MAAFKAN AKU YO!

Setelah memiliki blog ini, menerima begitu banyak pujian dan penghargaan, adalah satu beban tersendiri bagi saya. Kadangkala, orang over expecting terhadap saya. Dan jika mereka menemukan bahwa saya hanyalah seorang yang lemah dan banyak salah, mereka kecewa. Saya jadi sedih ketika itu terjadi. Bukan sedih terhadap keadaan saya, melainkan sedih karena saya tak mampu memenuhi ekspektasi itu.

Sejujurnya, saya bukanlah the best copywriter in town (ini yang pernah diucapkan Steve - seorang General Manager perusahaan property - kepada koleganya, sewaktu dia menyebut nama saya). Tidak. Jangan pernah mempromosikan saya seperti itu. Saya hanyalah seorang copywriter yang sangat mencintai pekerjaanya, dan ingin menularkan kecintaan itu kepada mereka yang memiliki minat yang sama. Semua award dan compliment yang pernah saya terima sepanjang karir saya, mungkin sama banyaknya sengan kegagalan, celaan dan hujatan terhadap ide-ide saya. Meski seringkali, hujatan dan celaan itu jadi pemicu adrenalin saya untuk bekerja lebih baik lagi. Hujatan dan celaan itu, bagaikan percikan api yang akan saya sambar, seolah saya ini adalah genangan bensin yang membuncah. Terbakar semangat, itulah yang terjadi ketika saya menerima kritik.

Karena itu, kritiklah saya…agar saya mampu tumbuh menjadi orang yang lebih baik lagi. Lebih kuat, lebih bersinar. Sebab bukankah pepatah mengatakan... berlian adalah batu yang telah mengalami tekanan yang sangat tinggi?!
Nah. Saya yang masih batu ini, ingin menjadi berlian itu!

Thanks.

PS
Postingan ini saya tujukan untuk Yoyo, seorang anggota forum yang telah saya kecewakan, karena – menurut saya – dia over expecting terhadap Nunu. Semoga hal ini menjadi pelipur lara, sekaligus jadi pengingat bagi yang lain.. bahwa saya hanyalah manusia yang penuh dengan keterbatasan, kealpaan, dan kadang kala kalah oleh hawa nafsunya sendiri…

Huu… (sedih)

EXPERIENCED COPYWRITER NEEDED!

Hari ini ada postingan lowongan lagi di milis, mudah-mudahan membantu mereka yang membutuhkan (soalnya blog ini ternyata juga dibaca para CW yang udah gawe):

Hi all,

kita lagi nyari copywriter neh...kualifikasiny a yang penting pernah buat print ad, TVC, radio, etc. Jika anda tertarik, silahkan kirim CV serta portofolio anda ke
adit@alive-indonesi a.co.id

Jangan lupa, dalam lamaran anda sertakan expected salary anda, ya. Thank You.

Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy II

By Michel Fortin

2. Tell a Good Story.

Good copy makes a good case. But great copy tells a good story. Keep this in mind: a great copywriter is also a great salesperson. However, all great copywriters AND all great salespeople also have one thing in common...
... They are also great storytellers.

I just returned from Ken McCarthy's System Seminar in San Francisco. And one of the surprise speakers was Gary Halbert. Now Gary, on a topic that at the time seemed totally unrelated to copy, sales or Internet marketing, began to talk about this newfangled anti-wrinkle cream he came across.

He went on to talk about how the product came about, how it was made and even how the product worked. While all these things seemed irrelevant, he did make a great point: he told a great story that captivated the audience.

He translated features into benefits, such as the fact that the cream contained special hydroxies formed during the crystallization process. The analogy was that these hydroxies were like millions of microscopic prisms that reflect light.
He went on to describe that it was those "prisms" that helped to make your wrinkles invisible. It was a terrific story -- and while some people missed it, Gary indirectly provided the greatest lesson of the entire seminar.
Because in his story, Gary provided several powerful lessons.

A key component of telling great stories is to relate them to the reader. Often, this can accomplished with the help of analogies, examples, metaphors and case studies. Why? Because the mind thinks in relative terms.
Here's an example (of both stories and analogies). When people object to long copy, I often argue that long copy is like a good Stephen King novel. If you were a diehard Stephen Kind fanatic, and if his latest book was, say, over 600 pages, would you stop reading it because it was too long? No.

