INK

02 It ain’t what you say

03 How to keep up with the SEO bots

04 The multimedia multi-personality

copywriter

05 PR - crafting the perfect press release

07 Your blog. Too important to

leave to the intern

CONTENT AND COPYWRITING REVIEW

IT AIN’T WHATYOU SAY

In any conversation about copywriting, it’s not long before the subject of tone of voice crops up. 

Why? Because a distinct tone sets you apart, even if your product doesn’t.  So between two competing brands, the one that gets the most traction is the one people remember because of how it talked to them. 

But tone of voice isn’t just  an exercise in differentiation. It’s also a powerful way to reinforce your brand. Because talking in a consistent way makes the sum of your marketing parts work that much harder. 

When you talk to your audience on your social channels in the same tone you use for your direct marketing, POS or trade advertising, it builds familiarity and trust. You don’t have to work to win them all over again, because they already recognise and know you from elsewhere. 

Good marketers know this instinctively. They’re the ones who benefit from a distinct tone of voice at the outset and reap the benefits in higher recall, increased brand loyalty and greater ROI for years, even decades. Simples. Finding a tone of voice and sticking to it is hard.So if the right tone of voice is such a potent tool, how come we see so much bland, characterless marketing around? 

Often, it’s the startups and entrepreneur brands that have the most characterful, recognisable tones. Think Moneysupermarket.com, Mailchimp or Innocent Drinks, back in the day.

It’s easy to see why; in a small startup, it’s usually one person doing everything, from raising the finance and washing out the bottles to, yes, writing all the marketing material.

So when they write about a business that’s essentially an extension of their personality, they are their own tone of voice. 

But when you’re bigger, it gets harder to define what makes you different. Harder to find

something new to say about yourself, especially for B2B marketers. 

Add to that the layers of management and other stakeholders who all want  their say and a holding company micromanaging the UK marketing effort from afar, and  you can see why, despite the best efforts of the marketing team on the ground, so much marketing adopts such an  uninspiring tone.Finding your voice. At its heart, tone of voice is simply an expression of brand personality. And when you have a clear picture of what that personality is, it becomes a lot easier to find the words that go with it. 

So if you’re struggling with your tone of voice, here are a couple of simple exercises you can use to help you get a better idea of what your brand stands for and how it should talk.

Try them out to see what works for your brand and where they take the tone of your written communications.Go from one extreme to the other.Simplest of all is to establish where you feel your brand sits on a continuum of key characteristics.

For example, on a sliding scale of formality, where do you fall between ‘Rigidly institutional’ and ‘Everybody’s best mate’? Or innovation:  Are you a ‘move fast and break things’ disruptor, or a preserver of tradition?

How about collaboration? Are you one of life’s

team players or do you do things your own way? Spend some time (along with other key

stakeholders in the business if possible) discussing your position between these and any other personality control points that are relevant in your sector. 

After a few hours (and possibly a couple of disagreements - it’s amazing how different the perspectives of two people can be on the company they’ve both worked in for years!) you’ll have a series of words or phrases that each contributes to an aspect of your brand personality. 

Now, it’s simply a matter of whittling them down to the three that best represent what you feel is its very essence.Establishing your tone of voice coordinates.Why three? First, because when you try to turn your brand personality into a tone of voice, having four, five or six personality traits to acknowledge will make things very complicated indeed.

And second, three points of reference are all you need to define the position of anything, anywhere in the universe. Including your tone of voice. 

Let’s say you’ve decided your tone will be ‘Approachable, Adventurous and Inclusive’. Write them down, in a venn diagram if you like, and you’ve got a ready-made litmus test for every piece of copy you write or commission.What you’re not is as important as what you are. If you’re confident about  what your brand stands for, those three key words can be enough to begin building a distinctive tone of voice. Sometimes, though, it takes a little more work to get to the heart of what they mean and how they influence your communications.

When that’s necessary, one technique we’ve used with clients is an exercise known as ‘We are, but we’re not’, for obvious reasons.

It involves thinking again about those specific key qualities, but this time from the perspective of what we don’t want them to imply. Using the above examples once more, this might unfold as: 

‘We are Approachable, but we’re not Overfamiliar.’

