|
|
|
5 Key Reasons Why Great Copywriting Will Always Be Your Most Important Business Skill
Ask any successful business owner what is the most important business skill that an aspiring entrepreneur or Internet marketer can possess and I'll bet you'll hear one resounding answer over and over again.
Copywriting. Copywriting. Copywriting....
Six Whys of Writing
You pick a pen, grab a piece of paper and scribble
or, nowadays, turn on your PC, go to MSWord, exhaust your fingers on the keyboard
and you're done
instant article! That easy, and you're an instant celebrity. It has been made clear that everybody...
Ten Rules of Writing Good
In our hectic, word-based society, it's good to know how to use words good. For instance, as a marketer on the internet, it might be good if you could use words good. Because you might want to write an article with words, so here are some rules...
TWENTY FIVE TIPS IN WRITING ARTICLES FOR THE WEB
Writing articles can provide you with enormous amount of exposure on the Web. You are branding yourself on a shoestring budget - it hasn't cost you a cent, but a little time and effort Writing a free content article is simple and follows a...
WRITING FOR THE WEB
Writing is writing, right? Well, yes and no. Certainly there are requirements common to all writing. Correct spelling, for example. But the requirements vary according to the task. In writing a story, such things as sustaining suspense and pace...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXCUSE ME, BUT YOUR WRITING IS SHOWING!
Think about it.
How many people do you write to during a business day? How
many of these people know you only through your words?
Okay, so maybe you have shared a few handshakes with some
of them. But their opinion of who you are and your worth as
an employee or business person may still be judged
primarily by the words you write.
It comes down to this. Everything...EVERYTHING!!!...you
write is a picture of you. It might be the wrong picture
but that doesn't make any difference.
The PERCEPTION of who you are is far more
powerful than the REALITY.
DECLINING WRITING SKILLS IN BUSINESS
For over 30 years, I've served as a Business Writing
Consultant to hundreds of companies, both privately owned
and Fortune 500. During the past 15 years, I've noticed a
steady decline in the ability of many business people to
effectively express their ideas in writing. They are
often extremely articulate in meetings. But when asked to
reduce something to writing they can't get past the subject
line.
Here's an example. I recently received a phone call from a
brilliant articulate middle management executive of a
Fortune 500 company. He was calling from his office at the
company's headquarters after nine in the evening.
He had just spent several hours trying to draft a Purpose
Statement for a marketing proposal. This Purpose Statement
was important. It set the tone for the rest of the written
proposal. If it was clear, concise and promising, he could
expect a full reading. If the statement was
confused and dull, he was on his way toward rejection.
I had him fax me what he had written. It was little more
than company cliches strung together with connectives which
said almost nothing. If I had not known and worked with
this man on other projects, I would have considered him
dull and ordinary.
I had him tell me in his own words what he wanted to say.
We then worked together to draft a statement that helped
sell his program...AND HIMSELF.
DOES EFFECTIVE BUSINESS WRITING REQUIRE TALENT?
I won't deny that having a writing talent can help.
Although I have seen many imcoms (important communications
such as letters, memos, proposals and reports) fail because
a literary style called more attention to the words than
the message.
Effective business writing is not literature. It
requires
the application of common sense rules and easily learned
techniques.
You start with the basic business writing
formula...attention, interest, action. Although I don't
promote formula writing, every imcom MUST include these
basic steps to succeed.
ATTENTION
Every working day, countless imcoms are distributed with
openings that say nothing. It's as though the writer is
thinking, "Hey, I wrote this wonderful imcom so, of course,
it will be read."
The reality is that an imcom has only two to three seconds
to begin communicating. If it fails to grab a foothold on
the target's attention immediately, it is either trashed,
put on a 'read whenever' pile or quickly scanned and
instantly forgotten.
INTEREST
Business people often equate interest to length. "People
just don't read long imcoms," I am told. No, the truth is
people don't read boring imcoms.
I have read two paragraph imcoms that were too long. I
have also read multi-page imcoms that were just right. The
difference was content.
Remember, you can never bore anyone into reading anything!
ACTION
The action desired might be a budget approval, acceptance
of an idea or program, go-ahead on a project...whatever.
