (we’re quick learners after all). Many inscriptions from this period appear to portray the making and celebration of beer. That’s not to say that the written word was facilitated by the need to record a night out on the p*ss – but it is possible.

Can You Spell ‘Hieroglyph’

The Egyptians came next, taking things a step further by developing their own symbols (yes, you’ve guessed it, known as hieroglyphs). As with many of their innovations (including mass-slavery and torture), they took a principal and made it their own. Hieroglyphs were a giant leap forward towards the advent of the first alphabet – or rather a single sign representing a single sound, snappily labelled acrophony.

From here it splits in two as we travel to the Middle East and the advent of the Semitic languages. The development of this train diversified into four main geographic lines – Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast (liked to keep things simple, didn’t they?). From the northwest came Phoenician, a derivative of Canaanite.

The Phoenician alphabet was adopted by the early Greeks, who took yet another leap forward by symbolising vowels. The accepted predecessors of modern script – Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek – were all developed from Phoenician. The Greek alphabet led to Latin and Aramaic led to Arabic – and the rest is history……..

So, the next time someone informs you that beer is bad for you – you may like to remind them of this small but significant facet to our history.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

It’s All About the Message

Writing for business is about one simple concept – making your message clear. Copy that speaks directly to the reader is far more likely to engage and steer them towards that all important enquiry form. In my experience, conversions (as they are known in the business) account for a good 50% of the equation. Once that potential client picks up the phone or emails, it’s then simply about identifying exactly what they’re after and providing it – easy eh? Well, sort of.

‘The Message’ isn’t just about how cleverly-worded your copy is or how much you’ve spent on an all-singing, all-dancing web-page with flash design (in my opinion overrated). It’s not about how diverse your web-marketing strategy is either. Don’t get me wrong – these things certainly help in the never-ending battle to grab peoples’ attention – but from hereon in it’s equal parts closing the deal and following-through. A fancy front-of-house display is meaningless unless there is some underlying substance. I believe strongly in a ‘back-to-basics’ approach based on good, old-fashioned customer service values:

Email is Not the Enemy!

A prevailing school-of-thought from the likes of bestselling author Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek) suggests that email has grown into a black-hole of a monster stunting the globe’s productivity rate to an alarming degree. There would certainly appear to be some credence to this theory, as email has become a tool to be used and abused within modern office-culture – distributing daily You-Tube clips, jokes and flirtatious anecdotes to work-colleagues. Ferriss goes as far as suggesting the use of auto-responders and a regimented response strategy. Does the same apply to small/medium-sized businesses? Well, this is arguable, but in my experience, no.

To explain – it’s not exactly a new theory that inefficient customer service is damaging established companies and has been doing so for many years. We’ve all experienced that endless wait on hold to ‘customer services’ (only to be cut-off) or an email response one week after your initial enquiry (or worse still, none at all). Hornstein Associates are a leading consultancy firm to some of the globe’s largest organisations. A 2005 survey highlighted the following:

“Online businesses have gotten worse at responding to e-mail requests from web-sites in the last three years…….Only 42% of 38 companies tested with e-mail requests responded within 24hrs, the survey says. In 2002, 63% responded within 24hrs. In addition, 36% of companies did not respond at all” (Source – internetretailer.com)

By 2008 – that percentage had decreased fro 42% to 31% (source – reuters.com), reflecting a steady decline in response rates. So – where does this leave the humble small business? With a chance to grab their share of the pie – that’s where. Small businesses have the chance to capture the hearts-and-minds of clients everywhere by responding in a timely and professional manner to ALL enquiries, large or small. As the global economy suffers, more and more companies are outsourcing to freelancers and independent businesses. There simply is no substitute for a fast, personal and professional response. So, my advice is this – make yourself available. Your email is your company’s life’s blood – check it as much as you feel is necessary, without of course compromising your ability to provide an effective service. Get a Blackberry – this is your chance to shine!

There is No Substitute for a Friendly Voice

As part of your follow-up email, suggest a telephone consultation at a time convenient to the recipient (remember, they’re not yet a client) – this conveys the message that you understand they too are busy people and inevitably places them at ease. Be realistic about what you are able to achieve both in terms of a service and time-frame – there is nothing worse than being promised the earth by a client to be let down when it comes to delivery.

