What can we really learn from the 'YouTubers'?

Its difficult to look at Twitter these days without seeing something about the new breed of You Tube stars, how amazing they are and how they're all planning to publish books soon...Oh, and how much they can teach us about branding and marketing! 

I spent a bit of my lunch hour the other day reading this article, Five behaviours marketers can learn from the new YouTube stars from Marketing UK. And then I wished I hadn't, because I spent most of my afternoon staring at spreadsheets with this blog post buzzing around inside my head…

These are the ‘lessons for marketers’ highlighted by the article:

Whatever you think, someone will think you should think the opposite

Whatever You Think Think the Opposite

I picked up Whatever You Think Think the Opposite, by Paul Arden, on a recommendation from a renowned copywriter’s website.

I’m more of a romantic fiction girl myself, so this was a bit of a departure, but in a quest to further myself and my copywriting I have committed to reading one relevant book a month.

I surprised myself by devouring it in one sitting – but then it’s that kind of book. 

More of a coffee table book (albeit a small one, and probably more at home in a creative agency’s waiting room), and is in fact, as much about the design as the text. The two work together to create the feeling of immersion in Arden’s ideas, he uses subtle persuasion; showing not telling.

One for the portfolio – Hanson UKIT intranet pages

Client

Hanson UKIT

Brief

Wording required for a new intranet site to provide key information to other areas of the business.

The client wanted the copy to focus on the people, and give the message that IT is both approachable and easy to work with. He also felt it was important to get across the valuable work that the department was doing to help strengthen the business.

The #nomakeupselfie - Why it worked, and what Dove already knew

It’s day 6 of the #nomakeupselfie campaign, and the newspapers claim to have uncovered the source – a teenage Mum from Stoke.

Fiona Cunningham wanted to do something to raise awareness of [breast] cancer as it had touched her family. What happened next was an unprecedented viral campaign which has raised more than £8m in less than a week – one of Cancer Research UK’s most successful fundraising campaigns to date.

Picture shared on Twitter by @CR_UK

While Cancer Research may not have come up with the idea, they certainly helped it along, putting their weight behind it and setting up a text number to make it even easier to donate and share.

The premise is a simple one, post a picture of yourself on social media wearing, shock horror, no make-up and make a donation to help beat cancer.

Maybe I CAN be a copywriter.....The first 'client'?

Today I thought I would share with you my first copywriting success...And I think I've got the bug!

It was only a small thing, a favour for an elderly neighbour -  a free classified ad on a well-known local site. But it worked!

But so what? I hear you cry, millions of people sell tons of stuff using online auctions every day of the week - that doesn't make you a copywriter.

I think what has surprised me is success of this sale against the odds!