Copywriting That Sells High Tech Blog

Reviews: Juggling Egos, Comments, and Schedules

For many copywriting projects, an enormous amount of time, effort, and political negotiation goes into the review process. You must continually juggle different comments from multiple reviewers against firm project schedules and budgets--not to mention the political sensitivities and personalities that often get in the way of objectivity.

Several strategies can make the review process more fruitful and manageable.

Their Review, Your Control

An essential strategy is to determine in advance how you will control the review process. In particular, identify who will serve as reviewers and how they will work with drafts.

Different projects will have a different numbers and types of reviewers. For some projects, only one or two reviewers will be needed. For other projects, it will seem like half the people in the company will be giving feedback. Typically, the more significant the document is to the marketing effort, or the greater the visibility it will give your company, the larger the number of reviewers and the more review cycles.

However, not all reviewers need to see the copy at every stage of its development. Some reviewers will see the copy in every draft while others reviewers will only need to see the final text.

Giving reviewers copy at different stages of its development offers several advantages for managing your projects.

First, you can ask the subject experts to review copy in the early drafts, when extensive revisions can be made easily and inexpensively.

Second, some people have trouble visualizing how draft copy, which is usually printed as straight text without any formatting, will appear in the final document. For these reviewers, presenting the copy in the design layout can help them make more constructive comments.

Finally, reviewers such as company executives may need to see the final layout--with text and visuals together--in order to verify that the piece will convey the desired messages and branding.

Tell Reviewers What to Do

Use a reviewer's checklist to present instructions on the type of comments you want from reviewers. Without guidance, reviewers may assume that any and all aspects of the draft are open for comment. This means an engineer from whom you wanted a technical review may give you comments on the marketing messages as well.

Caution reviewers about attacking the tone, style, or concept in the draft. Remind them that even if the approach is not one they would choose, they should be able to accept it as long as the approach does not introduce errors in the content.

A frequent hurdle in managing reviews is motivating reviewers to complete their work on time. Tell your reviewers that if you do not receive their comments by the due date, you will interpret their silence as implied approval of the copy in its current form.

Another strategy is to identify an "information freeze" date for reviews--a point past which you will not accept major changes to the content. Make sure your reviewers understand the relative costs--in time and expense--of changes made at each point in the document's development. This strategy can go a long way to discourage last-minute "tweaking" by a company executive.

Getting Useful Comments

Realize that reviewers won't always give you the type or amount of comments you may want for a piece. Some reviewers may never look at your draft, some will read only part, while others will wait until the last minute and give it only a cursory look. Comments may be vague and incomplete, or at the other extreme, the reviewer may return a complete (and usually poor) rewrite of your text.

You will need to make a judgment call when selecting which reviewer comments to incorporate in the document. It is usually helpful to have one person other than yourself designated as the "referee" who can negotiate with the reviewers who provide conflicting comments.

Of course, like any writer in an organization, you'll need to develop a thick skin when reading reviewers comments. Understand that a draft returned to you with a substantial amount of edits may not be an indicator of poor writing on your part. Instead, it may simply be a case of changes in the product positioning or information.

"No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft," said H.G. Wells. By applying the strategies discussed here, you can streamline the review process and receive comments that are more about content than ego.

P.S. You'll also gain valuable ideas for managing the review process in my book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech.

About the Author

Janice King is an award-winning freelance copywriter who helps technology companies around the world produce clear, compelling sales and PR materials. Learn more about Janice's copywriting services.

Janice's latest book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech, has been called "a superb guide to great copy for any technology-based product or service." Learn more at the book's companion site.

Copyright (c) 2007, Janice King. To republish this article on your site, access the article text and read the usage rules at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janice_King.

 

Increase Product Sales with Cross-Selling and Up-Selling

Sometimes buying a product is difficult because of the variety of models--with options, add-on items, and services--the customer must choose from in order to obtain a complete solution. Promotional materials for these products must present the choices clearly and take advantage of opportunities for cross-selling and upselling.

Cross-Selling Adds More Items

Cross-selling promotes an add-on or accessory product or service that, when combined with the primary product, makes a better or complete solution. A classic example of cross-selling is the question, "Do you want fries with that?"

In many cases, cross-selling involves helping customers assemble a tailored product from a variety of options. An effective cross-sell presents these options clearly and makes it easy for customers to choose among them.

