Vikki Maver’s wonderful world of words
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Vikki Maver
Founder & Strategic Director
Refresh Marketing
Since she can remember, Vikki Maver has marvelled at the power of the right word at the right time. Now, as a copywriter and writing skills trainer, words are Vikki’s world. She has grown Refresh Marketing from a one-person powerhouse to a team of 12 crafty wordsmiths. All the while, she’s been bettering the world of business writing – one workplace at a time. Her growth is not too dissimilar to our own. And her journey is one we’re proud to be a part of.
It’s pretty fitting that we find ourselves in the State Library of Victoria. Why is writing so special to you?Writing is a rare skill. I’m not just talking about a vast vocabulary and passable spelling and grammar. Plenty of people possess those. I’m talking about writing that makes its mark and inspires action.
My clients are experts in their fields – whether that’s insurance, real estate, energy or something else. But how can they articulate that expertise without the right words?
That’s where we come in. Whether we’re writing on their behalf or I’m training them to be proficient and confident in their own writing – it’s so rewarding to watch my clients give their work the words it deserves.
Copyright is our bread and butter. But copywriting is completely different. What defines a brilliant copywriter?
A brilliant copywriter crafts words to spark interest and spur a response. Think clicking, downloading, signing up and purchasing.
But the best copywriters? They bring brands to life through language. They tailor a tone of voice to give a brand its distinct personality – and a distinct position in its market.
Can you tell us about your journey from running a one-woman show to a fast-growing team of talented writers?
I was reluctant to grow in the beginning. My family was young and my priority was to be present as a parent.
But as my family life evolved, so did my work life. My kids grew up and it became more feasible to build my business. That’s exactly what I did. And I’m glad that’s where my journey led me.
Working alone can be lonely (go figure). Since surrounding myself with a superstar team, I haven’t just found new friends. I’ve become a better writer.
I learn from my team members as much as they learn from me. Plus, more creative talent means a better end product for our clients – and less turning away exciting projects.
As your business grew, how did your legal needs change?
Bigger clients and a bigger team meant bigger risks. Protecting all parties became less straightforward.
We needed client service agreements that better reflected our modern client engagement process. We needed concrete terms and conditions that left no confusion around everyone’s obligations.
And with a new calibre of clientele came new legal complexities – like drafting retainer agreements and responding to businesses who present their own contracts for us to sign.
One client even proposed an agreement that would have given them licence over all our training materials. David has been pivotal in steering us through new challenges like that one.
There’s no evolving your business if you don’t evolve your legal infrastructure with it. I wouldn’t be operating on the level I am without Epiphany Law’s support.
One of Refresh Marketing’s values we love is ‘Always hungry, always curious’. What does this mean to you?
It means crawling into our clients’ worlds to understand what they do and why they do it. How else can we write about a business unless we understand every inch of it?
And I’ve always loved that curiosity in David. I can see a genuine interest in the intricacies of my business beyond legal concerns.
David grasped my business so quickly. He always asks the right questions and picks things apart down to the finest detail.
Despite caring for countless clients, David makes you feel like you always have his undivided attention.
Where does IP fit into your world?
In a creative industry, there needs to be clarity around the question of ownership.
For us, that question is ‘Who is the legal owner of the words we write?’ Our answer is usually ‘our clients’.
But it’s not always so clear cut. When we incorporate design into our services, the question of ownership gains a layer of complexity. Our clients own the final product, which could be a beautifully designed brochure or annual report. But should they own the native design files too?
Creative businesses can’t afford to be ambiguous about these issues.
“There’s no evolving your business if you don’t evolve your legal infrastructure with it. I wouldn’t be operating on the level I am without Epiphany Law’s support.”
There’s a bit of added pressure when we draft agreements for professional writers. How does our writing stack up?
David understood the role my agreements played in the customer journey. He knew they reflected my business, and I could tell he went the extra mile. From formatting to language, everything about my agreements was on brand. David even worked up cover letters for us to send with our contracts.
Most importantly, he made sure my clients could understand the agreements the first time they read them.
We jump up and down about clear communication and plain English writing all the time. So we needed our agreements to show that we practise what we preach.
The legal industry is a big culprit for overly complex language. Of course, simplicity isn’t always possible when you prioritise thorough risk management. But David included break-out boxes with simple, abridged explanations – clarifying anything that might have tripped up our clients.
We needed agreements that enhanced the user experience rather than hindering it. And David delivered.
When legal issues do arise, how do you feel?
Protected. And never panicked.
People have passed off our work as their own – sometimes blatantly copy-pasting. In one case they refused to take our work off their website. We’ve even received a letter of demand when a client used a photo on a website we simply wrote (but didn’t design).
It’s impossible to guarantee hiccups like these will never happen. But what you can control is how you counter them. And with every bump in the road, I’ve never questioned David’s ability to guide me around it.
Why did you choose Epiphany Law?
I saw how much David loved words. He knows how to use them and his communication is always very considered.
What’s more, I saw his interest in my business. His eagerness to understand what I do.
He is painstakingly thorough and attentive. He explores possibilities that I’ve never considered. And this always amazes me: he remembers details – even when I can’t – of agreements that are years old.
Working with David was a no-brainer. He’s been a critical part of my business’s maturity from day one.
