Wherever you look, words are embedded into the walls of our society, breathing life into every surface and giving us meaning. And no matter if you’re an avid reader or not, elements of writing have a habit of following you. Think about the words that have stayed with you throughout your life: maybe that’s a favourite quote from a novel, or a saying, or even a company’s slogan. They have stayed with you for a reason and are a true testament to the importance of words and the way they are created.

If this is true for our personal lives, then there is no doubt that it must be the same for our professional ones. So, why exactly is writing such an important aspect within a business, and how can it become a business’s greatest ally, or most significant weakness?

Presentation is Key

Every business will always have an element of writing. Unfortunately, some businesses often neglect the importance of writing because it’s not the primary focus of the company. In doing so, you often see a business’s content written with less purpose and more obligation.

When it really comes down to it, good writing, or copy, reflects greatly on a business’s image and quality of work. If you are able to show clients that you take pride in your business’s presentation, then they will not only take your services more seriously and with greater esteem, but will also be more inclined to trust your work performance.

If you don’t present quality work, how can you expect
clients to believe you will produce valuable work for them?

Your goal as a business, is to provide customers with clear and concise information by limiting the client’s cognitive load. If the writing is unclear and unstructured, readers will often divert from the business to find another avenue they can better understand. Similarly, if there is too much writing readers will simply glaze over it; too little and you risk underselling yourself.

It is also important to know what medium you are writing for. Web writing for instance, encompasses many different elements and complications. Reading from a screen has shown to be slower than on print, and most readers are inclined to scan when they get impatient, want to feel active and engaged, or are uncertain if this is the best page for them. You have to make sure that you are optimising your writing as best as you can, and you can do this by being succinct, clear, and writing for scannability and with personality.

Finding the balance with writing can often be very difficult; however, as long as the words you present on your business’s platforms accurately and professionally represent the brand, you are less likely to run into problems.

Grammar and Punctuation

I know that when most people see ‘grammar and punctuation’ in the same sentence, there is often the tendency to roll their eyes. But these two words are of paramount importance to the presentation and delivery of the writing you produce. You may have some amazing written content, but without the correct grammar and punctuation, the quality of the writing can be overshadowed by the errors riddled throughout it. Think about grammar and punctuation as the decorative glaze that MasterChef contestants drizzle over a meal. It looks great, enhances the eating experience, and without it … Matt Preston would not be impressed.

Often, people are less likely to notice when a business has good grammar and punctuation, and instead see the entire presentation as a rounded whole; complete and professional. But without it, it can feel like a slap in the face for the reader who points it out. I know when I encounter this, my eye starts to twitch, I have trauma flashbacks to university, and I second guess my decision in choosing the brand. The goal, therefore, is to avoid this happening.

I’m sure we’ve all heard about how ‘grammar can save lives’, and seen the difference between

Let’s eat Grandma
and
Let’s eat, Grandma

But in this case, instead of saving lives, grammar and punctuation can secure customers.

Key Tips To Ensuring Your Business Has Great Writing

  1. Make sure every message is clear and concise
  2. Sometimes less is more
  3. Use Active not Passive Voice
    • Active voice allows the content to feel more engaging and can provide more clarity
  4. Write with passion, personality and attitude
  5. Utilise white space
    • White space helps greatly with Web Writing, as it makes it easier for readers to digest information. You can do this by creating smaller paragraphs and using bullet points, headings, or lists
  6. Write optimal sentence length (around 25 words)
    • Try to keep one-two ideas per sentence, and where possible, break it up to increase clarity
  7. Eliminate wordiness
  8. Avoid repetition
  9. Get a second opinion
    • No matter how experienced you are, there is always a chance you will miss an error, so it never hurts to have a second pair of eyes look over your work

And Finally Employ a Copywriter!

Writing isn’t everyone’s greatest strength, and in order to make sure you are getting quality work, why not hire a professional? White Peak Digital is excited to announce that we are now offering Copywriting services to clients! We will be able to ensure that you are improving the image of your brand, while also developing copy that is suited to the business and optimised for search engines. So, if you’re in need of any copywriting assistance, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today. 

Even as the world continues to change around us daily, the importance of writing and its existence is unlikely to disappear. Writing and words act as a way for us to communicate with one another. To find a common thread amongst the chaos of society. And in turn, writing and words act as such an important element to ensuring a business’s success.

Without the proper tools and knowledge, words can become a business’s greatest weakness. So why not start turning them into a strength today?