Writing Tips: Write Like You Talk

by Elle Ray | Nov 14, 2016 | Writing

13 Writing Tips from a Professional Blog Writer

A funny thing happened on the way to keyboard. I became a completely different person.

writing tips - write like you talk

“Who wrote that?” asked my editor. “I did,” I told him, quite proud of the words I’d conjured up — the lengthy sentences that I’m sure were grammatically correct and written in the tone of a scholar that I’d adopted. I believed that I had successfully integrated all the writing tips I’ve ever heard over a lifetime of training into that short article.

But at that time, I wasn’t writing for a group of academics; I was writing for the general public. I had a story to tell, and I wanted regular people to read what I’d written. I had important information to impart to people who would surely marvel at my talent for literary composition.

Boy, was I wrong.

Where’s the Beef?

The lessons I learned from that editor still ring loud and true today. And really, they’re more powerful today than ever. Never before had a few short writing tips hit the mark more clearly. I was humbled, yet resilient. As my editor told me: I had to remember the basics of writing and the reasons for it.

Writing is a form of communication, after all. And if you don’t get your message across — if it gets bogged down in some crazy notion that to be respected as a writer you have to become someone else — then you’ve wasted your time putting the words to paper and wasted your readers’ precious time, too. And through it all, you still have a message to send.

Don’t Get Lost in the Cracks

Whether you’re writing a blog for your company website, an email to a potential client, an article or a book, the best way to get your message across is to write like you talk. The way you talk is the way people listen. Take this example:

“The strange mix of euphoria and revulsion he felt, strategically shielded from the world by the impenetrable tint of his sunglasses, protected his delicate sensibilities and sad longings from the intimate goings-on that surrounded him on a daily basis as he wandered from one desolate, deserted place to another in search of affection and meaning.”

Versus this example:

“He wore dark glasses as he roamed the streets because he didn’t want anyone to see his emotions.”

While the first example might be suitable for a long novel, it can’t be used anywhere else. The actual meaning gets lost when you try to sound intellectual. In most forms of writing, you have to get to the point. And the point isn’t whether you’re smart or talented; it’s whether you can be understood.

Get to the Point

To help with your next project, consider the following writing tips. They’ll not only make writing a little easier, they’ll ultimately help you get your message across, succinctly and to the point:

Relax, you can fix the errors later
Say what you mean
Read — a lot
Read with a critical eye
Use as few words as possible to make your point
Keep sentences short
Avoid industry jargon
Eliminate useless words that sneak in (such as can, will and generally)
Rely on punctuation to control the flow
Write first, then edit
Ask for criticism
Read your writing out loud before you publish
And don’t listen to all the writing tips you hear; just write from your heart

And of course, when all else fails and you just can’t seem to get the hang of easily knocking out your company newsletter in a decent amount of time without taking up your whole day, contact the professional writers at Ray Access. It’s not just what we do; it’s all we do.

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.

Attraction, Not Promotion

by Elle Ray | May 8, 2016 | Content Marketing

Don’t Scare Visitors in Your Online Marketing

Online marketing shouldn't scare visitors

Most business people know the difference between advertising and marketing. Advertising is a direct pitch to sell your goods or services, while marketing covers the entire process of connecting with your present and future clientele. Advertising is just one component of your marketing efforts.

As a rule, marketing tends to carry more ethical components, giving customers room to make decisions without the pressure of a “buy now” promotion. And while “buy now” calls to action are part and parcel of your overall marketing scheme, good online marketing doesn’t pressure customers; instead, it attracts them with a wink and a nod, a compliment and respectful banter.

Online Marketing Works

Marketing works because it empowers your customers to take more control of their buying decisions based on common sense, education and bonding. Customers end up liking your advertising because you’ve taken the time to consider their needs and build relationships — even if those relationships are simply virtual.

You can and should use your website, blogs, social media and email to attract customers to your business. Once they realize how much they like you, your products and services sell themselves. Online marketing works today and will continue to grow as the most popular medium for building your business.

Tips to Attract Buyers

Marketing isn’t deceitful or cunning at all. In fact, honesty is the best policy when it comes to online marketing efforts. Some of the most productive, least threatening and cheapest ways to use this powerful medium include:

