
In my previous post, I elaborated on a few reasons why senior executives should be kept right away from writing copy. And while I feel they are all justified, I’d like to balance the argument out.
I have had some wonderful working relationships with those in senior positions. Relationships which have resulted in written content I am extremely proud of. Below are a few reasons why.
1. They know things about the product, company, market and audience that we don’t.
While we are closest to the customer, we aren’t always in our roles for very long. This means that often there is a great deal of history we are unaware of. Our content writing might be great, but our leaders may have knowledge of past successes and failures that could help us make it even better.
2. It's great for building relationships and fostering a collaborative working environment.
By inviting senior leaders into our world, we can reduce those bouts of frustration and complaints about ‘those above’ that they don’t understand what the marketing or content team do.
Involve them by showing them your planning and explaining the processes your work requires. Then show them your work and invite input. You’ll be surprised at how much good a brainstorming session will do for your working relationships – and how the number of amendments to your work decreases. They will be more inclined to work with you at the start of new projects rather than dictate the work that needs to be done once a draft is underway.
3. You get instant feedback on your work.
Sadly, opportunities for feedback and praise can be few and far between in busy workplaces. Involving high-level executives in the copywriting and content planning process gives you instant feedback rather than having to wait for the end of a project or a yearly appraisal. You’ll know where you stand so you can adjust your approach as you go.
There is a caveat to all of this: to ensure this process works well, make sure you establish agreed approval procedures and make it very clear that you have fantastic writers who know their stuff. You are asking for their input, not for them to write or edit the copy!
Good luck!