Business writing 3.0

Wrap-up presentation for six modules of business writing training

By Barb Sawyers

Evolve for the changing world

Business Writing 3.0

1. Who’s talking to who?2. What’s your point?3. Making good email4. Push or pull?5. Shine online6. Look smart

What we covered

Who are you talking to?

Who are you talking to?

What gets her going in the morning?

What keeps her awake at night?

How do you write for your brand’s personalities?

Who are you writing as?

What’s their point?

Who are you writing as?

Your point in the dialect of the key audience+ what’s in it for me (WIFM)

What’s your key message?

What do you want your key people to think, feel or do?

What’s your call to action?

How are you going to make your point?

1.2.3.

How are you going to plan?

Essay outline

Mind map

How are you going to plan?

Imaginary conversation

How are you going to plan?

Whatever works best for you

How are you going to plan?

Let’s try this on email

Making good email

Think about your key audience

Making good email

Think about your key message

open

read through

remember

take a specific action

think in a certain way

feel differently

Making good email

What do you want them to do?

How do you structure good email?

Key message orWhy I should open orWhat you want me to do think, feel or do

Making good emailCompelling subject line

How to leave the office on time -- with all your work done

How do you structure good email?

Making good email

Compelling subject line

How do you structure good email?

Making good emailTiny social opening

including name where possible

Hi, Crystal

How do you structure good email?

Making good email

Tiny social opening

How do you structure good email?

Key messageMaking good email

3 ways to speed claims so you can work easier, faster

We’ve come up with three ways to make claims easier, faster for you.

How do you structure good email?

Making good email

Key message

How do you structure good email?

Summary of links, attachments

Making good emailSupport for key message

1. Elimination of level-two approvals2. New decision-making authority3. Simplified work-flow systemThe details are summarized on the attachment.

How do you structure good email?

Making good email

Support

How do you structure good email?

Making good emailCall to action

What you want them to think, feel or do

How do you structure good email?

Please share this with your team.

Making good email

Call to action

How do you structure good email?

Making good emailQuick social close

How do you structure good email?

Still snowing in Edmonton? Stay warm.

Making good email

Quick social close

Making good emailCompelling subject lineTiny social openingKey messageSupport for key messageKey message + call to actionQuick social close

1. Be brief

Making good emailTips

2. Write for F-shaped screen reading

Making good emailTips

Making good email

3. Think more about me and less about you

Tips

Push: want them to think, feel or do something

Making good email

Push or pull?

Traditional marketing: push along the sales cycle

Push or pull?

Traditional marketing: push along the sales cycle

Content marketing: pull prospects into the sales funnel

Do you want to push them along the sales cycle

or pull them in?

Push or pull?

Push

Traditional marketing: push along the sales cycle

Learn Remember Call/click Buy Recommend

Traditional marketing: push along the sales cycle

Push

Traditional marketing: perfect people

Push

Traditional marketing: focus on product

Push

Headline

Key message

Call to action

Push

Headline• What your key audience loves/fears• Solve your problem/ realize your dream• Hey, you (target audience)• Threats• Rewards

Push

Key message

• clear• brief• relates directly to your key audience’s loves/fears• uses your key audience’s lingo• images that reflect your key audience

Push

• strong verbs• stress benefits/threats• think, feel or do• focus on next step

Push

Call to action

Push

Learn Remember Call/click Buy Recommend

Where are you on the chain of action?

1. Write from the perspective of your key audience

3. Focus on the next step

PushTips

2. Keep it simple

Content marketing: pull in prospects

Push or pull?

Don’t get your wires crossedWhat is your main objective?

Push or pull?

Pull

Content marketing: real people

Pull

Content marketing: related to, but not directly about, the product

Content marketing: educate or entertain

Pull

often with stories

Once upon a time The hero’s journey Murder first

Pull

1. Think beyond the product, to related interests of the people you want to attract

PullTips

2. Go beyond tried and true industry practices. The world is changing rapidly

3. Have fun and your key audience will too

Pull

Content marketing can use brochures, magazines, events and other traditional communication

Pull

But you’ll meet way more new people online

People love to browse and research on the web

Shine online

Shine online

They read in an F pattern

Shine online

Many combine online browsing, offline buying,

Shine online

mobile apps

Shine online

and social media

Expect to write for marketing models you haven’t imagined

Shine online

Look smart

Regardless of how marketing changes, the need for clear, concise and correct writing will continue

Look smart

Don’t blow it by failing to check and tighten

Look smart

Avoid the mistakes that spell check can’t catchIt’s mission… Your welcome…Discreet/discrete

Look smart

Be consistent in applying capital letters, punctuation and other style elements

Look smart

Use punctuation that helps your readers

Look smart

Lose the flab

Tip

Delete unnecessary words and information

Pretend you’re being charged $$$ for each word

Build tightening into your writing time

Four takeaways

1. It’s all about your your key audience

Four takeaways

2. Be clear, concise, correct and consistent

Four takeaways

3. Think before and after you write anything.

Ann HandleyAnn WylieBarb SawyersCanadian PressContent Marketing InstituteCopybloggerDan Ariely

Donna PapacostaGrammar GirlJakob NielsenStrunk & WhiteSue HornerRagan

Four takeaways

4. Keep learningA few favourites

By Barb SawyersTo Intact Insurance

September 23, 2014

Evolve for the changing world

Business Writing 3.0