How to write effectively

Successful writers take a variety of approaches to the task of writing. The following steps outline an approach that you can adapt to suit you:

1. Prepare to write
2. Draft your copy
3. Edit the draft
4. Polish your message

NOTE:Why not copy and paste? For efficiency, most businesses frequently reuse copy, such as descriptions of the company, products, or key personnel. This boilerplate text is usually general and supplemental. If you start with it, customers probably won't read past the boilerplate text before they stop. Boilerplate text is often efficient but not always effective. Use it wisely.

1. Prepare to write

Preparation is the partner of clear thinking, and that is the foundation for clear writing. The better you prepare, the easier the task of writing becomes. Do your homework and gather your research. Learn as much as you can about your customers, your market, and your competition. You will lean on this knowledge to build your credibility with your potential customers. The resources for gathering this information may include the following:

• Industry data
• Performance statistics
• Customer metrics
• Sales data
• Testimonials and endorsements of your products and services

2. Listen to your customers

You will develop empathy for their issues. Then, when you remember and use their language, you will convey that you understand their concerns. To learn the terms that your customers use, try the following:

• Visit online newsgroups and discussion groups daily.
• Listen in on sales and support calls weekly.
• Meet with key customers as part of a quarterly advisory council.

3. Identify the action that you want readers to take.

What do you want customers to do when they are finished reading?

• Click a link?
• Make a phone call?
• Send a response card?
• Think more highly of your business?

Determine carefully how much information you need to provide to get customers to act. Be realistic — you are unlikely to close a sale. And test your response system so that you can follow through effectively when many of your readers do act.

4. Define your goals

What will success look like? Do you want a specific number of new prospects, or new or returning customers? Do you want to meet a specific sales volume, or increase the number of visitors to your business? Knowing what and how much you want to achieve helps you to stay focused when you develop your content.

5. Take stock of your resources

Work within your budget and other limitations. It is better to work with what you have than to get halfway through your project and realize you can't possibly meet your goal within your resource constraints.

Edit the draft

It is time to edit. When you edit, work from general to specific — and from key messages to details. Focus on organization first, language later.

1. Group it Look at what you wrote and start to group the sections that make sense together. Be flexible. Try different arrangements. Remove redundancies.
2. Grab them Start with an intriguing anecdote, a provocative question, or an unusual perspective. Don't cause customers to respond, "So what?" Inspire them to continue reading. You likely have fewer than 10 seconds to engage them.
3. Concentrate on a single message If readers give your message only a few seconds, will they absorb it? Cut content that doesn't serve your message or goals.
4. Help your readers scan Organize your message in containers (a heading and a paragraph or two, maybe with an associated graphic and caption). Convey your important points in the elements that customers read first (and often last):


• Headings They are the most important part of your content because readers are likely to skim only them when deciding to read more or move on to something else. Take special care in crafting them.
• Captions Use them to make a point, not just to describe the image. After headings, readers are most likely to skim captions.
• Subheadings and bullet lists These devices help readers to skim the publication quickly and give them additional entry points into it.
  
  
5. Hone your message to the essence of each idea Use short sentences (10 to 20 words) and paragraphs (2 or 3 sentences). This is also a good time to check for grammar and edit out anything unnecessary: modifiers, complex clauses, awkward phrases. Use an active voice, and avoid business jargon, obscure words, stale phrases, and any abstract or confusing ideas. Make it concrete and straightforward.

Polish your message

As you fine-tune the publication, make sure that you also step back regularly to make sure that it still fits into your overall marketing plan. It is not hard for writing to take off in an unintended direction. Now is when others can most help you by bringing a fresh eye to help you find what you may have overlooked.

1. Keep it simple The fewer words you use, the more likely your audience will read them. Use a clean design. A clutter of fonts, colors, and pictures can confuse a clear, straightforward message. Just as you have worked hard to achieve a simple message, strive for a simple design that supports your goals.
2. Focus on the medium What and how much you write differs depending on whether you are writing content for a postcard, a brochure, a newsletter, an e-mail message, or a Web site. For example, a postcard message must focus much more on enticing than informing the reader, and a newsletter's overt purpose is to inform. The content principles outlined in this article don't vary much for each medium, but the final form and format do.
3. Double-check that you cover what is important People want shortcuts, and the most convenient shortcut is often the wastebasket. Make sure that the customer can discern in 10 seconds what your publication is about, who it is from, what they need to do next and when they need to do it, and how they can contact you.
4. Make sure that someone else checks for errors Consider asking several people to look over the publication. You need impartial help of two kinds. First, ask someone who is similar to your target audience to review your work and tell you whether the message is coming across clearly. Are they hooked? Does it leave them with unanswered questions? Second, ask someone to proofread for you. Misspellings, typos, and poor grammar reflect poorly on your business. If you are sloppy with your message and image, customers can bet that you will be sloppy in your service to them.