I started out writing consumer catalog copy, then moved into healthcare communications and B2B direct marketing. Today, most of my work is Web-content related. Things changed and my business has changed with the times. Ten years from now, who knows what I’ll be doing? How about you? You can’t predict the future, but you can prepare for it by rejecting overly-narrow specializations and embracing flexibility.

I’m exaggerating – there are times when brochures are useful. But why are they the first thing that comes to mind when marketers are launching a new product/service, when they should be the very last thing to worry about? When was the last time anyone bought anything on the strength of a brochure? Worry about creating a real marketing plan that complements a workable sales pathway. Worry about creating content that attracts attention by addressing your audience’s interests. Only worry about brochures when you’re satisfied with everything else.

True story: I once worked for a bank on a direct marketing campaign that was delayed for well over a year as the client tweaked and retweaked the offer, the wording, the value prop, etc. Why? They wanted to get it just right. Here’s why they were wrong: while they spent months making incremental adjustments, they lost momentum, leads, opportunities and revenue. Had they taken action when they were 80% there – damn the remaining 20% — they would have gained new business and important lessons for improving their marketing program. Instead, they stalled and got nowhere. Moral of the story: Get moving. Perfection is for dreamers.

What really motivates the B2B buyer? Sure, features and benefits are important – vital, in fact. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll recognize that our competitors make promises very similar to our own. Inside the buyer’s mind is a fragile, timid little creature with one ardent desire: “make me feel safe.” This creature cowers before the multiplicity of competing offers, the complexity of conflicting information. Instead of being inspired by hope, it is numbed with fear; after all, in the B2B context, the rewards of a successful choice are far less vivid than the immediate and painful results of failure. Above all else, when you’re marketing to B2B influencers and decision-makers, you have to communicate the certain conviction that choosing you is the safe choice to make.

The antidote to the “its only” disasters is the creative brief, a document that articulates the project’s purpose, use, audience, key messages, proof points, etc. Creating creative briefs takes time, so it’s tempting to skip the step. Resist that temptation. Time “saved” on the front end almost always leads to unnecessary confusion that wastes much more time on the back end.

1. Beware the “it’s only . . .” project

Surprisingly, the big projects rarely take you down. Perhaps because they’re incontestably challenging, these efforts usually come with adequate preparations that temper the difficulties. But the “it’s only” project – introduced as a minor consideration that should hardly take any time or thought, really – will bite you in the ass every time. The simple thing is never simple, especially when little time or thought has gone into its conception, purpose or execution. When a client says, “it’s only,” they really mean they don’t want to pay a lot for it, not that it won’t take a lot of work.

According to Ann, “Jonathan Kranz’s two-part story on 10 high-impact, low-budget marketing ideas was a clear winner last year…”

I’m blushing. Thanks everyone!

No, it’s not about spin or turning lemons into lemonade or any of that crap. The bad news remains bad news, plain and simple. But while I can’t show you how to stem your losses, I do illustrate a way you can retain your dignity.

They say fools rush in and I’m no exception, so even though the debate hasn’t even happened yet, I’m going to weigh in with my thoughts on this issue.

First, this isn’t about (or shouldn’t be about) talent. Any half-decent copywriter should be able to work well within a variety of industries and in a broad range of formats: print, web, direct, broadcast, collateral, content, etc. The real issue, then, is about positioning or marketing: what’s the stronger business model?

The obvious advantage of the generalist approach is reach: more industries and formats means more possible projects within a larger pool of prospects. But (and this is a big but) it’s a weak strategic position: a person who’s all things to all people means nothing to just about everyone. Tactically, it’s also troublesome. If your claim is broad, where do y0u target your efforts? At which prospects do you take aim? What kinds of content should you publish? In which forums, communities, associations should you be present? The generalist approach leads to a crippling diffusion of marketing efforts — which is why so many copywriters are spread thin without achieving traction anywhere.

Now the alternative: specialization. As I’m sure Michael will point out, a narrow focus gives your positioning laser-like power. Once you’ve staked your turf, you know what to say, where to say it, and to whom to say it. With persistent shrewdness (intelligence plus hard work) you may even get to “own” a particular specialization. Indeed, the widespread adoption of social media methods have made it even easier to define a turf and defend it. And with the Web, one of the disadvantages of specialization — smaller prospect pool — has been offset by the worldwide reach of the Internet itself — you can become the go-to expert in “X” for the entire English-speaking world (and then some).

Yet, for all the advantages, I don’t like the specialist approach. Here’s why:

1. Once you’ve claimed your territory, you’ve simultaneously put yourself in a box. That precious claim you’ve made can be undermined by changing demands and shifting marketing needs. Take blogging, for example. I won’t name, names, but I can think of a few marketers who built their brands around blogging expertise. That was great — for awhile. But they became victims of their own success: once blogging became an ordinary part of the communications landscape, their previously unique know-how became ordinary, even commonplace.
2. Limited up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. The hardest part of the job is getting past the client’s door. Once inside, however, there should be many lucrative opportunities for expanding your services. But if you’ve defined yourself by one tactic, what else do you have to offer? Time and again, I’ve turned entry projects into longstanding customer relationships in which I’ve contributed website copy, white papers, articles, collateral, print ads, newsletters, case studies, direct mail, etc.
3. Boredom. Let’s face it, do you really want to spend your entire writing career creating ONE kind of deliverable? Or concentrating on ONE industry? Okay, maybe you do, but I don’t.

So what do I advise? Multiple specialties. I believe in cultivating experience in a variety of copywriting areas. This is not generalization under another name; you need genuine expertise in a cluster of marketing mediums — and a willingness to walk away from projects that lie outside your set.

Yes, marketing becomes tricky, even messy. But it’s not impossible. And the rewards, in terms of both business development and work-life satisfaction, can run deep.

With his exceptional talents, and a string of successful movies and Broadway shows behind him, Kaye should have had every reason to feel confident about his London debut, his first appearance before an English audience.

But Kaye took nothing for granted. He arrived in London a week in advance of his opening night, and spent that week sitting — in the audience. He didn’t watch the shows so much as watch the audiences themselves: what made them laugh? What songs did they like? What flopped with them? What soared?

The result? Here’s what the Wikipedia entry says:

When he appeared at the London Palladium music hall in 1948, he “roused the Royal family to shrieks of laughter and was the first of many performers who have turned English variety into an American preserve.” Life magazine described his reception as “worshipful hysteria” and noted that the royal family, for the first time in history, left the royal box to see the show from the front row of the orchestra.

In marketing, we often bow before the idol of “creativity.” Dozens (maybe there are hundreds) of award programs honor allegedly creative work. But Danny Kaye reveals an aspect to SUCCESSFUL creativity that’s too often overlooked: Talent isn’t enough. Even experience is insufficient.

You have to know your audience. Sit with them. Listen to them. Feel with them. Because it’s your ability to truly understand your audience that makes the difference between travesty and triumph.