Category: Copywriting

Copywriting, Marketing, White papers

White paper dos and don’ts

ca33i

A white paper is an in-depth form of content that showcases a company’s leadership and expertise in a particular field. It presents research findings and analysis on a point of interest to a firm’s target market.

While white papers can be labour-intensive and costly to produce, they can also be a powerful sales and marketing tool. Here are some dos and don’ts for publishing a successful white paper:

Do your research

White papers present research and analysis to provide their readers insight and understanding. Sometimes this might be curated research, but often it is original quantitative or qualitative findings that may take many months to gather and collate. 

Publishing authoritative white papers can differentiate your company as an expert in your industry. Many people will hand over their email address and other key information to access quality content. Therefore, doing your research is imperative; your white paper needs to be original, insightful and add real value.

Do tell a story

A common pitfall for white papers is to become very lengthy and dull to read. Storytelling can be an effective way of mitigating this and engaging an audience. For example, a case study approach can work well, presenting a problem, a solution, and the success story achieved. Introducing real people can also bring colour and interest to a piece. Verbatim quotes add new voices to the content and bring characters to life.

While white papers are information rich, they should not be text heavy. The adage a picture is worth a thousand words is very apt; graphs, diagrams, interactive media and quality graphic design can drive key messages home visually and powerfully.

Do consider how to present your white paper

How will your white paper be distributed? Will it sit on your website and be read online? Is it likely to be accessed via mobile devices? You may, for instance, need to engage a graphic designer and/or a web designer to create a mobile-friendly, interactive and visually appealing experience. Likewise, a copywriter or editor is also a worthwhile investment to ensure your messages come across loud and clear.

Your white paper will need supporting content to publicise it. This may take the form of a landing page, blog articles, customer emails, newsletters, social media posts and more. It’s worth considering how these channels will interact with, and promote, the white paper.

Don’t write without a clear purpose 

A white paper is often a significant investment in time and effort; both in collecting data and in writing and designing the piece. Therefore, you need to be very intentional about what you’re writing about. It’s important to target a knowledge and content gap, rather than writing on a topic that has been written about many times before. The content’s primary purpose is to add value for your customers and prospects.

While white papers should not be overt sales pitches, many businesses may choose to indirectly make the case for their products, services or methodologies by exploring a problem that is common in their industry. A well-written introduction or executive summary should clearly present what the white paper is about (its purpose), and the benefit that the reader will get from engaging with it. 

Don’t criticise the competition   

The tone of your white paper should be neutral and authoritative. You will lose credibility – and look a bit desperate – if you take an opportunity to criticise your competition. The intent of the white paper should be to help the reader make informed decisions, rather than to self-promote; this approach builds trust and positive brand sentiment. From clear, confident communication comes understanding, leading to trust, engagement and ultimately to sales.

For help writing and editing your white papers, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com

tips for web copy
Copywriting, Marketing, Web copy

Writing content for your website

ca33i

Many business owners find writing content for their websites difficult; they are unsure how to present their product or service in a persuasive way to drive sales. Here are some tips:

Picture your audience  

To write effective sales copy, you have to have a clear idea about who you’re writing for. Think about:

  • Who your target market is, 
  • What they do for a living, 
  • What they care about, 
  • What their pain points are. 

This will help you identify the right messages to use in your content. It’s fine to have both a primary and secondary target market, but you’ll be aiming the bulk of your copy at your main market.

Consider your pages

Think about what pages you’re going to need on your site. Each page should have a clear purpose and deliver on that as users seek out specific information when they browse online. 

It’s a good idea to also consider search engine optimisation (SEO) as you write. This means making it easy for humans and bots to find and read through your content. You could consider including some long-tail keywords – queries people type into search engines – as headings to ensure your content is as targeted as possible.

Writing for SEO means short sentences, short paragraphs, white space, use of bullet points, some (but not too much) bolding, and a plain English style.

Connect with your customers

Storytelling is a good way to engage customers and build an emotional connection with your brand. A good way to do this is to tell your story, explaining your motivation for setting up your business. You’ll gain attention if your ‘why’ aligns with your customers’ thoughts, feelings or pain points.

Your aim is to story-tell in the most succinct and powerful way possible. By doing so effectively, you’ll connect with your target market, build engagement and hopefully achieve sales.

Build your brand

Be genuine and be yourself. That way, your brand will be authentic and consistent. By doing so and having content that’s focused on the customer, you’ll be able to build a strong brand identity and a value proposition that differentiates you from your competitors. 

A copy editor will be able to help you with your writing and messaging while maintaining your authorial voice and style. As well as a platform for your brand, your website is a very valuable sales tool so getting your copy pitch-perfect is a worthwhile investment.

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

Making technical copy easy to follow
Copywriting, technical writing

How to write technical content in plain English

ca33i

One of the most important principles of writing is to know your reader. If you think carefully about who you’re targeting, you’ll know how much context to give and how much detail to go into.