In fact, most Stephen King lovers I know often read his books in one sitting. They tell me they simply can't seem to put the book down.
Dan Kennedy calls this "message-to-market match." Like a Stephen King fanatic, when your copy is targeted and your audience is interested in your offer, they will read it. All of it. No matter how long it may seem to you.

Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy

By Michel Fortin

The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.
My friend John Reese, a master at simplifying what we often tend to unnecessarily complicate, says it best. He says the only metric you should ever really count on is this: "Yes" or "No."

That's it.

Now, what makes great copy nudge people into action requires a variety of different things -- things I often find missing with most of the copy I critique.
So let me share with you three powerful elements that can help you turn your not-so-good copy into good copy, and your good copy into outstanding copy.

1. Give Reasons Why.

Great copy proposes a series of benefits that the prospect will enjoy once they respond. But this is the area most people struggle with. What makes a good benefit? Heck, what makes a benefit in the first place?
A feature is what the product has. An advantage is what that features does. But a benefit is what that advantage means to the reader specifically. It's the specific motive to which that feature caters. In other words, a benefit is the reason why the feature exists and why it's important to the reader.
Look at it this way: a benefit is what a person intimately gains from a specific feature -- not what YOU think the customer will gain from it.
Granted, trying to figure this out can be a little challenging.
So here's a tip: whenever you describe a feature (or what you may think may be a benefit), say this: "What this means to you is this," followed by a more personal benefit your reader gets from the feature.

Keep asking until there are no further reasons to give. Here's an example (and keep in mind that I'm repeating myself, here, for the sake of illustration only):
"This stereo has a 14-band equalizer. What this means to you is, you can adjust the frequencies of the sound to your liking. What this means to you is, you can add depth and dimension to your music. What this means to you is, you can make your music sound as rich and lively as if you were at the concert listening to your favorite band. What this means to you is..."
Tell readers why they must read, why the product is important and why they must buy (and buy now). The more reasons you give, and the more specific and personal those reasons are, the more compelling your copy will be.

(to be continued...)

TALENTED COPYWRITER WANNABE WANTED!

Ehm!
Saya sedang membutuhkan seorang kandidat yang bakal digembleng jadi copywriter handal nih!

Syarat:
Hobby nulis
Tahan banting (pasti bakal saya banting-banting nih anak)
Cerdas
Berwawasan luas
Tertarik dunia advertising
D3/S1 jurusan apa saja
Gape berkomunikasi dlm bhs Inggris

Silahkan kirim CV and portfolio ke nunusijilbab@yahoo.com ASAP

Hanya CV yang unik dan portfolio yang paling impresif yang bakal saya panggil. Hanya tersedia satu bangku kosong!

Ditunggu...

How to Write a Great Sales Letter

Copywriting tips from a veteran direct mail copywriter
By Ivan Levison

========================================

Have you ever tried to write a motivating letter and sat there, staring at the blinking cursor, wondering how to get started?

You're not the only one. Getting off on the right foot, with energy and enthusiasm, is always a challenge for novice writers.

Professional copywriters, on the other hand, know that there are countless ways to start a letter. Let me share just ten proven techniques with you now and show you how easy it really is.

Let's pretend that you have to write a letter to network security managers offering them a free brochure. Here are just ten effective ways to begin the letter . . .

1. METHOD: Tell them they're special
EXAMPLE: As a network security professional, you bear a unique responsibility.

2. METHOD: Tell a story
EXAMPLE: When Susan Smith walked into her office and looked at the ashen face of her assistant, she instantly knew that someone had taken her network down.

3. METHOD: Tell them they're facing a difficult challenge
EXAMPLE: As the person responsible for network security, I know you face some extremely difficult challenges.

4. METHOD: Shock them with frightening news
EXAMPLE: Last month over ten Fortune 500 companies suffered intense, repeated denial of service attacks.

5. METHOD: Soothe them with good news
EXAMPLE: If you've been worried about hackers cracking your system, and inflicting devastating damage, I've got some good news for you.

6. METHOD: Make your offer immediately
EXAMPLE: I'm writing to offer you a free report from Levison Security Services titled "Seven Ways To Improve Network Security Now."

7. METHOD: Cite the authorities
EXAMPLE: In a recent White Paper on network security, written by the highly respected Levison Consulting Group, a fascinating fact was reported.

8. METHOD: Explain that you can help them
EXAMPLE: As the person responsible for network security, you have some mighty tough problems. I can help you solve them.

