We recently welcomed a new Creative Consultant to our staff, and as part of the training process, we staged mock client interviews. I was asked to role-play as the representative from a local credit union, and the new colleague called me to discuss what should be in their next On Hold Messaging update.
In a post-call review, I came up with a list of suggestions for this kind of interview. Just like our journalistic brethren, we copywriters should ask, “Who, What, Where, When and Why,” but with a focus on marketing goals. With this in mind, here are my 5 W’s Of Effective Copywriting:
WHO can you target for a special focus in this piece? (For the credit union, it could have been prospective car buyers, college students in search of a tuition loan, shoppers looking for a better deal on a credit card, homeowners needing an equity loan, etc.)
WHAT product(s) or service(s) can you spotlight? (i.e., auto loans, checking accounts, online banking, financial planning services, etc.)
WHERE can you direct your audience in a call to action? (i.e., stop in today and talk with us, stay on the line and ask for more information, visit our web site to apply, watch for our mailer, fill out the form that’s coming in your next statement, look for our ad, etc.)
WHEN will any other marketing pieces or promotions be running that can work hand-in-hand with this copy?
And with every topic you should always ask:
WHY should your customers care about this? If there’s not an obvious answer — or you can’t find an angle that’s important to the customer — it’s probably self-serving and should be dropped.
Tags: copywriting, marketing, on hold messaging, training