Fred and Sylvia ran an animal shelter. Sometimes, people would bring dogs to them, saying ‘We didn’t know how much attention he would need’ and Fred and Sylvia would smile sadly and wonder, ‘How can we explain this to people before they buy a pet?’. One day, their daughter Julie, who was a teacher, suggested ‘Why don’t we write a story for me to read to my class?’.
‘A story about one of our dogs?’ asked Sylvia.
‘Well, maybe,’ said Julie, ‘but a story about a dog might just make the children want one even more. I was thinking about telling the story from the point of view of a child who wants to watch TV or play on the computer but the dog needs to be walked and washed.’
Fred frowned. ‘I think the little tyke should just walk the dog.’ He said.
‘Of course you do.’ replied Julie. ‘That’s what you would have done as a child. But now you’re trying to communicate with people who aren’t like you, so you need to speak to them in their own language, about the things that matter to them.’
‘And telling a story is the best way to get through to children.’ said Sylvia.
‘It’s certainly a good way – and not just to children. Throughout history, people have used stories as a means of teaching and influencing others. We remember parables and fables and, crucially, we remember their messages…don’t cry wolf, kindness will be rewarded…you know the sort of thing. If you can come up with a story which strikes a chord with your audience – if they can see themselves in that situation, then there’s a better chance that they will take your lesson to heart.’

Using humour can get a product or idea noticed but it’s important to be noticed for the right reasons…what sounds hilarious to one person may be deeply offensive to another. Humour will often have some form of recognisable target, so it’s important to consider how your jokes will be interpreted by other individuals or groups. It’s probably OK to advertise a reptile shop with a reference to Cleopatra. More recent historical allusions should be treated with caution.

That’s not to say that being deliberately provocative can’t get results – the ad campaigns that have been vilified in the twitterverse have reached a far wider audience as a result and a certain proportion of that audience will be more sympathetic to the advertiser than to the critics. It goes without saying that this is a risky strategy…a bit like blowing up a pond to catch fish – it’s generally destructive, you might end up getting burned and you’ll definitely create a stink.

It’s also vital to be certain that a joke will be understood. Sometimes, when we’re too close to a subject, we forget that not everyone grasps the issues or understands the jargon. That in-joke about the number of thingamajigs needed to reposition a what-do-you-call-it may be perfect for a presentation to a group of industry experts. A more general audience may wonder if we’re not the brightest bulbs in the drawer…did I mention that it’s also important not to mix one’s metaphors?

The world wide web is currently made up of over 1.4 billion websites⁽¹⁾, with approximately 4.8 billion indexed web pages⁽²⁾. Of the identified websites, a large and currently growing proportion are inactive. The Netcraft October 2016 Web Server Survey⁽¹⁾ shows only 12.4% of sites returning content indicative of an active website, as opposed to a place-holder page or other computer generated content⁽³⁾. Crucially, the data also shows that the actual number of active sites has remained relatively constant since 2011, whilst the overall number of websites has trebled in that period from under half a billion to the current levels.

A variety of factors probably contribute to this phenomenon – an increasing tendency for private users to register a domain name for use solely as an email address may be one. However, it may also be significant that the same period has seen a boom in the do-it-yourself website industry⁽⁴⁾. Small business owners wanting to establish their web presence cheaply and easily are increasingly turning to template-based solutions. For a small fee, the service provider will offer a range of templates, domain name registration and a selection of stock photographs. However, many new website owners find themselves stalled at this point, lacking either the time or the confidence to create the text for their web pages. Using the services of a professional copywriter would get them past this obstacle, allowing small businesses to finally benefit from their web presence.

_{(1) https://news.netcraft.com/archives/2016/10/21/october-2016-web-server-survey.html}

_{(2) http://www.worldwidewebsize.com/ (Sunday, 30 October 2016)}

_{(3) https://www.netcraft.com/active-sites/}

_{(4) https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/24/as-wix-heads-toward-ipo-weebly-looks-to-expand-with-big-new-sf-headquarters-plans-to-add-500-employees/?ncid=tcdaily}

If you need a copywriter,

then allow me to introduce myself.

…let me tell you a story:

Not another shaggy dog story:

Then there’s the serious business: