Crusader crossbows and copywriting
Latest posts | Feed | By Mark Brownlow on April 02, 2007
Spent last Sunday at a renaissance palace/castle in lower Austria. (I'm not sure what renaissance really implies, but I use the word to try and sound more cultured than I am.)Among the exhibits on display there, a whacking great heavy crossbow used in the Crusades. Reading the accompanying documentation, I learnt what it was made of, how well it was preserved, the workmanship involved in putting it together etc.
What I didn't learn was how far it shot a crossbow bolt, how long it took to reload, what role crossbowmen played in battles and sieges, what life was like for a crossbowman, how a crossbow rated against a longbow etc. All the things that 95% of the museum visitors (and all the kids) actually wanted to know.
Every other exhibit was the same. Intricate details on the materials and structure of various arms and armour. Nothing about their use, role or social context.
Most museums and exhibitions seem to write their copy (for that's what it is) for themselves. And so it is with most email newsletters and product descriptions.
In a recent survey, Bredin Business Information looked at what small and medium-sized businesses like to read about in vendor email newsletters. Company news came in fourth, garnering less than half the interest given to practical "how to" information, for example.
Yet look at what many (most?) vendors actually send, and you'll find company news right up there in first place. Or product descriptions that tell you lots of information you didn't want to know and none of the information you really need to make a purchase decision.
If that sounds like your newsletter, maybe it's time to think a little more about how you can truly engage the reader. Or else you run the risk of becoming as dusty and forgotten as a crusader crossbow in a museum.
More on copywriting | Tags: email marketing, email copywriting, museum marketing, email newsletters
[This post brought to you by Campaigner Email Marketing]
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