Author: ca33i

technical writing, Tender writing

How to win more tenders

ca33i

If you’re tendering for contracts and not getting the win-rate that you’d like, make sure you’re doing the following:

Become known in your market

While the incumbent always has the advantage in the tender process, it’s usually still worth tendering if you’re not the incumbent. The adage ‘you need to be in it to win it’ holds true – and you want to put your firm in front of your ideal clients as much as possible. 

By being known for what you do, building relationships and demonstrating expertise, you could win the contract if not now then down the line. Sometimes the pay-off takes time, so position yourself now for the future. 

Make your offer compelling

The procurement panel wants to see that you know exactly what you’re doing and are ready to hit the ground running. Tender documentation will always ask you for details of past experience. Typically, it will request two or more similar contracts, giving you the opportunity to provide in-depth case studies.

These detailed responses should clearly demonstrate what you’ve achieved for these clients and how you’ve added value. Ideally though, your capability should be evident throughout your proposal. So, while you have to follow the response schedule carefully and provide what’s requested, you may be able to reveal more of your client list in a question that asks you to describe your company.

Make sure you back up your claims with evidence. So rather than saying that you provide excellent customer service, detail how you measure this and what the results are. Put processes in place that not only demonstrate your professionalism but also provide data to benchmark your business.  

Answer every question

Sometimes questions appear repetitive, and it may be tempting to write: ‘See answer X’. In fact, each question is asking for something very specific. For example, words like ‘outputs’ and ‘outcomes’ can be easy to confuse but are alluding to different things. 

Make sure you answer every question following the guidelines provided. Graphics and photographs are generally welcome and enhance your bid by making information easier to understand. If you’re not sure what’s allowed, check with the organisation ahead of time.

Provide your most competitive price

Clearly, your pricing needs to be competitive but also financially worthwhile to your business. So, give your best offer but demonstrate value for money: what the client gets by engaging you, what sets you apart from your competitors, what value add you can offer. Ideally, you want to be the best value for money rather than the cheapest operator!

Get feedback 

If unsuccessful, get feedback on your tender submission. Not only will you stand a better chance when the contract comes up for renewal, but it may be useful advice for future bids. Going through this process also helps to build the relationships that could stand you in good stead down the line.

For tender writing support, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com

Copy editing, Copywriting

5 simple ways to improve your copy

ca33i

Writing is a skill that’s fairly easy to learn: the trick is to keep things simple. Inexperienced writers will often over-complicate things in a bid to sound impressive. In fact, the more skilled the writer, the cleaner and clearer the copy will be.

Here are five simple writing hacks for better communication:

  1. Use simple, everyday language

If you’re writing in a professional context, your intent is to communicate. Therefore, you need to use words and phrases that are known and used by your readers. Your audience wants to move through your content quickly and efficiently. 

Certainly, there’s nothing more disengaging than not understanding what you’re reading. In your readership you will certainly have individuals with different reading abilities, as well as those who have English as a second language. By making things easy, you’ll communicate more effectively.

Choosing commonly used words will also help with your search engine optimisation. You want your keywords and synonyms to reflect what users type into search engines as this will make your content more likely to rank well.

2. Delete filler words

Often if writers are struggling to get their words down, others advise them to write what they would say. This is a good strategy to get started, but follow-on editing is required. Speech is full of grammatical errors, empty words and redundant clauses – and this doesn’t matter; communication also comes through body language, pauses and what’s left unsaid.

However, when writing you don’t have the same luxury; it’s all about the words and they need to be precise and articulate. Most readers have little tolerance for filler words. Verbose phrases should be pared back to allow for quick reading. For example:

  • In conjunction with (‘with’)
  • At this point in time (‘now’)
  • In order to (‘to’)

3. Write in active tense

Whenever possible and sensible, write in the active tense. This means being clear about who is doing what. So rather than, ‘You will be contacted within three business days’, write ‘One of our sales consultants will contact you within three business days.’

If a business uses the passive tense too much, the writing becomes vague. This lack of transparency makes the company’s processes and practices look woolly, undermining credibility.  

4. Link ideas

Each sentence should flow neatly and logically from its predecessor. Sometimes this happens naturally, other times the writer may need to create a ‘bridge’ between one idea and the next. This linkage could be a simple word or phrase, such as: furthermore, likewise, this means, as a result. Similarly, it could be a clause that builds on the previous idea, such as: ‘Another marketing tactic that we’re using is…’

These ‘signposts’ at the start of a sentence help the reader navigate the text, aiding effective communication and understanding.  A good writer guides the reader through the text, ensuring they don’t get lost along the way. 

