INKWELL Copywriting, Ghostwriting, PR

Outsourced copywriting solves a problem

I fulfilled an interesting 15-month contract copywriting for a Manchester-based consortium of social housing organisations called GM Procure (now rebranded as Procure Plus).

It entailed writing internal reports, newsletter stories, member interviews, brochures, conference materials, press releases, rewriting the website and anything else that required some well chosen words.

The consortium handled procurement worth hundreds of millions of pounds each year but seemed to run it quite frugally, with very few staff who had very little time. The solution was to contract out the work to Inkwell.

Similar organisations might have hired someone in-house for the tasks I performed. So if you need quality copywriting in your organisation but cannot justify hiring another member of staff, give me a call.

Copywriter is a real asset

Johnson Reed is a busy firm of asset finance specialists in Manchester who needed a copywriter to write some tight copy for their website, sales leaflets, folders and inserts, a newsletter, and other marketing materials for resellers throughout the UK.

The copywriting job was quite detailed as we had to tease out the fine differences between them and their competitors in a crowded marketplace. I liaised with a marketing consultancy and a group of designers to get the job done on time and on budget.

Copywriter stops for Lancashire lunch

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Ashberry Sandwiches make and deliver sarnies throughout the North West of England. Based in Blackpool, Lancashire they have grown from a single Spar shop to a purpose-built unit employing over 100 people filling, spreading and slicing for Spar shops and forecourts throughout the region.

They asked me to write newsletters for both customers and their staff and media relations for both the general regional press and the trade magazines. We had great success with seasonal stories, which emphasised the company's quirkiness. For instance, we launched a strawberry and cream cheese sandwich for Valentine's Day and linked it to a factory romance that was blossoming among the sliced Hovis!

Taking the pith - journalism for PRs

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A couple of years ago I was asked by PR Week, the public relations industry's leading trade publication in the UK, for an assessment of a campaign by another PR company. The project was a £20,000 launch of a new National Geographic magazine for children called National Geographic Kids

It's just shown up in their archives, which I came across today. Go here to read the pithy piece of journalism.

It's nice to know that such a well-respected publication called on me for my opinion, despite (or perhaps because) I straddle the worlds of journalism and media relations so elegantly!

Recognise One of the 7 Deadly Sins of Misinformation?

(Continuing on from the previous post ...)

A staff newsletter can combat forces working against the objectives of the company

These forces could be ...

1. A disgruntled employee 'poisoning the pool' against you

2. A dissatisfied customer intent on bad publicity for you
3. Apathy within the workforce
4. Poor middle management
5. Scanty information-sharing at certain levels of the organisation
6. Little fiefdoms in far flung parts of the organisation
7. Too much 'fire-fighting', too little foresight

If you recognise any one (or all) of these, perhaps your company needs a newsletter ... especially  if you also need to

• Provide leadership

• Acknowledge excellence
• Manage expectations
• Manage change
• Recognise stakeholders
• Discuss detailed propositions/objections
• Provide a focus for the staff community
• Help direct and steer the staff agenda
• Engage your staff

Newsletters work because people read them

Inkwell Newsletters have Readability

 

So, why a newsletter?
While it is true a newsletter may not always be the most appropriate method of customer communication, there are compelling reasons why you may choose one over print advertising.
Newsletters go to a selected audience, which can make them more cost-efficient (especially when you have detailed information to impart) while satisfying the need of your customers for direct communication.

The extra benefits of a customer newsletter start to sound like a bargain when compared to escalating advertising rates.

How many customers responded?
The average time spent reading a newspaper or magazine advertisement is 3 seconds. Could you sell anything to your customers in 3 seconds? Maybe you can; most people can't. Customers will spend significantly more time reading your newsletter, which is more likely to provoke a response because a newsletter is a shared environment that benefits both your customer and your company. This response could be heightened perception of your company, increased sales or the return of lost customers.

Don't tell them - let them find out
A newsletter encourages a probing approach to discovering information. Customers are becoming more sophisticated and sceptical about advertising claims, which is why editorial content in newspapers is proving to be more important than banal media advertisements. A customer newsletter will get your message across in a manner readers will more readily accept - it's a form they are familiar and comfortable with.

How do I extend the reach of my message?
It makes sense to use newsletters in tandem with other marketing methods, such as media P.R. so that your reach extends beyond existing customers to a wider audience. Successful media coverage alone could pay for the cost of your publication. And, if Inkwell is writing your newsletter, the news gathering on those stories will largely be complete, so the cost of your P.R. will be reduced significantly.

I will explain in a future post what Inkwell PR will do for you in more detail, but for now let me say ...

What we won't do

• We won't expect you to find stories for each issue of your newsletter
• We won't expect you to panic when the next issue is due - that's our job!
• And we won't try to sell you a website, a brochure, a marketing strategy or an ad campaign

But we will raise awareness about your company and products by producing a well-composed, targeted publication with impact and readability.

The Press

I've been producing a newsletter for Attwater www.attwater.co.uk for a couple of years. Attwater specialise in the manufacture of thermosetting plastics, commonly known as Bakelaque, Synthetic Resin Bonded Paper, Fabric & Glass. They also manufacture and supply tube, rod, cut panels, flexible insulation, punched components, anti-ballistics and a range of specialist composite materials.

I know, it’s pretty dry stuff. But they approached me to produce a regular communication that would engage their customers (who are scattered throughout the world), introduce their staff (many of whom the customers had never met) and promote the full range of their products, ie cross sell. Although they sell products that are quite technical, requiring detailed specifications, many of their customers had little regular contact with Attwater.

The brief was to keep the tone friendly yet professional. A simple A5 format newsletter called The Press seemed the answer. A photoshoot was arranged for the library pics, and I interviewed all the directors and senior managers for background material and to understand more the business they are in.

After a few issues, Attwater reported a six-figure increase in sales during the period of the newsletter, which seems remarkable but they had done no other new marketing during this period so it clearly had the desired effect.

For the full pdf versions click below.

Download 03_2544_the_press_no.1.pdf

Download 04_2611_the_press_no.2.pdf

Download 05_2951_the_press_32.pdf

Download 06_3313_the_press_4.pdf