Welcome to WRITING MATTERS, celebrating the value of good writing in the business world.

 

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VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 – OCTOBER 2009

 

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This Month's Case Study – Henderson Events, Inc.

 

The Company

Henderson Events was an events production company serving a well-populated tri-county area.  The firm organized community events such as art fairs, summer concerts, carnivals, holiday parades, and the like.

 

The Challenge

Due to the recent economic downturn, Henderson faced new challenges in securing event sponsors and drumming up interest for its events.  In the past, word of mouth and preexisting relationships with local businesses ensured sponsorship sellouts on a regular basis, but those days were gone.  Henderson needed to re-tool its approach to promoting its events.

 

Bill Henderson, the company’s founder, was an astute businessman and knew he needed to implement a new marketing plan to promote his events.  Unfortunately, because the need had never arisen in the past, his small staff didn’t have the background necessary to carry out his plans.

 

Bill’s first order of business was to hire a writer to compose an article promoting his next big event, the local health and wellness fair, which was taking place in two months.  Although a few exhibit booths had sold, numbers were way down compared to the same event a year earlier.  Corporate sponsorships were lagging as well.  Bill had to make a concerted effort to sell the event – otherwise, the health fair’s future could be at stake.

  

The Solution

Bill sought advice from some of his friends in the business community, and one gentleman suggested a copywriter who had done work for him in the past.  Bill contacted Lauren and explained his predicament.  Lauren had experience in writing promotional articles, and even had a client who was in the events management industry.

 

Bill explained the immediacy of the situation and outlined his plans.  He wanted an all-purpose article written that he could place in two local newspapers, plus the chamber of commerce monthly newsletter.  Lauren asked a few questions and said she would get back to Bill shortly with a quote.

 

Lauren contacted Bill as promised, and Bill felt her rate was more than fair.  Lauren conducted herself in a professional manner and seemed easy to work with . . . two key factors that really sealed the deal in Bill’s eyes.  Lauren began working on the article, and within two weeks completed the assignment. 

 

The Outcome

Bill was pleased with Lauren’s work and quickly submitted it to the local papers and forwarded a copy to the chamber for insertion in its upcoming newsletter.  As the articles circulated throughout the community, the response was excellent and Bill received many inquiries about exhibit booths and corporate sponsorships.  Despite the poor economy, many businesses felt the health fair was a cost-effective way to promote their products and services and reach potential customers.  Within a few weeks, Bill sold over 90% of the vendor booths and secured more sponsorships than expected.

 

During the week prior to the health fair, Bill sold his last exhibit space – something that appeared impossible several weeks before.  Every time he spoke with someone requesting a spot, the person invariably mentioned the article Lauren had written.  “I had totally forgotten about the heath fair,” they would say, “Your article really pointed out the many benefits of participating.”

 

The health fair went off without a hitch and was deemed a great success, thus ensuring its return next year.  Bill retained Lauren’s writing services on an ongoing basis to promote his other events and help ensure their continued success as well!

 

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If you have a "writer-to-the-rescue" story to share, please let me know at: JPT@spectrumcopywriting.com.

 

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The next issue of WRITING MATTERS will be out November 2nd.

 

Have a great month!

 

 

John Paul Tancredi, Copywriter/Consultant

Spectrum Copywriting Services

JPT@spectrumcopywriting.com

www.spectrumcopywriting.com

 

 

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