ADwire » The Art of Copy

The Art of Copy

June 19th, 2008 at 10:16am Cindy Harris

Copy-writing is a skill, a talent and, in many cases, a gift. So what can you do to turn your company’s brochure into something that makes a good impression on potential and current clients? Here are some basic dos and don’ts for writing brochure copy:

1. Emphasize client benefits. The brochure isn’t about your company - it’s about what your company can do for your client. You have to shift your point of view to that of your buyers’. Empathize with them and tell them directly how your company or product can help them solve their problems, make them more efficient and improve their bottom-lines.

2. Write for your audience. Don’t talk to engineers like they’re pre-schoolers and vice versa.

3. Headlines matter. One of the hardest copy-writing skills to hone is writing tight, descriptive and interesting headlines. Spend some time in this area; headlines will draw your readers in and get them to read further. Mention titles or specific challenges within your target audience’s realm of influence. For example, which would be of more interest to a small-business owner reading a brochure about a new service that can manage, track and store his customer contact database?

“Announcing the End of the Spreadsheet”

“XYZ Corp’s Online User Interface and Tracking System”

4. Less is More. I was an English major at Rockford College, where complex sentences were the norm. Not so in advertising. Keep it short, witty and light. Break long paragraphs up with clever headlines (see above) and graphics.

5. A Call to Action. A brochure is only a first step in the sales process. Include a call to action - a phone number, a web visit, etc. - and follow up with a personal sales call or demonstration.

6. PROOFREAD. One of the tricks I learned at the aforementioned Rockford College is to read your copy backwards, sentence by sentence. Try it - it got me through 4 years of Shakespeare, Milton and Poe term papers.