WHEN YOU CAN'T WRITE THE MARKETING COPY YOURSELF, OR HOW TO GET THE BEST RESULTS FROM YOUR COPY WRITER

What do you do? Different business folk solve the problem in different ways. You could either:

• tough it out, doing the best you can, learning as you go;
• procrastinate until you feel more confident about your abilities;
• look in your "swipe" file for inspiration and actual language...

Just this:

• producing client-centered marketing communications is absolutely essential for every business. You need them in your ads, flyers, cover letters, media kits, post cards, proposals... and everything else you use to generate a lead or get an old customer to buy again faster. You can either produce these kinds of marketing communications yourself... or you can't.
• if you can produce these communications -- or are willing to learn to do so -- fine. After all, I've written a book on how to do so. CASH COPY: HOW TO OFFER YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SO YOUR PROSPECTS BUY THEM...NOW! is now used by over 10,000 business people around the world who knew they needed superior marketing communications... and were willing to invest the time it takes to learn how to create them.
• But if you can't -- or won't -- learn to create these marketing communications yourself, then you're faced with this choice: continue to drag along doing your own stuff (or not doing anything at all)... or bite the bullet and bring in someone who can give you just what you need at a reasonable price so you can get on with the essential matter of closing those leads and making more sales.

Copy Writers: Bad News... And Good News

Besides, it's lucrative. There are copy writers in the country who get thousands of dollars to write a four-page cover letter... and thousands more for writing a complete response package. Indeed, some of the best remunerated copy writers in the country charge $15,000 -- or more -- for such a package. And, as P.T. Barnum knew so well, they regularly find people to pay their rates. Thus, it's no surprise that with entrance requirements so lax, so many people needing the assistance, and the going rate for payment so high lots and lots of people go into copy writing, with most doing quite well, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, the fact that copy writing can be a gold mine for the copy writer doesn't mean it's comparably good for you. That's why caveat emptor ought to be the motto of anyone seeking copy writing services. Hence, the real dilemma: you know you need more motivating and action- generating marketing communications; you know you can't produce them yourself. You know you need help, but you're just not sure how to find and work with a copy writer, besides being reluctant to take some of these smooth operators at their word. Yes, it's a real problem. The good news is that it's soluble.

Getting Leads For Good Copy Writers

Because of the ever-increasing volume of work at the National Copywriting Center, Dan is always in the market for new copy writers. As he says, "Having people call or even pop up on the door-step who tell me they're 'copy writers', isn't difficult. That happens about every day. But finding people who know what it takes to create client-centered marketing communications, who can produce them quickly, efficiently and within a client's budget, is an art." So, what does he do? Dan suggests following these steps when you're looking for a copy writer.

• Ask your friends. Most businesses at one time or another have used a copy writer. While many have had unhappy experiences, many others have developed long-standing mutually beneficial relationships. Start asking other business people about their experiences and when you hear something good, ask for the copy writer's name, address, phone and fax. By the way, don't be shy about asking your friends for samples of the copy writer's work. Then either ask what made it draw well... and/or do your own analysis. In other words, try to determine what made the work superior.
• Review marketing communications. If you're like most of us, you get bushel baskets full of marketing communications every week. They come in the mail, are faxed, or even, if you live in my congested neighborhood, get slipped under your door while you're sleeping. (I wish my neighbors would stop doing this.) I hear people telling me all the time and with great pride, how they throw all these things away without looking at them. How stupid can you get? The marketing materials you get constitute a great learning opportunity... not to mention a well-spring of potential copy writer leads. Review what you see. If you like it... and you'd respond to it, get in touch with the marketer and ask the specifics about the copy writer he's using. Don't be shy, either. Ask how long he's been working with this copy writer, what the copy writer charges, and for any other helpful information. Then log it. As Dan says, "You may not need a copy writer right this minute, but you're going to need one soon enough, so make sure you've got all the information you require immediately accessible." By the way, if the source you're speaking to tells you that the copy writer is on his staff, don't panic. Most staff marketers moonlight (no wonder, the money is good!). So if you like what you hear, call the copy writer back later... or write him a personal letter inviting him to contact you.
• Go through the course catalogs of local continuing education facilities, including community colleges and four-year universities. Says Dan, "Lots of copy writers and marketers teach continuing education classes, because they get clients that way." Once you discover one of these marketers is teaching a course on copy writing, direct response marketing or a related marketing subject, call the office and ask for the instructor's telephone number. If they won't give it to you directly, then ask them to have the copy writer call you or, better, send in a letter. If you don't get a response in a week or two, try again, since these messages and letters all too often don't get delivered. Dan also recommends contacting both The Direct Marketing Association in New York (212-768-7277) and the National Writers Club in Colorado (303-751-7844) for leads. Too, he suggests quizzing graphic designers you may know or discover by using the same steps above you'd be using to find a copy writers. "Graphic designs always know copy writers," Dan stresses, pointing out they often work as a team. And of course, if none of this works, or you just want to cut to the chase immediately and get experienced, reasonably priced copy writers, you can call Dan at the National Copywriting Center directly. (301) 946-4284.

