walk the walk.
I want to talk about walking the walk. About putting words into action, doing what I say I’m going to do, and living up to expectations. I believe I walk the walk in the work I do for my clients, but I have always found it challenging to provide proof in a way that shows them what I do, and how I do it.
Last week I decided it was time to try and solve this problem.
I figured I would simply package up examples of my writing according to industries for which I have written, and direct people to whichever industry example was appropriate.
“Oh, you want an example of a blog article I’ve written about a beauty product? No worries, here’s a couple of links. Enjoy! Leave a comment! Share with your friends!”
But then a business in a totally different industry got in touch and I didn’t have any appropriate examples to send them.
Dang it. Scrap the above, time for a new approach.
I’m comfortable enough to own the statement, “I’m good at what I do.” I do believe I am a specialist. But, in what? Communications? No one knows what that means! I stumble every time I have to explain it. People stare at me blankly. I quickly follow up with, “I’m a musician, too.” That appears to diffuse the situation. And now you can see why I’d never be any good at sales.
I’ve struggled with the concept of being a specialist in a particular subject area. To be a bonafide specialist on any topic is undoubtedly a big commitment. No space for skimming the surface on other stuff, full immersion into the nuances that make it what it is. It’s an amazing thing for those who are invested in that way. The thing is, I personally need more variety than one wonderfully interesting thing. I like finding out about new things and new industries. I’m interested in many subject areas, not just a few.
I may not be an expert at any one thing, but there’s a beautiful thing in this situation. When I was asked to edit, proofread, write and disseminate newsletters for a law firm, I thought, “as long as I don’t have to actually write anything from scratch, I should be fine.” Read: I have no idea about anything law-related. Ah! Herein lies the beautiful thing. The very fact that I am not an expert in law is the reason that I find it easier than the lawyers themselves to write consumable, entertaining and engaging content for their client database. I read the articles and their summaries and I write bite-sized paragraphs which become meaningful to their non-lawyer clients. In fact, the way that I am able to proudly not be an industry specialist in this case is exactly what makes their communications to their clients more appealing. (No offence, lawyers. Top notch job you do. It’s just that there are so… many… words.)
Jess Deacon: specialist in regurgitation. Oh no, is that what I do?! Perhaps I need to consider something a little more appealing.
Make no mistake, if it’s my job to write an in-depth and technical piece about a particular thing (which I have now done several times, and I am working on uploading some examples to my website), I will read, and read, and read some more. I love to read, and I love to learn. I love context and background and ‘the bigger picture’. Tell me everything. Send it all. I will read it. It will help me write the thing I’m tasked to write in a more involved way. And I shall enjoy it because I love what I do.
But remember I’m not a specialist in any particular subject area. So I decided to reframe my thinking, because I don’t need to be a specialist in any particular subject. I just need to be a specialist at getting words to wow. Paragraphs to perform. Headlines that hit you. Sentences that sing. Clauses that capture your attention. OK I’ll stop now.
I write, I think, and I create. That’s the simplest iteration of what I do. (I also sing and play jazz guitar, but that’s irrelevant at this point in time. Focus.)
These three things of course - done well - lead to connection, cohesion, engagement and loyalty - of customers to wonderful businesses who trust me. Along with a splash of pride and the feeling of belonging for good measure. Then we have an attractive brand, and a sellable product or service. And - above all - a business that stands out from the crowd because you realise the value of investing in a copywriter who can think ‘big picture.’ Thank you.
By “write” I mean I am a copywriter. I edit, proofread, craft, wordsmith, develop, extrapolate, refine, think about, research, adapt, rephrase, style, cut, finesse (beginning to sound like a hairdresser), draft, chew on, zhuzh (now a dog groomer), and I look up words. A lot. Yes, as a writer I am allowed to admit that I refer to the dictionary! It’s in my top five fave books of all time, I’ll have you know.
By “think” I mean I am a strategist. I step back and draw pictures that show the connections within your business and to its external touch points, I research your industry and I plan ahead of time, I look into the distance a lot while my mind unpicks strings of thought in my head, I jot things down so I don’t forget, and I mull things over. Thinking is one of the most underrated skills, because how can the brilliance of a person’s mind be measured unless they’re able to articulate that great idea through the conceptualisation and actualisation of a ‘something’ that hits the mark, delivers to the brief and causes people to raise an eyebrow in quiet recognition? Phew, that was a sentence and a half. But it’s an important one.
By “create” I mean I am a creator and a collaborator. I think about how to bring aforementioned words and thoughts to life through design, photography, print media, digital media and the rest. I engage with my network of specialists in these fields (has the penny just dropped for you, too?) and I ask for their advice and their collaboration. I work with equally talented people to bring concepts and projects to life. Some projects require every single thing, some don’t. One thing I don’t do is pretend to be good at something I’m shit at. I’ve met people who do this, I’ve worked for people who do this. It’s bad practice and it’s dishonest and it does not invite good juju.