‘We are Adventurous, but we’re not Reckless.’‘We are Inclusive, but we’re not Indecisive’.Now you’ve got an even more tightly defined

set of coordinates to guide you on your tone of voice journey. So, how do you start putting it all into practice?Getting it down on paper - and pixels.For many businesses the next stage is disseminating the tone of voice in a set of brand guidelines. That’s sensible, especially if you’re part of a large group and you need to make everyone aware of the new direction your marketing is about to take. 

That said, there’s no substitute for giving your newly focused tone of voice a run out for

real on your next live project. If you’re confident writing

copy yourself, go for it. Nobody knows more about your brand than you, and with those guidelines to point you in the right direction, you can be

reasonably certain of getting the register and feel you’re after. 

Bear in mind, though, it can be time consuming, especially with everything else you’re likely to have crossing your desk.  And we haven’t even started talking about how writing for different audiences and different media might themselves mean altering your tone of voice accordingly ... 

Yes, it can be complex. But that’s what makes finding and exploring your tone of voice such a challenge. And what makes it so rewarding when at last you get it right.

Why tone of voice is so important. And how to get it right.

A distinct tone sets you apart, even if your

product doesn’t

When you have a clear picture of what your

personality is, it becomes a lot easier to find the words that go with it

02

Search Engine Optimisation. To the uninitiated, it can seem like and endless game of cat and mouse with each successive tweak Google makes to its algorithms.

But one thing that doesn’t change is the importance Google places on website copy. If they think it’s clear, relevant and useful, then the better chance you have of your site making it onto the first page of search results.

So here are our ten most important pieces of advice, based on experience and hard evidence of what works, on how to recruit your humble Qwerty keyboard in the battle for clicks, hits and rankings. 1 Keywords still matter. Getting keywords in often – and early –

will help the Google bots makes sense of your site quickly and improve its score. Take care though; more isn’t always better. Too much keyword ‘stuffing’ can get your site marked down, so aim for a keyword density of 1% - 3% to hit the ‘sweet spot’ for readability and relevance.

2. Use keywords in headings and subheads. We see so many blogs and articles that miss

out on the chance to boost their ranking by ignoring this basic SEO copywriting practice. Google bots love it because it shows you’re setting out your content in an easy to digest way. And readers love it because it tells them exactly what they’re going to get in return for the time they invest in your site.

3. Content is King , but context matters. Nowadays, the algorithms don’t just look for

keywords, but for related words and phrases too. ‘Latent Semantic Indexing’, as it’s known, tells the bots what your site is about and how to categorise it. So if you’re selling Cloud services, for example, including plenty of related phrases like ‘remote server’, ‘SaaS’, and ‘offsite hosting’ will tell them to rank it in the right search category – and not in searches for the weather forecast!

4. Use ‘Natural Language’ in your SEO copywriting. Related to point 3 above, Google’s new

emphasis on context means copy written in a more ‘natural’ style will score higher in search

rankings. So the rules for writing online are the same as anywhere else: Keep it clear. Keep it relevant. Make sure your tone of voice is right for your audience. And don’t use big, long words when a short one will do.

5. Make sure your blogs and articles are long enough.

It’s a question we hear all the time: How much copy should I put in my site? The critical mass for an SEO optimised page is around 1850 to 2000 words. Enough for Google make a judgement on how useful and relevant the content is, but not too much to turn the audience, or the bots, off from reading it.

6. Cater to the skim reader. According to slate.com, we read about 60%

of a page on average before giving up and going elsewhere. That means you need to keep things short and sweet if you’re to hold people’s interest. But doesn’t that fly in the face of what we’ve just said? No. It just means breaking things down so people can go straight to the bits that interest them.

7. Google loves a list. Lists are SEO copywriting gold because: • They’re easy for algorithms to assess • They show you’re making life easier for

the reader • They can be linked straight to relevant

pages on your site (extra Google points) • They play to our natural love of numbers

(7 Weird Ways to Lose Belly Fat. 15 Bloopers the Continuity Guys Didn’t Spot)

• They’re easy to remember • They’re quick and easy to collate.8. Make your copy readable. ‘Readability’ is all about pitching your copy

at the right level to give as many people as possible the information they need, quickly and easily. Among other metrics, Google uses something called the Flesch-Kincaid index to assess readability. There are plug-ins and whole sites that will score your copy on this index, such as readable.com. A score of between 60 and 70 means your copy can be understood by most people, whatever their reading ability.

