Content Development | Copywriting
Sometimes all it takes is an extra, experienced eye (or ear!) to wordsmith a text. A phrase here, an edit there, and all of a sudden..... it works! If that’s the case, Picture-THIS can offer you the kind of “review and revise” skill set that is carefully designed to mesh with your audience’s world view. Other times, you may find that as a subject matter expert, you need to focus on supplying raw content while someone else applies an objective “voice” to the material. We can help with that too; from guiding you as you determine exactly which information to include, to writing media-appropriate copy, we are your one-stop, writing shop!
Only the Good Stuff
Good copy speaks volumes without necessarily occupying volumes. Sometimes, though, there are just too many messages or the messages are unclear or off-target and the resulting copy runs on and on.......aimlessly. With an experience base rich in product marketing, Picture-THIS will work with you to understand your unique place in the business universe and how you contribute to it. We will then craft succinct messages that accurately reflect the market space you intend to occupy and the value proposition that will get you there.
Picture-THIS believes that your communications will resonate with your audience when they are clear and concise and when they are:
TRUE MESSAGES: Everything you communicate about your business must come from a core belief system, one that informs your business MO and rings true to your audience. Whether you know it or not, you have internal and external images that must always be examined, assessed and synchronized. Sometimes the truth is liberating, sometimes it’s painful but always it represents the starting point for the development of solid relationships with clients, partners and employees.
IMPORTANT MESSAGES: The message must be perceived as having value to the receiver and this requires that the message speak intelligently and authoritatively about something of interest to the right audience. Imagine if we addressed the financial industry in the same tone and lexicon we might apply to the fashion industry. This, of course, would be disastrous; who would want a bank to pick their evening gown or a fashion designer to pick their stock? And yet, in their respective industries, leading clothing retailers and financial institutions are important to their markets. There is, however, absolutely no mistaking that they communicate in completely different languages to different groups of people, in different business contexts.
EFFECTIVE MESSAGES: The finest business communication leaves a lasting, positive impression on the receiver and prompts a desired action or reaction. It’s not enough to have a memorable slogan or jingle if you’re just not “getting through”. The intention of the communication and the character of the audience must always guide content development and goals and objectives must always be compared to the final results. This will insure that every element of your copy will contribute to messaging that is both creative and results-driven.
Media-Smarts
Have you ever wondered why some messages seem to fall flat or worse, are nearly incomprehensible? Often, copy is written for a particular medium, say print advertisement, and then re-used for another medium, say website copy. The problem occurs when inexperienced writers fail to see that different media have different usability profiles. In other words, your audience will interact with each medium in a completely different way.
Consider, for example:
- Highway billboards have 3-5 seconds (assuming it’s not rush hour) to make a memorable impact at a distance of anywhere from ~30‘ to well over 150’
How many billboards have you found confusing, illegible or too busy to read as you drive by? - Direct mail pieces must capture the viewer’s attention very quickly to cut through the mail clutter and interrupt the “auto-toss-cycle”.
Which pieces of mail catch your eye and cause you to pause? - Presentation scripts should be written in a conversational style that is appropriate to the audience and that is salted with enough authority cues to make it sell well
Have you ever wondered why some speeches compel you to listen while others quite literally put you to sleep?
Picture-THIS believes that each medium has a voice that must be used with an audience-sensitive language. It is imperative that all communications be written in a way that exploits the merits of the chosen medium and that , this effort be coordinated across all media. Our marketing smarts and sensitivity to media language will ensure that your exhibits, web presence, print materials and presentations all convey your message in a way that is media-intelligent and audience friendly.