Zazou Marketing

Sometimes marketing campaigns just aren’t sexy. And that’s OK.

Take banks, for example. There is a whole slew of them who want the public to know that they are safe and solid–in a word, they’re boring. I have personal experience with this message, since I was hired recently by a credit union to two write letters for their annual report. The content of those letters? In part it was that the credit union is safe, solid and growing. And that they never took part in all of those risky lending practices that got the big banks in trouble.

But the marketing message definitely goes beyond one credit union. The New York Times ran an article about banks earlier this month, titled “We’re Dull, Small Banks Say, but Have Profits.” While the title pretty much sums it up, here’s an excerpt:

“community bankers have felt compelled in recent months to mount public relations campaigns to emphasize their fiscal health and in some cases to announce they rejected Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, funds. Some have held cookouts, others have held “reassurance” meetings in their lobbies, hoping to educate customers and prevent panics.”

The point of all of this? Sometimes what sets you apart from your competitors is not something bold and flashy. Sometimes it is your boring old business practices that give you an edge. The important part is that whatever it is that gives you an edge, go ahead and sell it!

Why bother hiring a writer for your brochure or website? After all, you know how to write. You’ve been writing since you were a child. You may even be pretty good at it. Here’s the thing to remember: There’s more to writing than mastering grammar and adding flare to a sentence. Marketing writers write to sell.

Let me explain. To convince your potential client to buy your product or service, you need words that do three things. You need copy to:

• Grab the readers’ attention
• Communicate a message
• Persuade the reader to act

It is only when your brochure or website, or any marketing material for that matter, does these three things, that it is effective. It is only then that your investment in your marketing materials will pay off.

So, what’s so special about a marketing writer’s prose? What gives their words such power? Marketing writers write clearly and concisely. They communicate a message. They organize text carefully. They translate industry-specific jargon. They create interest and show how the product or service is superior. And, finally, marketing writers ask the reader respond – by switching to a new company, making a call, or sending a check.

The ability to write attention-getting, communicative, persuasive copy is the key to marketing writing. It is also the key to the question – why use a professional writer? Simply put, marketing writers are experts at writing winning words to sell a product or service.