Bursary Assessment Associates
Web copywriting and key messages
Jo Beer
“Lucy captured the essence of what I’d always wanted to say, but hadn’t been able to find the words to say it.”
About Bursary Assessment Associates
Bursary Assessment Associates (BAA) manages the school bursary application and assessment process in an impartial, insightful and joined up way. Providing the link between school and family, their team handles thousands of bursary applications every year, with each application managed personally by a qualified associate.
The brief
I was introduced to Jo Beer through Jeanette Watson of Able Web Design. Jeanette was about to start work on redeveloping the BAA website and Jo had requested the support of a website copywriter to optimise the content. Jo also received a recommendation for my services from someone she trusts, which motivated her to speak with me.
The initial brief was to create copy for four pages of website copy: Home, About Us, Services, and Information for Parents. Jo was very clear in defining their target audience and their desire to attract clients that align with their business objective of making independent education accessible to families.
I arranged an online briefing with Jo to research the information I needed to draft her content. Our 1.5hr conversation touched on several areas including audience, business story and objectives, key competitors, search terms, and tone of voice. Jo understood the value of this conversation and was willing to invest time to help me get a feel for her business.
Following the brief, I carried out independent research on competitor sites, keywords and search terms before drafting a first page of web copy for feedback. Jo was impressed with the accuracy, flow and tone of voice of the content and signed this off with minimal amends.
I went on to draft the remaining three pages of copy, sending the odd question by email to fill any gaps in information. The same approval process followed, with minor amends. Once all pages had been approved, I supplied final versions to the web designer for build.
The process
Outcomes
The website copy is working brilliantly to attract the kind of people BAA wants to work with. The tone of voice on the website reaches out to the audience they want to connect with. Enquiries are coming in through Google and the team is very happy with the level of enquiries they receive.
Jo subsequently asked me to build on this success by helping to craft an elevator pitch about the company for the team to use in a consistent way, copy for an email campaign and a brochure for a forthcoming education conference she would be speaking at. I suggested creating two versions of the elevator pitch for audiences with and without existing knowledge of their work. The team use these at exhibitions and public events to make sure the whole team use consistent messaging and provide the right information to potential clients. They have helped to improve sharpness from a marketing point of view.
Jo says…
After a half hour chat with Lucy, I knew she was the right person to work with. Lucy showed a genuine interest in getting to know our market, understanding our audience, and what makes Bursary Assessment Associates different.
It’s worth investing time in the research brief. Lucy really listens and asks you the right questions in a gentle, efficient and targeted way so that she can write in your voice. She is great at interpreting what I say and distilling my words into what people need to know.
That first draft was like something that could have been written in my own voice. It was amazing! She captured the essence of what I’d always wanted to say but hadn’t been able to find the words to say it.
Lucy is warm, professional and talented at listening to a huge amount of information and distilling it into clear messages. What you get after the first conversation is almost exactly what you’ve asked for. I haven’t come across anyone who can do that like Lucy. She’s very talented lady and a pleasure to work with!