If you’re frustrated with the never-ending battles with the competition, the tugs-of-war, the see-sawing of market supremacy, this could be the answer.

It happens in most industries … a swarm of companies fight head-to head for the same market, offering the same product or service, with little or no differentiation, in the hope to increase market-share and profits.

The result?

Price wars. Profits plummet.The battleground gets bloody.

Add to that, the effects of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Markets are dwindling so everyone’s slice of the pie is getting smaller. The poorer performing companies go to the wall. The better performing ones continue to fight it out at reduced margins.

What to do?

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It never ceases to amaze me how the most memorable copywriting lessons often eventuate from the most simple activities.

A month ago, my vacuum cleaner died so I went down to my local shopping centre to buy a new one. I walked inside the store wanting to buy a fairly economical $150 vacuum cleaner. While I was waiting in line I overhead a conversation the sales guy was having with a customer. He was talking about vacuum cleaners with “power-heads” and how great they were.

My mind started ticking as I thought of my angelic (but “dirt magnet”) little boys and how much “gunk” was probably hiding at the base of our carpet.

Anyway, soon it was my turn to be served so I asked the salesperson about the power-head vacuums. He asked me questions about my house and my kids. He talked to me about the options. Next, he demonstrated a vacuum cleaner to me using the famous but still very effective, “vacuuming sand off the carpet” demonstration.

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As some of you may know I’m about to launch a Copywriter Mentoring program. As part of that, I’ve been “head down” putting together training material on the traits of highly successful copywriters. Before long, my thought processes soon turned to the Male vs Female debate. More specifically, I started to ponder the question, “Who’s better?”

Guys overall? Girls overall? Or does it depend on the product they’re writing about?

To start with, from what I’ve seen, there is no connection between gender and copywriting skill.

But what if the product is gender-specific? If selling motor vehicle accessories, is it better to use a male copywriter? If selling female beauty products, is it better to use a female copywriter?

The most obvious way for me to answer would be to say to use females for female-focused products and males for male-focused products, but is that the best solution?

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Next time you’re writing sales copy, consider this when you’re marketing to women or men, specifically …

As a marketing professional you obviously know your product well, so you’ll know that the needs of your men clients are different to those of your women clients. And salespeople, you’ll know that when you’re selling in a face-to-face situation you’ll highlight certain features to women and other features of the product to men - that goes with the territory.

You’ll probably know too that the same goes when you write sales copy … Read the rest of this entry »