Developing Strategy
Before anything else, I take time to understand what the client is trying to achieve, asking questions like:
- Who is your audience?
- What is your objective for this project?
- How does that fit into your overall marketing strategy?
- What has or hasn’t worked with this audience in the past?
- What is the most important thing you want to say? The second most important? Third?
- How will you measure results?
Then I listen carefully to the answers–to make sure my hammer will be directed at the right nail.
Gathering Information
Sometimes clients have all the source materials needed; sometimes not. It all works for me. One of my favorite activities is digging for information via face-to-face meetings, phone or Zoom calls, emails, web research, or provided documents.
Culling Key Messages
You give me six pages; you need three paragraphs. That’s fine. Once I’ve done a deep dive, the key points jump out at me.
Deciding Flow
When the messages are crystal clear, we still need to decide their order. I have a knack for leading the reader/listener/viewer through a logical structure (with lots of subheads, captions, bullets, and call-outs, of course).
Writing For Impact
People have nanosecond attention spans today. I get to the point.
Following Through
Writing projects can include a lot of hoops: gathering info, writing content, seeking approvals, making revisions, editing, and proofing. Clients trust me to get through the process efficiently, without taking potentially-damaging shortcuts.