Opening Contact With Your Copy Writer Candidates

After you know what you want, when you want it and what your budget is (key factors you need to consider), do this:

• call your copy writer leads, introduce yourself, find out if the copy writer does the kind of work you want, has time to do it now, has sample materials to share, and can give you a general estimate of his prices (it must be general until he knows precisely what you want);
• if you haven't talked to the copy writer before, be reasonable in your expectations for this call, which is, after all, exploratory. What you're trying to discover here is whether there is any obvious reason for excluding this candidate and if he seems to be a real prospect to handle your work.
• follow up this call with an immediate letter or fax outlining in more detail both what you want (the job), including as much information about the project as you currently have available, your deadline, your budget and any special considerations that apply. In this communication, also ask the copy writer to supply two or three samples of jobs like yours and testimonials or references from the people who ordered these jobs. Also ask, if he can meet your expectations about both starting and finishing and if he can live within your budget requirements.

Scrutinizing What You Get Back

• what about the offer? Is there a good, strong, prominent offer to induce immediate action? If the copy writer is more a writer than a marketer, the sample you see may have no offer whatsoever. But as all results-oriented copy writers know, each marketing communication must have an offer and that offer needs to sizzle.
• how about the benefits? What weakens the vast majority of marketing communications is that they're "feature-heavy", that is the copy concentrates on providing information about the product or service... instead of what the customer will get by using, experiencing, enjoying or profiting from that product or service. Thus, you should be looking for copy based on these four key words, "YOU GET BENEFIT NOW," that is copy that excites the prospect by piling one benefit on another until that prospect is so excited by what the marketer has available he has to take immediate action. Mere writers always focus on features, and it is this concentration on features that kills copy... and ultimately means that the marketer has wasted his money. The compleate copy writer knows better... and that's why you should be looking for benefits.
• check out those testimonials. Good copy confirms benefits by introducing results-oriented testimonials. Obviously, the marketer has something to do with these testimonials. The copy writer can't just make them up (though this happens often enough). Testimonials need to confirm the benefits that constitute the essential foundation of the copy. That is, testimonials need to hammer home results achieved, not just compliments about the product/service. Of course, marketers like these compliments, but the customers want to know, What can your product/service do for me? What has it specifically achieved for others." Good copy writers stud their copy with these kind of results-oriented testimonials.

• the outsides of envelopes and mailing pieces. Did the copy writer work to draw you inside? If not, he doesn't know his craft.
• how key words and phrases get highlighted. Says Dan, "Good copy writers know some words are more compelling and motivational than others. They use a series of emphasizing devices to get this message to the prospects."
• the paragraphing and spacing. The modern reader has an ever-shorter attention span. The copy writer must know and exploit this. Paragraphs need to be short... many should begin with action verbs. In short, the total emphasis in any marketing communication should be towards motivating the prospect to take IMMEDIATE ACTION. If the copy writer doesn't know how to do this, he's not the man for you!

Thus, while you must certainly have a budget figure in mind when you approach a copy writer candidate, you must also be willing to be flexible if you see a candidate who produces motivating client-centered work, is professional in manner and management, and makes a reasonable case about his fee. In short, as Dan rightly points out, don't let your ignorance about fees kill something which may very likely be to your advantage.

Conclusion