Browsing Category: "miscellaneous"
Simple tip for audience insight
effective communication, miscellaneous, shortcuts, writing November 11th, 2009
I’m constantly asking my clients who they’re trying to reach. When it comes to effectively communicating, you must know who you’re talking to. You wouldn’t talk to a first-grader the same way you would talk with a college professor, right?
Here’s a tip for getting inside the mind of your audience:
Go to where your customers are and silently observe. Watch what they do and how they do it. Read the emails they send customer service. Eavesdrop on their conversations with each other.
Refrain from making assumptions. Resist the urge to lead. Don’t ask questions (just this once). Simply watch and listen.
I promise you’ll come away with a new perspective about what their proverbial “pain points” are, but you’ll also have fresh insight into what motivates and excites them.
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“Hold please …”
miscellaneous, web copy, writing August 28th, 2009
I have a client who good naturedly says, “Hold, please” when she needs a moment to regroup before resuming the task at hand.
Since I’m taking a two-week hiatus from blogging, please consider this post as my “Hold, please.”
I’ll be back online mid-September sharing more Get Great Copy ideas.
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A single question to change your perspective
content, effective communication, marketing, miscellaneous, writing July 20th, 2009
I consider it my job to help my clients understand their audience. I like to challenge them with thought provokers that I hope will forever change the way they communicate — or even think about communicating — with their audience.
Here’s the question I ask and the one I hope you’ll start asking yourself or your corporate writers:
“Is this what you want to say or is this what your audience wants to hear?”
Remember, it’s not their job to hear you, it’s your job to reach and connect with them.
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Common writing mistakes (almost) everyone makes
miscellaneous May 11th, 2009
Are you guilty or innocent of complicating your message and thereby making it less clear? Let’s find out.
Do you favor big words over small ones? If you say “utilize” instead of “use,” you’re guilty.
Have you created your own language by turning a noun into a verb? Really now, if you say “bulletize,” give yourself another guilty.
You’re guilty again if you craft sentences that rival those of Charles Dickens. Learn to self-edit (delete words and condense phrases) and to chop sentences into two or more thoughts.
Are you driven by your organization’s lexicon, throwing buzzwords and acronyms into every (or even a single) sentence? Guilty again. Save the jargon for emails to your boss. Instead, talk to your customers about what matters most to them in a way they (or even your own grandmother) can understand.
Post your worst sentences here and I’ll give a few of them a before-and-after makeover.