Words

Good writing—writing that is easily grasped by the reader without ambiguity—is essential to clear communication.  Even the most focused, thoughtful writing can be undermined by poor grammar or word usage.  In the English language, there are many phrases and words that often cause confusion, but here are a few of the most commonly misused words and phrases that can undermine your credibility as a writer.

1. Centers around: Use centers on or revolves around because the center is the middle of a circle, the point around which things circle: The controversy centers on the governor.
2. Estimated at about: Because an estimate is an approximation, it is redundant to follow it with about. Use estimated at: The repairs were estimated at $500. Better yet, make it active voice: He estimated the repairs will cost $500.
3. Whose/Who’s: Whose is the possessive of who: Whose iPod is that? Who’s is the contraction for who is: Who’s going to the concert tonight?  If you can substitute who is, use who’s.  If not, use whose.
4. Irregardless: This is a double negative and not a word. Regardless is correct.
5. Over/More than: Over generally refers to spatial relationships: The Blue Angels flew over the lakefront. More than is preferred with numerals:  She owns more than 100 pairs of shoes.
6. It’s/Its: It’s is a contraction for it is or it has: It’s raining outside. Its is the possessive form of it: The dog licked its bowl clean.
7. Complement/Compliment: To complement is to round out, complete or bring to perfection; a complement is something that completes or makes whole:  The biscuits were the perfect complement to the tea. To compliment is to praise or admire; a compliment is an expression of praise or admiration: Her husband likes to compliment her.
8. Disinterested/Uninterested: Disinterested means impartial or neutral. Uninterested means bored or lacking interest.
9. Differ from/Differ with: To differ from means to be unlike: I differ from you in that I don’t like cold weather. To differ with means to disagree: I differ with you on your assessment.
10. Entitled: Use this to mean a right to do or have something. Don’t use it to mean titled. Right: She believes she’s entitled to the promotion. Wrong: the book is entitled “Bird by Bird.” Right: The book is titled “Bird by Bird.”
11. Your/You’re: Your is the possessive of you: Don’t forget your coat. You’re is the contraction of you are: You’re sure you won’t forget your coat?
12. In/Into: In indicates location: She is in the lobby. Into indicates motion: She walked into the lobby.
13. Ensure/Insure: Use ensure to mean guarantee: We will take steps to ensure the area is safe for children.  Use insure for references to insurance: the policy insures his life.
14. Imply/Infer: Writers or speakers imply in the words they use. A listener or reader infers something from the words.
15. Myriad: Myriad means an indefinitely large number: There are myriad opinions on any given subject. Do not use “myriads” or “a myriad of.”

This doesn’t nearly cover all the commonly misused words or phrases. Please share any you frequently come across.

Photo credit: Feuillu, flickr

In this digital age where marketing writers still need to communicate in print as well as online, is there a place for overlap of language? Our lexicon continues to evolve, and now includes abbreviations such as OMG, LOL and IMO.  Many of these abbreviations find their way into our daily conversations so frequently that they become acceptable and, subsequently, added to the dictionary. And because language isn’t static, but develops with the times, we must be adaptable.

It’s essential for marketing writers to understand the nuances of our language—when jargon is appropriate and tailored to the online or “connected” community and when it’s not.

For example, abbreviations are required on Twitter since you only have 140 characters to make your point, but using “U” in place of “you” in an email (unless it’s to a friend) is probably not going to be met with as warm a reception.  While conciseness is the foundation of good writing, that should come as a result of good editing—not acronyms or jargon.

What do you think?

Image credit: John Hannafan

If you are in the same situation as many companies, you still need the work done, but you can’t afford to hire a full-time writer, graphic designer, branding consultant or otherwise. Maybe you don’t even need a full-time person, but instead, need help during specific times of the year or annual projects. There’s no need for your bottom line to suffer. While there’s no denying that having internal staff with a deep knowledge of your company and its goals might be preferable, it’s not always an option. In that instance, here are five reasons to consider hiring a freelancer or consultant:

1. Freelancers bring a fresh perspective to your business. They can offer new solutions or strategies.
2. You won’t get a “yes” person. Skilled consultants want to do their best work—their reputations depend on it. Ideally, they will share the benefit of their experience with you—whether you want to hear it or not.
3. Expert consultants are available in every field, so you don’t have to worry about getting a person “up-to-speed” on your industry—only your company or organization.
4. A freelancer will very likely fit nicely into your budget. Whatever the fee is, you are paying per project or per hour. Ethical consultants are not going to take advantage. They get paid to successfully complete projects; therefore, it’s not to their advantage to drag your project out. The faster they complete your job, the faster they can move on to their next one.
5. It’s cost effective. Although you’ll pay a competitive rate for an experienced freelancer, you won’t be paying salary, benefits or overhead.

