Business writing is a “catch-all” term for the different types of writing materials used in formal communication, and those used to help shape your brand. In this article, we’ll outline a few of the various writing deliverables businesses encounter and how to adjust writing styles to fit the intent.
Copywriting
Whether it’s website copy or content created for promotional materials, copywriting is a process. Although it can take many forms, it’s the core of expressing your companies “voice” for your products or services. Consider how you want your product to be perceived or the kind of personalities your products attract and then practice using that tone. Are they smart and appreciate quick humor? Write as if you were talking to them, and are letting them know about what you have to offer.
A fun exercise is to imagine a few different types of people you can define as your audience. What makes them happy? Create a backstory, including details to help you get into their mindset.
Formal Writing
Creating whitepapers, press releases, case studies, reports and other formal documents can be great resources for readers looking for information on your products and services. These pieces all share similar traits in that their writing style is typically more objective. When composing these types of documents, we default to the AP stylebook guidelines for clarity. It’s important to avoid using industry slang, taglines and sales copy as these pieces are primarily for providing information.
Blogs and Company News Articles
The writing style for blogs and company related news articles can use more casual language. Often times these pieces are used to keep website visitors updated on forthcoming events, or going into more detail on a service to showcase expertise on subject matter. It’s okay for blogs to be shorter and even entertaining! However, developing a consistent tone is also important. Articles are an opportunity to connect with customers and speak directly to them without active sales language.
While developing a regular article posting schedule and content can seem like a lot of work, the payoff can be substantial. On average, companies who post blogs produce 67% more leads a month according to Demand Metric.
Getting started is easy when you define your objective based on the type of writing style required. Check out our business writing page to learn more about the services we provide at BCS Management.