9. METHOD: Ask a question
EXAMPLE: Is a hacker at work, right at this moment, trying to bring down your network?

10. METHOD: Make an announcement
EXAMPLE: Here it is! Announcing the brand new Levison Network Security Monitoring System, now available for companies just like yours.

The take-away message this month? Don't settle for the first lead-in sentence that pops into your mind. There are dozens and dozens of ways to start a letter with punch and it really pays to look for the best one.

Tips on writing better copy-2

Copywriting Tips By Ivan Levison

(lanjutan)

Don't use long words

Long words are more difficult to read, and fewer people understand their meaning. Even PhDs find it easier to read 'big' than 'considerable'. True, you lose subtle shades of meaning when you only use small words. But think of the rewards: more readers, more understanding, more interest and more sales.

Instead of a long word like:
Achievement
Advantageous
Appropriate
Use something simpler:
Success
Good, cheap
Right


You: the most powerful word in advertising

Don't be afraid to use the word 'you'. No piece of writing needs to be unfriendly or pompous. Think of the least friendly piece of writing: it would probably be a legal contract. Here is a real piece of legal jargon from an order form:

The Customer is strictly liable for any loss or damage to the magnetic tapes however caused while they are in the Customer's possession.

Wouldn't it be clearer to say:

You are strictly liable for any loss or damage to the magnetic tapes, however caused, while they're in your possession.



Use the active tense

Take an active sentence such as 'The cat killed the mouse.' You can turn it into the passive by saying, 'The mouse was killed by the cat'.

Two things have happened:

The sentence has become 40 per cent longer.

It's more difficult to understand, because the relationships (cat - kills - mouse) are less clear.

So the moral is, avoid passives where you can. You can spot passives because they often use the words 'be/been' and 'by'. For example, 'The mouse has been killed by the cat.'

Exercise: See how many examples of passive tenses can be found in this document. You'll find the answer at the end.


Using abbreviations

In chatty copy, you can use words like 'couldn't' or 'won't'. This means you can use them in most advertisements, but take care about using them in more formal copy.

If in doubt, ask yourself whether the unabbreviated words look too stiff. Or perhaps the short form looks a little vulgar? See what other copywriters have done in a similar context.

LOWONGAN TERBARU (DIPOSTING 2 JUNI 08)

Kedua lowongan ini saya dapet dari dua milis berbeda! Semoga bermanfaat buat pengunjung blog...

LOWONGAN PERTAMA:

hai teman-teman creative,
advertising di daerah prapanca/dharmawang sa - jakarta selatan butuh
copywriter & art director ASAP. clientnya adalah salah satu perusahaan
fast food terbesar di Indonesia.

syaratnya simple banget:
• ngga perlu idealis
• tahan banting jika ktemu deadline ketat
• sangat menghargai waktu
• bisa photoshop (utk AD)
• bisa bikin script tvc (utk CW)
• mampu mempresentasikan kerjaannya ke Creative Director
• mac base

jika berminat, kirim cv & portofolio ke:
email_indrie @ yahoo . com & suratku @ inbox . com
paling lambat tgl 7 juni 2008

LOWONGAN KEDUA:
Dear friends,
Kami adalah sebuah studio kreatif yang terletak di daerah Jakarta
Utara dan bergerak dalam bidang desain dan fotografi, yang saat ini
membutuhkan seorang Graphic Designer and Feature Writer untuk bergabung
dengan team kami:
1. Graphic Designer
- Menguasai corel draw, photoshop, desktop publishing dan prepress process
- Min D3 Desain Komunikasi Visual, pengalaman min 1 tahun
- Terbuka juga bagi Fresh Graduates
- Diutamakan Pria, usia max 30 thn
- Fresh ideas / kreatif dan proaktif
- Komunikatif, mandiri dan team player (mampu bekerja sendiri maupun dalam tim)
- Menguasai konsep dan eksekusi desain
- Bahasa Inggris - Pasif (aktif lebih bagus)
- Siap kerja lembur dan bekerja dalam deadline
- Talent comes first, experience is secondary.

