Since content marketing is such a buzz these days, even the most average entrepreneur who wants to thrive is faced with the daunting reality that he or she must learn to express ideas and engage more directly with the market.
This can be through emails, tweets, articles, newsletters, instant messages, press releases, and the list goes on and on.
Even if you hire a professional copywriter and content creator, which I advocate, there will always be those times when you have to grab the helm and put some words onto paper or type out on your Evernote the message that needs to be relayed.
Not many entrepreneurs offer an enthusiastic response whenever I share this and while I’m by no means trying to sell you into getting as passionate as I am about writing, I do want to encourage you to shift perspectives a little bit.
The ideas and suggestions I’m going to be sharing will help lighten the burden of having to sit and write. I’m certain that your next writing experience shall be more enjoyable if you just apply these three key suggestions.
Allison VanNest says, “For entrepreneurs, your writing is a reflection of your professionalism, your attention to detail, and even your brand. Taking care to write accurately is one easy way to move your business in the right direction.”
How about we heed that simple advice and start moving in the right direction. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Becoming a good writer has nothing to do what they told you growing up.
Shed your old paradigms and the negative memories that only inhibit your growth. This is a great way to open up your creativity. And yes, that can include more than writing, but I want to emphasize more the art of creative writing.
As long as you’re too self-conscious and using words that “they” used to put you down, your ability to communicate effectively will be stymied. And by they, I mean all those voices in your head put there by the influencers who conditioned you during your formative years. Remember, writing is a skill. The more you practice, the better you become, regardless of the past.
2. Make spelling and grammar tools your best friend.
Sloppy writing is, unfortunately, a huge turn-off. And I know how this sounds – here’s a former slum girl with no formal education, bold enough to claim that being a sloppy writer is bad for business.
Yes, I don’t claim to be some highly educated, sophisticated writer. I make a lot of grammatical errors. Which is why I invest as much as possible in tools and people that can help me balance out the weaker sides of my writing.
My passion for writing is sacred. I can’t explain why I started writing and as a matter of fact, I did battle with the thought of becoming a writer for years because I thought my lack of formal education meant that I could never become a writer.
See where I’m going with this? You may not be as passionate as I am about writing, but your business does require rich well-constructed words. The solution for both of us is to invest in tools that enable us to smoothen out that writing process.
True story…
I recently came across an Instagram post that had a gorgeous bespoke image and the message contained could have been powerful, if only it wasn’t so sloppy!
The owner of the account clearly lacked any writing and communication skills. Given my background, it was easier for me to understand that, and I totally empathized with him. But I’ll bet there’s a client who was completely put off as a result.
Don’t let that happen to your brand. There are lots of incredible tools and resources that help. Personally, Grammarly is my secret weapon. If you’ve never used Grammarly, test out the free version and discover the wonders of crafting clear, accurate and beautiful words!
3. Improve the way you organize your thoughts.
Writing is thinking on paper. It’s literally having a conversation or conveying a message to another person. The more you’re clear on what you want to say, the simpler the process becomes.
So the next time you sit to create any kind of written communication, whether it’s a what’s app text to a loved one, a social media post, an article or report for your team members, please take some time to figure out and organize the core message you wish to deliver. Once you intelligently organize the message and are clear whom the message is for, the words will naturally come. They might be simple words that are far from poetic, and that’s okay. Trust me, I am realizing that in our digital age, less is more.
Conclusion:
We live in a modern world where everyone is a media company. Nothing sells your business like beautifully crafted words, and your ability to communicate your message effectively is super important. It has a huge impact on your business success.
As Google gets smarter and finds new ways of getting rid of crappy, irrelevant content, well written content will serve you and your clients for years to come. You may not be the next Shakespeare or Hemmingway – in fact, your audience probably doesn’t want you to dish out complex terms.
What you can become is a more polished, concise, and credible version of yourself. As an entrepreneur, this will become a solid way of demonstrating to your clients that you are world class at what you offer.
It bridges an invisible bond and reflects a positive image that will serve you for years to come. Now I would love to get your insight on this topic. Do you feel that developing your writing skills can help you as an entrepreneur? Any tools or software you use that makes the writing process more efficient?
