Tag: plain language
Insurers, Police, Lawyers, Government and Plain English
The arrival of our home insurance renewal stuff sparked a chord, like it always does. It reminded me of the time I spent knocking myself out, more or less driving myself nuts, trying to persuade insurance companies to communicate properly. But they’re not the only sinners… The insurance industry – Still rubbish at communicating with […]
Plain language makes marketing work MUCH better!
It’s time for another look at the latest marketing news and views. This time I’m exploring the nature of communications in general, diving into useful stuff like direct response marketing, plain English, small print, legalese and cliches. Persuading people to follow your Twitter links So many Tweets include links. Your feed is probably stuffed with them. Everyone’s doing […]
Kate’s infographics: Use language to suit the target audience
Language… why does it matter? It’s important to identify and define your target audience and their interests because it informs the language and tone of voice you use. Once you find out who your target audience is and identify roughly what presses their buttons, you can create an appropriate tone to appeal directly to […]
Win hearts and minds with plain English copywriting
Language has two functions. One, to communicate ideas and information and two, to define groups of people. It happens in business, too. Tribes of people who work in the same sector tend to use language to define the group they belong to. Plain English copywriting wins every time Some tribes invent special words and phraseology […]
Coriolanus, the Oxford English & research into language
As a copywriter I’m acutely aware of how important it is to communicate clearly without gobbledegook, jargon and unnecessary complexity. I’m also aware of how quickly language alters. Take ‘wicked’, whose meaning has changed profoundly in just a few years from something to avoid to something wholly good. Coriolanus highlights the ever-changing face of the […]
