• Why I Keep Asking Why? The Tale of the Annoying Copywriter

      Being a copywriter is a lot like being an annoying child. I have a favourite word – why? I ask it a lot, mainly when speaking with my clients. Why do they do what they do? Why did they make it that way? Why do their customers buy from them? Why does it make […]

    Read more

  • 5 Ways to Stop Selling and Make An Impact

      Do you want to know what’s turning off your customers? Your insistence on selling to them at every given opportunity. You might think that as a marketer that’s your job. Well, you’re wrong – at least not to overtly sell. This theory is backed up with some research carried out by Neilsen that identified […]

    Read more

  • I Want What They’ve Got or Why You Shouldn’t Try to Copy Your Competitors’ Copy

      Apart from the obvious plagiarism side of things, there’s another excellent reason why you shouldn’t copy the same approach as your competitors. Every year I am asked, at least twice, by potential clients to “just write it as they’ve done it. We offer the same so you can use their content but just change […]

    Read more

  • The Age of Fake: Why Seeing and Reading Isn’t Believing

      It would seem that nothing is as it appears today. Magazines are regularly being hauled over the coals for airbrushing photos of celebrities to the point where their mothers would struggle to recognise them. Photo enhancing apps mean regular people (like you and me) can now retouch photos before uploading to Facebook or Instagram, […]

    Read more

  • Why Politicians Make Crap Copywriters

      You can’t escape politics these days. Elections are never-ending (rather like the DFS sale), and every news bulletin seems to include a couple of politicians flinging muck at each other. They (the politicians) complain that the public doesn’t engage with them – well that’s because they’re sick and tired of all the backbiting. It […]

    Read more

  • Why Your Content Shouldn’t Be Like Your Competitors’

      Before I launch into this particular post, I would just like to say that what I am about to talk about doesn’t happen very often. However, the fact that it happens at all compels me to write about it. What am I talking about? Copywriting briefs, or rather the lack of. The vast majority […]

    Read more

  • Is The Cloud Really Right For You?

      Today I’m taking a break from writing about copywriting and marketing and instead, addressing an issue that all businesses should be aware of – the cons of cloud computing. You have to be in the cloud these days – at least that’s the message you’re always hearing. Anyone who’s anyone is using it. If […]

    Read more

  • Template Website – Yes or No?

      If you’re starting up a business or looking to revamp your existing website, what will you go for – a custom build or a template? Cost is bound to be a significant factor in your decision, and a template design is probably going to be cheaper. But is it always the best choice? They’re […]

    Read more

  • These Are The 4 Things Your Website Visitors Want

      What were your first thoughts when you were designing your website? Colours? Fonts? Gadgets and gizmos? Graphics and images? How cool should it look? Did your customers enter your thoughts at all during those initial stages? No? Ah, you could have a problem. Yes, yes, yes, I know your website should reflect your business, […]

    Read more

  • Why You Should Never Tell a Copywriter How Long a Project Will Take

      In my experience, most people think that copywriters base their pricing on how long it takes to create the required content. In practice, this is rarely the case. Over the years I’ve had numerous enquiries that ask for a piece of content – for argument’s sake, we’ll say a sales letter – which is […]

    Read more