The Name Game

Yes, I admit it. The thing that I dislike most about my profession as a copywriter is coming up with names.

For me, names are personal. Think about it this way, would you ask another person to name your newborn baby?

You created it, you name it. And I believe the same analogy should apply to companies, products and brands as well. The person who created them should be the ones naming them.

Hello
I'll make you a deal, lunch on me for the person who comes up with the best name for this... errr... juice...

Indeed, we copywriters can help name your product or service. But there will always be a sense of disconnect when we – a third party – attempt to create a name for something that holds many intrinsic values.

I always suggest to my clients to give naming a shot. And sometimes they find it very difficult, even when they themselves have incepted the product or service. So you can imagine how difficult it would be for me?

However, nothing is easy. So here are 5 key considerations to naming that might help:

1. Sensory Appeal
Ideally, a name should be able to activate any one, or better yet all five senses. A name that people can see, smell, taste, feel or hear subconsciously creates a sensory experience that’s memorable. A brand name like Apple activates all senses.

2. Service is Serious
The game changes slightly when it comes to naming a service though. People expect services to be credible, trustworthy and professional, and a name should reflect these qualities. Don’t ask me how.

3. Be Uncommon
Habituation is a human trait where we are desensitised by all the common things around us. You name needs to rise above the clutter or people will tune-out. Do you really want to be another ‘Pro-something’ or Expert-something’ or ‘something-Solutions’?

4. Break It Down
Break any names that you come up with into syllabuses. Read out aloud every syllabus to make sure nothing sounds unsavoury. This is especially useful in Malaysia, where multiple languages are spoken. I once saw a Bengkel Tah Yik… seriously!

5. Domain-friendly
These days, securing the URL you want can be a real pain. So make sure your name list is domain checked as early as possible because you will surely need to have a website. Sites like www.namestation.com is worth a try too.

If all else fails, do what I did. I just used my name for my business. It may not be the most ideal name, but it’s a true reflection of me.

Copywriter’s Constipation

Sometimes it’s hard – even after being a copywriter for 14 years – I don’t have it easy all the time.

Often, when I’m tasked to write something, I can immediately get cracking. Words swiftly turn into sentences, which leads to paragraphs. Some jobs take minutes, other hours and the rest days, but the word-flow is constant and premeditated.

I know exactly where I’m heading, and I’m usually pretty confident that the client will appreciate my take on their product or service.

There are times however; I’m left staring at a blinking cursor. Minutes turn into hours before I write even a single line of copy, which I re-hash over and over again until I realise that I’ve actually been watching TED talks the whole day.

I curse myself for being an idiot. The client has trusted me and I can’t even string a couple of decent sentences together. Idiot!

Writer
... or watch TED talks

These are the days when self doubt creeps up stealthily and I conclude that I’m not really a good copywriter after all. Then I shut down for the day and grab a… errr… cool, refreshing beverage, pondering whether I should have become a word-challenged pilot instead.

Another day dawns and the struggle continues, despite the looming deadline.

Then I stop working on the copy and start looking at the product or service I am writing for, just to see if there’s any inspiration hidden within the brief, e-mail conversations or materials.

Nothing. Zero. Zilch.

Finally it hits me. Maybe it isn’t me; maybe it’s the product or service that’s flawed in some way that my internal sensors aren’t being activated.

A weak product or service is the antidote to inspiration. Even the world’s best copywriter can’t turn a Proton into a Toyota in the eyes of the consumer.

If I can’t write a reasonably good piece of communication that promises some decent benefits to the consumer, perhaps the product or service needs fixing.

But of course, I can’t tell that to the client. Can I?

Done is Better Than Perfect

Perfection is an illusion, or some might even say it’s a delusion.

It’s okay to strive for perfection. The problem is it isn’t very practical. We humans are flawed in many ways, and these flaws permeate in pretty much everything we do.

In the business of advertising, which includes copywriting, the need to get everything perfect is almost like a disease.

In fact it is a disease. It’s called analysis paralysis.

Medication
No known medication exists for Analysis Paralysis, it just takes guts.

Strategies are rehashed, every piece of copy reworked and designs needlessly redone many times over. Often even before the ad, website or campaign sees the light of day.

Don’t get me wrong, most of these revisions are necessary. It’s part of producing good, if not great work. But overanalyzing things, using assumptions or past performance just hinders the act of producing great work.

Sometimes, when all else fails, and when you are not too sure if something is going to work; the best thing to do is to put it out there.

Let the intended audience do the analyzing for you. After all, that piece of communication is for them. Then gather the audience’s behaviour and tweak accordingly.

No, focus groups are not going to do you much of a favour. Research has shown focus group participants to be favourable towards a brand or product because they are paid for their thoughts. Nobody wants to bite the hand that feeds them.

So get whatever you’re working on done, put it out there and see what happens. If it bombs, try again. If it seems to be working, make it better.

Done is better than perfect.

