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Posts Tagged ‘Business Writing’
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Writing for business has changed a little since the advent of the Internet, but not much. It used be, back in the days of off line marketing when companies would put together a slick brochure or television commercial, that marketing and PR departments would brainstorm for a catchy motto or slogan and build an advertising campaign around it. The idea was to “push” the product or service being marketed onto an unsuspecting public we all called prospects, or “the target market”. Well, happily, we don’t do it quite that way any more.
The new business writing, while it is still focused on sales, isn’t quite so stuffy. Rather, it’s more personal and based mostly on “pull” marketing – the idea that we will entice those interested in our product or service into finding us. In some ways, this is better marketing.
You might think it involves less work because we don’t have to chase the targets until we catch them. Actually, it’s harder work because now we have to think up ways to get the “target” to chase us. That’s a bit more of a challenge. But if you can do it well then you’ll be chased a lot.
Business writing may not have changed it complete focus – sales, conversions, driving traffic – but it has changed the way it engages the customer and directs toward the goal. But it’s still business writing. Just a little more creative.
Tags: Business Writing, marketing, target marketing
Posted in Business Writing | No Comments »
Saturday, July 11th, 2009
Business writing is different to other types of writing. Even between technical and non-technical types of writing, there are some differences. Writing marketing content for businesses requires a special eye and ear. You have to know what makes people tick, what motivates them. What kind of words trigger an emotional response, and what can you do to elicit the type of response that you want from your readers.
Those are all special kinds of knowledge. If you know what motivates people to act a certain way and you can create the circumstances to get them to act that way then you have power. And that’s the kind of power that anyone who writes for business should have.
One special kind of business writing is blogging. When you write a blog post, you are not writing a technical document. It’s a special type of “conversational marketing”. But it is business writing.
Online writing, or marketing, has several different methods of conversational marketing. This kind of business writing is unique in that it isn’t stuffy or overly sophisticated. It’s conversational. And it connects with people because readers get a sense that a real person – someone just like themselves – are writing it. If you write content that makes you sound like an average, run-of-the-mill person who wants to do business with someone and build their trust then you write for business online. It just takes a little discipline.
Tags: blogging, Business Writing, conversational marketing
Posted in Business Writing | 2 Comments »
Friday, April 17th, 2009
Don’t panic at the words, “press release.” They aren’t difficult to write and they don’t cost a fortune to post. Why bother? Press releases attract attention. Small businesses should announce when they launch a new product, have a major announcement such as opening a branch or a merger, working on a charitable project, or when you’d like to announce a new trade practice that significantly changes the industry. Yes, the world needs to know–starting with the Internet world because now, that’s where press releases are featured first–online.
Before you start sweating, consider that you can use a press release template–and that press releases are only one page long–actually only a few paragraphs. Take a breath now. Check out PRWeb and other online press releases sites to guide you.
What will a press release (sometimes called a news release) get you? Interest. You may get a call from a newspaper or online news site that wants to feature your product or conduct an interview or include you in an article. Your local community wants to know–local TV, radio, and newspapers needs news to fill their pages and airtime. They like featuring businesses in the area.
Start with a great title. Keep it rather short and make it interesting. Use a larger font so it stand out.
Be sure that the title and first paragraph tells what the press release is all about–a summary of the entire thing. If they don’t read any further, would they know what you wanted them to know? The old question– who, what, where and when need to be answered. Press releases aren’t sales copy–so don’t try to make a sale or use jargon that sounds that way. It’s news. It’s a series of statements. Sound professional. Write in third person–so don’t do the “I am announcing.” Speak from a company perspective, “Jenkin’s Tires Announces…”
What’s great about press releases is that you already have many of these components. You can use your logo as the header of the press release. The ending paragraph of your press release is your contact information. The “About the Company” bio you have listed on your website is also used at the end of the press release. Be sure to include contact information–website, phone number, contact person is vital. You want to be contacted, so make it easy.
Your press release can be submitted to the various online PR sites and can range in price from free to quite pricey, so set a budget and decide what’s right for your company and what level of exposure you need. You can also email or fax your press release to television, radio and other media venues.
It’s that easy. Not as big and scary as you thought. Press releases get you in touch with the media–and helps spread the word. You have every right to announce important events, and the media needs your updates. So whether you do it yourself with a template, or pay someone to write a post a press release for you, it’s a powerful tool that can yield big results.
