I used to work as a copywriter for mainstream UK agencies (sometimes I still do) including a few you may have heard of (like Saatchi & Saatchi) and many that will probably be unfamiliar. I’ve been lucky enough to pick up quite a few industry awards, and to work on well-known brands like Royal Mail, BBC, Virgin, BT, Heinz, IBM, Ford and Xerox.
I’ve ghost-written for celebrity chef Keith Floyd and I’ve been inside Broadmoor (as a visitor) to write recruitment ads for nurses there. I’ve written a sex chat operator manual and come up with an in-flight video about a teddy bear for Virgin Atlantic. I’ve generally had a lot of fun.
More seriously, I’ve come to appreciate what makes people buy, what makes businesses succeed and how to make the most of your marketing budget, whatever its size.
Through my own website, I came a long time ago to understand how to do well with Google (if you found me through a Google search, that proves the point). And that while search engine algorithms are always evolving, getting your website content right is the enduring key to success in the rankings.
A long time ago, I decided that I’d rather be in business for myself. Since then I’ve continued to work for agencies, but much of the time I work directly for clients large and small. This could involve websites, press advertising, direct marketing, newsletters, or simply top-level guidance to ensure you get the marketing mix right.
Brochures and leaflets are often the first marketing items to be produced by a business and the first contact that potential customers will have with your organisation. So it’s worth paying for brochure copywriting written by a professional copywriter – it could be the difference between you losing sales and gaining long-term customers.
Which sectors require brochures?
Many businesses find that, even in today’s digital world, a printed brochure is an invaluable sales tool, while having a downloadable PDF version increases its reach.
Popular sectors I have written brochures for in London, the UK and internationally include:
- Property businesses, for blue-chip names such as The Berkeley Group and Landsec, as well as numerous smaller and more specialist property outfits.
- Financial companies, for well-known players such as Royal London and Travelers, often to showcase a particular product or service, or to target a defined customer segment.
- Charities, which often rely on very specific targeting via printed materials.
- Small businesses, particularly tradespeople, retailers, and those offering professional services. As well as brochures, I often write flyers and leaflets.
Here are some typical examples of printed and online brochures I’ve written. As you can see, my clients range from big businesses all the way down to start-ups and cover numerous sectors.
I’ve been a digital copywriter since the earliest days of the web, writing web copy for the likes of BT and IBM in the mid-1990s. My own website has been online since 1999.
Digital content I’ve written includes:
- Web pages – the content of all kinds (See also my copywriting for websites);
- Product pages – writing to strict layouts and formats;
- Microsites – typically temporary or special sites for blue-chip companies;
- Web advertising – banners, sliders and ads of all shapes and sizes;
- Blog posts and articles, in sectors such as property, legal and technology;
- Social media – such as tweets, Facebook posts and LinkedIn profiles;
- Emails – including HTML and regular emails.
