Here’s five top tips for clear, compelling communications whether you’re marketing, advertising or simply communicating with people. don’t use a long word when there’s a short alternative. Use free instead of complimentary. Use expect instead of anticipate. Use buy, not purchase slash ‘n burn! If you can cut words out, do it. Say miss, not miss out on. [...]
If you’ve ever doubted the power of words, here’s the science bit. In September New Scientist magazine reported on the physical and psychological benefits of being happy. Part of the article was dedicated to ‘mood boosters’, science’s top five ways to achieve happiness. Top of the list? Writing about positive experiences and emotions. one study showed that [...]
We switched to EON last year. I’ve been really impressed by their direct marketing in general – and their copywriting in particular. Their website is written beautifully in perfect plain english. Their tone of voice is full of personality. In fact everything they’ve sent so far, whether by email or snail mail, has been a triumph in rock solid customer communications. What’s so [...]
It’s always risky to rely on spellcheckers because they don’t take context into account. There’s a great story in the news this week about an Aussie cook book in which one recipe asked readers to add freshly ground black people. Obviously it was an innocent mistake. They meant black pepper. But these are strange times, and political correctness is king. As it happens [...]
If you’re emailing B2B you don’t need to ask people to opt in. But it’s best practice to include an opt out. Email opt outs are usually negative, which is probably why most marketers prefer to make them as unobtrusive as possible. Because people tend to respond very well to honesty and transparency, I prefer to give email opt out text fair prominence. And I like to make it positive. That way it reinforces the [...]