Apparently, they have that phrase pasted at a corridor in Facebook’s headquarters in Palo Alto.  You may remember, Facebook was very crude when it first started, but now is in the leading edge of social technology.

If Mark waited to get everything perfect, we’d be still stuck with Friendster or worse, actually meeting people face to face.

Can Advertising Salvage a Bad Product?

Not surprisingly, politics and advertising are considered to be the two least trusted professions in the world.

Every 4 years or so, these two groups of professionals often team up to create misleading… errr… I mean awe-inspiring ads about how everything is hunky dory in the country.

You may have seen these politically-driven ads recently, which I assume are supposed to instill nationalistic pride and encourage us to support the status quo.

Shouting Man
Advertising a bad product can be a real pain

But more and more people now realise that what these ads are ‘selling’ aren’t that good, sometimes just plain bad.

That’s because the boom in alternative views from independent news sites and blogs often discredit efforts by the mainstream players. And of course social media helps spread alternative news very effectively.

William Bernbach – one of the pioneers of modern advertising – once said:

“A great ad campaign will make a bad product fail faster. It will get more people to know it’s bad”.

It’s like watching an awesome movie trailer, where a combination of fast-paced editing, a stirring soundtrack and teasing dialogues is delivered in two minutes. And then you go watch the movie and realise you might as well been watching paint dry for the last two hours.

Sure enough, when any of your friends wants to watch the same movie, you’d probably not recommend it. This ripple of ‘thumbs-down’ will almost certainly make this movie a flop.

There are many ‘trailers’ on TV these days illustrating a progressive, modern and united Malaysia, provided our votes are cast to oppose change. While I’m not writing the creators of these ads off, I just hope I’m not forced to watch the actual drama for the next four years either.

Let the mud-slinging begin!

Nitty Gritty

I never studied copywriting. I mean I have learned the craft on-the-job, but have never sat in a classroom studying to be a copywriter.

In fact, I only decided to venture into copywriting towards the end of my college years. Yes, I actually stumbled into this line of work.

Now, there are few colleges churning out copywriting diploma-totting graduates raring to hit the ground running with stacks of very creative portfolio pieces.

copybook
This could seriously be a hit e-book!

Certainly, the bar has been raised, because I got into the industry knowing nuts about advertising or how to craft a clever headline. Heck, I wasn’t even worthy of a computer on my first copywriting job. I had to handwrite everything onto loose A4 sheets, while constantly referring to my dictionary.

That was a long, long time ago.

But that was the case with most people in advertising back then. We loved to draw, write, or think, and figured we wanted to get paid for it. Not many of us got into agencies willingly, and not many survived for too long either.

Copywriting graduates now though know exactly what they are getting into. At least I hope they do, because the first few years can be rather challenging, to put it very mildly.

But here’s the thing, according to Sanam Petri, an Associate CD at R/GA London:

“because today’s advertising world is largely driven by accolades and awards, many communication schools are churning out kids who think like creative directors, not kids who just love to write. Students are coming into the agency with their sights trained on one thing: being the one to come up with the one game-changing idea that puts them on the map. But what are the implications of hiring an entire generation of thinkers who can’t do?”

While we should not generalize that all copywriting graduates are useless douches, I totally agree that most of them do not want to get into the nitty gritty of the industry. It’s all about big ideas and creative execution instead of learning the ropes and honing the craft.

No wonder good, dedicated writers are hard to come by these days. Blame the colleges.

Little Things…

You know, advertising isn’t always about big budgets, kick-ass creatives and mind-boggling strategies.

Sometimes, all it takes a little bit of genuine effort to keep customers happy.

Have you heard about an American restaurant chain called Red Robin? Neither have I, until I read about how they created loads of positive media attention for just USD$11.50 (about RM34.70).

Noticing a heavily pregnant customer at his restaurant, the manager of Red Robin, North Carolina did this:

redrobinreceipt
USD$11.50 discount with a very personal message

Yes, this was just an employee making a positive gesture, something that is severely lacking in Malaysian restaurants that for sure.

But the customer was so appreciative of the gesture that she decided to tell the world. That little piece of receipt went social and then viral, and ultimately made national headlines in the US.

You might think could have happened at any restaurant chain in America. Not really. Red Robin’s employees practice a culture called ‘Unbridled Act’, which encourages positive behavior.

Smiles Ahead
Smiles Ahead! Keep them smiling to get them talking...

And apparently, this wasn’t the first discount given at random to customers. They’ve been doing it for a while, it just so happens that this particular gesture made the news, probably because of the oh-so-sweet personal message.

Intentional or not, it worked. And worked in a way that even a big budget 30-sec TVC or a print ad with a catchy headline will never emulate.

Sometimes, it’s just about the little things. You know?

2012, Check!

Luckily the world didn’t come to an end. For me, that would have been a shame.

Simply because 2012 was my first full year as a self-employed freelance copywriter. So it would have been a real arse-luck going out so soon after tasting sweet liberation.

