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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While doing some research for an upcoming content project, I did a little poking around the About Us sections of some Fortune 100 companies.

Would you be surprised to learn that some of the biggest companies in the world use nondescript and innocuous language to describe themselves? I wouldn’t. It’s a comfortable place for many companies (and their copywriters) to be.

Phrases like “serving you in over 100 countries around the world,” “making great products for generations,” “dedicated to supporting,” and “our commitment to providing” say nothing of worth to your target audience. Worse, that kind of language does zip, zilch, nada to differentiate you from your competitors. Besides, who even talks like that in the real world?

Seth Godin says in marketing, if something makes you nervous, it’s probably a good idea. I say in copywriting, if you could write your Company Overview or About Us page in your sleep, rest assured that your audience will snooze, too, when they read it. If they read it.

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I’ve been paying attention to how everyone from clients to clergy and teachers to toddlers communicate. And one thing I’ve noticed is that those who incorporate a personal story (theirs or someone else’s) capture — and retain — their audience’s interest.

Telling a personal story (and by personal, I mean sharing an experience related to what’s being shared with the audience) helps create an emotional connection between you and your audience. It puts your message into context but it does so in a way that’s relevant, engaging and memorable to the reader or listener.

Need some inspiration for how to infuse a little human interest into your copy? Read a newspaper, listen to a sermon, visit with a former soldier, or ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and why.

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While I’m a proponent of proper punctuation and a serious stickler about spelling, I also know that conversational copy is a much more compelling read.

If you’ve been stuck in the world of long, complex sentences, it’s time for a change. And, conversely, if you’ve been writing like you’re texting your BFF instead of talking with your customers, throw in an actual sentence now and then.

The combination of varying sentence lengths and types will mimic real-life dialogue, making your copy not only more fun to read but also worth the time it takes to read it.

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