9. Make the most of metatags. Metatags and meta descriptions are the short

titles and descriptions that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs). They may not feature in your actual website, but they are crucial for helping bots spot and categorise your page. Make sure you use them to spell out exactly what your page is about and what people can expect when they click on the link.

10. Find an original angle. Whoever said ‘nothing is original’ wasn’t the

first. None of the advice we’re offering here is new. But we hope you’ve found the way we’ve bundled up the easiest fixes useful for your own SEO copywriting efforts. Look for a side to your story readers may not have thought about before, and we guarantee you’ll hold their interest a lot longer …

The rules for SEO are changing all the time. Here’s how to stay ahead of them

KEEPING UP WITH THE BOTS

.

Delivering to the Leadenhall Building was a challenge. But we never cut it fine.

The Cheesegrater was one of London’s tallest construction projects. At the very heart of The City, it was also one of the most difficult to access. Nevertheless, contractors could depend on regular deliveries of our Ultra High Strength Construction Grout to help them secure the building’s giant structural beams into its 10m2 sections of floor slab.

With Travis Perkins providing onsite l iaison, our drivers made over 300 separate deliveries to Leadenhall Street. Negotiating the narrow streets of the Square Mile, rush hour traffic and preparations for the London 2012 Olympics along the way.

The final delivery was made in April 2013. With plenty of time to spare before London’s latest landmark skyscraper was officially opened for business the following year.

For more information on Pozament Ultra High Strength Construction Grout and our extensive range of other construction grouting products, visit pozament.co.uk or call 08444 630 046.

2280 Tarmac - Leadenhall-NCE 297x210 AW.indd 1

10/04/2015 10:22

Ad break: Tarmac Building Products In this ad for Tarmac Building Products, we used a play on words in the headline to link Tarmac’s bulk delivery service to a prestigious landmark construction project – the Cheesegrater building in Leadenhall Street, London.

03

THE MULTIMEDIA MULTI-PERSONALITY COPYWRITER

Every copywriter has that dinner party conversation. The one where you’re asked if ‘copyrighting’ involves working with patents and trademarks and stuff. And you have to explain that, well, it’s more like working with companies to write all the words for their advertising, websites, brochures and that kind of thing. Then the other person says ”Oh, interesting… what areas do you specialise in?”, and you have to say “None really, I’ve worked for construction companies, banks, tech firms, holiday firms. Anyone who needs me.” Then there’s the nod and the pause as it sinks in: What a weird way to make a living that must be…

And they’re right. Copywriting is a strange kind of profession. One where you go from persuading hard up single mums to shop at Kash Save Supermarket because of ‘Low, Low Prices Your Purse Will Love’ one moment. To schmoozing high net-worth individuals to invest in the Platinum Plus Gilt Bond Scheme because it can be opened with an initial payment of just £50,000 the next.

The fact is, copywriters have to wear a lot of different hats. And be able to switch personalities and approaches at the drop of one.

First, because of the tone of voice they need to adopt on behalf of the brands they write for. The above example illustrates just two of the many, many different audiences the copywriter has to find a way of reaching with their work. Sometimes, even, for the same brand.

At DGR, we have a client in the replacement door and window sector who markets to Installers, Homeowners and Specifiers simultaneously. That means the copywriting team tackling identical products in three different ways. Once in a no-

nonsense, straight to the point manner to engage the trade. Then again in a way that plays on the emotional values of a warm and secure home.

And finally, to appeal to the high-minded sensibilities of the professional architect.

Then there’s the sheer amount of stuff that copywriters have to know to do their job properly. Stuff about their client’s product and sector; about the problems their customers face that ‘New Product X’ can solve; about chemistry, engineering, psychology, regulations, cats …

Often, they have to make themselves a virtual expert from a standing start on a subject they’ve never come across before last week – let alone written about with complete authority. Of course, Google has made that part of the job a lot easier in recent years.

