5 Ways to Improve Your Business Writing

1. Think about your audience.
You must always know who your intended audience is for a communication piece. I say this a lot - I really can’t stress enough the importance of defining your target market.

Why is this so darn important? Well, because if you don’t define your market, how can you write to your prospective clients about the things that matter to them? And if you don’t write about what matters to them, you won’t touch them in ways that make them want to take action - buy your product, or hire you, for example?

2. Features versus benefits.
Put yourself in the mind of your prospective client and view your product or service from their point of view. Most business owners can tell you about the “features” they offer, but not always about how those features “benefit” the customer. And since the customer is - by definition - the person purchasing your goods or services, doesn’t it make sense to focus on the benefits to them?

Good example: I don’t remember which tire company ran a commercial with an infant floating inside a tire on a pool of water. The baby looked warm and dry and safe. The official “feature” was the good traction the tires provide in wet conditions, but the “benefit” being sold was you providing safety for your family. See the difference?

3. Do some competitive research, and use that research to enhance your marketing materials.
The Internet offers you great opportunities to see how others in your field are marketing themselves. You might find approaches that you can adapt to your own business.

Other things to do: (a) Get pricing information on goods and services similar to yours. (b) Use a keyword research tool like Overture to see what search terms people are using to find products like yours.

4. There are few things worse than a blank piece of paper!
I saw a Spongebob Squarepants episode recently in which Spongebob had to write a 500 word essay. He had about eight hours to do it, and by the end of 7 hours, all he had to show was a series of false starts, crossed out words, and a title.

This is certainly my experience as well. Don’t go for “perfect” the first time through. What works better, I’ve found, is to just write and write and write until all your thoughts are out on paper. Don’t worry about style or grammar, just get the words out. Afterwards, you can go back and revise, edit, and polish.

5. Write like you talk.
I read somewhere recently (probably in some of my own competitive research) that although people sometimes think a “formal” writing style sounds “professional,” it isn’t the most effective way to communicate. I agree wholeheartedly.

And while it may be an oversimplification for me to suggest you write exactly like you talk, here are the basics: a) Go for a conversational style. You’re building a relationship with prospective customers, so it’s okay to let your personality shine through. b) Talk directly to the recipient of your letter or email; you want to tell them why they’re hiring “you.” c) Don’t refer to yourself in the third person. Although this is appropriate for press releases and professional bios, it’s not effective in direct communication with a prospective client or customer.