However, too often, this action is never motivated or even
asked for. The imcom simply shrivels up and dies at the
end. Sometimes the imcom writer assumes a
certain action will be taken. Or, the writer is afraid of
appearing too pushy. Actually the reverse is true. A strong
close suggests that the writer is in control, decisive and
self-confident.
DO YOUR IMCOMS SPEAK WELL OF YOU?
Do they present you as an organized, intelligent and
knowledgeable business person or employee? If not, you can
do something about it. Becoming a power writer is neither
difficult nor time consuming. It primarily involves a
commitment to begin. You'll be stepping out ahead of a lot
of other people if you make that commitment today.
Discovering ways to impress when you express can put you
months, even years, ahead on your career path.
About the Author
Doug C. Grant is the author of HOW TO MOVE FROM CUBICLE
TO CORNER OFFICE WITH THE SECRETS OF POWER WRITING. A FREE
preview plus details on receiving a no-cost Blue Pencil
Edit for one of your own imcoms is available by e-mailing:
mailto:edit@newbieclub.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Writing.Com: Writers, Writing, Poetry, Creative Writing, Fiction ... |
| An online community dedicated to fostering writing skills. With a free membership anyone may read, write, rate, and review works. |
| www.writing.com |
|
| Welcome to Writing-World.com! |
| Writing articles and resources. Tips about how to become a better writer, get published and find writing markets. From Moira Allen. |
| www.writing-world.com |
|
| Guide to Grammar and Writing |
| The Guide to Grammar and Writing contains scores of digital handouts on grammar and English usage, over 170 computer-graded quizzes, recommendations on ... |
| grammar.ccc.commnet.edu |
|
| Purdue University's Online Writing Lab - The OWL Family of Sites |
| Writing lab and resources. Email newsletter available. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
|
| OWL at Purdue University: General Writing Concerns Handouts |
| This page contains important links to the writing: planning/writing/revising aspects of the OWL website. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
|
| Writing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The original Mesopotamian writing system was initially derived from a system of ... If it is deemed to be a written language, writing in China will predate ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Writing.org - Advice for Freelance Writers |
| Articles to help you launch a freelance writing career, from a former literary agent and PLAYBOY editor. |
| www.writing.org |
|
| Writing HTML |
| More than just an HTML reference, this is a structured approach for learning how to create web pages, designed by specialists in learning at the Maricopa ... |
| www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu |
|
| National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month |
| NaNoWriMo is an annual (November) novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. |
| www.nanowrimo.org |
|
| Poynter Online |
| Apply by Dec. 11 Reporting and Writing the Untold Stories Apply by Dec. 11 ... Reporting & Writing for Multi-Platform Newsrooms. Apply by Jan. 10 ... |
| www.poynter.org |
|
| Pages tagged with "writing" on del.icio.us |
| This short online course provides a practical introduction to writing fiction. During the course you will be expected to write two short pieces for ... |
| del.icio.us |
|
| BBC Get Writing |
| The BBC's online resource for writing drama and comedy for television, radio and film. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
|
| TOC About Writing |
| Menu of articles on writing written by professional SF/F writers. |
| www.sfwa.org |
|
| 11 Rules of Writing -- a concise guide to important grammar ... |
| A concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar. |
| www.junketstudies.com |
|
| NAEP Writing Subject Area |
| NAEP assesses student performance in writing periodically in grades 4, 8, and 12 for the nation, and in grades 4 and 8 for the states. |
| nces.ed.gov |
|
| Writing: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
| See all blog posts tagged with writing on Technorati. |
| www.technorati.com |
|
| IPL Teenspace: A+ Research & Writing |
| Includes step-by-step instructions on researching and writing, how to find information online and offline, as well as links to useful resources. |
| www.ipl.org |
|
| Dictionary.com: Writing Resources |
| Free online English dictionary and reference guide. List of sites writers can use. |
| dictionary.reference.com |
|
| WritingFix: Home of Interactive Writing Prompts and 6 Trait ... |
| Daily and interactive writing prompts. |
| www.writingfix.com |
|
| Advice on Academic Writing |
| Includes articles on critical reading, planning, researching, style and editing, grammar and punctuation. |
| www.utoronto.ca |
|
|