West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is a regional public body. Its digital marketing lead needed practical copywriting training as part of professional development for a cross-functional communications team. Gunning Marketing delivered a full-day copywriting workshop, tailored to WMCA's needs, that gave the team new tricks and ways of working they could put into practice straight away.
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is a group of constituent local authorities that work in concert, under the direction of the Mayor of the West Midlands, to improve the West Midlands by driving economic growth, improving quality of life and supporting communities.
At the time we were brought in, many marketing and communication team members from across WMCA were regularly writing copy for a variety of target audiences on a wide range of subject matter.
Looking to offer some upskilling as part of their development programme, WMCA tasked us with running a full-day copywriting training session with a focus on conveying how to craft copy that effectively connects with the end reader.
With attendees coming from communications teams across the organisation – and responsibilities ranging from apprenticeships to employee engagement to public transport – we developed a course that would inject both knowledge and inspiration. The aim was to give attendees a toolkit they could use once they returned to their desks.
The agenda for the day included a comprehensive mix of interactive content, discussion and exercises. Starting with getting into the head of your target audience, the material also looked at tone of voice, techniques for effective writing and best practices for formats like landing pages and social media.
Attendees agreed that the course was a success – and that it provided practical, transferrable information that could be used regularly to improve the effectiveness of copy created at WMCA.
We received a great deal of positive feedback, including:
“Picked up a lot of new tricks and ways of working, and found a lot that can be transitioned into business-as-usual customer service life.”
“Genuinely insightful with some good nuggets of information – with references to resources, books and websites that can be used on a daily basis.”
“A really good blend of learning, resources and practical application.”
“Anna was very engaging in her delivery. Straight to the point, clear and easy to understand.”
I picked up lots of new tricks and ways of working that can be translated into business as usual.