Upselling Adds More Value

Upselling promotes a more powerful or higher level model than the one the customer is considering. To use the fast-food metaphor again, an up-sell would be "The deluxe burger is not only bigger, but it includes the special sauce and only costs a little more. Would you like that instead?"

A product model that offers greater capabilities, flexibility, or capacity might be suitable for upsell. In this case, the seller's job is to make sure a customer is aware this model exists and to encourage consideration of both models before the purchase decision.

Promotional Ideas

Both cross-selling and upselling can be done in print materials and on the Web. The following ideas can be used for print materials such as brochures, catalogs, and selection guides:

* Include a brief "Related Products" section that lists the names or model numbers of upsell and cross-sell products.

* Present a chart of available options, describing the target use or environment for each.

* Describe typical packages or product combinations, especially when a customer must purchase multiple components. This can be done with a simple bullet list that describes the content of each package.

Because of the dynamic links between pages, cross-selling and upselling are especially easy to implement on a Web site. For example, you can create links among catalog pages to show related products, or link to a services page from a product page. The navigation process you define for purchase transactions on a Web site can also guide a visitor through pages that present cross-sell or upsell options.

More Choices, More Sales

If handled correctly, cross-selling and upselling can help customers choose the best products for their needs and generate a stronger customer relationship for your company. And of course, more revenue too.

About the Author

Janice King is an award-winning freelance copywriter who helps technology companies around the world produce clear, compelling sales and PR materials. Learn more about Janice's copywriting services.

Janice's latest book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech, has been called "a superb guide to great copy for any technology-based product or service." Learn more at the book's companion site.

Copyright (c) 2007, Janice King. To republish this article on your site, access the article text and read the usage rules at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janice_King.

Creative Copywriting: Techniques for High Tech Products

Most copywriters don't equate high tech with high creativity. After all, how can you get excited about writing a brochure for a hardware or software product when most of the text must be a dull recitation of features and specifications?

Yet many promotional materials for high-tech products can benefit from a dash of creativity. The trick is to develop a set of creative writing techniques that you can easily call on and adapt as needed for each project. The creative ideas in this article will give you a great start.

Extend a Concept

In many cases, a particular marketing document must carry through the themes, images, and creative concept of an advertising campaign. While you'll want to maintain continuity among related materials, you can also look for ways to extend the creative concept.

Repeating a theme statement, adapting an image, and continuing a metaphor are possible creative extensions.

Use Fresh Language

Many marketing and public relations materials for high-tech products seem like they were written by the same writer. Certain words, phrases, and styles become popular and make their way through marketing departments like fashion trends.

When you tire of the latest overused buzzword, how do you find a substitute that has the same appeal to a reader? And perhaps more realistically, a replacement word that will have the same appeal to the product manager or sales director who must approve the document?

Develop your own synonym list for the stale marketing jargon that appears in your materials. For example, instead of describing a product as "leading," use one of these words: superior, first-rate, outstanding, remarkable, innovative, excellent, proven, or acclaimed.

Avoid Waffles and Couch Potatoes

Two other problems commonly creep into marketing text: waffle language and couch-potato verbs.

Waffling is the impression left in the reader's mind by any sentence that includes the words "can" or "may." Corporate attorneys love these two words, because they limit the company's potential liability, by not explicitly promising that the product actually performs as described.

Indeed, it is appropriate to use the words "can" or "may" if the feature is optional or conditioned upon an external product or user action. But the marketing message will be stronger if you delete these waffle words and use a clear, strong verb instead.

Another fast way to deaden the impact of a marketing piece is to use any form of the verb "to be." These state-of-being verbs create a sentence that just sits there, like a couch potato, passively expecting readers to generate their own enthusiasm. In particular, sentences that begin "There are" or "There is" create a sense of distance that dampens the reader's interest.

Active verbs are the answer for writing text that will have a more powerful impression on the reader. A simple way to identify couch-potato verbs in a document is to search for the verbs "is" and "are" and replace them with active verbs.

Paint a Picture, Tell a Story

Determine if the document could be improved by using any of these creative techniques:

• Using imagery such as a metaphor, analogy, or allusion to something non-technical that will help the reader's understanding.
• Reformatting the document to present the text in a more attractive way or to add diagrams, photos, tables, or other visual elements.
• Including customer stories or anecdotes, written in the customer's voice.
• Adding humor to the language or graphic design; if appropriate to the content and audience.

