“Read Me Now!” (please)
Customer loyalty in one easy step.*
*Depending on the length of your stride.
You hear it all the time.
“People read less and less.”
Ba. Loney.
People read all the time.
Exhibits A, B & C: RSS feeds, blog followings and Google Reader.
Let’s rephrase: “People read less and less generalized and irrelevant content.”
Thus the Golden Rule of Marketing Writing, “Thou shalt know thine audience and
address their pains and pleasures accordingly.”
How did I acquire this simple principle?
Not from a book, course or fortune cookie, but by teaching in the classroom. Planning and executing an effective lesson is much like writing informative and engaging copy.
Rather than rely on gimmicks or volume, I hold my target reader’s interest by: crediting her for her intelligence, speaking to her pains and interests, and respecting her time with succinct writing.
“Not worth the time or effort,” you say?
“The average attention span precludes such lofty ambitions,” you scoff?
Yes, our collective attention span dwindles at a precarious rate. But our expectation that information should be accessible and free grows just as quickly.
Therein lies opportunity for the quick of wit and precise of word.
I say, “Welcome and capitalize on this shift!”
Give good, free advice. Shower the reader with tips she can’t find anywhere else.
Overwhelm her with generous helpings of “How to…”
Inform the reader.
Edify her.
Empower.
She will reward you with her attention, her trust and, eventually, her buying power.
What’s that?
Sounds great, but you don’t have the time or energy to go to the trouble?
Wondering where to begin?
Your first step: contact me. Mike Russell is a freelance copywriter in Portland, OR. Through Pivotal Writing, LLC he defends the reader’s intelligence, champions his client’s message, and conspires to propel the sustainability movement into the mainstream dialogue.
