Wonder Words of Wisdom

Why writing for your customers is like dating II

In last week's post, I suggested that writing for customer is a lot like dating. The key point was you should think of your copy as a conversation – talk 'to' rather than 'at' your customers. This week I'm going to continue with the dating theme but this time it's the superficial world of first impressions.

Have you tried internet dating and the person who shows up looks 10 years older than the photo they posted? Have you ever been on a date with someone who turns up to the bar or restaurant wearing a tracksuit that's at least five years old? Have you suddenly got close enough to your date and realised they don't understand basic oral hygiene? Did you give them a second date? I'm guessing probably not. No one wants to be superficial but we all have things we find instant turn-offs.

Most of us form opinions based on first impressions and, regardless of whether it's superficial or not, it's reality. If you are writing for your customers, particularly new customers, you must create a good impression. How do you do that? You choose the right words and you make them attractive to the reader.

1. Plan first – write down a list of your points and put them in a logical order.
   
   An easy way to do this is to imagine that you are telling your customer you have new product X, and considering what they would want to know about X in order of importance (for e.g. price, benefits, availability). Regardless of whether you are communicating online or offline, customers don't want to hunt for information. Make it easy for your customers to find the most important information quickly because it's easy to throw a marketing letter in the bin and easier still to move to another website. You should also remember that if the information in your documents is disorganised or illogical, customers might well think that's how you run your business.
   
   
2. It's an obvious point but spelling and grammar are super important.
   
   Use a spelling checker but remember it will miss things and/or make grammatical changes that make no sense. It often helps to print out a hard copy and read the document slowly. This is because we tend to skim read screens and miss errors that may be obvious on a printed page. While customers may tolerate a mistake or two, documents riddled with errors make you look careless, sloppy or unprofessional – just like turning up for a date in an old tracksuit!
   
   
3. Avoid boring text
   
   No matter how good the information, if the document is just a large chunk of unformatted text, most people won't bother to read it. Try using formatting devices, such as bold and italics. This breaks up the text and draws attention to the important points. Create headings for your main points and make them stand out by using slightly larger, bold font. You can also use bulleted or numbered lists to draw the reader's attention to the important points.
   
   This tip comes with a word of caution – don't overdo it and keep any formatting consistent throughout the document.

These three easy tips work for any type of document, regardless of whether you are preparing content for your website or writing a direct mail letter for your customers. First impressions can deceive and Mr/Ms Stinky Breath may turn out to be Prince/Princess Charming, but there are very few chances for second dates with customers if you make a poor first impression.