A freelancer can tell you she sits on the beach writing emails all day living a dream life. She may. That’s not me. I’m not fond of getting sand in awkward places…like my laptop.
But unless she’s marketing her own products, she’s got a client. And once you’ve got a client, you’re working on a team.
My favorite team is one where I deal with one person who can approve or disapprove my copy. When my copy goes to 14 departments and I’m an offsite freelancer, it’s more difficult. Making everyone happy when you don’t really work with them can be stressful.
So, one of the most important ingredients to working on a team is relationships.
Know who you’re working with and who you must make happy. However, that’s not enough.
For the best copy and content for a company, it’s good to have contacts in sales, production, and customer support.
Salespeople can tell you what customers are saying on the frontline. They can tell you what a customer asks about a product and who the customer is. Why wouldn’t you ask a salesperson, “Who do you see buying the product day in and day out?”
When my baby girl was one, I bought her a big noisy, really cool, toy dump truck. She loved it. Why did I get her a dump truck? Because a few (be kind) years earlier, my brother had a semi-truck and trailer that I loved to load with baby dolls. My kid needed her own truck.
Assuming who buys the product is never good. The company may tell you who their target market is, but it never hurts to verify.
After developing a connection in sales, it’s also good to have a contact in production. The person in production will have better information about logistics and unit costs. While you may not get the whole scoop, you may get some details that will interest consumers particularly when writing content for B2B.
My friend’s dad was a crane operator for 30 years and never had an accident. It would be easy to put a content piece together explaining that with employees of this caliber your purchase will be delivered consistently in perfect condition and on-time.
Finally, cozy up to the customer service manager. At some point in your life, you’ve said, “I’d like to talk to the manager.” Customer service managers hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. They know what customers struggle with and what they like.
Depending on the project you’ve been asked to complete, you might be able to listen to some customer service recordings. If you do, listen closely to the words customers use and use them in your copy.
It’s great when customer service can work with production to get a problem resolved, but sometimes that’s not possible. 10,000 units have already been made. As a copywriter, you may be hired to explain how something works so the customer can find success.
If your copy is effective, you’ll be a hero to customers and customer service.
Developing relationships with key contacts in sales, production, and customer service can strengthen your copy to the next level.
Not all companies will give you access to each department, but ask and accept the contacts offered. Be respectful of each person’s time and be gracious. Remember you’re part of a team.
Testimonials and repeat business come from great copywriting and strong relationships.
There’s an “I” in Synthia. Does that mean she can’t be on the team? Seriously, she’s worked in sales and customer service for several companies. Though she’s not worked in production except for the quilts she makes, she has loaded more trailers than you might imagine. Skilled writing and the desire to create good relationships make for some awesome copy. If awesome copy is what you need, send a message. She’s ready to join your team.
(There are two other major facets to teamwork. Watch for upcoming articles about communication and responsibilities.)