Despite what online ‘content mills’
and cut-price freelancers will tell you, speed isn't always an attractive trait
in a copywriter. In this post, we savour the benefits of stepping back and contemplating.
When you
think of Chinese billionaires, it’s probably Jack Ma who springs to mind.
Liberal, charismatic and outrageously baby-faced, he’s the man-cherub behind Alibaba and the biggest US IPO in
history.
However, it’s
his contemporary, Guo Guangchang, who’s inspired this month’s post. Dubbed the
Chinese Warren Buffet, Guo was recently interviewed by The Financial Times, where he revealed the role of tai chi and ‘mindfulness’
in his rise from rural poverty to international power and prestige:
“The
aim of tai chi is not to strike first to gain dominance over an opponent but to
wait and hit at the right moment. That is, to be the first to take action after
feeling the change of momentum. No one holds a permanent speed advantage in
business. Your advantage comes from your ability to feel the change faster and
take decisive action faster.”
Slow
and steady and all that
For
copywriters and the brands they work for, Guo’s wisdom is a warning. Copywriting isn't about getting the words down on the page as quickly as possible. It’s
about sensing opportunities and spotting the gap in messaging that competitors
have overlooked yet will stimulate the audience to act.
