The missing link
There is a step before you start writing any business communication, a step that’s often skipped. Before you can write about the benefits you offer to clients you must have a very clear picture of your typical client. Have you got this definition really buttoned down? It’s something we all find difficult. I think there are a number of reasons:

• Fear – of being too specific and therefore missing opportunities. A coach will say I can’t say I only work with health   professionals, I’ll miss too many opportunities to sell my services to everyone else.
• Knowledge – actually they don’t know or haven’t been challenged to think about it. Many think their services or product are for ‘everyone’. This is rarely, if ever, true.
• Disagreement – the people in the organisation have different views on who the audience is – and again this hasn’t been properly explored and debated.

You need to break through these barriers and get some clarity. For some people it helps to visualise the prospective client – if it helps, get a whole load of magazines and go through tearing out images that represent what your typical client looks like, where they live, what car they drive, what they eat, what they do in their spare time and so on. Whether you’re selling to consumers or businesses at the end of the day you are still selling to a person. Every individual has fears, emotions, needs, wants, things that make them happy or contented. Creating a visual picture can make this so much more real.

Now I know not everyone will respond to that ‘touchy-feely’ approach. Others find the answers in statistics and analysis – the number of people the target business employs, turnover, business structure, geographic location and buying motivations.
Until you have a clear picture of who you’re writing for it’s all too easy to produce a brochure, website or even a business letter that’s wide of the mark.

If you can firstly define who you’re writing for and then focus what you say on them rather than you – avoiding what I call ‘we, we copy’, you’ll get much better results.

A word on ‘we, we copy’
This is copy, whether it’s on a website, in a direct mail letter or in a leaflet or brochure that talks all about the organisation it’s written by. For example (and with apologies to any accountants out there):

“We have been providing accountancy services to clients in Glasgow since 1846 when the firm was Stuart James and Robert Bruce. We are proud to carry on the traditions that they started...

We offer a full range of accountancy services including management and statutory accounts, taxation, book-keeping and payroll. We are members of the ICAEW and all our staff are fully qualified to ACCA standards....”

Have you dropped off yet, or did you not get beyond the first paragraph without skipping to this next section?

If you look through this copy there’s not a single mention of clients or what this firm can do for them. In fact when you get to the end of the copy you find yourself wondering what message the writer is trying to get across.

Getting the message right
How many leaflets or brochures do you see that actually give you any sense of WIIFM (what’s in it for me)? Do you read sections of corporate speak or jargon that leaves you cold? For many professionals a list of services seems adequate. Accountants listing that they do Tax Returns, Book Keeping, Tax Planning, Business Advice think they’ve managed to get a message across to their prospective client that will have them clamouring at their door. Wrong.

What I and other prospective clients want from their accountants isn’t this list of services, it’s the results we get: keeping the tax man off our back and being compliant with the law; maintaining accurate records that mean we can get sensible management information about how much the business is spending and making; opportunities to pay less tax; or support to make changes in the business, for growth, consolidation or exploring new markets. The client will buy (and therefore respond to messages about) the results they can get, not the process they’ll have to go through to get there. Of course accountants aren’t alone in falling back on a list of services – we all do it. But if you can focus any business writing on the reader, rather than you the author, you’ll have better results.

Going back to our example something like this might have a much better impact:

“Since 1846 generations of family owned businesses have trusted James and Bruce with all their accountancy needs...

All businesses working with James and Bruce are allocated a fully qualified accountant to provide expert advice and support with everything from keeping accurate financial records which satisfy the needs of the tax authorities, to producing financial and management information which aids decision making. Our regular planning and review services identify opportunities to save on tax and improve efficiencies, which ultimately results in more on your bottom line....”

So, if you’re about to write content for your website, draft a direct mail letter or prepare a brochure, STOP.

• Think about your audience for the communication.
• Consider what message your are trying to get across.
• Think about what they will be interested in hearing (what’s in it for them?)and make the benefits of what you offer clear.
• And of course - don’t write ‘we, we’ copy

Follow these steps and you should be OK.

Until next time, happy writing.

Further reading:
Making a connection – effective business communications

Creating a frenzy of desire

As a marketing coach Teresa works with new marketing managers and small business owners to enhance their marketing performance.

Contact Teresa on 01789 740396 or by email.

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Written by Teresa Harris, Second Opinion Marketing. Teresa is an independent marketing consultant working with professional practices, small businesses and public sector bodies to develop effective marketing plans which achieve their business objectives.