“What’s the best way to promote my services?”

“I’d like to write my own marketing copy but I find it awkward to talk about myself.”

“The best way to promote your services is to get someone else to do it for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Prospects are more convinced by what other people say about you than by anything you say yourself.”

“I’ve got lots of testimonials that say: ‘Thanks, you were great’. Can I use those?”

“That kind of testimonial might give you a warm fuzzy feeling but it won’t sell you in a marketing sense.”

“OK. So should I go back and ask my customers to write a better one?”

“You could, and happy customers might well be happy to support you. But they might not have the time and anyway won’t know what to write that will be of most help to you.”

“What should I do then?”

“Ask me to get one of my team to interview your customers and write testimonials and case studies for you.”

“What’s so special about your team?”

“They’re all current or former journalists so they know the right questions to ask to get your customers to say the right things. And I’ve trained them all in copywriting so they know how to write the interview up in the most compelling way from a selling point of view.”

“Why shouldn’t I interview my customers myself?”

“Because they’ll assume you already know the whole story. By contrast, we’ll get your customers to explain everything from start to finish in a way that works for future prospects.”

‘Anything else?”

“Yes. Often, a business-owner is too close to the business to talk about it clearly. Copywriters act as translators between you and your customers. We will reflect the actual language that your existing customers use when we write web copy to attract new prospects for you.”

“Interesting. Are there any other benefits to this service?”

“Yes. When you know why your current customers chose you and what they value most about working with you, it informs the copy you use in the rest of your marketing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you might think that customers choose you because you’re friendly, but they tell us they chose you because of your speedy service. Our interviews will reveal the key selling point to focus on in future.”

“Hmm, good point. Are there any other ways I can use the information you glean?”

“Yes, it acts as useful customer research. Because we’re independent, your customers will tell us things that they wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable telling you.”

“What if they don’t say nice things?”

“Obviously, if we uncover any negative feedback, we’ll pass it on to you so you can fix it, and we won’t quote it in the testimonials we write.”

“How does the process work?”

“You choose a range of customers that show the range of work you’re after. Three is often enough. Get their permission to be interviewed, and tell them your copywriter will be in touch. Then give us their contact details. (We’ll never ‘cold call’ your customers.) We’ll try to reach them three times. If we can’t get a reply, we won’t chase them any more because we don’t want to negatively impact the relationship you have with them. Once we’ve spoken to them, we’ll write up the interview, send it to you to add any missed details from your perspective, and finally email it to them for their approval before it’s published anywhere.”

“Sounds good. Have you got examples of what your team has written for your other clients?”

“Of course. Lucy interviewed tenants for Spareroom ads posted by HMO landlords (which resulted in increased applications), Emma and I talk to customers and write case studies for a financial planner, Alex W spoke to candidates and clients to produce case studies for a recruitment agency website which we also wrote, and Alex G talked to vets and pet owners to inform the web copy for a dermatology referral specialist.”

“OK, I’m convinced and I’d like to discuss it. What are the next steps?”

“Contact me and we’ll take it from there.”