Live search: a dream or nightmare for copywriters?

Google's announcement that Twitter updates are to be included in search results changes the whole landscape of SEO Copywriting. Suddenly everything is blown open, as new opportunities jostle with threats to the entire status quo.

Opportunities: well if you're struggling to make a splash for your chosen keyword, tweet it to the max and the topical slant is going to give you a boost. PLUS Twitter's live insight into current search trends hands you an immediate audience together with pre-defined keywords. It's kind of like the way bloggers can get listed for the day's news, but with rapid impact and more than the news sites to suggest the day's popular content.

Threats: well imagine you've just had your website nicely optimised. You've beaten off the competition and there you'll stay for a while at least...but now the tweeters are coming to get you! And even if specific tweets don't manage to gazump you, the Twitter-savvy competitor will link to optimised pages, boosting their main site with some topical Twitter power.

Now maybe some of this is speculation, and the precise challenges will become apparent as the Twigoogle thing rolls out...but clearly Google has 2 big priorities: social media and instant results.

It means every copywriter - and every business owner - will have to get Twitter-happy and harness a whole raft of applications just to stay ahead of the game.

Mud-slinging: the copywriter’s first sign of desperation

There’s a long-standing unwritten law in copywriting, that directly dissing the opposition is a definite no-no. Not because we subscribe to high ideals or some lofty code of ethics, but simply because mud-slinging is largely counter-productive.

I first realised this when I read an ad by a local funeral director, who bigged himself up by “exposing” his rivals for not having local roots! For a service that calls for sensitivity, it was tacky to the max. And personally, I’d rather die than use his firm (no pun intended!)

OK, that’s an extreme example, given the business context. But the same principle applies across the board.

Think of it this way: you’re standing at a tradeshow between two rival merchants, both hungry for your business. Instead of showing you how their product is going to solve your problems, they start hurling abuse at each other...drawing on the weaknesses of the alternative instead of their own value.

Would you trade with the one who provides the best insults? Whoever makes the other look worse? Or more likely, would you take your business elsewhere? I’m guessing it’s the latter.

Because no-one wants to get caught in the thick of a bitching cross-fire!

Of course a sales message needs a strong dose of differentiation. But you can set yourself apart through the virtues of your product and the broader failings of your sector...you don’t need to wage a full-on assault that drags your customers into an internal battleground.

Sadly though, this unwritten rule is now being flouted more and more. Maybe it’s a desperate ploy that reflects our desperate times, or maybe it’s the start of a more ‘in your face’ advertising culture. But today, banks, supermarkets and frozen pizzas alike are slinging the mud back and fore.

So the big question: is this what you want? What would you respond to?

Would you rather buy X because it meets your needs, or just because it’s less crap than Y?

What does your customer need to know?

I'm dedicating this post to an ad I've just found in a Tesco store in Cardiff. A classic bit of "Don't go there" copywriting if ever there was one (and there is).

"4 tickets to Bristol Hippodrome" it reads. Wow! To see what exactly?

Well they're not saying JD, but hey who cares? It's the Bristol Hippodrome! Isn't that enough??

Not really. I can't speak for you, but I'm not one who could cheerfully sit in the BH and be just plain happy to be there, regardless of what's on stage. You might disagree. You might call me Mr Picky and argue that the bijou auditorium and comfy plush upholstery alone warrant the cost of crossing the Severn Bridge.

But personally, I like to discriminate and pre-qualify my theatre jaunts with questions like "what's on?"

So - first glaring ommission: WHAT PLAY IS IT?
BH has a varied programme this autumn, ranging from the Chuckle Brothers to 'Puppetry of the penis', so I dare say they're pulling in quite a broad demographic. (OK, I can imagine both will contain the lines "To me, to you", but their audiences are still far from interchangeable!)

Then - second glaring ommission: WHEN???
What's the date on the tickets? Do I have to call to find out? Or is there a prize if I guess correctly? The date here is not just a vital feature, it's also a deadline so really not the sort of info you want to leave out.

(Of course if you're really crafty you can use the 'Display Until' date as a clue, but this really shouldn't be a Scooby Doo kind of matter).

In copywriting terms, the lesson here is pretty obvious: it helps to think like your customer and ask "what do they need to know?". Granted, our ticket tout friend has a clear call to action (three phone numbers - and they boldly invite you to make an offer!!) but if you don't create the need there's no point closing the deal!

I know, I know, I'm being harsh, this is just an ad in Tesco. But the same principles apply to any type of copywriting: forget what you know, adopt the customer's level of knowledge and feel their motivation.

OK, lesson over. If this ad does float your boat, drop me a line and I'll give you the phone number. Then I hope you'll enjoy the show - whatever it turns out to be...