Genesis DM has provided extremely valuable support in assisting
us to bring focus and clarity in our communications with the
membership of this Association.
Secretary – International Membership Association

Copywriting

One of the first things we'd tell anyone who is preparing to write a piece of copy, is to FOCUS. It's absolutely essential there are no distractions, not only will the task take longer, but it may well end up disjointed and having to be completely re-written.

Not to be confused with the word copyright! Unfortunately, for one business both of the words 'Copyright Design' and 'Copywrite Design' became a little muddled and both forms appeared regularly throughout their brochure. Embarrassing at the very least or at worst perhaps some financial loss?

So why is it that such basic errors can be found regularly in documents and on signs? Is our ability to write sensibly been lost through poor education, or have we become too reliant on our PC's spell check? Thankfully help is on hand.

We have been writing compelling copy for many years, during which time our text has appeared in all manner of media, from promotional material and websites to corporate reports, magazines and newspapers. In the fifteen+ years (ouch) some of us have been doing this, three things remain largely unchanged:-

  1. It continues to be extremely gratifying when our articles are published.
  2. Most company executives still loathe writing copy.

    and
  3. Most company executives still loathe writing copy.
Headlines, we just love them!

A well-known supermarket brand (Tesco's) is running a campaign where the headline reads 'buy two, get two free'. Isn't that great? The offer is exactly the same offer as 'BOGOF' (Buy One, Get One Free), but the retailer has cleverly placed a caveat on the minimum quantity of two at full price, to qualify. (Apr 2011)

Yes, you've guessed it; many executives REALLY don't enjoy copywriting. In fact they often turn to the marketing department, like bankers reportedly turn to bonuses when it comes to composing a new communiqué, fortunately we happen to be pretty good at it..

There are few hard and fast rules, but there are many guidelines. Acronyms such as KISS ('Keep It Short and Simple', or as some put it, 'Keep It Simple, Stupid') are there to help. Copy that's full of jargon may impress some, but not everyone, so remember to show your human side, after all you're writing for an audience. That's where PASS comes in, (Purpose, Audience, Style and Structure) and AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action); both are well quoted examples. Personally we believe all these abbreviations are worth remembering, because they remind you precisely what your objectives should be.

Of course if it's safer and more efficient for you to outsource your copywriting and design you could always email us at communications@genesisdm.co.uk.