As a wholesale supplier, we understand that our customers prefer to market our products with their own brand. To do so is simple:
It’s spring-cleaning season but if you’re like me, you can think of 100 things you’d rather do than clean. How can you get that sparkle-n-shine feeling without touching sudsy water and a scrub brush? Clean up your words…
Writing is an intimidating process for many professionals because they make it messier than it needs to be. They add extra words; ramble on without a focused message in mind; or forget to reread and proofread what they wrote. Get on your rubber gloves and try these tips to help de-clutter your communications:
Get it out. Start by jotting down your message’s main points. Don’t worry about writing complete sentences—phrases and bullets are fine.
Write it like you’d say it. More effective writing starts with talking. To sound more authentic and compelling, write like you’d speak. Go back to your jotted ideas and imagine your audience is in the room—how would you say these points?
Be the reader. Think about what you jotted and “said” then imagine you’re on the receiving end of that message. Does it teach you something? Motivate you to take action? Clarify information? If not, go back and tweak it with your audience in mind.
Ditch the dictionary. Don’t use a dictionary and thesaurus to add flowery or sophisticated words; keep your writing simple like a conversation.
Be light with words. After you write, go back and eliminate extra words that weigh down your message. Some examples:
Reread and revise. Get in the habit of rereading and revising what you write. The more you do, the easier it gets and the tighter your writing becomes.
Proof. Look over everything you send out; even casual email communication. We all make mistakes, but too many typos are unprofessional and even disrespectful. Isn’t your audience important enough to receive accurate and effective communication, especially if it’s a customer?
Practice putting these tips into action: Write a paragraph about anything and note the word count. Now go back and “clean” up your paragraph as much as possible. How many words did you eliminate without losing your message?
Keep scrubbing away words and polishing your writing—the results are worth the effort.