Is your annual or CSR report writer a perfect five?

Annual and CSR report season is fast approaching. Before you commission anything, take a look at this list of criteria. Does your writer fit the bill...?

How are we going to spin this!?

1. They’ve done it before.  Let them gain experience on someone else’s watch. When it comes to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and annual reports, familiarity with the subject matter is vital. Being aware of the pitfalls and steering clear of them makes life a whole lot easier and the project a lot more enjoyable to manage.

We’ve written a shelf worth of annual reports for companies including De La Rue, BT and Uniq.

We’re also experienced in the writing about CSR. Last year we were entrusted with Coca-Cola’s European CSR launch site. You can check it out here. 

Plus we have a geographer-turned-writer working for us who is something of a CSR enthusiast. His dissertation covered environmental attitudes, behaviours and impacts. (It takes all sorts.)

2. They’re comfortable in the boardroom. Interviewing skills are a must. An annual report writer doesn’t have to be Jeremy Paxman but they can’t be a shrinking violet either. You need someone who can strike up a rapport with senior management and gain their confidence quickly.

It’s also important that the writer preserves the individuality of the interviewee when it comes to writing it up. Otherwise you can end up with one of those identikit statements which could have been written by anyone.

Ten deadly copywriting sins: part two

According to the Christian faith – and the acclaimed David Fincher thriller, Se7en – there are seven deadly sins. But when it comes to copywriting, there are even more to look out for. In part one, we highlighted five copywriting sins to avoid, including jargon, buzzwords and sitting on the fence. Now, in part two, we uncover five more.

6. Robocop(y)

This is the opposite of the previous point. We’re talking about copy devoid of personality, seemingly produced by a robot. And not a cool 80’s action movie robot either. The faceless corporation churn out passive missives while resolutely sticking to the third person. Nameless Company, it seems, are going through the motions. Dictated from an ivory tower, far from their customers, it’s corporate-speak by numbers.

Of course, if you’re a large organisation producing reams of communications, inevitably, not all of it’s going to dazzle. You just need to be sure that when you really do need to make an impression, you can. Include a bit of humility. Or perhaps some stories, case studies or testimonials – anything that reminds the reader that you too have a beating heart.

7. Insincerity

All the best copy includes some emotional content. It appeals to the emotions of the reader and, in turn, reveals some of those of the writer. Most importantly, sincere copy rings true. Insincere copy, on the other hand, sounds hollow and misleading. To avoid this, you need conviction in what you’re trying to say, why you’re saying it, and who you’re saying it to. As real life Mad Man, David Ogilvy, once said: ‘the consumer isn’t a moron, she’s your wife’. This is where a detailed brief and content plan comes in handy. They'll help you think.

     8. Trying to be everything to everyone

     By trying to excite everybody, you inevitably end up exciting no-one. Attempting to appeal to too many groups often results in repetitive copy, cluttered with caveats. As per the previous point, effective writing is always focused.

     9. Me, me, me
     No-one is as interested in your company, product or service as you are. Not your friends, your spouse and certainly not the consumer. They care about the results you can deliver them, not the struggle in making these results happen. Therefore, making your company the star of your communications is truly a deadly sin. Your customer needs to take centre stage. Less 'we' and 'I' – more 'you' and 'your'.
     
     10. Obligatory email niceties
     OK. This isn’t strictly copywriting, but can we please keep unnecessary pleasantries out of emails? I’m generally talking of the younger generation here. You know, the ones who can’t start an email without a token: ‘Hope you’re well’ or, worse still, ‘How are you? What do we want from this!? ‘I’ve been up and down since Carol left me but I’m hanging on in there. Anyway, here’s the latest modifications’. I don't care about Carol or her fitness instructor. I like my emails like I like my copy: concise and to the point!

So there you have it. Ten copywriting sins you simply have to avoid. But remember, these are just the horrors. I’ve no doubt a new selection will emerge soon…

Ten deadly copywriting sins: part one

According to the Christian faith – and the movie, Se7en – there are seven deadly sins. But when it comes to copywriting, there are even more to look out for. In the first half of a two-part special edition post, we reveal five sins you might want to avoid if you want to make it to communications heaven.