I started the year full of uncertainties; work was far and few in between and I still hadn’t got used to the absence of a monthly paycheck. But I guess perseverance and patience have their rewards.

Cheers to 2013
Here's to an awesome 2013... cheers!

I quickly found myself making new alliances and managed to fill up my otherwise mundane schedule. My freelancing gig also took me to South Korea for a month, as part of the Malaysian team for the World Expo 2012.

And the year is ending rather nicely, with enough work to take me over to the New Year. So was it a good year? Absolutely. Am I hoping for a better upcoming year? Most definitely!

Before I start sounding like I’m making an awards acceptance speech. Allow me to turn your attention to the real reason for this post.

We all need that little spark, that little moment of inspiration before we decide to take on a new venture. My bits of spark came from two videos that I watched online in 2011, and I would like to share them with you.

The first is from possibly the most celebrated tech genius of our generation, the late Steve Jobs. If you are thinking of doing something you never thought you’d ever do, this vid is for you:

The next video from Daniel Pink is a must watch, especially if you are in a creative industry and constantly have the  feeling of not wanting to wake up in the morning and get to work:

I felt the urge to share these videos because I believe you – or anyone for that matter – can break free from the norm. You just need to believe in one thing; yourself.

Have a great new year guys… all the best!

Catchy, Punchy, Juicy…

And then there is Sexy, Flowery and Lightly.

No, I don’t write in any of the above ways. Not anymore at least. But I do write Clearly, Personally and Concisely.

Look, I don’t write literature, poems or novels. I am a copywriter, who is tasked to communicate a message in the simplest form possible, in the least words possible and in the most appealing manner possible.

And that’s the way it should be.

Catchy Tee
You can actually purchase this Tee, it's brilliant!

Okay, maybe I’m generalizing here a little. There are instances when catchy or punchy copy may be required to get the point across. Let’s say your product is a sugary snack, targeted to 6 to 12-year olds; being catchy is probably a good idea.

The problem starts when ‘catchy’ becomes a prerequisite for copywriting in everything, with total disregard for the product, target market and context of the communication.

For instance, an energy company can choose to be catchy for a festive greeting ad. But if the latest Petronas Deepavali TV commercial is anything to by, it doesn’t always end well.

Or what if a non-profit organization wants to send out a clever, witty birthday greeting to all its donors? Well, go right ahead I suppose. But if you want to be clever and expect people to open up their wallets, then maybe a re-think is in order.

So I stay safe by being Clear, Personal and Concise – and ensuring there’s a strong call-to-action – to meet my client’s communication objectives.

My style may not work for everything under the sun, but I think its close.

What Do I Do

This month marks my 14th year as a copywriter. And I still get asked this question – “what do you actually do?”.

My answer usually goes something like this:

“Well I write stuff, marketing stuff. Like print ads, websites, brochures, proposals, scripts and so on”.

There's more to copywriting, in case you're wondering...
There's more to copywriting, in case you're wondering...

Yes, that is what I do, well, almost. Over the last few years, I’ve realised something. The stuff I write is only the end result of a process that is intricate and complicated.

The act of writing is only a means to an end. The written word is my deliverable, yet the insights, analysis, research, ideas, concepts, creative inputs and opinions are my products.

To put it simply; a lot have to go on – in my head and in my actions – before I write the first line of copy. My job cannot be quantified by time, or even by how much I write. There are many combinations of variables that influence that final piece of copy I deliver.

For the most part, the pre-copy-work comes naturally to me. Due to the fact that I’ve been doing this for yonks, and because I have a good understanding of copywriting fundamentals.

But to a client, all of the above are irrelevant, as long as I help them. Help them do what, you ask?

That would be to compel action, generate leads and ultimately help them make more money.

And that, is exactly what I do.

Whoa! Top 3…

A lot of things have been said – by many people – about Search Engine Optimization or SEO for blogs. Now is my turn, and here they are:

  1. Content is really king, especially if it is shareable content. Also, please stick to your context or keywords and never ramble.
  2. Never, ever employ black or grey-hat techniques. Goggle is extremely smart these days, you’ll regret it.
  3. Be persistent… keep those blog posts coming. If you write insightful, relevant and shareable content, your ranking will rise.
  4. Have patience. It takes time to get onto the first page… usually years. And years more to have Top Half presence.
  5. Believe in yourself. A lot of people will laugh at your efforts, sometimes to the point of ridicule. Give them the finger!

Now, I am not an SEO expert. But I have been running a blog close to 3 years. And truth be told this blog has generated more leads that anything else for my copywriting business.

Although I’m not the type to trumpet myself, check these out:

Google Ranking 1
For the keyword 'Copywriter' in Google.com.my - Click to Enlarge >
Google Ranking 2
For the keywords 'Freelance Copywriter Malaysia' in Google.com.my - Click to Enlarge >
Google Ranking 3
For the keywords 'Malaysia Copywriter' in Google.com - Click to Enlarge >

And that’s my 2 cents about SEO. Cheers to micro businesses!