Tags: Business Writing, press releases, Small Business Internet Marketing
Posted in Business Writing, Local Internet Marketing, SEO for Small Business | 4 Comments »
Friday, April 10th, 2009
Why are blogs appealing? When they’re done right, they give you great information, insight and direction. You can read a blog in five minutes or less–and then go on with your day. Small businesses are perfect for blogs. Why? Because you’re a customer expert. All you do all day–online or in a brick-and-mortar store is talk to, sell to, and think about customers. You are driven to be effective. You already have that natural tone, candor, and appeal customers are looking for.
Secrets to Writing a Great Blog:
Name your blog something that has to do with your company name. Make it easy for search engines to find and connect you to your line of work. How? Know your keywords and use them in your header and in your blog.
The old KISS rule. Keep it Simple, Sweeheart. Blogs are not supposed to be complicated. Short–250-500 words. That’s it. Simple–Keep your focus simple. Talk about one thing. A promotion, a discount, feature a customer, a helpful suggestion. Don’t leave the topic.
Write Tight–Lots of white space. Keep your paragraphs down to 4-5 lines. That’s it.
Make sure your headlines say it in a nutshell. If that’s the only thing that gets read, will it makie sense? Make those headlines slightly larger–or bold to catch the eye.
Don’t go crazy with expressions. Emoticons don’t look professional–and neither do misspellings, exclamation points, or abbreviated words (4 for for, 2B for to be).
Use bullet points for how-tos. Bullet points tend to get read when nothing else does.
Simple words and simple sentences. Online viewers scan. They don’t really read–they’re busy. Their blackberries buzzing, they have 2 monitors going, a pile of paperwork next to them, and three files open. You’ve got seconds to grab their attention and if you’re lucky, you’ve got 3-4 minutes for them to “get” what you’re trying to say.
Think nouns and verbs. You’re the noun (your business) and what you’re offering is the verb–sale, promotion, upgrade, help hints.
Online readers like images. Use a few to allow their eyes to rest–and associate you with a visual.
Link–link back to your website and other pages. Try to keep them with you as long as possible–have good content to refer to. These deep links help get you indexed, which means search engines can find you and point others your way.
By creating a clear, dependable writing style, your blogger gets to know and trust you. You can still show personality, tell a crazy story, and be personable with your audience. Blogs are long enough and have enough content for you to express who your company is and what you have to offer–and that it’s more than just hard sales–it’s a relationship.
Tags: blogging for small businesses, Business Writing, internet marketing for small businesses
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, Business Writing, Networking for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Tools for Small Business, search engines | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 9th, 2009
Writing articles for online magazines, also referrd to as e-zines, is a great way for small businesses to share their knowledge and promote their services and products. It cost effective, it does take time and some skill, but the payoff can surprise you.
Why go to the trouble? Because it works.
Articles can drive traffic to your site because every article holds a link to your website, which means your Google PageRank goes up with each incoming link. Articles can even earn you revenue from the GooglleAdSense Program.
How do you get started? Writing articles starts with an idea, and even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, you’ve been gathering ideas for articles all along your business journey. Every time you solve a problem for a customer, offer helpful hints to someone online or on the phone, or share the many ways your products or services can be used, you’ve basically written an article.
Articles are used on the web in a variety of ways—an “article†can be used as:
• Shorter sections as blog posts,
• Bite-size pieces on Twitter
• Content for your own webpages, and for you e-newsletter
• An e-zine article posted on free e-article sites such as (you get to post your name and website, so it’s promotion for you as well),
• Free content for organizations you belong to—or do a search on your various keywords and find a website or blog that’s similar and ask them if they’d like a free article
• Offer bits of it on a forum, or various social media sites
• Keep your focus on being helpful and informative
Not bad for one article. You can take one 300-500 word article and spin it in various directions, so make sure you get plenty of mileage out of those great ideas.
Don’t go crazy and spread your articles to every free site there is–Google spiders won’t like it. Submit to four or five article sites you consider the best for your field.
According to Alexa Page Rank, the best free e-zine article sites to submit to are:
1. ArticleFactory.com
2. EzineArticles.com
3. Buzzle.com
4. ArticleDashboard.com
5. ArticleCity.com
6. ArticleBiz.com
7. BusinessKnowHow.com
Articles help establish you as an expert in your field—so don’t go heavy handed with your company info in the body of the article. Place your website and contact information at the bottom of the article and focus on writing such a helpful and informative piece of work that they’ll want to come and find your business and website. The more articles you write, the more you’re considered an expert.
Don’t have time to write? You don’t have to. Hire it out and talk someone through the main points. You can find someone who writes in your own company, or search online for professional writers who are comfortable with the style preferred in the online community. Be sure to focus on those ever important keywords in all you write.