Use Writing Resources

A comprehensive and current dictionary, thesaurus, and word usage guide are essential for finding fresh language and sparking your creativity. These resources are especially helpful:

Richard Bayan: Words That Sell: The Thesaurus to Help You Promote Your Products, Services, and Ideas. A thesaurus of promotional adjectives and phrases, organized by product quality.

Stephen Glazier: Random House Word Menu. A cross between a thesaurus and a dictionary, with words arranged by topic. Very useful for text that incorporates a metaphor or imagery, because you can easily find all related words in one place.

www.thesaurus.com: Roget's Thesaurus on the Web. Links among listings make it fast to find the best word.

And if you're a visual thinker, you'll enjoy the Visual Thesaurus -- a type of mind mapping that shows relationships among related words. (You'll have so much fun using this tool, you may get distracted from your original search!) The site also contains numerous articles and other resources for writers. 

Develop Creativity with Practice

The copywriting techniques described in this article can require careful thought to execute well. But with practice, you'll be able to apply more creativity in ways small and large, according to the needs of each high-tech marketing or public relations project.

About the Author

Janice King is an award-winning freelance copywriter who helps technology companies around the world produce clear, compelling sales and PR materials. Learn more about Janice's copywriting services.

Janice's latest book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech, has been called "a superb guide to great copy for any technology-based product or service." Learn more at the book's companion site.

Copyright (c) 2007, Janice King. To republish this article on your site, access the article text and read the usage rules at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janice_King.

What Technology Buyers Really Want to Know

"Just tell me what to buy!" is the exasperated lament of technology customers who are overwhelmed by jargon-dense, information-poor marketing materials.

Whether in a direct mail piece, brochure, white paper, Web content, or email, your copy will have a greater impact if it answers the buyer's real questions.

For a Product Purchase

Answer the questions that follow to give prospects the information and reassurances they'll need to make a purchase decision.

What is it? Customers don't really believe that you have "solutions," the favorite marketing buzzword of technology companies today. Instead, buyers know your company actually sells hardware, software, and/or services--because the product's type may influence the purchase decision. In all copy elements, identify the product by name and type, so the reader clearly understands what you are selling.

What will it do for me? State the product benefits clearly and concretely; relate them specifically to the prospect's problems, needs, or environment. Describe potential applications, configurations, or implementation alternatives that will help the prospect understand the product's value.

How hard is it to learn? You don't want prospects to reject your product from further consideration because they don't think it will be worth the effort of learning something new. Describe product features that support user learning, such as help features, training videos, or the product's design itself.

Is it compatible with what I've got? Most technology buyers already have a substantial base of hardware or software with which your product must work. List compatible products or platforms and describe their level of compatibility or integration with your product.

What if it doesn't work? Describe any guarantee or warranty for the product, such as a 30-day money-back guarantee. Also give information on customer service and support programs, including the availability of online tools for self-service.

Do I need to buy anything else? Very few technology products operate on a standalone basis. Describe all prerequisites for product operation, including minimum and optimum configurations if applicable. For materials intended to promote a direct sale, this information can increase the prospect's confidence that he or she is making the correct purchase decision.

How much does it cost? If appropriate, clearly and completely state the price for the product and any options, as well as other offer terms (such as an expiration date). Verify that all copy which describes prices and purchase terms complies with applicable commerce laws and marketing industry guidelines.

Where can I buy it or get more information? Indicate if the product is available only from the manufacturer, or from distributors, dealers, or retail outlets as well. Include a list of outlets or provide a phone number and Web URL where prospects can place an order or access dealer and retailer information.

Product Upgrade

Upgrade buyers--whether your own customers or users of competitive products you're trying to switch--have many of the same concerns as new purchasers. However, your materials must also answer the following questions that are unique to upgrades.

Why should I switch? Users of competitive products certainly ask this question--but so too may your customers. Surprising? Realize that customers may have "upgrade fatigue" because they haven't yet learned, or perhaps even installed, the last version of your product. To motivate an upgrade purchase, the feature/benefit statements must be compelling, and the key benefit stated prominently and often.