1. Obscuring your message with jargon

In the excellent ‘A bullfighter’s guide’, the author describes jargon as ‘the foundation of obscurity’. He’s right. Jargon might be a shortcut for those in the know. But for your customers who aren’t hip to the lingo, it can obscure your copy’s message – leaving them frustrated and your message lost. The answer? Speak in English, goddammit. Go through your copy and remove anything you’d have to explain to your mum. Or your friends.

Discovering ‘your unique how’ -- marketing professional services

Like any other company or product, professional services need to differentiate themselves from the competition. But when you’re offering the same service as everyone else, this isn’t easy. Read on to discover how it’s done.

Lawyers follow the same law. Architects all have the same training. Accountants know the same tax system and financial regulations.

When you’re offering the same service as your competitors, it can be hard to stand out from them. You can say that you’re specialists, but they can too. This is the age-old advertising problem faced by professional service providers all over the world.

So how do you stand out? This is the art of selling a professional service.

The power of blogging: the story of Gradulthood

The heart warming tale of how starting a blog changed one ‘gradult's’ life...

It's not going to write itself.

I finished university in 2009. When it comes to bad graduation years, that one’s got to be up there with 1939. Okay, perhaps that’s stretching the limits of hyperbole somewhat. Let’s just say it wasn’t ideal.

Upon graduation, I decided to shun the undignified scramble for the last remaining grad schemes. I just didn’t want it enough. 500 applicants battling it out for a place on the Rent-a-car management programme? Nope, not for me. Instead, I worked in a stockroom and a nightclub – before hotfooting it over to America.

Reality sure is cold and hard

Upon my return, I was faced with two unfortunate realities: I had no job and my parent’s house was beckoning. On the plus side, I had a killer tan. I soon found myself working as a call centre temp for one of the legal loan sharks thriving on the bloodied carcass of Britain’s economy.

It was at this stage I decided to start a blog. I’d always loved writing, and with nothing else on my plate, I thought: what have I got to lose? They say write what you know, so I began blogging about that awkward time in life between graduation and adulthood: no longer a student, not yet in a career. Gradulthood was born.

Advertising is the art of the concept. Copywriting is the art of words

Ad agencies employ copywriters. But they tend to work alongside a designer in a creative team, focusing on creating ad concepts. Using a copywriting agency to do the word-based work can free ad creatives to focus on what they’re best at.

Lousy punctuation... Apostrophes absent without leave or in the wrong place... Flat vocabulary... Advertising copy can be a real source of wonder. But it can also look as if it was a last-thing-on-Friday afterthought. It’s understandable really: when you live for the big idea, the fiddly bits can seem slightly underwhelming.

Ask a top-flight agency creative copywriter to research and write a 28 page sales brochure and they’ll think you’re having a laugh. Draft an 80 page website so it’s consistent with the campaign? Get out of here. Write this trade flier? No can do, I’m late for lunch and it’s sushi day.

Take a break from hackneyed travel copy

By avoiding overused phrases and describing destinations in a fresh way, you can revitilise your travel copy.

Where can you go to absolutely guarantee ‘crystal clear water’, ‘friendly locals’ and all manner of ‘breathtaking views’? Somewhere ‘off the beaten track’? Or perhaps somewhere in the ‘beating heart of the city’?  The standard travel brochure, that’s where.

Unfriendly locals and unspectacular views

Anyone who’s ever written any travel copy will be guilty of using some of these gems. I’ll hold my hands up and admit I’ve placed a few hotels in ‘picture perfect’ locations.

The problem with using these trite phrases is that, they’re so worn out they’ve all but lost their meaning. And if copy loses its meaning, it ceases to do its job. When a consumer reads a travel brochure they should be able to feel the sand beneath their feet and taste the local cuisine. The words must evoke the destination in such a way that the consumer isn’t just willing to hand over hundreds or thousands of pounds – they’re eager to. 

Fresh, dynamic language is the only way to achieve this. In late 2011 we were given this very brief by Planet Cruise. In addition to evoking their destinations and the cruise experience, they felt they offered a different proposition to competitors. However, this wasn’t shining through in their literature. Our task: make the selling points come alive.