Would you like to save time, reduce stress, and make more money per project?
You can when you leverage your product knowledge.
Let me give you an example.
I’ve never been a Realtor or a real estate agent. But because I write for several clients that sell products and services to Realtors, I know a lot about them.
I have a very high comfort level and advanced knowledge of the products and services that Realtors buy to help grow their businesses — the products that help them get more clients, more leads, and close more sales.
So, when a prospect or a potential new client calls about a product they sell to Realtors and asks me if I can write some sales copy, I get excited.
I already know a lot about the products and services that Realtors buy so I can get up to speed very quickly. I can write the sales copy they need quickly and authoritatively because I have advanced product knowledge in this industry.
With this new client, I’m able to write their copy faster, easier, and better. It becomes a fun and lucrative project for me. So that’s why I get excited when a company calls and their target audience is Realtors.
In fact, this happened just a couple of months ago. I got a call from a prospect who needed an e-book written. Because their target audience was Realtors, I was able to write the e-book very quickly and they loved it from the first draft.
Now, let me give you a contrasting example that happened to me two or three years ago. I got a call from a prospect who makes very complicated software for data visualization that they sell to IT managers and engineers.
They needed me to write a series of marketing materials. I took on the project, but I spent hours and hours trying to get up to speed on the product. It took me a long time to get my head around it and to figure out what would make their target audience want to buy their product.
When I sat down to write the marketing materials they needed, the work was painful because I just didn’t have the comfort level with their type of product.
It took a long time to write and I didn’t write the copy with a high degree of confidence. I kept second-guessing myself… “Do I understand the product enough? Do I understand the target audience enough? Am I saying something stupid? Am I being persuasive enough in the right ways?”
I didn’t have the same product knowledge as I do with Realtors.
Now, everybody has a first-time project like that when getting started in a new niche. There’s nothing wrong with taking on projects in new areas.
But when you work on a project and you don’t have a lot of product knowledge, it’s very arduous, it takes more time, and is less profitable than when you can leverage your product knowledge.
So, what do I mean then by leveraging your product knowledge?
When you get a high degree of product knowledge in a particular niche in the B2B market, it makes sense to go after other companies with similar products and services.
As I shared in my example, I have a high degree of product knowledge when it comes to products and services sold to Realtors.
I know when I land a project with one of these clients, I’ll be able to write it quickly. It will be a lot more fun for me. The copy is going to be accurate and persuasive, and better compared to other copywriters who have less product knowledge than I do.
So that’s why leveraging your product knowledge is very important.
How to Leverage Your Product Knowledge
The next time you get a new client where you’ve developed a high degree of product knowledge, make a list of 10 or 20 other companies in that niche that have similar products and services, and approach them.
Chances are, they’re going to be very interested in talking to you. Not only are you a great copywriter, but you also have product knowledge of the type of products and services they sell.
Believe me, business owners and marketing directors are very interested in hiring copywriters who have a lot of product knowledge in their area.
In fact, one of the biggest complaints I hear from clients about copywriters is that they don’t understand the client, their target audience, or their products very well.
Let me give you an example.
Let’s say that you work with a company that sells scheduling software to dentists. You worked hard to understand why dentists buy practice management software. And now, you have a high degree of product knowledge.
You can leverage your knowledge to go after other companies who need a copywriter who understands their products.
Now, you may be thinking, “But what if I’m not allowed to deal with a direct competitor? I can’t very well write for a direct competitor who also provides scheduling software for dentists.”
No, in all good faith, you can’t. But you can write for similar companies. There might be other companies that specialize in scheduling software for chiropractors, counselors, or other professional practitioners.
Keep in mind, dentists buy many other types of software and products to help manage their businesses, such as CRM software and accounting software.
And because you have some knowledge about the products dentists are interested in, then you can probably write very well for just about any type of product or service that is sold to dentists.
So make a list of some of these other companies and approach them, and ask them if they’d be interested in a copywriter who has a high degree of knowledge when it comes to the type of products and services they sell.
Chances are, they will be.
Now, what are some of the benefits of this leveraging your product knowledge technique?
#1. Clients Will Love You
Clients love it when you have a lot of product knowledge, especially when it comes to content writing projects where you need to write authoritatively about what a company does and what they’re all about.
I can’t emphasize enough how much clients love finding a copywriter who understands their products and their market.
If a marketing director hears from a copywriter like you who knows a lot about the type of products and services that her company markets, she’s going to be interested in talking to you. I can almost guarantee that.
Besides finding a great copywriter who can do great writing, the number two criteria of marketing directors of B2B companies and business owners of B2B companies is finding a copywriter who understands them, their type of products and services, and their target audience.
Another big benefit of this leveraging technique is that when you get a new project from a new client, you don’t have to start from ground zero and learn all about their product and service.
You already know a lot about the type of products and services they offer, so you’ll be able to do a better job.
And when you’re able to do a better job on a client’s marketing materials, they’re more likely to use your services again.
#2. Reduces Stress
Another big benefit of this leveraging technique is that it’s far less stressful.
If you get a call from a client who wants you to write some web copy, emails, and a sales letter for their engineered industrial valves for marine applications, and you know nothing about that, then you’re in for a headache.
It’s going to take you some time to figure out what engineered industrial valves are and how valves are used in marine applications.
But if a client calls you with a type of product or service where you have a high product knowledge, then your worry thermometer goes from 10 to 1.
You don’t worry about it at all because you already have a high comfort level and you’ll be able to start writing for them quickly.
#3. Increased Productivity
You’ll also be much more productive. When I write for companies that sell to Realtors, I can write that sales copy very quickly. Because I understand the products and services sold to Realtors so well, I can write it almost off the top of my head.
Obviously, I have to do a little bit of research on my client’s specific product or service. I have to ask my client some specific questions and get some specific details, but I’ll understand the answers. I’m able to write copy quickly for them, and that’s more productive for me.
As a copywriter, the faster you can write something, the more money you make, so it becomes much more profitable for me and a lot more fun as well.
Won’t I Get Bored Doing the Same Thing?
What if you get stuck writing for marine valves and marine valve engineering companies, and suddenly that’s all you’re doing?
Well, if you can establish yourself in a niche like that as the go-to copywriter, congratulations, you’re probably doing very well.
I find boredom isn’t a problem. On the contrary, I find that the more I write about a certain class or product or service, the more fun I have.
It becomes more interesting because I get so good at it. There’s far less stress. And I have fun thinking of new and interesting angles for the project.
So, the next time you spend time learning about a new product or service that you’re writing for, leverage that product knowledge.
Start going after other companies that offer similar products and services to a similar target market.
That’s the power of leveraging. You’ll have more fun with projects, it will save you a lot of time, and you’ll make more money.
