The Importance of Effective Writing
The promotional merit of good, effective writing should never be underestimated. Whatever is written on behalf of products, services and projects can end up as archival material that represents a company for years to come. That includes websites, brochures, e-newsletters, advertorials, even letters, memos and emails. In today’s digital world, anything can show up anywhere and last almost forever. If a prospective customer sees something that’s terribly written, it doesn’t help when you say, “Oh, we were so busy that day that we had to ask someone in Accounting to write it.”
Rambling, boring, ostentations or grammatically challenged writing can easily come back to haunt businesses. Good writing from the start pays off. Here are some tips:
- Reread everything several times before deeming it final—at least once for the sole purpose of eliminating as many words as possible.
- Simple words and phrases are always better than those that try to impress.
- Know your audience. Realize they are as stressed as you and will find it easy to dismiss what they read if it doesn’t grab them right away.
- Seek out people in the company with a proven facility for good writing. They may appreciate being asked to help (part of your employee recognition efforts). Consider compensating them for their efforts.
- Hire a professional. There are plenty of marketing communications firms that, at cost-effective pricing, can make the difference between writing that works and writing that can hurt.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to complimentary consultation on your marketing, public relations, partnership, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.