Unless you make writing your career, most people go by what they learned in school. This leads to long paragraphs, wordy sentences, and saying what you think others want to hear.
But think about how you pitch your business when you’re speaking to a prospect you’ve met at a trade show or a customer that’s walked in your store. I doubt you’re filling their head with lots of big words and a stampede of selling points without pausing for their responses.
So why would you do that on your website? Or your blog posts? Or worse, your emails? Let’s review some old rules of writing and why you should break them to better connect with your target customer.
Paragraphs Need 4 Sentences
You see this all the time on websites. You search for something like, “how can I improve my audio on stage?” You find a good link to what you think is a reputable audio equipment retailer and click through to a page with text that takes up your entire phone screen.
You zoom out to see how much it says or see if there are some bullet points or highlights you can look. When you realize it’s just more text, you hit the back button and look for a different link.
Don’t put your own customer through that same experience. Four-sentence paragraphs are usually too much for a phone screen and 92% of internet users use a mobile phone to go online.
Keep your paragraphs to a maximum of three sentences, with two sentences as the goal. If you hit four sentences, chances are you can easily make that two paragraphs with two sentences each.
In fact, a one-sentence paragraph is great to make a point.
“Smart” Words and Insider Language
Verbosity and polysyllabic terminology ostensibly augments the perception of your intellectual acuity.
You would be wrong. Using complex words has the opposite effect you might think. People can write you off as arrogant, assume you’re trying to confuse them, or simply believe you’re hiding behind complicated language.
Ernest Hemingway believed in writing for the average person to understand your story.
Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
You can also read the findings in the paper, “Consequences of erudite vernacular utilized irrespective of necessity: problems with using long words needlessly.” The findings were simple: Clarity in writing tends to win out.
Trim the Fat
I believe in the power of the first draft. I usually write down everything that comes out of my head and onto the tips of my fingers.
You might think, that’s what writers do. I argue that it’s editing when you see writers show off. This is when you get to look for fluff — and erase it.
No matter what you’ve written, it can be said with fewer words. Your job is to find those words and use the shorter sentence them.
Structure
Not everyone wants to create an outline, I get that. There are many times I choose not to use one. However, you should have at least an internal concept of the structure you will use.
When it comes to marketing emails, landing pages, websites, even some social media posts, I use a version of this 4-section structure:
- Problem: What is the current problem your customer is facing or the situation you are trying to address
- Need: What is needed to fix the problem or correct the situation
- Next steps: What should happen next or provide a 3-step plan for your customer
- Action: Take this first step today or if you’re communicating with a vendor or colleague, ask for confirmation of what will happen
Following this structure keeps you on target, whether you’re laying out a landing page for a new product, advertising a trial period of your service, or simply asking one of your employees to fix a problem.
What Will You Write Next?
Now that you have these tips, you’re ready to update your website and ensure all of your marketing materials are getting the point across clearly and simply.
Remember, your target customer should quickly see that you get their problem, how you solve their problem, and how they can get started with your solution.
If you need additional content marketing help, contact me today to set up an introductory call.
Your friend,
Jose