Is this helping… at all… to describe what I do, and how?
What I’m getting at is, I am a specialist with words and ideas. Words are my jam. I am a punctuation pedant and a grammar geek. That’s not what makes me a specialist, though - every writer should have those qualities in check. I am a thinker. Conceptually-speaking. I think deep, and I think ‘big picture’ so that you can consider opportunities to tie all of your business communications together with your brand presence right through to your products and services. But how can I define that?
While I can creatively direct a group of people, I’m not a creative director. While I have a good eye for design and photography, I’m not an art director.
So, what am I?! I have been toying with various terms over the last few days to try and nail this, and I haven’t quite decided yet. Although, Communications Artist is one that resonates.
It talks to the communicator in me; the words and the messaging. It talks to the creative in me; the way ideas work together to create something worth putting out there. Art, if you will.
And now for the proof. I should have plenty to talk about - I have now been in business for a year, have worked with 30 clients, and am quite proud of the stuff I have produced.
Here’s an example. Stacey Fraser is a good friend of mine, and a cosmetic chemist. Sure, she stands in a lab and mixes ingredients to make formulations that are gorgeous to use, award-winning, and efficacious. But she’s also a designer, an innovator and is hugely knowledgeable in the world of beauty and personal care. She consults, advises and researches. She’s a leader in her industry.
About this time last year I worked with Stacey to develop her personal brand which is her business. I had to figure out how to present her clients with a succinct description of what she does and how she could perhaps help someone who was looking to develop their own skincare line. I delved into what drives her, and what makes her tick. In other words, what her purpose is. I had a sense of her personality of course, but if I hadn’t known her before trying to write her personal brand messaging I would have spent some time getting to know her and asking her various questions. It’s all part of an important process known as brand development. Stacey is a go-getter, a vivacious woman, a fun and funny human, and she knows her stuff.
The brand tagline that I came up with is: Cosmetological Artistry, Industrial Chic, Collaborative Creativity.
It speaks to her qualifications, her passion, her purpose, and her point of difference all in one hit. The brand’s tone of voice is reflected in the copy I wrote on her website - take a read at staceyfraser.co.
Another example is Sue Kohn-Taylor. Sue came to me with a problem that we all face when trying to write about ourselves - we’re too modest. Her exact brief was, “I need a speaker profile turned into words of power, punch and amazingness!” It’s just plain hard to write about yourself without feeling like you’re blowing your own trumpet. To me, this was an easy task. I wasn’t going to try and make Sue sound any better or any more able than she actually is. It was simply a matter of telling the truth and making it interesting by using words that stood her apart from others in the same field. Exactly the kind of challenge I love!
Here’s the first paragraph of the original copy:
Sue is the Founder of “The Mental Fitness Company’ a fast growing technology and services business specialising in employee wellbeing solutions, personal development and mental fitness. Sue has been coaching, speaking and mentoring for over 15 years. Sue has learnt first-hand how important mental fitness and resilience is for each of us to have a rewarding career and personal life. She dedicates her time running workshops, wellbeing strategies for organisations and speaking throughout NZ, empowering individual’s lives for the better!
Here’s the first paragraph of my version:
Sue Kohn-Taylor is an expert life-navigator, a master of motivation, and a specialist resilience coach. From her own lived experiences she knows that attitude and aptitude are critical in order to respond proactively and positively to life’s inevitable curveballs. She also knows that we humans aren’t necessarily born with these traits, but that they can be learned and shared. It’s something she likes to call Mental Fitness.
Sue’s original version is not a bad example of someone’s “About Me” copy. But, let’s be honest, it reads the same as every other “About Me” piece of writing that’s out there. Let’s not follow these imaginary rules when we are writing profiles and other standard pieces of copy. Writing something that becomes a pleasure to read is exactly that: a pleasure to read. And if I’m going to write something, that’s how it ought to be.
While I’m at it, here’s a quick review of the industries for which written (and thought about) all sorts of content, brand stories, positioning statements and legal documentation:
Building
Personal development
Business development
Corporate development
Skincare
Youth health
Public health
Private health
Health technology
Stone carving
Hospitality
Arts and music
Marketing
Design
Jewellery
Civil Engineering
Law
Even I am blown away at the breadth of industry variety here! Am I an expert in any of these industries? No. Am I an expert in my line of work? Yes. I think I can back myself enough to say that I am.
Jess Deacon: Expert Wordsmith and Ideas Generator. Communications Artist? Maybe. I might keep mulling that one over.