But it still helps to have the enquiring mind and passion for trivia that most copywriters possess. The advertising veteran John Harding described it as a ‘mental scrapbook’ of facts, or a ‘black bin bag stuffed with inspiration you can take from one job to the next’. What you put in it today may have nothing to do with the project you’re researching for tomorrow’s deadline. But one day, six weeks or six years

from now, it will almost certainly resurface for use in another.

And of course, there’s the sheer breadth of channels nowadays that demand a continuous

supply of content like the ‘Strictly’ wardrobe team demands sequins. Websites, blogs, press releases, videos, social feeds, e-mail marketing,

trade publications … Each with its own writing conventions and disciplines that have to be negotiated and mastered.

It’s not just a matter of size and space (‘Nice 1000 word thought leadership piece. How would it look as a tweet?’). It’s a question of how informal you can afford to be in an email versus how important it is to stick the rules in a business letter. Whether humour has a place in a trade advertising campaign, or how your headline should differ between a Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram post.

The best copywriters know the answers because they practice, experiment, test, rewrite and refine until their years of accrued knowledge practically become a sixth sense for what works and what sells.

So many of today’s ‘new’ digital copywriting tools, for instance, are actually tried and tested direct marketing techniques, honed over decades by generations of copywriters. Tricks like testimonials, ‘How to’ headlines, top ten lists and social proof points.

Knowing these techniques is one thing. Knowing when, how and why to use them, quite another. If you know a copywriter that does, keep them close. (If you don’t, well, we know one or two not very far from here at all).

It may be a weird way to make a living. And it may take a certain kind of personality – or personalities – to carry it off. But ultimately, your copywriter could be the one person who holds the key to selling your services effectively. Now, that’s got to be worth raising your hat to.

The fact is, copywriters have to wear a lot of different hats

Why the job of copywriting is a lot more complex than it might seem

So many of today’s ‘new’ digital copywriting tools, for instance,

are actually tried and tested direct marketing techniques

04

8. Make it editable There’s no knowing how much

space will be available in the publication. Use short, self-contained paragraphs that can be cut without ruining the sense of your story.

9. The end is in sight Indicate clearly where the story

ends. Include contact details and supplementary information after the story text.

2. The headline Make it clear, compelling and to the

point. Give the journalist reviewing your story a reason to read on.

3. The opening paragraph Where you put your key

information. Even if this is as far as they get, your readers should still understand the story.

4. The second and third paragraphs

These should develop the story with secondary and supporting information.

5. Include a quote Quotes add authority.

If necessary, make one up and get it agreed before you send your story out.

6. Writing style Check the publication for a

‘house style’. Using the editorial tone of voice makes it more likely your story will appear.

PR - THE STORY BEHIND THE STORYPublic Relations is a highly specialised field and one we could easily dedicate an entire newspaper to. But the ever present element in every PR campaign – the press release – is something anyone can learn to craft with a little practice. All you need is a good story and the right advice.

And finally: Check, double-check and check again for typos and errors. Between correcting your mistakes or hitting ‘delete’, most journalists will choose ‘delete’, every time.

1. Is it news? Always find angle that’s relevant to

your audience, your industry or the wider public. People only read what interests them.

7. They, not we Remember, you’re writing as an

independent journalist might if they were covering your story. That means always using the third person instead of ‘our’ and ‘we’.

05

For more information on the Pozament sprayed concrete range, visit pozament.co.uk or call our Sales Team on 03444 630 046

Pozament – The specialist packed products division of Tarmac.

FROM A SKATE PARK TO A POWER STATION , WE HAVE A SPRAYED CONCRETE FOR THE JOB .

Pozament’s bespoke range of packed wet.

and dry spray concrete guarantees control.

and consistency whatever the project.

With specially developed binders.

to limit clogging and reduce rebound,

they’ll save you time and money too.

Attention If an ad (or a banner, or a social post) doesn’t draw the eye, everything else is irrelevant. This ad, for Tarmac’s sprayed concrete range, appeared in the building and civil engineering press. We knew these publications were dominated by images of building sites, building products and contractors in hard hats. To make the ad stand out, we adopted a very colourful graphic style and used the spray hose itself to show the types of project sprayed concrete can be used in.

