Say it with Words
Ok, I owe a bit of an apology for the slightly facetious title. So why start on such an ill-tempered note? Sadly, it’s partly to get attention and really, whether that works or not is anyone’s guess, but it’s mainly to make a point.
I remember receiving a group email from a colleague a while back and they entitled it “Free Booze.” They lied, but they captured just about everyone’s attention. Advertising is of course a slightly more delicate matter. Misleading your customers is not advisable, but there are lessons to be learned here when it comes to grabbing someone’s attention with words on a page.
I wrote a piece of copy for a sales poster recently, and it got me thinking. On a basic level, posters in this age open up a variety of marketing avenues to businesses. But ultimately, the content will boil down to a few key considerations:
Where are your posters going to be placed?
Who are you talking to?
What is the objective of your message?
For example, a billboard on a busy stretch of road will have different needs to a poster on a community notice board. The length of time an audience will spend looking or indeed reading in each instance will differ tremendously. Something hard-hitting, perhaps lead by visuals and a punchy summing up would be suited to a busy intersection billboard, whereas a poster advertising a local event on a notice board can afford to be more explicit and detailed in its wording.
Looking at it from a sales standpoint, the “what” links in with the desired reaction. In what way do we want these people to engage? Do we want them to call a number, visit a website or in a more subliminal sense, simply absorb the message to build brand consideration?
From a writer’s perspective the main work comes into the “who” part of the process and it’s often tempting to try and invent some clever premise to entice the audience. What’s the theme? What spin can I put on it and how can I revolutionise the message? Thinking above your station before the brief is even out of the starting blocks, when in actual fact the consideration needs to be broader and the other elements of the brief, such as location and objective need to be remembered. With that in mind, I would say this: occasionally all you need to be is clear, concise and simply use the best words in the most attractive order to describe the message you’re tasked with.
