How to Be a Better Business Writer?
One of the questions I hear most frequently is “What can I do to be a better writer?” The honest answer? Not much. Unless you’re already a reclusive, cave-dwelling, word-centric person who spends a great deal of time reading and writing (guilty), dramatically altering the level of your writing will take a lot of time and dedication. Frankly, unless you really want to write the great American novel, it probably isn’t worth the effort.
What you can do, and do pretty easily, is become a better business writer. Business communication, after all, is structured around ideas—not deathless prose. And if you’re a small-business owner or solopreneur, you’ve probably got ideas out the wazoo.
Whether you’re writing content for your next e-newsletter, for your website or blog, or a print brochure, there are some simple things you can do to make your copy more compelling, readable, and effective. In fact, if you ask yourself these three questions before you sit down to write, your readership will grow…deathless prose be damned.
Who am I talking to?
This is the pivotal question of good business communication. In fact, it’s the pivotal question of a good business model. Do you know who your target prospects are? Do you know what they want and need from you? Can you visualize your ideal client? What would you say to her or him in order to generate interest in your product or offering?
Why should they care?
You’ve heard about emphasize benefits over features? Good–it can’t be said frequently enough. The problem is, we get so caught up in selling ourselves that sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. If you’re a small-business owner, a big part of the value-add you’re bringing to your client is…well…you. So of course, you want to emphasize your unique skills and attributes–they’re part of your sale platform. But always remember that, from the clients’ perspective, they’re actually buying the unique way that you can help them. The distinction here is big–one emphasis is passive (I have a Yale MBA) and one is active (I can help you cut costs by 25%).
What’s the story?
Storytelling taps into a pretty primal part of our brains, and telling a compelling story about you, your product, and how you’ve helped someone is powerful stuff. Now that you know your audience and know what you want to emphasize, can you think of a single specific incident in which you helped someone similar to your ideal prospect achieve something amazing? A story can be as short as three sentences: I saw this problem. I offered this solution. My client saw x rate of return. Or it can be as long as Anna Karenina. Which would you rather write?
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