What writers do isn’t magical; sometimes it just looks that way
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I have many wonderful clients, but only one who insists I secretly wield a wand. They’ll email notes or an outline and command me to wave said wand over them. Hours later, they’re reading exactly what they had hoped I’d have them say.
But I’m not a magician or some kind of wizard. Just a copywriter. What some people pejoratively call a spin doctor (though I happen to like the term). My job is to find the best way to communicate what you’re thinking to people who are important to you and your business. The method can involve any number of channels from videos to websites, to articles and more, but they all exist for the same reason. You have something you need your marketplace and stakeholders to understand about you. I find the words to make that happen.
That said, there truly are times when people want me to attempt some magic on their behalf. They want me to come up with words capable of curing whatever ails their organizations. They believe I have the dark skills to fix years of dysfunction and bad decisions with some pleasant-sounding sentences.
A great example was the non-profit executive director who was struggling with a board that was somehow both divided and detached. Directors provided minimal oversight and had grave concerns about everything the ED was doing wrong. The only thing they could agree upon was that the ED was the real problem — but, of course, for strikingly different reasons.
The ED wanted to bring me in for a one-time project. I would create a simple, straightforward, concise document to reiterate the organization’s mission and vision … along with a series of expectations for everyone’s roles in pursuing those things. I understood the real objective: refocus the board on core objectives and its role in advancing everyone toward them, while streamlining oversight. (e.g., getting directors to focus on expanding capacity rather than on what the ED paid for paper clips last week.)
My response disappointed the ED. I said I didn’t think there would be any long-term value in my going in, summarizing what they should already know they’re about, and then moving on. I mean, should they need a reminder, their mission and vision statements were on the website. If I presented such a document in their board meeting, the directors would listen, thank me politely, and ask “so what does he know?” seconds after I walked out of the room.
The ED thought it was a problem that could be solved through writing, but what the organization really needed had little to do with copywriters and the strange things we do. I’m no management guru, but I’ve had four decades of an insider’s view into literally many hundreds of entities. I saw two separate issues that suggested they needed some professional help I’m not capable of delivering.
First, there’s obviously been no board training. And, just as likely, not a whole lot of thought given when considering potential board members. Part of the ED’s role is nurturing the board — not as a means of control, but to help it become more effective and board service more satisfying. So they need a consultant who fixes boards and helps EDs get better at working with them. Otherwise, the guys’ll keep nominating golf buddies.
Second, they misunderstood the role of marketing and advertising. The ED assumed I could come up with a clever slogan or something that would be easy for the board to embrace with pride, and that slogan’s magical properties would have them embracing one another in moments. Even better, it would provide a clear message that simplified their marketing efforts.
A hammer is a crucial tool for building a home, but if you lay that hammer on the ground, no home will magically appear. That’s because the hammer only has value in serving specific needs. Marketing and advertising are also tools that help organizations achieve their strategic goals. But those tools can’t be the sources of those goals.
If your marketing and advertising efforts aren’t born from clear strategic priorities, you’re just playing games with your money. Like throwing darts: you’ll hit targets, but far less often than you’d like. But once you know the goals, it usually becomes easier to find the most effective tactics for accomplishing them. Not only will you do a better job of coordinating things like marketing and advertising, but you’ll also be able to quantify your success.
Any kind of marketing communications effort really needs to be aligned with the board’s strategic goals and done with the board’s involvement. Anything less than that, and they’ll be right back in the same place within a few months … with the ED updating their resume.
Scott Flood creates effective copy for companies and other organizations. To learn more, contact him at sflood@sfwriting.com or 317-839-1739, and visit his blog at sfwriting.com/blog.