Editorial managers and marketing executives call us when they need help solving the following kinds of challenges:
• Pressure due to a large volume of writing projects
• Stress from trying to find a writer who can describe complex products in plain English
• Frustration about content that isn’t connecting with customers and prospects
• Disappointment over a lack of fresh marketing ideas.
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If any of these issues sound familiar to you, maybe we should talk.
When it comes to written communication, we believe:
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The number one job of copywriting is to shorten the sales process. In David Ogilvy’s words, “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.”
Words sell. While we care about design, in our experience it’s the words that do the selling. Words describe the solutions your company offers. And words convince people to act.
Keep it simple. We’re big believers in making things just as simple as possible for customers. It’s worth the extra effort to boil ideas down to their essence.
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Every communication is different. A writer needs to take a fresh look at the audience, message
and timing.
A Creative (or Marketing) Brief is worth the work. People often think they don’t have time to prepare a Creative Brief. However, a tremendous amount of time and effort can be saved with good planning up front.
It pays to take a walk in the customer’s shoes. Good copywriting integrates the customer’s point of view.
Buying decisions are emotional. Copy should reflect this reality.
Research is an asset. Carefully designed market research can reveal valuable customer insights.
Test the big things. Focus on the items that can really move the needle.
When it comes to judging copy, the only opinions that really count are the ones that belong to your customers. When you place an ad in the market, potential customers will let you know if the message
is on target.
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We're committed to:
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• Understanding your company, competitors, customers, industry and current marketing efforts.
• Doing the thinking required to create effective marketing materials.
• Testing—again and again—to find the most effective messages.
ABOUT
The founder of MayerWrites, William C. Mayer, has written hundreds of marketing communications that persuaded prospects to become customers. Or strengthened relationships with current customers. Or won back ex-customers. He knows how to work with colleagues and vendors to deliver tailored solutions that get results. In short, Mayer:
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Is consistently recognized for developing simple solutions to complex communication problems.
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Wrote marketing materials that pulled in millions of dollars in new balances.
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Has helped grow brands including Dreyfus, iHeart Media, LexisNexis, McGraw-Hill, Oppenheimer Funds, Scholastic, Standard & Poor’s, TIAA, Value Line and more.
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Mayer got his start in the publishing business. The role combined marketing (writing book flaps, catalogs and packaging) and public relations (getting new titles reviewed in the New York and national media). Then he moved to the advertising agency world where he got an education in direct-response marketing.
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His next job was in the marketing department at Standard & Poor’s. He worked there for more than seven years, helping sell subscriptions to individual and professional investors.
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After that, he became employee number three at a public relations agency that was destined to grow quickly. This job gave Mayer valuable experience in the world of PR
and publicity. But he missed the advertising business and decided to return to his marketing roots. So, he joined a mid-sized advertising agency where he helped grow companies including Dreyfus mutual funds, Lexis-Nexis, Scotts Lawn Care and more.
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Next, Mayer moved to a Fortune 100 financial services company, writing marketing materials for college savings plans, life insurance, mutual funds and retirement plans.
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These days, Mayer provides copywriting and marketing services to clients in financial services, government, and publishing. Portfolio site info on request.
Difference: Brain-friendly copy
After many years in marketing and communications, Mayer has developed a process to create Brain-friendly copy. To get your message across, he combines insights from cognitive science, linguistics, and marketing. An outline of his method follows.
Simplify concepts as much as possible. Mayer boils complex ideas down to their essence. That’s because when ideas are too complicated, your prospects will struggle (or worse, sink into paralysis).
Streamline every sentence. Mayer uses insights from linguistics to construct sentences and paragraphs that are easy to understand.
Employ analogies, metaphors and stories because they make it easy for the brain to grasp—and remember—important ideas about your products and services.
Align with human psychology. Mayer develops copy that works with your customers’ natural mental habits.
