In the movies, writers live solitary lives surrounded by only a coffee pot, a computer, and several pairs of reading glasses.
Here at MarketSmiths, however, we do things a little differently. The coffee and reading glasses are the same, but instead of isolating ourselves in secluded mountain cabins, our copywriters work in teams.
It’s not a conventional practice, but we’re not a conventional agency.
Here’s our take:
The long-standing belief in the marketing world is that having one copywriter is the quickest way to perfect a brand’s voice, tone, objectives, and audience. That’s absolutely true in some rare cases, but unicorns are elusive creatures (figuratively and literally – the best solo marketing writers are often booked out months in advance.)
And even the most experienced writers are still humans who can let unconscious bias, personal writing styles and other idiosyncrasies sneak their way onto the page. When that happens, the work can become uneven, veer off-message, and lead to revisions that cost both time and money.
A team, however, leads to a more efficient writing process, including quicker turnaround times and fewer revisions. By working in conjunction with one another, the writers serve not only as sounding boards and fellow muses for creative ideas, but also accountability partners who keep the project focused and on-task.
If one writer misspells a word, for example, the other is there to catch it. If one goes on vacation or gets sick, the other is there to pick up the slack. The team framework is efficient from the start and remains that way throughout the life of the project, because an initial draft that’s seen by a second set of eyes means fewer revisions down the road.
The key to success, though, is to assign strategic writer partners who are different enough to shore up each other’s weaknesses but similar enough to share enthusiasm for the subject matter. And there’s nothing quite like watching a group of smart, pithy word nerds get excited over questions like “What’s another word for…?” and debating the merits of various writing styles. It energizes the team, which in turn energizes the work.
That’s a win for everyone!
Want to experience this multi-layered approach to copywriting at your own organization? Get in touch.
