Business Writing - 10 Tips Pro Copywriter for more effective written communication

You spend most of your writing day? If so the answer, these tips from a Gloucestershire, UK professional copywriter could help make writing anything from a simple email to an important business proposal more effective and more fun.

As Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music, for a start. Good writing (in effect, engaging writing that gets results) starts with your mindset first touches pen to paper or fingers hit the keyboard.

1. What is your goal of writing a business?

It sounds obvious, but how many times have you started writing, only to go directly into a metaphorical dead end at 90 miles per hour! Whatever you need to write, allocate more time to think it through first. Do not be afraid to dream with eyes open or because the mind is often with innovative ideas and creative when we relax. That's why so many good ideas in the shower or on a long car trip. Even if your words make your stay with your keyboard or pen, the most important part of effective business writing is done with our brains.

Sometimes it takes weeks, sometimes a few minutes to capture ideas and organize the writing of a business. Try mind mapping or brainstorming another technique. Working in a non-linear (like our brain), mental maps help us to make connections and effective document structure. The nice thing is that a mind map does not need expensive resources. Even an old envelope or a paper towel will do.

Above all, remember that writing effective business is virtually impossible unless you know what you want to achieve. After reflecting on the project, you should have a clear idea of ​​your goal. It 'simple - figure out what you want to achieve, then how to get there.

2. Let your thoughts rest a while '

Often, you need to hurry. But if you can, let it sit for a while 'ideas: ideally one or two hours a night or more. Get out your writing for a while '. It 's difficult, but often, coming fresh will add further insights.

3. To start

This is often the hardest part of writing business. But, as someone said, even the longest journey begins with a step so if in doubt just write something, you can always change it later using the Delete key.

4. Rewriting

And then there's the idea of ​​rewriting. Some years ago, as a copywriter for a PR agency Gloucestershire, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was the benefit of rewriting, rewriting and rewriting. And 'how to make a rich sauce, the volume decreases as the flavor intensifies.

That said, do not get caught by the writer's version of 'analysis paralysis'. Drafting a business effectively is to write something useful and get in front of your audience. Ultimately, 95 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing. Almost perfect is usually pretty good. Remember the law of diminishing returns. And 'the effort needed for the latter percentage of improving a really good use of your time? Knowing when to say 'enough', then press the Print button.

5. Correction for effective business writing

No matter how great the pressure to publish, always check the document. Even for electronic mail, check carefully because mistakes slide easily. And do not be afraid to leave an e-mail important to rest overnight.

For longer documents, seeking evidence of a hard copy. This becomes more important with the importance of the document and the cost implications of making a mistake. You have been warned.

6. He plans to write good

Even in the writing of a business, it's easy to get lazy in this age of text speak and informality. While there is a place for more informal writing is probably not serious in an email or intranet page to your department.

I have noticed a growing trend of basic grammatical and punctuation conventions to go out the window in much of today's business writing. Even at a high level, among people who should (and get paid enough) to know better, apostrophes, dashes, exclamation points, ellipses and points of en-dashes are often misused. This leads to ambiguity, the more difficult reading for the recipient of the message and an apparent lack of professionalism. The ideal answer is to hire a copywriter to help, especially with large projects such as brochures, case studies and website content.

7. Titles and subtitles

News and controlled headings to help your readers make sense of the content of the document quickly. Even in a simple e-mail, a strong title and a little well-placed subheadings can greatly improve your chances of getting your message across. When writing an effective business, skimmed Subtitle help readers to quickly assess the content. In particular, in our modern world of short attention spans and information overload, your readers will thank you for the use of subtitles. And do not forget the power of a strong subject email header.

8. Do not try to be too 'clever'

Sensible use formatting and styles in word-processing software can often improve your business writing. But remember that, ultimately, is the quality of the message, rather than eye candy word processor that will convince the reader. For the preparation of an effective business, less is often more, so put most of your effort in a persuasive message, rather than the fancy formatting.

9. AIDA, Six and a W 'H' and FABS - friends of the copywriter

Back in the day, when I worked in sales techniques, I learned about the 'friends committed to users: The classic AIDA model (Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action), and Six W and an' H ': Who? What? Where? When? What? Why? How? Used in open-ended questioning, these will help you understand the structure, purpose and content of your writing business.

And then there are features and benefits (FAB). Whatever your writing business is selling, always 'sell the sizzle not the sausage'. Features are great, but people buy benefits. Drafting a business effectively focuses on the benefits, and 'what's in it for your readers'. If you're struggling, a good copywriter will have a trained eye for the benefits of your product or service. They can also help you to find some new ones.

10. The end effect

And finally, there is the final effect, the rules introduced by fixing the time constraints for the drafting of a business. Never write something for a really tight deadline? Chances are that you have worked with surprising effectiveness. Take advantage of the final effect, set yourself a goal and write.

Whatever you want to write your business to deliver, these tips should help you plan and write better documents. They are easy to learn and you'll quickly see the benefits.

Sometimes, however, there is no substitute for a professional copywriter when you need effective business writing. Because professional copywriter to write day in and day out, are uniquely positioned to help you with your writing business and leisure to do more of what you do best, which is the management of a business, department or project.

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