These days, many customers and prospects are busy, distracted, and just plain stressed out. In this challenging environment, Brain-friendly copy is engineered to attract and hold the attention of your audiences.
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SERVICES
Creating strong copy requires an ability to see the big marketing picture and attend to the details.
In everything we write, we aim to develop content with a blend of the following qualities:
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a strong start
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an appropriate persuasion strategy
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logical organization
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the right tone
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coherence
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clarity
In other words, we devote a lot of thought, time and energy to getting your company’s written messages right from the first word to the last.
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CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS
Your business doesn't stand still. When your products, services, or technology changes, Mayer crafts strategic communications to let your customers and stakeholders know.
COPYEDITING
When you need to have written material prepared for publication, we clarify obscure passages, eliminate irrelevant ideas, fix grammar, and sequence ideas to achieve a smooth flow.
COPYWRITING
You get copy to attract new customers, retain current customers, or win back former customers. We bring experience writing advertisements, direct mail, email, newsletters, press releases, social media, thought leadership articles and website content to the table. Mayer can help you develop a marketing strategy or execute on your current strategy.
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NEWSLETTER WRITING
To our way of thinking, a great newsletter article is a skillful blend of marketing and customer education. The story engages readers while sharing valuable information. As with every type of writing, plain language wins over jargon. When possible, we like to include visuals (such as a chart, graph, or illustration) to keep readers from being intimidated by a wall of words. If you can see the upside to adding a newsletter to your marketing mix but lack the time to create content yourself, let’s talk.
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“Bill’s copywriting skills, especially on complicated, technically oriented business-to-business assignments…have made significant contributions to client-agency relationships.”
—J.B., Managing Director, Direct Marketing
“Bill consistently produces high quality deliverables that achieve the desired results. He has an extremely high level of attention to detail, and always utilizes that skill to improve results.”
—B.W., Editorial Services Manager
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“I worked with Bill for many years and he is an astonishingly talented copywriter and creative strategist. His insight goes beyond mere technical proficiency to pinpointing what does and doesn’t work and what can and can’t work with a particular piece of creative. What’s more, Bill is equally at home in the digital space as he is in the traditional ink and paper world. He is thorough, becomes fully versed in his subject matter, and delivers exceptional work on time and on budget.”
—K.M., Senior Associate, Creative Services
"You've proven yourself to be a top-notch content creator. Keep up the great work!"
—P. H., Editor
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...and what it’s like to work with Mayer
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“Bill understands and communicates the necessity of change to enhance [the company’s] business practices and results. He readily adapts to new requirements and is flexible in meeting changed objectives.”
—S.B., Editorial Services Manager
“Bill’s greatest strengths are his in-depth knowledge of [the company’s] products and his well-honed interpersonal skills. He is a man of high integrity who is always willing to help others and always follows through on his commitments. He focuses on doing the best job possible.”
—L.S., Marketing Manager
You don’t have to take our word for it.
Over the years, colleagues and managers have frequently praised Mayer for his writing skills. A sampling follows:
TESTIMONIALS
COPYWRITING RESOURCES
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There are many resources available to help you improve your organization's copy. Some of our favorites follow.
Websites
Copy Hackers Where startups, growth marketers and copywriters master how to write persuasive copy. www.CopyHackers.com
MarketingProfs’ training programs, online events, conferences and free resources help individuals, small teams, and large organizations execute marketing campaigns that drive business results. www.MarketingProfs.com
MarketingSherpa reports on stories of customer-first marketing giving marketers the stats, inspiration and instructions to improve their results. www.MarketingSherpa.com
Adweek Performance Marketing covers everything from marketing automation and direct mail best practices to email and content marketing. www.Adweek.com
Books
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
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Influence by Robert Cialdini
Ogilvy On Advertising by David Ogilvy
Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples
The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, and Stand Out from the Crowd by Allan Dib
The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Copy that Sells by Robert W. Bly
This Is Marketing by Seth Godin