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small business writing

Our Top 5 Marketing Writing Tips for Small Businesses

Great marketing writing can quickly get your message across to the reader. But poor writing can confuse potential customers and force them to move on to the next brochure or website, which may be your competitor’s.

Try these tips our writers compiled. Our team at Creative Graphics crafts all kinds of print and digital marketing materials every day. Just a few of these tips can make your marketing more effective.

1. Avoid big words

Big words can make you seem smart and important, but the truth is most customers just want to understand the message. Cut the jargon and get to the point to please your readers.

There are exceptions, however. If you need to say, “enriched uranium requirement” to communicate your point of enriched uranium requirement, then by all means, use it.

Also, if you know your readers are expecting and can handle lengthy words and industry jargon, such as readers of The Economist, feel free to add on those extra syllables.

2. Use short paragraphs

Unless they’re reading a novel, most readers tend to skim. This is especially true in the age of the internet where hundreds of other articles offer the same content as yours and may be easier to read.

A lot of websites, blogs and flyers keep lines at 15 words and paragraphs at no more than four lines. Of course, this depends on things like design, medium and word flow.

You should also frequently use headers and images to break up content even more.

3. Double-check your grammar. Then check again.

Potential customers are almost always on the fence, and it only takes a small spelling error or incorrect punctuation to tip them away from your business and toward your competitor’s. Spelling and grammar are easy, but please: check, check and check again.

Try things like writing your sentence in Microsoft Word where spelling and grammar are pointed out, and give your brochure or webpage to a friend to proofread. Or try the Hemingway Editor, which offers more in-depth grammar help.

Even if you print out your marketing piece before you finalize it, you may catch errors you overlook on the screen.

marketing writing for small businesses hemingway app

4. Consider the reader

We suggest this in every “Top 5 Tips” post, but only because it’s so important. Who are you sending your mailer to? Who will likely see your website? The big differences in readers means big differences in writing.

Are you selling to younger mothers of newborns? Use quick, cute phrases like, “Hurry in before your little one starts to walk!” If you’re writing for finance VPs in New York, consider strong, straightforward messaging such as, “This is the only timepiece to keep you on time, every time.”

5. Make sure it flows

Bad word flow is easy to notice, but you may never realize if what your reading has good word flow, which is exactly the point. A webpage, email blast or blog post should easily guide the reader along to the last word without any hiccups.

Here’s a trick: read your piece out loud. If you stumble over words or have to reread a line, a customer may have the same issues even while reading off the screen. Tweak those awkward spots and you should be good to go.

Now grab a pencil (or eraser)

This just skims the surface on good marketing writing, but these main tips can help your website or print materials pop a little more in your market.

And if you need a hand in crafting the perfect marketing materials, give us a call. Our writers craft webpages, blogs, emails and more, but we'll always have room for your business.

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