How are you dealing with tight budgets and heavy workloads? Do you use freelancers? If so, please share the benefits you’ve experienced. If not, what’s prevented you?

Photo courtesy of inlinguaManchester and Flickr.

The rise of social media and new marketing has made it possible for businesses to promote themselves in a variety of ways while reaching a multitude of potential clients. However, this also means more voices and messages for consumers to wade through. When creating content to build awareness of you or your business, how do you stand out while gaining trust and credibility?

Articles for magazines, newspapers (both digital and print) and blogs posts can be an effective way to create awareness of, and build, your brand.

Here are five reasons you may want to consider writing articles:

1. You Want to Promote Your Company as the Authority
   If you are in an industry that exerts influence on the economy, articles are one way to position your company as one that deeply understands the needs of its customers, or clients, and the broader marketplace in which they operate.
2. You Want to Highlight Your Thought Leadership
   If you have a unique or innovative perspective in business, a published article can emphasize this, asserting your leadership.
3. You Desire to Educate
   If your goal is to educate others about your business, an article can effectively do this. Just make sure you are writing objectively about your business and not advertising—that would be an advertorial.
4. Your Goal is to Build Support in a Community
   Whether you are a non-profit and aim to grow support in your community, or a for-profit business and want to gain community support for an objective, articles can increase trust and credibility.
5. Your Customers Love You
   If you have customers or clients that love you, let them share the love. Having clients or customers share, in their own words, the experience of working with you is powerful. This type of article works best if you can get at least four customers or clients to agree to be interviewed and speak on your behalf.

Are you using articles to build brand awareness? Do you have other reasons why you do? Share them here!

Photo credit: Jamiesrabbits; Flickr Creative Commons

Copyright 2009 Dan Patterson; Flickr

If you work in the communications industry, whether it be as a journalist, editor or marketing communications specialist, you know that the workload is steadily increasing while the resources are not. This means, more frequently than not, you may be charged with writing and editing your own work.

If you are wearing the hats of writer and editor how can you effectively proof your own work?

Here are five tips to help you consistently maintain the quantity of your work without sacrificing quality.

1. If you use Microsoft Word, or another word processing program that allows you to track your changes, you’ll be given options to save the copy as Final Showing Markup, Original, Original Showing Markup and Final. Choose Final. This will ensure that if you are sending your copy electronically, you don’t accidentally e-mail it with the changes visible.
2. Avoid the temptation to review on your computer and, if possible, print a hard copy (just make sure you’re being green by saving your printed copy and using it later for scrap paper). Since you’ve been looking at the copy on your computer while writing, you might miss small errors such as extra spaces, conflicting fonts, inconsistent punctuation, etc.
3. Go through each line of copy, carefully reviewing different things each time. For example, go through the first time and check  the mechanics–this includes capitalization, punctuation, spelling, etc. At this time, also review for correct style according to whichever style guide you are using, such as AP style,  Chicago Manual of Style, APA style, etc. The second time, review grammar. Finally, review for continuity, flow and redundancy of words.
4. If time allows, set the copy aside for 30 minutes or an hour, minimally, and look at it again with fresh eyes. A day away from your copy is ideal.
5. Read your copy aloud. You are more likely to hear an error right away as opposed to just reading it.

Do you have a strategy or tips for effectively editing  your own writing? Share them here!

Brand

In part one on this post, Write a Bio That Oozes Brand, I talked about how crucial your professional bio is to your brand. Now let’s move on to writing a killer bio.

Your bio is different from your resume, which means you have a little more room to let your personality shine.

In their book, Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand, branding experts William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson, recommend the following steps to creating a bio that effectively communicates your brand:

1. Begin with a brand statement that provides the who, what, where, when and why about you that make your life and experiences compelling.
2. Write in a style that reflects your attributes, and strive to make an emotional connection with your readers. This is not the place to be conservative and cautious. Be gutsy and courageous in sharing who you are. You can’t be all things to all people, so only focus on appealing to employers you want to work with or—if you’re self-employed—companies you want to work with.
3. Get input from others who know you. Ask them “Does this make you think of me?”
4. Consider getting help from a professional writer and testing your bio with hiring managers and executive recruiters.
5. Once you’re satisfied with your bio, create versions in different lengths that will work for your all your online profiles, such as your web site, blogs, LinkedIn, social media profiles, etc.

Remember, a bio is only one part—but a critical one—of promoting your brand.

Do you have a bio in your arsenal of professional tools? Is it working? Please share with me.

