If entrepreneurs are adept at anything, it?s changing hats. Today, CEO. Tomorrow, CFO. The day after ? the sky?s the limit. Making sure every hat fits is the entrepreneur?s daily challenge. Yet attacking mission-critical tasks such as marketing communications can be daunting for someone who has neither the time to wear that hat nor a background in publicity and promotion.
Whether you?re creating the company?s collateral or evaluating others? work, writing right is imperative.
Your company image can?t shine if your tactical tools are tarnished. Learn to write right, and you?ll polish your image and positively impact the bottom line.
It?s just a brochure/Web page/sales letter
Untrue. A well written marketing tool is a company asset, reflecting your goals, your business, and your branding. Writing right affects every communication, which in turn affects your business. Writing alone can make or break your customer retention, sales and profits.
Writing right also extends to all written communication: e-mail, letters, reports, presentations, text messages and other internal and external missives. Think a customer e-mail isn?t as important as a brochure? Imagine the negative impact of misspelling the customer?s name or her product?s name. All communication must be clear, accurate and results-driven.A results-driven letter? Imagine an employee benefits letter?s positive impact when it?s written with a "you" focus, addresses employees directly, uses the words that appeal to employees and includes a call to action. Now that?s writing right.
Writing right?s benefits
Approaching every project with a "write right" attitude is a recipe for success. You?ll produce results-driven collateral when your aim is achieving business goals; saying what you mean; engaging your reader; motivating actions; improving your effectiveness; and saving money. Whether you?re writing yourself or critiquing your agency?s work, you should focus on these concepts to write right.
Here?s a quick primer: Every communication must help you achieve a business goal. You?ll be more effective when copy is connected to goals and when each communication is clearly linked to a business priority. Next, say what you mean. When copy is targeted and well done, your audience will understand and take action. Engaging your reader further enhances action. Write to the audience and talk to the reader in language and concepts he understands. Don?t forget the call to action to motivate your readers? actions. It?s crucial you tell your reader what you want her to do. And of course build measurability into your tactical tools so you can track your success.
Take a step back
Now, you?re either patting yourself on the back for writing right, or throwing your hands up in the air in distress. Don?t despair; as an entrepreneur, you already know your business goals, your audience and the measurable action you want it to take. Mastering writing to garner results is the next step.
Before you take fingers to keyboard, pre-write. Ask yourself:
What are your objectives for writing this tactical tool?
Who is the audience?
What content will the tactical tool contain?
What vocabulary is appropriate for the audience?
How will you measure results?
When your objectives are fuzzy or your audience unclear, rethink the piece. You need to thoroughly understand why you are investing in collateral before doing so. (Hint: "We need a brochure" isn?t good enough. You must know why.)
Once your objectives and target audience are in focus, outline content, including vocabulary and language appropriate to the audience. (Hint: "Our AGD will help you eliminate QTS faster than OGU" won?t suffice if your audience doesn?t understand those acronyms.)
Last, but certainly not least is the bottom line; determine how you?ll measure results. (Hint: "We sent out 1,000 brochures" is not a result. Increasing sales leads by 10 percent is a measurable result.)
Now you can write.
Keep the "you" focus
Nothing kills a marketing tool?s effectiveness like focusing on your company instead of your customer. Touting features rather than benefits, and doing so in a company-centric way, is a common mistake among novices. You?ll motivate readers to action when you speak to them, and when you accurately describe how your product or service benefits them. Note the difference:
"For 10 years, XYZ Company has been serving the greater Trenton area. We offer same-day package delivery to Mercer and Burlington counties in our state-of-the-art trucks. We pride ourselves on our quick response time and happy drivers."
Or ?
"Getting your package where it needs to be, when it needs to be there, is our top priority. Customers in Mercer and Burlington counties enjoy same-day service to satisfy their time-sensitive delivery needs. Meeting your delivery requirements in a quick and courteous manner has been our main concern for more than a decade."
Who would you call?
Pre-Write, write, then rewrite
Learning to write right is laudable, and will positively impact your marketing communications? results. But writing right doesn?t stop after the first draft. Reviewing, critiquing and rewriting are vital parts of any tactical tool?s success.
Before you rewrite, remind yourself why you created the piece. Revisit goals, objectives, audience and intended measurable results. Then, critically read each sentence. If each sentence doesn?t contribute to the goal, rewrite. Review, and rewrite again if necessary. Rewrite until each sentence plays a role in achieving your goals and moving your audience to take the action you desire.
Writing is hard work. But so is running a business. Don?t underestimate marketing collateral?s power. Invest in writing right, and enjoy the results.
Roger A. Shapiro is the president/creative director of
Mitchell Rose, LLC. He founded the full-service creative consultancy in 1997 to help clients improve the results they get from their marketing budgets. During the ensuing decade, Mitchell Rose has helped many clients achieve business goals through the strategic use of concepts, copy and design. In addition, Roger has authored a book on copywriting, “Write Right, 26 Tips To Improve Your Writing. Dramatically,” and speaks often on marketing strategy and creative approaches that achieve results. To learn more about Mitchell Rose?s results-based creative, please contact Roger by e-mail at RogerShapiro@MitchellRose.net or by phone at 609-434-0030.
