Writing is one of the most important ways you communicate with your clients and audience. For entrepreneurs, that means conveying your brand through your website, on email, and through social media. Looking to improve your writing skills? Here are eight tools that will help you get your writing to the next level.
1. Know your target audience. Who are you writing for—customers, clients, or staff? Depending on who your audience is, you will want to tailor your language, approach, and tone. For example, if you’re writing for the public, you’ll want to go out of your way to introduce key concepts. “8 must read books that will improve your business writing skills” is a great resource for more tips.
2. Be conversational. When writing for potential customers, don’t focus on selling to them outright, and avoid any technical jargon they may not understand. Aim for a more conversational tone, and let the customer know how your product benefits them.
3. Don’t rely on hyperbole. It’s tempting to gush about your product—after all, you’re the one who made it. But exaggerating isn’t going to help. Instead of saying something like “we’re the best,” use facts and statistics to convey your point. You can also use testimonials from previous customers.
4. Avoid jargon when possible. Try to avoid buzzwords and business jargon, especially when you write for those outside of your industry. “It can be alienating and can even cost you sales in the long run,” says Naomi P. Wingfield, head writer of Assignment Writing Service, a Sydney-based writing center which offers copywriting and editing services. Write My Paper, or a proofreading tool such as ProofreadBot, can help weed them out.
5. Get to the point and keep it simple. More doesn’t always mean better content. When you’re writing, get to the point quickly. When writing online, stick to around 500 words for an article. Use the active voice, write to inform, and avoid flowery language. Prioritize words that best convey your point over more complicated sentence construction
6. Always proofread. No matter how well you write, the odd typo or spelling mistake can slip through. Proofread everything and always use spell check, even in your inter-office emails. If you need help, try Word Counter to highlight spelling mistakes, or Do My Assignment to help you catch grammatical errors.
7. Save templates. If you’ve sent an email that you feel was one of your best, you can save it. It’s worth keeping a file of templates, as they can help you save time when you need to write something similar for a future client. For example, maybe you’ve written an email campaign for your customers that you felt went really well. Save the template, then you can reword it when it’s time to create the next one, saving a lot of time. You can also use outside services, such as Academized, when you need to write particularly important emails.
8. Don’t forget the call to action. Most content aims to engage the reader. One of the best ways to get a response, or start a conversation, is with a short call to action at the end of a piece of content.
