WOW eNewsletter

Vol 1 Iss 3 Aug 2006

Quote of the Month

Some fellows dream of worthy accomplishment, while others stay awake and experience it. ~ Unknown

Discover The Power Of The Right Words

How powerful is your message? Does your message lack punch? Are you using the right words to get your message noticed? Even worse! Are your words costing you business? When you are in business whether online of off these are questions you should continuously be asking yourself.

Considering the significant effect your words have on your audience should be of primary importance to you. As I have stated in prior articles if your writings are filled with spelling errors and poor sentence structure you are fighting an uphill battle that may never be won. That is why it is so important to read and re-read, write and re-write your copy. It is also why you should have others review it prior to posting. Even as a Copy Writer/ Editor I find I am just too close to my own writings to recognize errors in my personal works. How many are you missing?

Once you have the sentence structure down and spelling corrected it is time to look at the message you are trying to convey. In writing marketing copy there are words that marketing copy writers know as Power Words. When applied properly these words can be used to express any number of feelings that will generate action on your readers part.

Take the following sentence; A work of art is something you achieve when the right pieces come together. Wouldn't it be better written like this? You too can create an inspiring and effective masterpiece with carefully crafted content. Do you recognize how one is well written while the other creates interest. The first is merely a simple pronouncement while the alternative effectively builds interest making you want to read more.

If promotional writing is not your focus and you are thinking how does this apply to me allow me offer you just one more example. This is an excerpt from a columnist and friend of mine. See if you can recognize the difference.

Before:
Until a couple of years ago I never paid much attention to Slot machines,My First trip to Laughlin Nevada back in 1990 had me playing slots because I had no Idea what I was doing ..sure I won a couple of hundred Bucks playing quarters but got bored quickly.For me there has to be a way to beat the Odds and playing slots at THAT Time was just to pass the Hours .I had no enthusiasm to "outsmart" Slot machines.

I discovered the game of Video Keno and was immediately hooked. Anyone remember the old Tall KENO Machines?One had to use a Pen to mark the numbers than hit play. aah, the good ole Times..it was so easy to manipulate the machine by playing a certain amount of numbers that would bring in a Big win when done right.

After:
Until a couple of years ago I never paid much attention to Slot machines. My first trip to Laughlin, Nevada back in 1990 found me playing slots because I had no idea what I was doing. Sure I won a couple of hundred bucks playing quarters; however I quickly tired of the game. For me there has to be a way to beat the odds and playing slots at that time was simply another way to pass the hours. I found no joy in ‘outsmarting’ those old slot machines.

It wasn't long before I discovered a game called Video Keno and was immediately hooked. Does anyone remember the old, tall, Keno machines? You had to use a pen to mark the numbers then hit play; aah the good ole days. It was so easy to manipulate the machines. By playing a certain amount of numbers you could bring in a big win when done right.

As you can see it wasn't much of a change; However I am confident you would agree it is vastly improved. Simple errors like the overuse of capitalization were removed as well as proper word and sentence spacing. Yes, even professional writers rely heavily on their editors.

Let me touch briefly on another important point that you should bear in mind. Your aim is merely to generate an action not give a full accounting. Finding just the right balance between information overload and insufficient information takes time and effort. Given too much or too little information can be equally costly.

Speaking of the cost of using the wrong word(s) I recently was told the tale of a single word that aptly describes just how important your words can be. This is the story in Kim Emerson of Writing Pro (http://www.writingpro.biz)'s own words.

"When I am asked how important words are I always remember back to one event in my life. I am a writer and have always known the power of words, but this event and the use of one wrong word cost me a valuable relationship. I was in the very beginnings of developing an important personal and business relationship and part of that was introducing this new relation to a huge business opportunity for her. I emailed that "I was so excited to introduce this to XYZ company" (meaning her and what she had to offer)" She quickly responded to my email that I couldn't possibly introduce what she had to offer because I didn't know enough about it and they wouldn't receive it from me. I was baffled for the longest time and tried over and over to communicate that I had her best interest at heart and believed in what she had to offer. We emailed back and forth and the situation only worsened until it was a dead end. I went back and picked my emails apart looking for the breakdown in communication.

I finally found the one word that caused the dismantling of this new relationship. It boiled down to my use of one word. The word "this". What was on my heart was to introduce her and what my choice of word said to her was that I was going to try to explain all that she had to offer. The better choice of word would have been simple "I am excited to introduce YOU to XYZ company."

I could not have explained this any better. Thank you Ms. Emerson for the fine example.

Remember when writing be certain you use the right words, in the right way, to convey the right message. Simple words can be easily improved by enhancing them with adjectives or replacing them with discerning words that spur action.

One terrific editing program I recently discovered, that I have determined to be extremely effective for this purpose, is ‘White Smoke'. It can be used to quickly and easily improve many types of writing. Not only can it find spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors, you may have made, but it further suggests better words so your writing has a more professional edge to it. While desktop programs can't find all the misplaced words you've used they can effectively guide your attention to what you're composing and make you aware of ways to better express what you intended to write. Another advantage is that WhiteSmoke comes with dozens of templates ... ready-to-go letters, documents, plans, invitations etc. Just think of the time you'll save! You can purchase the software for general purpose, business or even creative writing styles. If you would like more information on this wonderful program ‘White Smoke’ offers a demo at their website at ( http://network.adsmarket.com/click/imNsnY2ff523YZicZZ1-w4tjmJ6NnYOUjw). I am certain you will find this tool a valuable resource.

Here is another important rule to hold to when writing. Use adjectives, but use them sparingly. Why sparingly? Consider this phrase, “The big, ugly, brown, devious rat found the gaping, rounded, deep hole in the fabulously tall, regal, widespread oak. As you can see the adjectives used do add character but after one or two they loose their punch. This seems to be one of the most repeatedly abused rules, as an editor, that I come across. No, the overuse is not typically so glaringly obvious; however it is a problem even professional writers need to be more alert to in their writings.

As a recap here are the things you should have grasped. Remember, use words that effectively inspire the reader to action, Power Words, when writing marketing copy. Don't over-educate your reader when offering marketing material. Leave them a reason to take the next step. The wrong word utilized at the wrong time may end up costing you a valuable connection. Read and re-read, write and re-write your copy. Hand off your prose for review and editing by an unbiased editor or friend. Don't just rely on your spell checker! Use of adjectives can improve your writing but overuse can ruin it. Communicate clearly and concisely.

One last note. Be sure that the message you have to share is not only worth your time and effort to write but for your audience to read. Quality content is what generates interest. If your writing is merely ramblings you will loose your readership just as quickly as if your copy was filled with grammatical and spelling errors.

© Copyright 2006 Ginger Marks

 

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Effective Web design

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Q & A

Question: If DocUmeant specializes in digital design why do you use outside sources for book illustrations??

Answer:As DocUmeant continues to grow I feel that outsourcing helps my business in various way. First, and most importantly, it frees me up to concentrate on areas of design that I am better suited, such as logo designing, and second it "spreads the wealth." I have always been a believer in promoting others and I will continue to do so. If you have a product or service that you believe would blend well with DocUmeant please feel free to contact me at info@docUmeant.net.

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