Each article benefits your small business in numerous ways—from driving traffic to your site, increasing your rank, and establishing you as an expert in your field.
Tags: Business Writing, e-zine articles, online marketing for small businesses, website development
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, Business Writing, SEO for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Social Media, Tools for Small Business, Uncategorized, link building, website development | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
Business writing is something that most business owners are able to do. We all learned how to write a formal business letter in high school and most of us still retain the basics of that training. Plus, there are samples online that you can take a look at. So many small business owners don`t even consider hiring out their business writing, which is a huge mistake.
There are several reasons you should consider business writing if you are a small business owner.
Money. Yes, you have to spend money to have someone else do the writing, but chances are it will end up being cheaper in the long run. It`s very tempting to do everything yourself, but if you can focus on the more specialized tasks, this will earn more money over time.
Expertise. Sure, you can write a formal letter, but is it a good one? Will it convince people to do what you want them to? A professional business writer will be able to craft a message that most laypeople would have difficulties creating.
Time. There is not enough time in the day to get everything you need to done. That`s why it`s important to realize this early on and start outsourcing so you can get it all finished. Otherwise, without help, you`ll find that you are running around and always behind, not a good way to run a business!
Outsourcing your business writing is a good idea, but it`s not the only thing that can be done by someone else. Look at all the tasks you have to get done in a day and then figure out which ones you could let someone else do for you. You`ll be more relaxed and still get more done.
Tags: Business Writing, outsourcing, small business, writer
Posted in Business Writing | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 12th, 2008
How you close a letter or email is an important part of business writing and one that should be perfected. Your signature line should convey a sense of your business and include relevant information, particularly if you are writing an email.
When it comes to letters, contact information is usually at the top of the page, but with emails, we tend to save that for last. This is completely acceptable in business writing, but you do need to make sure that your signature line is something that will encourage people to click through to your site.
If you don`t already have a tag line for your business, this is an excellent time to develop one. It can be hyperlinked in your signature line to take the reader directly to your website. Otherwise, you`ll want to include a line or two about your business and link to it.
Do be careful not to run on. There`s nothing more annoying than an email signature line that just goes on for a dozen lines! That`s poor business writing, so be sure to avoid it.
Tags: Business Writing, email, signature line
Posted in Business Writing | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
With email being the preferred method of communication these days, business writing seems to have fallen by the wayside. While email may foster a more casual attitude, it`s important to remember that people are still impressed with a well written letter.
Greetings: Your greeting in an email should be formal. Going with a “Hey there” isn`t going to gain you any popularity points.
Writing: How formal should business writing be? Well, some people are all for going full on formal even in email, I say you can relax a little, but keep it professional.
Signature: Make sure you use a proper signature, something like, “Sincerely, Caroline Melberg” or something similar. You can include your URL below, as well, that is perfectly acceptable.
Business writing is still an important skill, even if you do most of your communication via email. Make sure you know how to put together a good, formal email and you`ll impress your clients.
Tags: Business Writing, email, formal, letter
Posted in Business Writing | No Comments »
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
You might not realize just how powerful the written word can be. It`s something that can actually cause your business to rise or fall, depending on the quality of the business writing you do.
It`s worth learning to write well, or else hire someone to do it for you, since it really is important. Just imagine if a company sent you a letter or email, asking you to join them in promoting something. Would you consider it if the letter sounded as though a first grader had written it?
While grammar and spelling are extremely important in business writing, most people still make common mistakes with these. It`s often a simple matter to have a friend or family member scan the letter to ensure that it`s not full of errors. It can be difficult to proof your own writing, since you are so close to it, you`ll tend to skip over any errors.
Business writing is a skill that every business owner should have. If you don`t feel that you are skilled enough . . . practice makes perfect.
Tags: Business Writing, publicity, skill
Posted in Business Writing | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
No one is able to be an expert in everything and business writing is no exception. While every business owner should be able to write a decent letter, when it comes to crafting proposals or other extremely important papers, it pays to hire a professional.
A professional writer can provide you with the following in your business writing:
- Proper grammar
- Correct business writing formats
- Professional language
- Rapid service
- Full proofreading
Hiring someone who already has the necessary experience can be a good way to go if you are hesitant about business writing yourself. While most people can get the basics down easily enough, it`s often worth it to outsource this type of work to speed up productivity and produce more professional business writing.
Tags: Business Writing, experience, outsourcing
Posted in Business Writing | No Comments »
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