Keep your client appraised and up to date at every available opportunity (a quick email will do) – try to avoid finding yourself  in the position where they are having to ask you for an update. Of course, there will always be those that expect the earth yesterday – a situation which can be avoided by providing a concise, clear service agreement with the initial quote.

Lastly – if the project hits the rocks for whatever reason – don’t be tempted to push it to the back of the queue and ignore it for as long as possible (human nature, i’m afraid). Pick up the phone and speak with the client – more often than not they will be able to either assist or will, at the very least, appreciate your timely honesty.

The message is clear – look after your customers and they will look after you. I have retained a good proportion of clients simply by being accessible, courteous, dependable and prompt. Combine this with solid work that exceeds expectation and you’re onto a winner – take my word for it.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Well, it’s been a busy few weeks here at the office – work is progressing well on our new, as-yet-untitled, E-Book.

As well as our larger clients, we have been working with a number of smaller businesses recently – many of whom are just waking up to the advantages of a web presence. For many small businesses, digital marketing is a perceived ‘unnecessary expense’.  Much of this thinking comes from the misguided belief that the web simply serves a global rather than local market. Of course this is not the case  – by utilising tools such as local directories (Yell.com) and Google Maps – small businesses really can establish a presence in next to no time.

Of course a website ideally comes first, which is where we come in. By dispelling some of the myth surrounding internet copywriting and scary terms such as SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – our guide hopes provide a confidence boost for those small-business owners yet to embrace the digital age. More coming soon.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Where to Start………?

Aside from “What is copywriting?” – the question I’m probably asked most is “How did you get into the business?”. There is, of course, no clear answer to this question (“Quite elementary, dear Watson – the planets were simply aligned” etc.).

First and foremost, I have always had a genuine passion for the art of the written word – a subject that intrigued me from an early age. I have early memories of my mother patiently holding up Flash cards (a phonetic teaching aid) – for long periods, until my spelling ability bettered most of my teachers. Of course, this has stood me in good stead until this very day.

I excelled in English subjects throughout my school years and went on to study English Language as an undergraduate – where I discovered the wonders of literary criticism (something that really appealed to the sadist in me).

My passion for the subject helped me through various graduate posts and eventually into the field of Law – specialising in cross-agency work. However, I was never able to gain the fulfillment I so sought so, with the ever-present support of my wife, set about establishing my own freelance company – Inscribe (www.inscribewriting.co.uk). This proved to be the perfect environment in which to flourish. I quickly established a solid reputation and the company grew to the stage where I was able to finally leave my ‘day job’.

Of course, talent is a must in this business and my prior experience has certainly helped no end – which leads us nicely on to the second point: an ability to  quickly relate to people and understand the way they think. This will ultimately assist in everything from dealing with clients to, more importantly, writing expert copy that really speaks to the reader.

Know your market – get out there and speak to people. Follow-up every lead and contact. Lastly, never, EVER underestimate the importance of investing in marketing and presenting a professional image. In a global market – your website is the legacy by which you will be judged. It can make the difference between someone contacting you or not – it really is that simple. Impress a visitor to your site and half the battle is won (just make sure you have the ability to back it up!). A well-designed website will also mean the difference between sink-or-swim in terms of SEO and search engine rankings – but that’s a whole other kettle of proverbial fish.

More on that later……………..www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Welcome to our Blog!

We here at Inscribe are excited to announce the  relaunch of our new and improved, shiny website!

Following a resoundingly successful 2008, we have used a rather snowy January to expand and rethink our marketing strategy – part of which included a complete overhaul of the website.

You’ll notice a few key changes – such as a rather posh blog feed. We have also expanded some of our services to cater to demand. We’ll be posting regular updates, so be sure to check in regularly for hints and tips on copywriting and general marketing advice.

Finally, we’re proud to announce our partnership with New Creatif, a ‘virtual agency’ based in the sunny south-east of England. NC are an award-winning design-collective, consisting of creative services ranging from web design through to photography and, of course copywriting.

We’ll have more on this exciting development soon – so be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed for the latest news- as it happens!

Paul – Inscribe

www.inscribewriting.co.uk