As any small business/freelancer does, I've been scouting the competition (purely for research purposes you understand!) and a few of my 'competitors' are infuriating me!

As a copywriter the pressure is on me to ensure the copy of my site is error-free, effective and striking - just as your portfolio sites are under more pressure than most to have an earth-shattering design.

Some of my high-ranking competitors' sites are strewn with gibberish, waffle, spelling errors, poor graphics and weak, unimaginative and bland copy. I'm not talking about beginners or charities here - but 'proper' companies.

 

So, my question is... Would you consider doing (or indeed, have you done) some marketing to point this out?

 

It seems underhand, dangerous (in case my site's not all that!) and not in my nature - but isn't that how the big boys play? Am I being naive in not doing it? Any experiences? Have you ever been on the receiving end?

 

Hmm, I'd be dubious about explicitly pointing fingers but definitely play on the superior quality of your service. If you're confident that your service can stand up to close inspection and criticism then I reckon you'd be able to stay on the right side of the "cocky" line.

 

It is the same for me really, the majority of my local competition is appalling and I don't understand how they get away with it.

No experience of this yet from either side (to the best of my knowledge). But being a firm believer in what goes around comes around and leading by example it's something I'd avoid.

 

Make people aware of your work by all means, but don't tread the line of commenting on others work to clients.

 

Let them decide.

 

I'd say it's how the little and insecure boys play rather than the big boys.

 

I think this stands for any industry.

 

If somebody asks you for your opinion of a competitor, then it would be fine to give a measured response. But actively marketing against your competition by pointing out it's faults will probably do you more harm than good.

 

You could refer to 'lacklustre' competitors, but I certainly wouldn't specify any companies directly.

 

I wouldn't name names, but an explicit message that your client should use the copy on your website to judge you vs other companies could be a subtle way to indicate the superiority of your website.

 

If your site is truly superior, and you cause your potential clients to "realise this for themselves" then you could be on to a winner, but you have to make them think that it was their idea and that they made a decision to use x over y. With your writing skills I'm certain you could achieve this

I agree with what everyone's said so far.

 

The errors exist, and you can turn that into a positive on a negative. Negative would be launching an attack on a competitor, which makes you, the aggressor, look bad in the process. Positive is using their shortcoming as your "added value", as Eris suggested. Their weak points become your strong points - market to the strengths!

 

I've never gone negative (tempted though I may have been!) and once I even emailed an indirect competitor who had a big banner ad selling "Wesbites" (I was not in the web design business at the time). I didn't identify myself, just pointed out the error via contact form and that was that. I checked a few days later and it was fixed. "You're welcome."

I wouldn't name names, but an explicit message that your client should use the copy on your website to judge you vs other companies could be a subtle way to indicate the superiority of your website.

 

If your site is truly superior, and you cause your potential clients to "realise this for themselves" then you could be on to a winner, but you have to make them think that it was their idea and that they made a decision to use x over y. With your writing skills I'm certain you could achieve this

I think Eris has pretty much hit the mark here. I would add that saying something like:

Why settle for abc (insert paraphrased/ made up poor copy here), when you can have xyz (your own glorious copy here).

Would be quite acceptable.

You certainly are very good at what you do.

If you want to present a professional persona or brand then don't attack the competition. It's not the way to engender yourself to clients and potential customers.

 

Eris is spot on with the approach. It's subtle, yet still achieves the aim of promoting your quality.

If you want to present a professional persona or brand then don't attack the competition. It's not the way to engender yourself to clients and potential customers.

 

Eris is spot on with the approach. It's subtle, yet still achieves the aim of promoting your quality.

I'd ignore what the competition is doing. If you think about it, you shouldn't need to.. your own copy should sell itself. If it doesn't, there doesn't seem much point in hiring a copywriter at all. Looking through the Copy Corner thread and website reviews that you've done, it seems obvious that you know what you're on about and that professional copy is something that really does make a difference.

 

You could put up articles explaining what a potential client should look out for when scouting for copywrites, but yeah, don't name anyone. It could come across as unprofessional and possibly lead to legal action.

 

Market your skills, not someone else's lack of them.

God you lot are toooo nice - guess I'll have to abandon my attack now!

Great points made (too many to quote in reply) - I never was going to use sledgehammer tactics (despite being sorely tempted). I like the idea of putting a 'What to look for when choosing a copywriter' article on my site in which I mention something like 'If their site is pants what do you think they'll do for you?' (or maybe a little more subtly!)