Brand

In today’s business world, no professional should be without an arsenal of career-marketing tools—especially a well-crafted bio.  However, your bio goes beyond just a résumé.

While your résumé, traditionally, provides a chronological account of your career, a bio allows you to not only showcase your professional accomplishments, but also reveal a bit of your personality. This is a critical part of communicating your brand. While career accomplishments, education and skills are all part of what entices people to consider you for work, all things equal, people enjoy working with others they can relate to. If you have an unorthodox career path, share that in an interesting way. If you love volunteering, display that as well. Give people a glimpse of who you are as an individual.

Here’s an example of a so-so bio:

Felicia Hudson graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. After graduation, she was hired as a writer and marketing specialist at A Great Company, Chicago, Ill. While working full time, Ms. Hudson continued to build her portfolio by doing freelance work for various publications. She worked at A Great Company for three years before pursuing a freelance career.

Pretty standard fare, right? Now read the following example:

Felicia Hudson is a writer and marketing specialist who is passionate about educating readers and helping clients achieve their communication goals. Her mother covets a picture of her at age two holding a pad of paper and a pencil. Fortunately for Felicia, upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, she succeeded in building a career using these same two tools—and a few more technologically relevant ones, of course. She loves to travel, particularly to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain where she has friends.

Which one is more interesting to you and makes you feel like you want to know more about Felicia?

Watch for part two, where I’ll share the essential components to writing a killer bio.

(pronounced  mol-a-skeen’-a). I have pocket-sized ones, purse-sized ones and desk-sized ones. Colors range from red to pink to rose to black. They contain lined, as well as, unlined pages. Moleskines, available in soft or hard cover, range in price anywhere from $12 to $40. What is it about these deliciously crafted notebooks and journals that make me loyal when I could easily buy a notebook for as little as $3? It’s the brand.

Moleskines are legendary. According to the Moleskin producers, these notebooks have been used by European artists and thinkers, such as Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Picasso and Bruce Chatwin for the past two centuries. Who wouldn’t want to be in the company of these innovators? When I purchase a Moleskine, I envision Hemingway in Paris jotting down observations after running with the bulls while writing The Sun Also Rises.

Did you know that there is also an entire history attached to Moleskine? According to accounts from the company, in 1986, the last manufacturer of Moleskine, a family operation in Tours Paris, closed. Rumor has it that Chatwin stocked up on the notebooks, buying all he could find—100. It wasn’t until 1998 that a small Milanese publisher bought Moleskine back again to travel the globe as a reservoir for thoughts and ideas.

You would only know that if you were a die-hard Moleskine fan, or if you just purchased a Moleskine notebook. Each notebook contains an insert of the history as well as a sticker of authenticity. The manufacturers offer a money-back promise, that you’ll receive an authentic, handmade notebook that will serve as a “battery that stores discoveries and perceptions, and whose energy can be tapped over time.” Of course, I know that I have to actually produce, but it is the possibilities that draw me in.

With a promise like this which notebook would you buy?

Does your brand consistently communicate its promise or mission?  Do you deliver in a special or unique way that your competitors don’t? Think of ways in which you can stand apart from the competition and entice clients or customers to desire only you.

What brands do you crave? I’d love to hear from you!

A critical element of successful copywriting is writing directly to your audience. That means speaking their language, using their jargon (if appropriate) and putting yourself in their shoes.

Be specific. If you are not an expert in the field you are writing for, make sure you do adequate research before writing. Visit the websites your target audience follows. Read the blogs and publications they read. Set up Google Alerts so you can keep tabs on what’s going on in that industry. You’ll have an opportunity to see who is frequently being quoted and get a feel for the voice(s).

Tone is equally important. Is your audience formal or more relaxed? Is their speech peppered with jargon? Folksy? Do they use contraction’s?

Nothing will land your direct mail piece in the trash faster than not knowing your audience. That goes for web copy as well. You only have a few minutes to gain a reader’s attention. Ensure you’re getting it for the right reasons.

Review your CRM system for glowing testimonials and positive comments from clients. Ask your sales team to provide you with the names of your evangelists who regularly have good things to say about your company. Why a case study? Good customers are happy to reward stellar service with a shining recommendation. It’s also free advertising for them. It’s a win/win situation!

Once you’ve identified your best customers, interview them. Let them tell their success story in their own words. Prospective customers love to hear how competitors or industry peers overcame a challenge or benefited from a product or service. Make sure you communicate the ROI in specific, concrete terms, such as how much money your client saved, how they grew their bottom line or how they increased membership.

Happy customers are your best sales people. Are you using them to your advantage?

Photo credits: 2010 Jake Przespo; Flickr Creative Commons