Make it easy for visitors to navigate through your website. Place social media buttons clearly, put your phone number, address and email on every page. Clearly mark each link so that your guests feel welcomed and appreciated.
Create good content. Respect your visitors’ time. Let them know right at the top of your web page who you are and what you do. Invite them in with easy-to-read content that includes well-crafted website copy, relatable graphics and entertaining and informative videos.
Give people what they need. Online guests don’t always know the right questions to ask. Adding an informative, thoughtful FAQ page can help. Make sure that your contact forms work and that you answer questions in a timely manner. Responsiveness builds trust, and trust leads to easy buying decisions.
Inform the media of important changes, highlights and hallmarks to your business through press releases. Loyal customers appreciate knowing that you are transparent and want everyone to have a chance to get to know you.
Rely on SEO, which includes keywords and market targeting, sparingly. Excessive SEO efforts turn off tech-savvy buyers who have seen enough of the tricks now to tell when their searches are being compromised.
Keep up to date with regular blog posts and emails to show your customers that you don’t take them for granted and continue to provide value. Build stronger relationships with continued communication through your blog.
Add value to your relationships with exceptional email newsletters that create a buzz, give your clients a one-up on those who don’t subscribe, and save them money, time and resources.
Use informational graphics to attract attention. Infographics are one of the leading attractors of successful websites. They are exponentially more productive than cartoons or stock pictures. Infographics also give you authority, something that you can’t buy with ads.

Now What Do You Do with Them?

Once you’ve built a customer base that is working (i.e., generating reliable income), you can use those same marketing techniques to give your customers reasons to stick with your company, even as competitors pound their doors for attention. You respected their time and attracted them to you, now:

Review your website and blogs regularly to catch errors that may have made it past the editing team.
Include in-depth, long-form content to your site that goes beyond the sound bites.
Respect their ideas and ask for tips on how to make your service or product even better.
Reward longevity with discounts, deals and insider info.
Expose your customers to the real influencers in your industry by curating expert guest blog posts.
Rely on your relationship and ask for referrals.
Hire an editing team if you don’t have one.

The Best Course

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is a universal mantra that covers every kind of ethical argument in any religious denomination. It’s also a good business practice, especially in your online marketing efforts. Think about your experience as you visit other websites. What do you like to see while searching, shopping or researching.

Give your visitors the same kind of content and ease of use that you appreciate. They’ll thank you with continued loyalty. That’s a win for your online marketing.

How to Write a Blog Post

by Mark Bloom | Feb 19, 2016 | Blog Writing

A Step-by-Step Guide by Professional Bloggers

For many people, including businesspeople, writing a blog post seems difficult. Where do you start? What do you write about? What’s the point? You have lots of questions, and we — the professional writers at Ray Access — have some answers for you.

Ray Access teaches you how to blog

The very first step is to answer two questions:

Who is your intended audience?
What do you hope to accomplish?

If you’re in business, your audience is likely the same as your business customers (and potential customers). If you’re writing a business blog, you could be writing to educate (a how-to), to share tips (a list) or to share news about your company or industry. All are valid. Once you’ve answered those two important questions, follow these four steps to write your blog post.

1. Pick a Topic

No matter what your business does or sells, people have questions about you and your industry. Pick a question and answer it in your blog post. The more pertinent and timely your answer, the more traction your blog post may get. Lists and how-to articles are especially helpful and popular. Some sample questions, just to get you started, include:

How do you find the best [dentist in Asheville]?
What’s the best way to [stop a leaky faucet]?
5 steps to [writing a blog post]
The 5 best [questions to ask your Realtor]
[Insurance] tips no one told you

Your topic question or statement may become the title of your blog post. If it’s engaging and promises an answer, use it. Otherwise, wait until you’ve written the blog post to come up with the title. Then you’ll know what to promise.

2. Do Your Research

A blog post requires research Believe it or not, you don’t have to be an expert in a field to write knowledgeably about it. We’ve written about subjects as diverse as industrial roofing and cloud computing. What you do need to do before you can write about your chosen topic, regardless what it is, is to research it adequately.

So once you know your topic, do an Internet search to find what others have to say about it. Whenever possible, use reputable sources to get your information. In other words, never use Wikipedia.org. If you’re writing about your industry, you should know which sources are reliable and which aren’t. To be absolutely safe, don’t use anything until you find it on two different authoritative websites.

3. Write the Blog Post

After you’ve collected bits and pieces of solid data, you can write your blog post. Keep the original question in mind as you write. A clear answer should be your goal, while explaining it as best you can. Often, a simple question takes a long time to answer because one question leads to another. And that’s how you string one sentence to another, one paragraph to another and one section to another.

Remember who your audience is and what they may already know. Your goal is to answer their questions and connect with them. Use language that reflects how they use language. For example, at Ray Access, we often write in a comfortably conversational tone. It’’s the way we talk, and most likely how you talk. But we’ve written for clients who didn’t want any contractions in the content. The point is to write for your audience.

4. Have It Edited

Congratulations, you’ve written a blog post! But your task doesn’t end there. Before you share it with the world — or at least with your customers and potential customers — have the article edited. Have someone else look at it with a critical eye. This step shouldn’t be just a proofread. While catching typos and misspellings are important, a good editor can improve the flow of your blog post so that it reads smoothly, point by point, from beginning to end.

And by the way, did you know that Ray Access offers editing services? That’s right. We can take your original blog post (or whatever you’ve written) and make it better. And our editing services are just half the price of our writing services. Good editing can make the difference between a sale and a fail.