I think I'll also tie it in with my SEO copy writing/editing page which explains the importance of providing content that ranks highly with search engines and real people. I'll also put all this into my planned article on SEO copy writing that will be appearing in Copy Corner in the not-too-distant future as it might be of use for you guys to have the same sort of thing on your sites?

 

I'm now a total WDF addict - you're opinions and feedback are like heroin to me!

 

 

(Oh and thanks for the big-ups from BF and notbanksy, the moral lessons from Headcoat, Rob, Craig, Badmotherz and expat, and of course to sis for keeping me on the straight-and-narrow!)

the moral lessons from Headcoat, Rob, Craig, Badmotherz and expat, and of course to sis for keeping me on the straight-and-narrow!)

 

lol moral lessons never...i like to think of it as sense of self rather than anything religious or moral. the way to freedom is to rule ourselves..

 

Personally I wouldn't worry about that sort of "competition" too much. IMHO you'd be far better off making your own online impression solid, professional and trustworthy.

 

Your could mention what you found as "bad examples", but not quoting your source. Perhaps you could use these as your own examples and how you would improve them...

 

The bad

"Under the jumping fox was the lazy dog"

 

The good

"The fox jumped over the lazy dog"

 

It's all about selling yourself

Your could mention what you found as "bad examples", but not quoting your source. Perhaps you could use these as your own examples and how you would improve them...

 

I like the cut of your jib young-fellow-me-lad. Here's a snippet from one site that ranks very highly for copywriter. It's particularly sweet because it's right next to a 'I'm an expert' badge and is a little promotional piece for the web's greatest ever copy writing expert blah, blah:

 

Articles and good copy writing is the use of the careful structure of words and phrases that brings out the message to your visitors with desired results.

 

I've underlined the confusion over pluralisation and missing articles.

I held short of underlining the whole thing!

This snippet is unwieldy and clumsy and doesn't clearly get a message across or give a professional image - desired results my bottom!

Careful structure of words? Don't make me laugh!

 

And that's only one sentence! There's plenty more. Oh, and the site's design is appalling and the text disgustingly crammed-in and badly laid out and difficult to read and meaningless drivel and overkill!!!!!

 

Do you think I could take your example idea further and just link to their site to show how not to do it?!!!!!!!!

 

I think I will use some of their text as anonymous examples - thanks for the tip.

 

 

PS. Headcoat stop being so highbrow it confuses us Neanderthals !!!!

Careful about quoting other sites.. copyright infringement and all that

Careful about quoting other sites.. copyright infringement and all that

 

Oh I'm more than willing to attribute this as their work!!!!!

I just thought, following all your advice, that if I mentioned it was from [www.copywritersworld.co.uk] it would be a bad thing.

Oops - looks like I 'accidentally' let that slip!

You wouldn't legally be aloud to say that you are better than x, y and z because their websites look like their type-face has been thrown into the blender.

 

However you could, as stated above, subtly ensure that your visitors know that, unlike "some competitors", you are a fully professional host (etc).

Oh I'm more than willing to attribute this as their work!!!!!

I just thought, following all your advice, that if I mentioned it was from [www.copywritersworld.co.uk] it would be a bad thing.

Oops - looks like I 'accidentally' let that slip!

 

It's not that so much.. The copy they've come up with is basically their intellectual property - if you copy their intellectual property, whether you name the source or not, that's copyright infringement. If you take a look at their site, there's a copyright notice - "CopywritersWorld. © Copyright All Rights Reserved 2005 - 2008"

I don't want to spark a huge legal debate or seem like I'm advocating stealing other's work!

Legally speaking I can easily give a competitor a bad review, even naming them without infringing copyright law or straying into the territory of liable - I just wouldn't.

Don't worry! I'm going to tackle this by putting a 'What to look for in a copy writer' article on the site. I'll make it honest and genuinely useful. In this way I can follow all of your great advice because:

1. My services will shine on their own merit
   
2. Inferior service providers will look bad
   
3. It's the prospective client that made their own mind up
   
4. I don't need to look like a mudslinger
   

Oh and in it I would advise people "If a provider you're considering can't produce the results in their own site what do you think they'd do for yours?"

Have any of you designers ever put such a beasty together on your site for what to look for in a designer? Do you think it would help you? Is there an impartial guide out there published by an authoritative voice? If not, should there be?