Business Writing: When Not To Be Professional
By Lisa Packer |
It’s time to write your next ad or brochure. Maybe some web content. You’ve done
all your research, and you’re staring at a blank computer screen. You want to
look good in print. You want to put your “best foot forward.” And, of course,
you want to make a barrel full of money.
Well, you’re going to have to
pick one, because you can’t do all three.
Not, that is, if “looking good
in print” means sounding like an educated professional. Or using perfect
grammar. Because unless all of your prospects are English teachers, they’re
going to respond better to more natural writing – writing that reads like people
actually speak.
Real people don’t speak like “professionals” write.
(Neither, for that matter, do most professionals.) Real people use sentence
fragments. They start sentences with “and”, “or” and “but.”
Every now and
then they kind of trail off like…
One thing real people do not do is use
big, fancy words when shorter ones will do. And neither should you.
Real
people do not say things like, “I am committed to finding the lowest cost
alternative.” Why, then, would you want to be “focused on providing”
it?
Copywriting that uses stuffy, complex language just doesn’t sell. You
know what I mean: The verbose, impersonal, corporate-speak that sounds more like
a mission statement (which nobody cares about) than a personal communication.
The kind that strokes the CEO’s ego when it should be stroking the
prospect’s.
With that in mind, here are some tips to help bring your
writing back “down to earth”:
1.Picture your prospect. Get a mental
picture of the one typical person you’re writing to. If you have to, get a real
picture from a magazine or even your family album and tape it to your computer
screen as you write. Then write like you’re talking to that one
individual.
2.Read your copy out loud. If you stumble over anything, so will
your reader. Rewrite until your words flow smoothly and sound natural.
3.Read
your copy to someone else. Preferably a group of people. If, when you are
finished, they tell you what a great job you’ve done, you have failed. You’ve
succeeded when they ask you how to get what you’re writing about.
Never
be afraid to be personal in your ads, web pages, sales letters – any time you
are communicating with a prospect. Make it sound like you are actually speaking
to them.
If you still want to “look professional”, use the money you make
and go buy some nice business clothes!
About
the Author
Lisa Packer, author of "How To Dramatically
Increase Your Business... Without A Blockbuster Budget" is an independant
copywriter and marketing consultant. For more helpful articles like this one,
visit www.dramatic-copy.com
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