07 Nov 09 Get Maximum Value out of your Marketing Writing

The marketing writing is different from any other form of writing in the sense that the former kind of writing requires people to take some kind of action, while general writing just aim at informing and persuading people. Thus, you need to make your writing clear, concise, and emphatic. You need to entice your customers into reading your stuff to the end, and to achieve this goal, you need to follow the following guidelines.

Use emphatic headlines

The goal of a headline is not to sell the product, but to push the audience to read further by generating interest in them. When writing a marketing copy or copy for print ads then write headline in such a way that audience get curious after reading this and decide to read further.

Use descriptive sub-heading

The purpose of the subheading is to explain the promise made by the headline and push the reader to read the body copy.

Write focused body copy

This is where you need to sell your stuff. Your body copy should fulfill the promises made by the headline and the sub-heading. Use a conversational tone, do not preach your target audience. They hate it like anything. Each word of the body copy should lead you to the next word, and the next word to the next word, and so on. You can achieve this only by using measured words.

Tips for writing body copy

Use short sentences.
Write the body copy using active voice.
Keep the writing jargon-free. No one likes to read technical details.
Express the benefits not the features.
One size doesn’t fit all, therefore, right body copy with the target audience in mind. The copy you will write for a doctor who is 26 years of age and an artist of the same age will be different. Keep this subtle difference in mind.
Talk, do not preach.
Tell the reader, how you can help him solve his problem.
Use direct sentences.

Add Call to action

The marketing copy will fetch no result, if there is no call to action included at critical juncture in the marketing copy. A call to action tells the user what is expected of him. What action you want from him. This is very, very important.

Conclusion

Marketing copy writing is as much a science as it is an art. You cannot achieve anything meaningful by just making the writing flowery. Always remember, you are not writing a birthday card, its marketing stuff that you are writing.

Tags: Active Voice, Aim, Audience In Mind, Conversational Tone, Critical Juncture, Doctor Who, Headlines, Jargon, Marketing, Maximum Value, Persuading People, Print Ads, Promises, Sell Stuff, Sentences, Size Doesn, Subheading, Subtle Difference, Target Audience, Technical Details

Filed in Writing with 0 Comments

24 Sep 09 5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-V

Grammar is your friend, not an enemy. Respect it as you would respect your friends. A proper use of grammar and punctuation rules will make your writing beautiful, and easy to understand. Having said that, I must say that I am not a strict grammarian, so I believe you can tamper with the grammar at times, but to that first you need a good command over it. You guessed it write, if you did, this post is about grammar.

Write declarative sentences

These kinds of sentences make your writing forceful. You do not crawl, dictate or order. You just say what it is in a natural way. You do not intimidate people, you just say your things and let people think based on that. There is no offensive or defensive stance on either side.

Use Active voice

The prize for blogging was won Jack.

Jack won the prize for blogging.

Which one of the two sounds more powerful? Indeed, it is the second one. When you use active voice, you make your subject do the work, but if you resort to passive voice, you ask your subject to lie down on a couch and let the object of his action do the work.

Check adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives can be alright, but adverb is strict no-no. The excess of any of these two will make your text look boring, very badly boring. Did you see that boring was okay but very badly boring was not?

Cut it

Are you not sure whether it should be there or not? Cut it! William Strunk Jr. will love you for that. Did you ask who is he? Well, you need to read The Elements of Style and ask countless English writing people to know who he was, meanwhile, just follow the advice and leave it when in doubt.

No clunky sentences, please

If you cannot create a sentence that reflects grace than do not attempt to create one! Well, did I sound like William Strunk Jr.? Then I succeed. Jokes apart; I mean to say that you should avoid creating any clunky or confusing sentences. To find out if your sentence is confusing or not, make your friend read your piece.

Tags: Active Voice, Adjectives And Adverbs, Adverb, Beautiful, Confusing Sentences, Couch, Declarative Sentences, Defensive Stance, Elements Of Style, English Writing, Friends, Grammar And Punctuation, Grammar And Punctuation Rules, Grammarian, Jokes, Kinds Of Sentences, Passive Voice, Two Sounds, When In Doubt, William Strunk Jr

Filed in Writing with 0 Comments

07 Nov 09 Get Maximum Value out of your Marketing Writing

Use emphatic headlines

Use descriptive sub-heading

Write focused body copy

Add Call to action

Conclusion

24 Sep 09 5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-V

Write declarative sentences

Use Active voice

Check adjectives and adverbs

Cut it

No clunky sentences, please

Translator

Recent Posts

IT List Favorites

Categories

Gossimer Press Releases

Gossimer Promotions and Announcements