Write to Connect to Your Readers, Not to Sell

Business writing is rhetorical writing. That’s not a bad thing to admit; if you’re honest, you’ll agree. When you write for your business — or if you’re like Ray Access, when you write for another business — you’re writing to persuade the reader, to change behavior and yes, probably to sell products or services. That’s the point of business.

But it needn’t be that blatant. Businesses exist for many purposes besides sales — although sales do wonders for keeping a business in business. But sales happen when you connect to your readers. If you think about it, you’ll see that some businesses have motives beyond profits:

• Disney, for example, wants to entertain as well as make money.
• Amazon set out to change the way the world shops.
• Ray Access wants to improve the quality of online content everywhere.

Connect to Your Readers and the Rest Follows

The writers and editors of Ray Access are more than just professional writers, they’re professional ghostwriters. That means they have to know who their clients’ readers are. They have to know what their clients’ readers want. And they have to deliver that content in a way that connects with those readers.

Along the way, they’ve picked up a few tips to help you connect to your readers. Here are the top five ways:

1. Write to your readers, not at them. When you write, whether it’s a blog post or a website page, use the word “you,” not the word “we.” To connect to your readers, write to them as if you’re talking to them. When you write intelligently, not taking your readers for granted, you connect with them and earn their trust. Once you’ve established that relationship, sales will happen.
    
2. Don’t write about you; write about them. Contrary to what you may think, your website is not about your business; it’s about what your customers (and potential customers) can get from your business. In other words, it’s not about the features your product has, but about the benefits your products deliver. Explain to your readers what they’re buying. Give them reasons to buy. This is the only way to persuade people to buy from you; you have to give them something they need.
    
3. Deliver timely information that’s of value to your readers. Write about what your readers want to know, not what you want to say. The ultimate goal of any blog post is to go viral. The only way to achieve that lofty goal, which is nigh impossible, is to provide the answers to questions people are asking. Why, for example, is it important to engage your audience? Because that’s how you connect with them. That’s how you build trust in what you have to say. That’s how you gain credibility and respect. That’s how, ultimately, you generate sales and lasting customers.
    
4. Give away your expertise. You are the expert in your field. You know more about your business and your industry than your customers and potential customers do. Use your knowledge to your advantage by sharing it. Educate your readers to become better consumers. Give away tips and advice. Provide valuable information, and you gain your readers’ trust, especially if your competitors aren’t sharing. The Internet is a level playing field. Readers can’t tell how big your company is, but they can judge your business based on how helpful you are. That’s what your readers will remember.
    
5. Be entertaining. This may sound superfluous, but it’s absolutely true and the best way to connect to your readers. People do business with companies they like. People like Disney. Consumers trust Amazon. Both companies are entertaining in their own way. If you’re entertaining while delivering valuable content, your content has the chance of going viral, and your readers will remember you when they’re ready to buy. Be entertaining, but know who your readers are. That’s the best defense against going overboard and the best way to determine that you’re hitting the mark.

Connect to your readers, and you’ll connect to future sales. Good luck and remember: if you get stuck, you can connect to experts. We’re just a phone call away.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.