2. Feature Writer
- Menulis dan mengedit artikel dan tulisan lepas dari berbagai sumber (interview, internet, survey, dan lainnya)
- Copywriting untuk advertorial maupun keperluan korporat
- Min D3 di bidang apapun, diutamakan Sastra Inggris, pengalaman min 1 tahun
- Terbuka juga bagi Fresh Graduates
- Diutamakan Wanita, usia max 30 thn
- Menguasai Microsoft Word
- Aktif bahasa Inggris baik lisan dan tulisan
- Suka menulis, pengalaman menulis dalam bahasa Inggris diutamakan
-
Suka mempelajari hal-hal baru, membaca buku, majalah, blog, website
yang up to date (berwawasan luas, terutama tentang lifestyle)
- Komunikatif, inovatif dan kreatif
- Mampu bekerja sendiri maupun dalam tim
- Siap kerja lembur dan bekerja dalam deadline
- Talent comes first, experience is secondary.

Kirimkan CV dan portfolio Anda (dalam bentuk pdf, powerpoint, maupun mword) ke:
micz123@yahoo. com
Ditunggu paling lambat 15 juni 2008

PS: Bila Anda mengenal teman maupun keluarga yang sesuai dengan kategori di atas, please kindly pass this email to them

Kita tunggu ya emailnya...

SHARING HAPPINESS…

Tak dinyana dan diduga, gara-gara blog ini saya sekarang mendapat beberapa (belum banyak sih..) tawaran untuk menjadi pembicara di kampus, untuk menjadi freelance writer, dan bahkan untuk menjadi “supplier” copywriter…(hihi.. aneh!).

Alhamdulillah… padahal niat saya bikin blog ini awalnya karena ingin berbagi aja, karena I have so many articles yang Cuma ngendon di PC saya. Rasanya sayang… lalu saya share deh di blog ini. Tapi ternyata…

Namun, karena saat ini saya masih terikat perjanjian kerja dengan kantor saya, maka tentu TIDAK semua permintaan bisa saya layani, bukan? Ada pekerjaan yang secara kode etik tidak bisa saya kerjakan/harus saya tolak. Contoh: pekerjaan yang merupakan pesaing dari brand yang saya handle di kantor. Saya pun tidak mungkin memberikan pekerjaan tsb. kepada para copywriter yang sudah bekerja di agency, karena itu melanggar kode etik (padahal kenalan saya ya mereka yang sudah banyak kerja itu..).

Untuk itulah saat ini saya sedang mencari dan berusaha membentuk tim copywriter junior, yang saya sebut sebagai COPYWRITER TRAINEE. Prioritas saya, adalah mereka yang menjadi anggota forum, yang tidak sedang bekerja di suatu agency, dan yang memang SERIUS ingin menekuni copywriting. Yah… hitung-hitung pekerjaan freelance yang saya berikan itu bisa menjadi portofolio mereka bukan?

Yang jelas, saya menyukai mereka yang memiliki mental positif dan berani mencoba. Jadi, tolong tunjukkan attitude yang bagus! Dan… silahkan bergabung…

ATTITUDE, SEKALI LAGI ATTITUDE!

Attitude adalah modal tambahan bagi seorang copywriter. Sebagus apa pun kriteria 3C anda, tapi kalau attitude kurang, maka pasti akan mempengaruhi perjalanan karir seseorang. Kenapa? Karena bekerja di periklanan adalah bekerja dalam tim! Dan attitude yang benar, seringkali menjadi penentu penting. Kadangkala, orang yang secara kemampuan tidak terlalu menonjol, namun attitude nya terpuji, ia bisa melesat naik gaji maupun posisinya hanya karena attitude! Hebat ya?

Kita sering lihat sendiri, di blog ini, seorang pengunjung baru tanpa permisi berteriak di shoutbox minta pekerjaan jadi freelancer. Ada juga yang tiba-tiba sms ke saya tanpa permisi minta jadi asisten...bagaimana menurut anda attitude-nya? Is he serious???? Apakah mungkin saya mempertaruhkan kredibilitas saya untuk orang seperti itu? Aha!

Jika anda serius ingin mendapatkan pekerjaan freelance, ingin mendapat uang saku, ingin mendapat uang tambahan.. setidaknya perhatikan dulu attitude anda. Baru kemudian asah kemampuan anda. Tunjukkan dan buktikan, anda orang yang layak untuk dipilih…: Buatlah CV yang unik, portofolio yang impresif, dan perkenalkanlah diri anda dengan elegan atau unik atau lucu, sesuai dengan kepribadian anda…
(Sorry ..saya lagi ‘eneg’ sama gaya mereka yang suka mengeluh, merengek dan menyek-menyek ngga jelas)