Whether your audience are subject matter experts or not, readers appreciate content that is communicated in plain English. This means writing explicitly; the reader should not need to fill in gaps and make connections themselves to understand your work. 

Clear communication is about owning the message and making sure your words deliver it. You want to avoid ‘loose’ writing and the mindset of ‘they’ll know what I’m getting at’. On the other hand, by keeping your reader in mind you also won’t over-explain and risk condescending them.  

With complex subject matter, strong writing becomes all the more important so that key messages stand out. Here are some tips to achieve this: 

Minimise jargon – Industry terminology may be OK if your reader is in the same industry as you, but perhaps you’re pitching your services to a company in another industry? Readers quickly abandon content they don’t understand, so make it as straightforward for them as possible. 

Cut out unnecessary words – Unnecessary words can make sentences long, complex and harder to understand. They also add no value. Here are some common wordy phrases that can be shortened to make your copy more direct:

  • As a consequence of (because)
  • In order to (to)
  • At a later date (later)
  • In the month of June (in June)

Avoid the passive tense – The passive tense places the subject at the end of the sentence or omits it altogether. Writing can appear very vague if who is doing what is not articulated – and your reader may not have the context to work this out themselves. Any perceived ambiguity can make the reader feel confused or uneasy.

Use metaphors and analogies – When you truly understand a subject you can typically explain it in fairly simple terms and language. Metaphors and analogies can work well to present technical concepts in a tangible way. By being as straightforward as possible in your content, you’re likely to gain trust and ultimately achieve the results you’re looking for.

For help making your technical content more accessible, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com 

Copy editor clean content strong messaging
Copy editing, Copywriting, Marketing

Why use a copy editor?

ca33i

There’s a lot to think about when you’re writing: what you’re trying to say, how you’re trying to say it, how you’ll link up the next idea, what you want to achieve. And then there’s the technicalities of writing: grammar, punctuation, word choice. There’s a lot going on, and plenty of scope for error.

Grammar matters

Something as simple as a misplaced comma can de-rail a sentence or cause hilarity. There are many grammar memes that demonstrate this point. For example: “Let’s eat, Grandma!” versus “Let’s eat Grandma!” Small errors can literally change meaning. So yes, grammar matters – particularly for Grandma!

Editing is part of the process

Editing always has to be a part of the writing process. Often, it’s most valuable after the content is drafted in full. In fact, authors and journalists always go through a rigorous editorial process before their work is published. Writing is about getting the ideas down; editing is when the writing is interrogated, the story improved, and the sentences finessed.

Another pair of eyes

Another reader will typically see what is lacking or what doesn’t make sense in your copy. This is particularly the case if they’re an outsider and don’t have the context of those close to the subject matter. When you’re living and breathing a topic, it can be hard to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and focus on what matters to them. Another pair of eyes will also pick up the small slips we all make when we’re writing.

Pause before you publish

With social media and content management systems, it’s quick and easy to self-publish. It’s worth remembering though, that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Content that is confusing or poorly punctuated could weaken your brand. In addition to picking up any errors, a copy editor will understand what you’re trying to say and will help you better articulate it.

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

Use a tender writer
Copywriting, Tender writing

Why use a tender writer?

ca33i

Tendering to government or a corporate is a huge amount of work for any small to medium sized business. Not only is there a lengthy non-price response to submit, but there is also the nitty-gritty of pricing the offer.

Your bid needs to be competitive but also profitable for your business. Arguably the hardest and most important part of the process is deciding whether to tender at all and pricing your proposal.

If you decide to go ahead, a tender writer can help you present your company in the best light. While all tenders are different, there are some areas that always come up. These include questions on your:

  • Prior experience
  • People and equipment
  • WHS management
  • Environmental management
  • Quality assurance

Saving you time

A tender writer will be able to fill in as much of this content as possible, re-purposing information from previous tenders, the company website or other sources. This saves the proprietor a huge amount of time and effort, enabling them to continue running their business while tendering.

Tailoring your response

A professional tender writer understands what the procurement panel is looking for; they will not simply copy and paste blocks of text from one tender to another. Each answer needs to be tailored specifically to that question, so its response delivers what the judging panel is looking for. It’s only with careful customisation that a tender can be truly persuasive and stand the best chance of success.

Ensuring your offer is clear

A tender writer can also challenge the business owner to communicate their offer in plain English. They can point out any areas that are overly technical and require simplification or additional explanation for a lay person to understand. As an outsider who does not know your business like you do, a tender writer can provide valuable perspective.

Providing peace of mind

The tender documentation can often include extensive service specifications and technical requirements, not to mention dates and details to be across. Therefore, it helps to have another party read over this detail to make sure you have everything covered off in your offer and are submitting your tender in a compliant form. With so much information to take onboard, it helps to have somebody else validate that you have everything covered off.

While tendering is always a huge endeavour, a tender writer will save you time and help you to deliver a clear, polished, professional-looking bid. In the meantime, you can continue running your business and doing what you do best.

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