Posts Tagged ‘brochures’

Top Ten Reasons Clients Need To Outsource Writing Services

Monday, January 31st, 2011

At a recent networking group meeting I shared these situations and phrases that I have found to be indicators that a company needs writing services.

1. The to-do list is getting unmanageable.

When a small business owner gets overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks, writing new marketing material, a new testimonial story,  updating of the website or writing the customer newsletter usually get pushed off the to-do list.

Business owners can concentrate on running the business when they outsource their writing tasks. Professional writers are skilled at coordinating communication tasks, conducting interviews, collecting the required information to distill messages and write the story for the targeted purpose. They can do the job efficiently.

2. I’ve never written anything like this before.

You may have some experience in writing a specific type of content but sometimes business owners fail to recognize the differences in various writing styles. Brochures, web content, white papers, case studies, media releases, corporate video scripts, advertisements, e-newsletters each require a different style and format. A professional writer knows where to start and how to finish the task with clear, concise messaging aimed at the targeted market and in the appropriate style.

3. My first language is not English.

When a business targets a Canadian English audience, they may need some help with editing text to make sure the message is clear, and uses local phrasing and terminology.

4. I’m too close to this subject.

Familiar subject matter gets in the way of defining the real message. The saying “you can’t see the forest for the trees” illustrates your dilemma. You see all the little details, every fern frond and every pine needle without seeing the bigger picture of the forest. A professional writer can bring a fresh set of eyes to help define or find your message and write it for a particular audience. A proofreader can find all the typos that you cannot see because you are too close the material.

5. It’s a big project but it’s still six months away.

When you start a large project, such as a website redesign or a trade show, deadlines seem to be in the distant future. As a result, your everyday work always pushes the big projects back.

A professional writer brought in at the beginning can handle the writing tasks ensuring the project is done well without the stress of trying to do it all at the last minute.

6. We need some planning time but we still have to get the newsletter out.

I actually had a client ask me to step in to finish some writing assignments so that they could take some blue sky moments with staff for a strategic planning session. They came back with plans for the next year and I had the assignments completed. Calling in a writer to take care of the deadline driven projects was an effective use of their resources.

7. I’m bored with this stuff.

When you are simply bored with the material you’re working on generating any kind of reasonable copy is a major challenge. You have no new ideas and you need a fresh perspective. A professional writer can bring the creative burst that you need.

8. It’s time for some fresh ideas.

Professional writers are skilled at thinking outside the cubicle. We work with a variety of clients in a variety of industries. As a result, we are exposed to fresh ideas and creative people who help to generate new points of view, new directions. The enthusiasm that we bring to our clients is contagious.

9. What is my unique message?

You do have a unique story to tell about your product or service and it needs to be told in an enthusiastic and believable way. A professional writer will ask enough of the right questions to draw out the unique message and tell your story in a way that is suitable for print, the web, podcast or video. The underlying message may be the same but the words and style will vary by the method of delivery. You need an independent writing professional to craft your message.

10. We don’t have anyone we can assign full time to this project.

Businesses need flexibility. Writers work by professional standards on an as-needed basis or by project. Generally, we are flexible with time. This is essential to meet our customers’ deadlines. We constantly push boundaries and strive to deliver value to customers. Customers who see value in the work of freelancers are satisfied customers. Satisfied customers provide referrals and that’s the best business we can get.

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Consistent messages generate desired action

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Is it a lever, a button, a knob, a handle, a toggle, or a switch? Do you pull it; push it; press it; activate it? Does it matter? When I was editing an instruction manual, I found all these terms: turn the knob, activate the switch, pull the lever, and flip the toggle. In an attempt to be even more creative, the writer then instructed the reader to “push the handle.” Facing a control panel with multiple buttons, I was confused. No doubt, a first-time operator would be looking for six different locations to perform each of these tasks. I talked to the equipment designer and determined that each of these instructions referred to the identical action using the same switch.

Consistency is essential to writing clear instructions. You just confuse the issue by changing the words. Sometimes we are just not aware that we are creating the confusion. The instruction may have been clear to the designer but an operator would have been stymied!  Here are some suggestions for improving instruction manuals. These principles have broader applications too. Keep them in mind for product literature, sales presentations and web content.

Set up a naming system. For technical products, it is a common practice to establish nomenclature for the product. This is simply a system of assigning names. Manuals often include a diagram or schematic that illustrates each component of the machine. Once you have a list of names and definitions, then it’s essential to use the names consistently. This is not the time to get creative. Repetition is important. Use the same set of words to describe the same action, every time.

Translators who work on your instructions will thank you for your consistent use of the vocabulary.

Writing a style guide or glossary of terms can provide a useful foundation for branding your marketing material and website content. By using this tool, you can ensure that you present your products and services in a consistent way so that your customers learn to use your branding style and vocabulary. The same terminology should be used in your spec sheets and your sales presentations to reinforce your brand. Ensure that everyone in your organization refers to the product by its appropriate and approved name.

Use the active voice. This is especially important for instruction manuals and is a key feature of successful business writing.

Instructions tell the operator what to do. “The switch should then be activated” uses the passive voice and uses 35 characters. It is weak, indirect and uses more words than necessary.

“Turn on the switch,” uses the active voice. It is more direct and compelling and uses only 18 characters.

Put first things first. On this same project, there was a list of eight sequential instructions. This is the way it should be. Each action logically follows in sequence from beginning to end. But wait a minute, at the very end of the list it says, “Before you start Step 1, ensure that you …”  To avoid confusion, and in some cases serious injury put first things first. It is unrealistic to expect the operator to read all the instructions before he starts Step 1.

