There are some rules in English language that are hard to understand and remember, but can really annoy your knowing readers if you get them wrong. These are a few that people have asked me about recently. Please feel free to add or argue.
Some of this is simply about whether you use UK English or US English.
Less and fewer Less of one thing. Fewer of several things. Less cheese. Fewer slices of cheese. That's why people complain about “Less than 9 items in your basket”.
: and ; The colon : is the one to use if you're introducing a bullet list. Use semi-colons ; for the middle of sentences. Even better, avoid using semi-colons at all. They’re just joining up two thoughts and in marketing writing you want to keep your sentences short.
-ise and –ize on the end of verbs Check if you’ve got a house style and go with that. If you haven’t just be consistent. Common practice is –ise in the UK and –ize in the US. On the other hand I was once told that actually –ize is the original old English, so just make your choice and keep to it.
Apostrophes It’s not easy. There's absolutely no need for an apostrophe if you’re just making a word plural. If you’re missing out some letters to join two words together, that’s the right time to use an apostrophe (it's, that's, you're etc). The tougher one is if you’ve got one thing owning another – the cat’s mother or even the cats’ mothers if you've got several cats.
More apostrophes On the same topic, there’s no need to put an apostrophe in a decade. The 1970s is fine.
Programme Where are you? If you’re in a US English territory, you may be perplexed by this spelling of the word because you probably always use program. If you’re in the UK, you’d use programme for a series of events, the brochure at the theatre and just about everything else - except a computer program.
Say “comprises of” out loud. Ugly isn’t it? Best to say “consists of” or “comprises”, especially as they’re grammatically correct.
Unless your products are actually being extraordinarily nice to each other, the likelihood is that they're complementary, not complimentary.
And here's one I've just seen at Hallmark, which really should know better. Baby stationary has come to a standstill, while baby stationery is something to write home about.
Showing posts with label writing for marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing for marketing. Show all posts
Talk to your customers from their point of view to win sales
When I stood up at my first networking meeting and announced that I was a copywriter, I was met with blank faces all round – apart from those already in the know.
Afterwards I realised that I had done exactly what I exhort people not to do. I had talked about what I offer in the language of my own industry, when I should have been talking in the language of my audience. So this is what I said at the second meeting
I see myself as an interpreter. I help businesses translate all that they see as fabulous about their products and services into reasons why people would want to buy from them. And when we’ve got that sorted, I help them get the words right for their web site, brochures, newsletters, case studies, ads – just about anything that helps to sell.
Take the example of the two leaflets advertising massages and therapies. The one lists all the services that the therapist provides – deep tissue massage, Indian head massage etc etc, and leaves the reader to work out what they want. The other lists the issues that the customer wants to address – sports issues, pregnancy pains, stress … This therapist is talking about what she does from the point of view of what the customer needs. And she will be more successful in getting business in.
Take a look at what you say about your business. And then consider if you’re selling the benefits. Will it make them feel good, or save them money, or save them time? The more steps you can fill in for your audience, the more likely they are to buy.
Afterwards I realised that I had done exactly what I exhort people not to do. I had talked about what I offer in the language of my own industry, when I should have been talking in the language of my audience. So this is what I said at the second meeting
I see myself as an interpreter. I help businesses translate all that they see as fabulous about their products and services into reasons why people would want to buy from them. And when we’ve got that sorted, I help them get the words right for their web site, brochures, newsletters, case studies, ads – just about anything that helps to sell.
Take the example of the two leaflets advertising massages and therapies. The one lists all the services that the therapist provides – deep tissue massage, Indian head massage etc etc, and leaves the reader to work out what they want. The other lists the issues that the customer wants to address – sports issues, pregnancy pains, stress … This therapist is talking about what she does from the point of view of what the customer needs. And she will be more successful in getting business in.
Take a look at what you say about your business. And then consider if you’re selling the benefits. Will it make them feel good, or save them money, or save them time? The more steps you can fill in for your audience, the more likely they are to buy.
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