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"IT'S ABOUT THE CONSUMER, STUPID!"

by Susanna K. Hutcheson

Professional marketers and copywriters serve two masters. And more times than not, what one master wants isn't what works with the second! Let me explain.

The person who hires us (a copywriter) is our client. Some clients often have preconceived ideas of what they want and how their copy should read. What it should include. Trouble is, most of the time that's not what sells stuff to the other master, the consumer who is supposed to buy the stuff.

The copywriters who wrote some of the famous Coke commercials, for example, won some awards for those big lavish productions. The agency loved them and the client glowed over them. Trouble is, they didn't sell any Coke!

On the other hand, the commercials they wrote that "did" sell lots of Coke were absolutely hated by the client! And they sure didn't win any awards.

While only another copywriter would understand the dilemma, in it's entirety, you can probably see that serving two masters is tough. Some copywriters end out writing for awards and to please the client. Others write to sell stuff. I'm in the latter group.

As much as all copywriters would love to have all of their clients love what they write; as much as we would all love to win all the awards and still sell all the stuff we're supposed to sell, we can't.

Marketing that gets results isn't always the copy that wins awards or that our clients love. But it's our job to know what pushes the hot button of the people who actually are the prospective buyers of all your stuff. That's what we're trained for and that's what we do best. At least, that's what we "should" do best.

So when you hire a copywriter, ask yourself this question: "Do I want them to please me or sell my stuff?"

Copywriters, like everyone else, make mistakes. But those of us who have put in most all of our adult lives in the business (assuming the adult life is at least over ten years) know how to create desire and sell to that desire. That's our business. We're experts at what we do. We can make mundane items seem as if they're something the buyer simply cannot live without.

What we need from the client is all the information on his or her product and service. We can take it from there.

Marketing that gets results is knowing what makes people buy. It's really that simple. The copywriter is charged with condensing that down into a thirty second commercial or an ad or a sales letter. Some times we don't do so well. Other times we do great. But most of the time a professional copywriter will sell more stuff for you than you could sell without him or her. Why? Because that's their job. That' what they're trained to do and have spent their lives doing. They persuade people for a living. And no one can do that better than a professional copywriter.

But before you hire a copywriter, decide if you want them to please you or to sell your stuff. And when you talk to a copywriter, be sure and ask him or her if they write to please the client or to sell. If they tell you they write to please you, that may make you glow. But when what they write bombs remember this: No one can serve two masters. And the only master any of us in business should serve is the end user of our service. In my case, for example, the real end user is the prospect of my client. Yes, my client pays me. But he or she pays me to sell stuff to that end user or consumer.

And the bottom line is, we're all here on the net to sell stuff. So let's make that our constant goal. And remember the marketer's slogan, "It's about the consumer, stupid!" Say the right thing to the right people and you'll make money. Just keep that end user, that consumer in mind. They're the ones who buy the stuff you sell.

Susanna K. Hutcheson is a professional advertising and direct mail copywriter. She was the first copywriter to utilize the Internet as a place to market this type of service. Susanna has clients all over the world. She writes everything from Web site content to direct mail and radio spots. Visit her Web site at http://www.powerwriting.com. Her email address is powerwriter@powerwriting.com. Telephone: 316-665-7626.

© Copyright 2006 by Susanna K. Hutcheson and Power Communications LLC. Any republication in any manner is prohibited without the consent of Power Communications LLC or the author. We do give you limited permission to use this article on your Web site or in your newsletter if you print it or reproduce it exactly as it appears here including this entire notice. This article cannot be sold by you or published in a for-profit publication, a pay-per-view site or a site which sells memberships. It cannot be used by schools or in textbooks without our consent in writing. Rights to use this article for a purpose other than the type of distribution for which it is intended may be purchased from us. Call us at 316-665-7626. You may, however, link directly (not by redirect) to this article.