Ideas Sell

If you’re a marketer or copywriter, you produce and read a lot of copy. It must be evaluated. 

And unfortunately, instead of writing new copy with a new big idea, the copy has been shuffled around. Same words. Different order.

That approach is not going to breakthrough and produce a new winner.

Copywriters and marketers who have their game on are those who spin an existing message into a new, much bigger, idea. It can include a metaphor, new perspective, or a story that’s more engaging that rattling off facts and figures.

Ideas sell. And new ideas are hard to come by. Yet, there are ways to pursue an idea worthy of testing:

• Interview customers—or better—interview prospective customers and ask what it will take to earn their business. Phone calls are good; focus groups can be better. Ask them why they buy. Then, ask them a follow-up “why?” to peel back the layers.
• If you’re a marketer, you surely have data—all kinds of data ranging from demographics to behavioral information. Examine your data through a new lens to inspire yourself and imagine the possibilities for a new big idea.
• Look at the characteristics of your best customers. You know, the Pareto Principle; often simply called the “80/20 rule.”
• What are your competitors doing? But don’t knock them off. Steal smart, add your own twist, and rise above them.

Conversations with peers and co-workers can also inspire copywriters and marketers. Ask “what if” questions. Ask “why” questions. Ask what the driving emotion is that tips a prospect into becoming a customer.

Then, let your copywriter digest the research, discussion and background materials, and take a step back with these 4 Ways to Get Creative to let the big idea reveal itself.