What Research MATTERS and What Falls FLAT?

Now that I have completed the responsibilities that kept me from moving forward, I've gone into serious research. Now WAIT. In my first post, I said research was one of the things that KEPT me from moving forward, not what I needed to do TO move forward. Here's the difference: focused research.


I'm doing research with a purpose while taking action. This is the big difference between bad and good research. It's the difference between aimlessly clicking on links that look interesting and doing specific searches for what knowledge gaps I need to fill.

For copywriting, that means getting specific knowledge and building my "swipe file" that so many pros talk about. For someone in a different field, it might be gathering a reference library or searching for competitors and what they're doing right (or wrong) with their individual message(s).

In preparation, I took a class. A simple, fairly inexpensive "Introduction to" class that got me my first example of work and a better idea of what I need and where to go. It also gave me a good idea of where my skills ACTUALLY are and not where I THINK they might be. Thankfully, in my case, the two lined up very nicely.

SO! What, exactly, am I doing in my focused research? Well, for today, I have set for myself to gather at least 10 items for my burgeoning swipe file. Instead of doing a google search for "copywriting" (a very generic, unfocused search that leads to hours of click, read, click, read), I'm now searching through information I've already gathered in the past as well as consulting Professor Google for "copywriting spec ads" or "good advertising examples." See the difference? General vs. Focused. Aimless vs. Goal Driven.


What's the take-away from this? Research is good and can be extremely effective, but must be FOCUSED and GOAL-DRIVEN with specific criteria. Aimless research is passive, tending to drift where the writers and publishers choose to direct you with "articles similar to..." and "others who liked this also..." while focused research is directed by YOU, the researcher, and often includes your own library (which usually includes items you've found in the past with quality information you didn't know what to do with at the time).

Happy Hunting!