We've all heard it: "People don't read anymore."
Steve Jobs said it in 2008. There are 298,000,000 articles based on that keyword phrase.
If the statement is true...
Who will read all those articles?
Why are blogs overflowing with posts?
Why are sites begging for content?
Why are e-books outselling print books on Amazon, creating a "reading renaissance"?
Why is texting so valuable that some are willing to risk their very lives behind the wheel of a speeding car to answer their BFF?
The Fine Print
Q: Why is all the fine print at the bottom of a contract so small?
A: Partly to dissuade someone from reading it.
Lesson to Writers: If you want your stuff to be read, don't write a lot of words in a small font.
Write to be Seen
Let's talk about marketing to humans. People love interesting visuals and shiny objects. If an image or infographic is compelling, people will spend time with it to gain its true value.
So it is with copywriting, which is also visual. If you write the best words in the optimal order, people will read on.
It seems simple, but a wealth of experience, skill, and decisions go into choosing those words and the order.
Put your mind into the minds of those you want to affect with your writing. The more specific you can be about identifying your audience, the more you can give them the words that they require to read on.
For example, you are a young woman. Your grandfather gave you the money to buy a new car and you just purchased a new convertible. You can't wait to tell everyone.
Which message would you tell your grandfather (A) The convertible is cool, saving on AC, which saves on gas, or (A) the car is a testosterone magnet?
Save a Word, Use an Image
To communicate the above scenario using images instead of so many words would be a great deal of fun, save a ton of words, and probably be a more memorable lesson for writers.
It is amazing how much more quickly an image can convey or amplify a message or emotion. And it is amazing how a few words can make powerful and relevant sense of even a stock image.
The proper image with the best writing can create a slice of real life or a compelling story, which, again, sticks in the mind and heart with much more impact than a screaming headline with exclamation points.
Storytelling
Today, "storytelling" has arrived in marketing. Truth is, it has always been there, and everyone seemed to know it except the executives, organizations, and brands who desperately need to understand it most.
You might ask, how can a company not know its own story? Because the story of which I speak is not about the company, it is about the customer.
Know your customer's story. It is the true story of their challenge, their need, and the obstacles they overcame that led them to your organization's doorstep, where they found satisfying resolution with your company's brand (not product, service, or mascot).
When you know that story, you can tell it to similar potential customers and it will resonate as truth. Your company's history, path to success, pledge of quality, engaged workers... all of that does not tell their story, it tells yours. There is a place for that, usually internally, or nowhere in brand marketing.
So, write to be read. You can't hide words, so you might as well string them into something meaningful and compelling.
Steve Jobs said it in 2008. There are 298,000,000 articles based on that keyword phrase.
If the statement is true...
Who will read all those articles?
Why are blogs overflowing with posts?
Why are sites begging for content?
Why are e-books outselling print books on Amazon, creating a "reading renaissance"?
Why is texting so valuable that some are willing to risk their very lives behind the wheel of a speeding car to answer their BFF?
The Fine Print
Q: Why is all the fine print at the bottom of a contract so small?
A: Partly to dissuade someone from reading it.
Lesson to Writers: If you want your stuff to be read, don't write a lot of words in a small font.
Write to be Seen
Let's talk about marketing to humans. People love interesting visuals and shiny objects. If an image or infographic is compelling, people will spend time with it to gain its true value.
So it is with copywriting, which is also visual. If you write the best words in the optimal order, people will read on.
It seems simple, but a wealth of experience, skill, and decisions go into choosing those words and the order.
Put your mind into the minds of those you want to affect with your writing. The more specific you can be about identifying your audience, the more you can give them the words that they require to read on.
For example, you are a young woman. Your grandfather gave you the money to buy a new car and you just purchased a new convertible. You can't wait to tell everyone.
Which message would you tell your grandfather (A) The convertible is cool, saving on AC, which saves on gas, or (A) the car is a testosterone magnet?
Save a Word, Use an Image
To communicate the above scenario using images instead of so many words would be a great deal of fun, save a ton of words, and probably be a more memorable lesson for writers.
It is amazing how much more quickly an image can convey or amplify a message or emotion. And it is amazing how a few words can make powerful and relevant sense of even a stock image.
The proper image with the best writing can create a slice of real life or a compelling story, which, again, sticks in the mind and heart with much more impact than a screaming headline with exclamation points.
Storytelling
Today, "storytelling" has arrived in marketing. Truth is, it has always been there, and everyone seemed to know it except the executives, organizations, and brands who desperately need to understand it most.
You might ask, how can a company not know its own story? Because the story of which I speak is not about the company, it is about the customer.
Know your customer's story. It is the true story of their challenge, their need, and the obstacles they overcame that led them to your organization's doorstep, where they found satisfying resolution with your company's brand (not product, service, or mascot).
When you know that story, you can tell it to similar potential customers and it will resonate as truth. Your company's history, path to success, pledge of quality, engaged workers... all of that does not tell their story, it tells yours. There is a place for that, usually internally, or nowhere in brand marketing.
So, write to be read. You can't hide words, so you might as well string them into something meaningful and compelling.
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