Welcome to the Yada-Yada Graveyard.

You need marketing. You need sales. You need copy writing that distinctively brands the former so that it can decisively drive the latter.

You need something smart. You need something original. You need copy writing that’s so smartly original that it clearly separates you from the competition.

You need word crafting that has heart. You need professional that plays personal. You need clean and clear, quick and breezy, style with substance, a capturing that leads to a compelling. And you need it yesterday.

Man, did you just score big.

At Silkword, we specialize in wildly creative copy writing for your sales and marketing. We don’t do cookie-cutter copy writing: it bores us just as much as it does your customer base. We like the fresh, original, custom-tailored stuff – and we like the increased sales and market shares that it delivers to you, our clients.

We’re built upon the unique, proven writing principles of award-winning journalist and playwright Don Bosley, a guy who’s been dressing common words in tuxedoes for more than 25 years.

What does this mean for you? It means Extreme Makeover for the ‘wow factor’ that your company already possesses. It means – if we may modestly say so – that your sales copy is about to find out how stunningly attractive it can be.

When it comes to sales and marketing copy, there are only three identifiable species:

Gagimus patheticos: Copy that’s cliché-ridden, characterized by optional grammar and punctuation, and often featuring a stampede of odd declarations and exclamation points. Best-known for torpedoing the seller’s credibility before he has a chance to open his mouth.

Stagnantia gigantia: Unimaginative, often overly-technical copy that could ensure deep REM sleep for the worst insomniac. This copy often comes across as blurry, the result of readers who are standing on the scroll button as they whiz past it.

Dollarinas maximus: Bam. Whoa. Wait. Read that again? You’ve got my attention. Say, that’s clever. I like those guys. Say, that’s a great-sounding product. We probably could use some of that. Why not? And that company sounds different than the others. Let’s check it out. Grab your wallet.

Yes, lots of people can write. Lots of people can play the guitar or shoot a basketball, too. But there are only a handful who can do it at such an exquisite level that it leaves a lasting imprint.

We’re Silkword. We’ve got 26 letters in our alphabet, and we’re not afraid to use them.

DID YOU KNOW?

Statistics indicate that your marketing pitch has precisely 7 seconds to grab the reader’s attention. If your copy writer can’t do that with skill, then the delete button or the circular file is your fate.

Silkblog Central

I like a website with some versatility, man.

Most of us have businesses that are constantly adapting – to new markets, new economies, new technology, new products, or even new internal re-orgs. If you’ve got a website that’s designed in granite – meaning, you can’t change its feel or navigation without selling all your furniture to pay for it – then you’re stuck.

I see companies all over the place whose websites don’t accurately reflect who they really are. Usually, the website reflects who they were 2 or 3 years ago. But the Flash graphics sure are cute.

Better to build in flexibility on the front end, I’m thinking. But maybe that’s just me.

- Don Bosley

Press Releases

SILKWORD'S WRITING PROWESS TAKES ANOTHER LEAP WITH ADDITION OF SEASONED PROJECT MANAGER LINDA LOSEY

May 8, 2008

Silkword, the company that has prompted scores of businesses to gleefully unload every writing headache that they've ever had, this week strengthened its considerable capabilities even further with the addition of veteran project manager LINDA LOSEY.

A former retail manager with Ross Stores and key administrator in numerous non-profit organizations, Ms. Losey brings a wealth of experience in large-project management, personnel coordination, corporate documentation, and government bid/grant-writing. Her role at Silkword will include oversight of various writing projects, corporate branding efforts, and customer and community relations.

"I love the principles that Silkword stands for - excellence, crazy creativity, over-the-top customer service, giving back to the impoverished," said Ms. Losey. "There's a sense of something amazing happening there - the leveraging of the written word to benefit a variety of people in a variety of ways."

Articles

PRESS RELEASES: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LONG HAUL, SKIPPER

Yes, it’s true. It’s possible that your press release may result in some direct and immediate publicity for your company. But if that’s your only measurement of a press release’s true value, you’re failing to understand and leverage a powerful tool at your disposal.

First of all, the expectation is unrealistic. Despite what their behavior and writings may sometimes indicate, most media people are not idiots. They know that companies and organizations are essentially trying to use them for free advertising. I spent more than 20 years as a journalist at a major metropolitan daily newspaper, saw tons of press releases cross my desk, and marveled at the number of times that someone expected me to believe that their issue was genuinely newsworthy or relevant. It made me skeptical and wary, even of strong story possibilities.

So what’s the value of a press release, then? More than you might imagine. Try some of these benefits:

Name recognition. It’s like handing your business card to a powerful influencer, over and over and over again. The catch is, you want that name recognition to be associated with positive features. If your press releases are poorly written, unfailingly boring, pathetically irrelevant, or thinking themselves clever when they’re not – then editors remember that, too. You’ll be remembered as the clown company. Hire a professional to craft the message just right.

The right moment. Somewhere along the line, the media outlet is likely to tackle a story or issue for which you or your company might be the perfect expert voice. The conversation goes like this in the newsroom: “Hey, who could we get to give us some perspective/insight/ criticism of this particular thing? What about that company that’s always sending us the press releases about x, y and z? Yeah, somebody give them a call!”

Building relationships. The press release gives you an excuse to follow up with a phone call. (“Hey, Joe, just checking to make sure you received our release. …”) Now you’re in a personal conversation with the person, giving them a voice or a face to attach to the company. Every time you send another release, and every time you follow up, you build on that. Be assured that it will pay off down the line.

Fresh copy for your website. Search-engine spiders and – frankly – readers are attracted to fresh copy on your website. When you keep adding new press releases, it conveys the sense that your company is moving, shaking, happening. It will even radiate that vibe to your employees.