InterestOnce the design has attracted the reader’s attention, the headline gives the key information we knew would arouse further interest. The audience for the ad was the Civil Engineers and Quantity Surveyors responsible for ordering materials, so we were confident a proportion of those who saw the ad would read on from the headline to find out more about Tarmac’s wide range of products.

DesireThe copy builds on the headline message. It explains that Tarmac can provide them with bespoke sprayed concrete products; that this means they can use it in almost any kind of construction project; that it contains ingredients to prevent waste; and that it would save them money. The idea is to move the reader from a position of neutrality or ignorance about the product to create a desire for more information, or to buy. Some AIDA models add a letter P at this stage, which stands for ‘Proof’. This refers to examples of savings, testimonials from satisified customers or 3rd party certifications and awards – anything to convince and persuade.

ActionEvery piece of marketing should have a clear message telling the reader what to do next. The Call to Action takes many forms, from phone numbers and website addresses to discount codes or instructions on where to find stockists. Whatever form it takes, it should be clear, simple and memorable.

Partly it’s for the convenience of not having to spell out things like ‘Search Engine Results Page’ and ‘Double Page Spread’ when ‘SERP’ and ‘DPS’ are so much easier. And partly, it has to be said, it’s because certain ad types think using them makes them sound cleverer than they actually are.

One acronym that’s been around for almost as long as advertising itself is AIDA, standing for

Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. The reason it endures is that no-one has yet found a better, simpler way of describing how advertising works, whether it’s in a single advertisement or over the weeks and months of an entire campaign.

To illustrate, here’s how we applied AIDA in a trade press ad that was part of a campaign for our client, Tarmac Building Products.

AIDA. THE ANATOMY OF AN AD.

Like every industry, advertising is full of acronyms and abbreviations.

06

Blogging is the gift that keeps on giving for marketers. A way to bypass traditional channels, control the narrative and build strong, direct relationships with customers.

Or it is if you have the time and writing ability to dedicate to it. Otherwise, strange as it seems for such a ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ media, it makes sense to outsource your blog to a professional content provider.

Here’s why: Blogs launched in an initial

burst of enthusiasm have a habit of becoming a distracting chore as the demands of day to day business get in the way. From twice weekly posts in the early days, to one or two a month and eventual stagnation, the abandoned blog isn’t a good look for any business.

But with a full time provider to generate regular, relevant content, you can keep your blog current without losing focus on the rest of your responsibilities.

Likewise, blog posts that lack polish or have obvious mistakes can work against you. There’s some leeway in the blogosphere for the occasional spelling mistake, given a blog often represents the raw thoughts of a thought leader. But sloppy grammar and repeated errors over time can make readers start to wonder where else your quality control is lacking.

Worst of all is the blog or social media strategy that’s been passed over to the office junior or intern on the basis that anything digital is bound to be second nature. But juniors and interns seldom have the experience and knowledge

to be long-term digital brand guardians, and neither should we expect it of them. Plus, the many stories of digital marketing disasters arising from putting them in sole charge should be enough to dissuade anyone from going down

such a route. A blog is like any other form

of writing. It benefits from being carefully thought out, properly constructed and professionally executed. With all those skills

at their disposal, and the time to give it the attention it deserves, a professional writer could be the difference between a blog that makes you famous and one that does your brand no favours at all.

But there are still plenty of examples of overwritten, overcomplex marketing around.

To be fair, ‘keeping it simple’ can be hard. A good way to start is by getting rid of long, complicated words and phrases where shorter ones will do.

Here are some of the most frequent offenders and the words you should use instead to make your copy more readable, more immediate and more effective.

TOO IMPORTANT TO LEAVE TO THE INTERN

Sloppy grammar and repeated errors can make readers start to wonder where else your quality

control is lacking

When your company blog needs the professional touch

AVOID USE INSTEAD

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ensure make sure

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in excess of more than

in respect of for

AVOID USE INSTEAD

in the event of if

on receipt when we/you get

on request if you ask

particulars details

per annum a year

persons people

prior to before

purchase buy

regarding about

should you wish if you want

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THE COPYWRITER’S GUIDE TO STRAIGHTFORWARD ENGLISH

The text book advice on copy is to keep it ‘short, simple and to the point’.

plain

07

TO GRAMMARLY, OR NOT TO GRAMMARLY?