Know your audience

When you have a really clear picture of your customer, end user, or reader you will know the words and phrases that your audience will understand.

Your message needs to be concise and easy to understand. While this is important for instruction manuals, it is especially true for web content. Headlines and bulleted lists are the essential way to deliver content. Similar guidelines hold true for brochures, technical literature, white papers and instruction manuals. Forget about the technogab and make it clear, concise and consistent.

How do you prepare instructions? What format works for you?

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Tips for writing product literature

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

It’s been my experience that those who are involved in the design and manufacture of technology are sometimes challenged to identify the benefits of their products in a way their customer will understand. They clearly understand all the tiny details of the design but have difficulty seeing their product  through their customer’s eyes. To make matters more challenging many product designers are also expected to write about their creations. Many product designers just want to get on with the next project. In most cases they are not interested, or don’t have the time to write about their products for media releases, web content or product literature. At the same time they often they fear that their products and services are being overshadowed by the competition.

Effective product literature and brochures are essential business communication tools. They can provide important support information for website download or as an email attachment. In print form, they can serve as a reminder of your sales call, or a visit to your trade show booth. They provide in-your-face information about your product or service.

Today business happens at the speed of your internet feed – FAST. It takes time and talent to write effective marketing material. At  buzz4biz we assist  product designers/manufacturers and marketing managers to develop marketing materials. We ask lots of questions to get the information required to write the material needed. Here are some tips to help you write effective product literature and brochures.

1.  Identify the purpose of the brochure. Is it a general introduction to your product/service or does it provide a large amount of detailed specifications? What action do you want the reader take? What do you want your reader to do after reading the brochure? Do you want them to phone you, place an order, make an appointment, send you an email? What is your call to action?

2. Target your audience. Who is going to read the material? Are they engineers, purchasing managers, CEOs, front line managers, technicians, lawyers, school children or entrepreneurs. Be as specific as you can to paint a complete picture, including age bracket, income level.

3. Determine the appropriate vocabulary and writing style for the target. Are your readers familiar with the technical jargon or do they prefer snappy, humorous or clear and concise prose? What written material do they usually read? Will this be a web-based brochure or a print document? For web-based documents use headlines, bulleted lists and short sentences. For a print edition use paragraphs and slightly longer sentences.

4. What information do your readers need before they phone you; place an order; make an appointment; send you an email? Do they need information about sizes, prices, technical details, delivery information, quality assurance or do they need a general understanding of your company capabilities?

5. Determine the key benefits and differentiators of your product or service. Sometimes it is easier to talk about features of a product but buyers need to know the benefits. In preparation for writing your marketing piece, make a list all the features of your product and ask “So What?” It is the answer to that question that will provide valuable information to your customer. It’s the answer to the “so what” question that should form the basis of your written piece. For example, let’s talk about a ballpoint pen. After each feature ask, “So What?”

Feature: ink cartridge in a clear plastic cylinder

Benefit: visible indicator of available ink

Feature: metal ball nib

Benefit: writes every time you use it

Feature: plastic parts

Benefit: inexpensive, cost effective

Benefit: light weight, no hand strain to use it

Feature: ¼-inch diameter

Benefit: thin, fits in right or left hand comfortably

Feature: available individually or in boxes of 12

Benefit: buy them as you need them or have a supply in your office

You get the idea. Sometimes we really have to think about the answer. You need to state the obvious and assume that your customer is unaware of the benefits of the features of your product. Then you can rank the most important benefits. Which ones are critical to get your point across? Which ones are different from your competitor? You may not have room to cover all of them in your brochure.

6. Write in a conversational tone—the way you talk. Sometimes technical language is required, but keep it straightforward. Make it as personal as possible. Use the second person “you.” Involve the reader.

    Draft 1: The company wants to hire a freelancer to write the brochure.

    Draft 2: The company wants to hire you to write the brochure.

    Draft 3: We want to hire you to write the brochure.

    7. Use the active voice. Research paper writers often use passive voice but even that is now changing. You can make your message direct and to the point, and often reduce the word count, by using the active voice.

    Passive voice: The research study was written by the R&D manager.

    Active voice: The R&D manager wrote the research study.

    8. Use positive statements.

    Negative statement: Don’t write your own brochures.

    Positive statement: Use an outside supplier to write your brochure.

    9. Limit the use of the verb “to be” – is, are, was, were.  Powerful and descriptive verbs add wind to the sails of good writing. The verb “to be” has no action or motion.

    10. Edit: Read your draft aloud. Once you have written it, can you say it? Does it flow, as a conversation should? Does it make sense? Does it meet the criteria that you set? Will it answer your customers’ questions? For most writers, this step identifies what is missing, what is awkward and what makes little sense.

    11. Set it aside for a period of time. Let the piece have some breathing room. If you have the luxury of putting it aside for a day two, do it. When you look at it again, you will have new insight. After the space of a couple of days, look it over again and fine-tune it. No time? Then, at the very least, work on something else for an hour or so and then go back to it for a final read through.

    12. Proofread. Take one more step than your spellchecker takes. Thoroughly check every word. As the writer, your familiarization with the words cripples your ability to proofread it. Seek an independent set of trained eyes to do the final proofreading.

    Model sailboat instructions read: “raise mats and booms for sails.” The manufacturer’s spellchecker approved “mats” as a legitimate word. Yes, it is in the dictionary but it is not the correct word in this context. It should have been “masts.”

    13. Effective design enhances well-chosen words. Unformatted words on a page are unimpressive. The creative use of colour, images and white space helps to enhance your message. From the single page envelope stuffer or catalog sheet to a professional service package or major proposal, appropriate page layout combined with an effective message will deliver success.

    Good luck with the process. Write winning words for www and for print.

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