10 Steps to Better Marketing Writing

Can you write in a compelling fashion? Are you able to persuade your marketing prospects with your prose?

In many marketing and sales professions, being able to write well gives you a significant edge over others.

Wordsmiths are highly valued in most organisations – especially if your words can magically transform complex and arcane concepts into attractive ideas exhibiting Zen-like simplicity.

Like a scoop of well-made ice cream, good marketing writing slides easily down your throat. It satisfies your taste buds, moves your heart with a strong emotional conviction, and motivates you to subscribe to or purchase an idea, person, product or company.

On the other hand, bad marketing writing is like a stale piece of cheese. Its odour is so repulsive that you’d prefer to stay away from it with a 10 metre pole!

What are some of the tricks and techniques needed to write in a compelling and convincing manner?

#1 Begin with Your Target Audience

Know who you’re writing for. As the saying goes, different strokes for different folks.

A sales letter going out to Fortune 500 CEOs will need to be pitched quite differently from an advertisement targeting 15 year old girls.

#2 Zoom in on a Single Idea

Focus on a single idea and convey it in short and succinct paragraphs.

The best marketing collaterals are usually focused sharply on a clear value proposition for their readers. Don’t try to pack too many ideas into your prose at they may only confuse and frustrate your readers.

#3 Invest in Your Headlines

Headlines are the most important attention grabbers you’ve got in your textual arsenal (beyond that attractive picture of course). According to Ann Handley of Marketing Profs, you should invest up to 80% of your effort in creating your headlines.

In the attention starved world of marketing, your headline needs to stand out in the sea of words and ideas.

#4 Begin with a Bang

The only place for a beginning like “Once upon a time…” is probably your 8 year old’s bedtime storybook!

After ensnaring your reader’s attention with a rock solid headline, make sure that your first sentence and paragraph can sing to him or her. Convert those critical few seconds of attention into a deeper level of interest and engagement.

#5 End on a High

Conclude with a strong ending.

A good piece of marketing writing starts well, is nicely paced over its duration, and builds up to a crescendo with a call to action that encourages you to take a further step.

Note that this doesn’t necessarily have to be a hardsell pitch such as “While stocks last!” or “Season ending soon!”. They can be in the form of a question, a quote from a famous person, or a reinforcement of your key message in a compellingly worded sentence.

#6 Make Your Writing Sing!

Make sure you’ve got rhythm and tempo in your writing. Having too many long sentences will leave your readers’ heads in a spin. At the same time, a continuous spurt of short sentences reads like a kindergartener’s work.

#7 Write, Read, Rewrite, Read Again, Rewrite Again…

Write, read, rewrite, read again, and rewrite if necessary. If at first you don’t succeed in getting the right words across to your readers, try try again.

Similarly, consider refreshing and repackaging your content periodically if your topic is evergreen. Like this post here.

#8 Get the Help of Others

If you’ve gotten past the point of spotting your own mistakes, enlist the help of others. Having a fresh pair of eyes (or two or 10) always helps in making a piece of marketing prose tighter, leaner and razor sharp.

#9 Test Your Writing with Your Target Audience

Even better, test your writing with members of your target audience. Try as we may, married men over 40 (like me) will probably find it difficult to empathise with 10 year old boys or a swinging single in her 20s.

#10 Make It a Continuous Loop

Finally, remember that any form of communications is a loop.

Let your writing lead your readers to a deeper level of conversation and engagement with your brand.

Make it a chapter in a book rather than a standalone episode so that the seeds of a long term relationship is forged. This helps to build customer loyalty, community and affinity over time.

Are there other strategies you’d employ to write better? I’d love to hear your thoughts.