Will it change what I've already got? The concern that prospects are expressing with this question is whether the upgrade will preserve existing files, configurations, applications, or other work. Describe the compatibility of the upgrade with the user's current product and environment, as well as how training and work procedures will carry-over to the new version.

Are you changing anything else? Indicate whether the upgrade means new customer support programs or changes to any other aspect of your company's relationship with the user.

What do I need to order? List all items or information (e.g., a product registration number) the user must gather before ordering the upgrade.

Many other customer questions may apply to your product or markets. Identify these buying concerns, answer them in your copy, and you will write better materials for marketing technology products.

About the Author

Janice King is an award-winning freelance copywriter who helps technology companies around the world produce clear, compelling sales and PR materials. Learn more about Janice's copywriting services.

Janice's latest book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech, has been called "a superb guide to great copy for any technology-based product or service." Learn more at the book's companion site.

Copyright (c) 2007, Janice King. To republish this article on your site, access the article text and read the usage rules at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janice_King.

 

Janice King featured in freelance success article

The article "Broaden your reach with copywriting" in the October 2007 issue of The Writer magazine includes an interview with me about the advantages of becoming a freelance copywriter. This article also features advice from other successful freelance copywriters on finding clients and making the transition from writing books and magazine articles. 

You can find this issue at newsstands now or order your copy online. 

Choosing the right sales materials for the challenge

When they consider sales materials, most people think only of a brochure. For high-tech products, different materials can help with a variety of marketing situations. The guidelines presented here will help you choose the right materials for typical technology marketing challenges.

Launching a New Product

The launch of a new product can generate numerous materials, everything from a multi-page glossy brochure to a three-inch shelf tag. A brochure or data sheet is almost mandatory in this situation. Prospective customers, sales people, and dealers all expect a document that presents the essential information about the product's features and benefits, specifications, system requirements, and potential uses.

A press release to alert journalists and analysts of the new product is another document commonly created for every new product. The release may be packaged into a press kit that contains other relevant materials for the product launch, such as a technical backgrounder, company fact sheet, and a sheet of endorsement quotes from analysts or early customers.

Depending on the nature of the product and the launch, other materials may be useful for attracting market interest:

• A white paper can explain an underlying technology or describe the product in the context of a customer's environment.
• Application notes explain how the product operates for various uses or purposes.
• A selection guide provides insights for choosing among product options or models based on sizes, features, or other characteristics.

Many high-tech companies create a special area of their Web sites for each new product, making it easy for visitors to quickly find all related information.

Promoting a New Version

Marketing a new version or upgrade of an existing product can involve many of the same activities and materials as the launch of an entirely new product. For example, a new version typically requires updating a brochure or data sheet, issuing a press release, creating new application notes, and revising a selection guide.

An upgrade guide may also be required; it is a unique document targeted to current users, helping them decide whether to purchase the new version.

  Addressing New Markets

After experiencing success in one market, a high-tech company may decide to promote the product in new markets. These markets may be defined by industry, operating system, consumer versus business, or other dimension.

Addressing a new market usually means adapting current materials, tailoring them to the concerns and messages important to those new prospects. In some markets, these differences are substantial enough to require a completely new set of materials--especially brochures and customer case studies.

Marketing materials also may be localized in multiple languages in order to reach a new geographic or cultural market. Localized materials must appropriately reflect differences in business practices, technology base, communication style, legal requirements, and product availability in each market.

Setting a Purchase Agenda

Complex technology products typically involve a lengthy sales cycle and a purchase decision made by a committee instead of an individual. In these situations, the committee may evaluate two or more products against a stated set of criteria, which may be somewhat biased toward one product vendor.

Influencing a purchaser's evaluation criteria in advance of the product comparison activity is known as "setting the agenda." Marketers use materials such as white papers, articles contributed to industry magazines or technical journals, and product comparison worksheets to help shape the purchaser's criteria and decision.

Counteracting the Competition

Publicly at least, most high-tech companies simply ignore competitors, instead marketing their own products as if they are the only choice a prospect would ever consider. Yet some product categories are so highly competitive that a company must directly address the promotional claims and activities of competitors.

Materials that are useful for counteracting the competition include reprints of product reviews and test results, as well as comments from industry analysts that directly endorse the product's strengths and advantages.

