What are you trying to say?

My goal as a writer is to make the material easy to read and understand. When writing for marketing purposes, I focus on being clear, concise and compelling.

Here are a few things to consider as you communicate with your customers…

Spelling
Make sure the spelling is correct. This isn’t as simple as it sounds; you’d be surprised at how many spelling mistakes make it into print. It sets a bad example so be sure to review and review and review. English is an international language so there are many ways to spell some words depending on whether you are writing in American English, Canadian English and British English. There are also a number of “newer” words that have multiple correct spellings, such as website (or web site) and e-mail (or email). It is best if you make a choice and stick to it. Developing an informal style guide to record your choices will help you (and others in your company) be consistent.

Punctuation
Rules for punctuation vary widely; you can often find contradictory advice from more than one reliable source, so it can be difficult to know what to do. Personally, I’m a believer in less is more. I feel that punctuation — and commas in particular — should work for a living; that is to say that punctuation should help the reader understand the material better, but nothing more. Again, add punctuation rules to your style guide to ensure consistency.

Clarity
When you have finished writing, think about whether you have said what you want to say as clearly as possible. Will everyone understand it? Is it clear what you are asking them to do? Could you say it in less words or clearer language? You should make it as easy as possible for the reader to understand your point. If you want them to do something, it should be very clear what it is.

Whether you hire a professional writer or not, having another set of eyes review your content is so important. Regardless of how carefully you have reviewed the material, a fresh perspective will find what you have missed and will help ensure your message is clear.