The rise of the online writing tool has brought AI galloping to the rescue of anyone who feels less than certain about their writing skills, less than 100% of the time.

Without doubt, they remove a lot of the stress and uncertainty around tricky issues of spelling and grammar. Especially in formal reports, assignments or presentations, where language is a reflection of professionalism and must be faultless.

As an aid to writing and assessing copy, however, they can fall short in a number of ways.

The best copywriting brings an individuality to the brand it’s representing. That often comes from playing, if not hard and fast, then at least a few a miles an hour over the speed limit with the rules of grammar.

But applying those rules through the coldly objective screen of an online writing tool tends to squeeze out that individuality.

The oddities that contribute to a distinct tone of voice. The quirks and misconstructions that make so much memorable advertising … well, memorable. The sentence fragments. And the sentences that start with ‘and’ (which, whatever you’ve been told, are perfectly correct and acceptable).

Besides, when it comes to rules, aren’t they things we’re meant to be breaking in pursuit of clicks, eyeballs and enquiries?

Something else the grammar bots don’t allow for is the rhythm of a piece of copy. Every copywriter

will tell you about the writes, the rewrites and the re-rewrites they go through to get the rhythm of a sentence – the bounce, if you like – just right.

An extra syllable here to hit the beat. A flourish of alliteration there to make your point.

This isn’t a writer’s self-indulgence; rhythm is the undercurrent that pushes

good copy effortlessly along. You hardly know it’s there but, boy, do you miss it when it’s gone. Your previously eloquent argument starts to stutter, stumble and trip over its own feet. And before you

know it, you’ve lost your reader, and your chance to close the sale has gone.

The point is, copy that’s been screened by robots will inevitably come across as robotic. In any case, even with all their AI to draw on, they don’t always get it right.

The one time I dabbled in grammarcheck.net, it offered me this piece of advice: ‘Strong verbs are easier to read and use less words.’ And if you can’t see the howler in that short sentence, then maybe you should step away from the writing tools and hire a flesh and blood professional instead.

STRUGGLING TO GET IT DOWN IN WORDS? ASK THE DGR COPY DOCTOR

You’ve diverted all your calls, found a quiet corner of the office and managed to get down 250 words for your new company homepage. But however many times you go over it, the writing doesn’t feel quite … well, right.

Or, you know you’re getting the clicks and hits you’re after, but there’s something about your web copy that’s just not encouraging visitors to stick around. Trouble is, you’re not sure what.

Maybe you need a second opinion. Send us a sample of your copy, a little bit of background about your company, your audience and your services, and we’ll carry out a thorough health-check to show you where the problems lie and what you can do to put them right. We’ll even include a first draft of how we’d approach the same brief. All absolutely free of charge.

What have you got to lose? Get started at dgrmarcomms.com/copyclinic

THE COPY CLINIC.

Writing tools aren’t always the best judges of copy

Even with all their AI to draw on, the bots don’t

always get it right

To learn more about any of the subjects we've covered, or to discuss a copywriting project with us, visit dgrmarcomms.com or contact Mark on 07720 243691/mark@dgrmarcomms.com

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Ad break: Brother UKOur trade press ad for Brother UK, describing how its printer encryption software makes documents unreadable if they’re intercepted by hackers, wouldn’t have scored highly with any of the online writing assistants.

Brother all-in-oneprints encrypteddocuments so thatfosx llob whxoi fisnedoxisi ohizyll fenet.Information is the most valuable asset your organisation has. So brother helps you protect it with secure socket layer encryption for wireless printing.

It means no-one else can read your documents when you send them over a network.

And just to be sure, we’ve included a secure functionlock so you can set specific access rights for employees, and document password protection too.

All of which helps make your brother all in one the first ‘out of the box’ secure network printer in its class.

When your business depends on keeping sensitive information secret, you can depend on brother.

www.brother.co.uk

Featured Product: HL-5350DN

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