5. Avoid long sentences  

Long sentences have plenty of room for error: they tend to include multiple clauses and can lose sense completely if they have less than perfect grammar. Often the subject of the sentence (the agent of the action) can get buried in complicated language constructions, so it becomes unclear what the clause is referring to at all!

Generally, it’s best to keep things simple. This means strive for one idea per sentence, have the subject and verb of the sentence upfront, and put the most important information first. Make the statement and then substantiate it with another sentence. For example: ‘Sales are down 25% in Q3. This is because of XYZ’. 

Written as one sentence, ‘Because of XYZ, sales are down 25% in Q3’, there’s a risk of losing the reader in the detail of XYZ before you even get to your key message that sales are down.  

To find out more and for copywriting and copy editing support, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com 

Copywriting

What does a business copywriter do?

ca33i

A business copywriter writes words that help you win business. By helping you communicate with your target market in a way that truly connects, a business copywriter will help you build your brand, deepen your customer relationships, and win new contracts.

Working on your copy

A business copywriter will make sure your words make sense – that your sentences flow cleanly and carry meaning effectively. Similarly, they’ll check that your grammar is correct. This may seem pedantic, but grammar helps the reader to successfully navigate the text.

More than just finding the weak points in your writing though, a business copywriter will actively add to and improve your copy. They’ll help you articulate what you want to say. They’ll understand what you’re getting at and will re-write, if necessary, to make things clearer. 

They’ll also write new content for you based on interviews with you and material you supply. Of course, they can’t know your business like you do; but they do know how to present your product or service in a customer-focused and professional way for maximum sales and marketing impact.  

An outsider’s perspective

Another point-of-view is often very valuable; an outsider can suggest things that you haven’t thought of, which could open up new possibilities and revenue streams. Certainly, a business copywriter will add value by pointing out anything that doesn’t quite make sense to them. They’ll also highlight any assumed knowledge that the reader may not, in fact, have. Clearly, there’s nothing less engaging than not understanding what you’re reading!

Further, a business copywriter will push you to do better: to back up what you’re saying with evidence, graphics, photographs, testimonials and more. With the benefit of working across industries and seeing how different companies approach the same issues, they can advise you on best practice. This saves you from doing the research yourself or learning through trial and error.

What does a business copywriter do?

I work on all types of sales and marketing, business development and compliance material, helping you to present your business in the very best light. My expertise includes:

  • marketing communications, 
  • white papers, 
  • annual reports, 
  • tenders and proposals, 
  • award entries, 
  • grant applications and more.

For help with your business copywriting, contact Caroline Roberts on caroline@luminous-copy.com or 0404 960 908.

Copywriting, Marketing

Content marketing that connects

ca33i

Often business owners intuitively ‘get’ social media. They can be themselves and engage with their audiences naturally. Communication is authentic and they can build a loyal following which leads to increased sales and referrals.

But with other forms of communication like EDMs and web copy, business owners can come unstuck. Unsure how to market themselves in these channels, their language can become stiff, formal and a barrier to engagement.

This is where you may see grandiose and unfounded statements, such as: “We’re Australia’s number one provider of XYZ”. Of course, that’s great if it’s true but all such claims need to be substantiated with evidence. Otherwise it all sounds rather hollow, boring and, most significantly, rather disconnected from the customer and their buying experience.

Know your customers’ needs

The key to strong content marketing is to know your customer and their needs, and have a definite service offering that delivers for them. This means no “we look to provide…” statements: you either provide something consistently or you don’t mention it. Content should be focused on what clients gain through doing business with you.

It’s worth considering what factors influence your customers’ buying decisions. For example, it could be your product range, service, price, value for money, quality, reliability, results, convenience, style, creativity – or something else entirely. Having a clear customer value proposition will guide your content writing, making marketing easier.

The trick is to fully understand who your target market is and what their pain points are, and then ensure that your business provides solutions to these customers. It takes a mental shift to step outside of your business and take on the perspective of your customers or prospects, but it’s one that gets results. In essence it’s not about you, it’s about your customers.

Help business clients win business

The same is true for business-to-business marketing; you need to communicate very clearly what you offer that company and how they will benefit from working with you. Their ultimate goal is, of course, to sell; so how specifically will your business help them achieve this? Rather than by talking about how great your business is, you need to make a compelling case as to why this firm should work with you.

To find out more, or for help with your business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing copy, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com