Yesterday I received Robert Middleton’s weekly e-newsletter, “More Clients.” The newsletter has a subscriber list of more than 40,000, and Robert is a top marketing resource for small service businesses.
This week’s “More Clients” focused on repackaging one’s products and services. Although it wasn’t about writing, it reminded me that we need to repackage or freshen up our business writing too, especially if it feels stale or isn’t getting results.
For example, if you regularly write requests to others–let’s say requests for data, reports, signups, or approvals–are you getting the responses you need? If not, why not try something new? A new subject line for your email message, a new link to capture quick responses, a new format with bullet points rather than thick paragraphs–these adjustments can help you elicit what you need.
If you write minutes, do people read them? Do they come to meetings with their action items completed? If not, refresh your minutes by highlighting each action item, deadline, and person responsible for the task. And when you send out minutes, include an action step in your cover message, like this one:
“Please review these meeting notes to remind yourself of the action items assigned to you.”
If your flyers or marketing materials aren’t moving readers to action, pick up a good book such as Persuading on Paper, by Marcia Yudkin. Then try something fresh–a free trial offer, a money-back guarantee, or client testimonials–to inspire your readers to act.
Freshen up and take action. Then please share your comments about any writing “refreshers” that bring you success.