Also useful may be charts or reports that present a feature-by-feature comparison of a product and its competitors. However, direct product comparisons must be done carefully. A comparison based on inaccurate information can backfire and perhaps create legal problems for the company.

Encouraging Customer Loyalty

Although most marketing communication efforts are directed toward attracting new customers, high-tech companies recognize that retaining current customers is vital to market success. Materials to encourage customer loyalty include regular newsletters, new product notices, and user communications. These materials can be distributed as print documents, email messages, or posts on the product or company blog.

The Right Material for the Challenge

The complexity of most high-tech products presents numerous challenges for sales and marketing. By thinking beyond the brochure, you can choose the right mix of sales materials to address any of these challenges.

About the Author

Janice King is an award-winning freelance copywriter who helps technology companies around the world produce clear, compelling sales and PR materials. Learn more about Janice's copywriting services.

Janice's latest book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech, has been called "a superb guide to great copy for any technology-based product or service." Learn more at the book's companion site.

Copyright (c) 2007, Janice King. To republish this article on your site, access the article text and read the usage rules at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janice_King.

Producing High-Value Case Studies

Customer case studies are powerful promotional tools for a high-tech product or service. Yet convincing customers to participate in a case study can be a long and frustrating effort. It can be equally difficult to motivate a customer to review and approve the story once it is written.

You can reduce this effort and produce higher value case studies by following essential strategies for recruiting candidates and handling the approval process.
 

Recruiting Good Candidates

It is always tempting to say "yes" to any case study candidate proposed by a sales rep or product manager. But your marketing and publicity efforts will be better served if you qualify the candidate before committing to a case study.

The following questions will help to identify the best the candidates and obtain a good story.

Story appeal. Does the customer have a story you actually want to tell? For example, does the story offer the potential to discuss an interesting problem, solution, or application? Is the company in a particular industry, country, or market you want to target?

Timing. Is the story ready to tell? Is the product implementation complete and does the customer have interesting results to report?

Participation agreement. Have any agreements been made with the customer for telling the story? Sometimes technology companies request that customers agree to a case study as a condition of receiving a beta version or early shipment of a product.

Customer preparation. Has the customer been briefed about the case study process? A standard letter or information sheet can be emailed to the customer to simplify this process.

Contacts. Are you talking to the right person within the customer organization? You may need to talk with multiple people in order to get a full perspective and someone with the right authority to speak for the organization.

PR involvement. Do you need to involve or get approval from the customer's public relations person before starting the interviews or publishing the case study? Do you need to arrange access to employees and facilities for photography or filming?

Handling Reviews and Approvals

Certainly, an accurate and well-written case study is essential for gaining the customer's approval. But your follow-through during the review process will determine whether, and how quickly, the customer will approve the case study.

These guidelines will help you develop a good follow-through process.

Internal reviews first. Always complete any internal reviews before sending the first draft to the customer. Customers should never be asked to go through the approval process more than once because of late comments or follow-up questions from your internal reviewers.

Fast turnaround for the draft. Deliver the first draft soon after the customer has given an interview. Delays on your side can send the message that the case study isn't urgent, which can lead the customer to give the review a low priority.

Send a complete package. Along with the draft text, send any photos, video clips, diagrams, or other illustrations that will accompany the case study.

Use an approval form. The approval form should allow the customer to check the specific approved uses for the case study information; grant releases for all photography, video, and other multimedia elements; and specify any other conditions. Don't publish the case study until you have received the signed approval form.

Follow-up for approval. If your customer contact is slow about responding with comments or approval, be polite but persistent in your follow-up messages.

Send a thank-you. Send the final case study, thank-you notes, and perhaps a nominal gift such as a company T-shirt to everyone involved. Include the URL for a Web version or printed copies of the published case study.

Celebrate! Promote the case study internally. Giving salespeople a useful story will encourage them to help you with future case studies.

About the Author

Janice King is an award-winning freelance copywriter who helps technology companies around the world produce clear, compelling sales and PR materials. Learn more about Janice's copywriting services.

Janice's latest book, Copywriting That Sells High Tech, has been called "a superb guide to great copy for any technology-based product or service." Learn more at the book's companion site.

Copyright (c) 2007, Janice King. To republish this article on your site, access the article text and read the usage rules at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janice_King.

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