7 Reasons Why Bad Writing is Killing Your Business

Having a great idea is easy.

Getting your idea up and running is less easy.

Convincing others about your great idea, well that’s the hard part.

But it’s the part that turns small businesses into global brands.

The questions is; how?

Yep, your logo kicks ass.

And your website looks slick and works seamlessly.

Your colour scheme screams brilliance.

You’re on every social site under the sun.

Premium business cards printed.

Rooms worked.

Hands shaken.

So, why aren’t you getting more customers?

Here are a few possible reasons;

1. Your idea’s shit

2. You’re too expensive

3. Nobody really understands what you’re offering

4. They understand but they don’t care

5. People don’t trust that you can deliver

Reasons one and two are easy to fix; either rethink your idea or your pricing.

For the other reasons there might be something you’ve missed;

Words.

Often the least considered part of the marketing puzzle, words are powerful.

They clarify your big idea.

They explain how you can improve somebody’s life.

They convince people that you can be trusted.

They start conversations with people you want to talk to.

Can you do that with just graphics and design?

Nope.

Your business is your baby.

Nobody knows it like you, right?

You know every inch of it from the backend of the website to the accounts.

You know your industry inside out and your news feed is chock-full of related content.

It’s all you talk about. With your team. With your friends. Even the dog knows your growth plan.

So that makes you the best person to write the words for your business, right?

Probably not.

Here are 7 reasons why your words aren’t working (yet).

1. You know too much about your industry

Hiring someone who knows nothing about you, your business and your industry can be the best business decision ever.

Their ignorance is your asset.

They see your business like your audience. They see it with no knowledge or assumptions.

As copywriters, we work with businesses to simplify their core offer.

No jargon. No waffle. No bullshit.

What does your business actually do? In words that an 8-year old would understand.

Boil this down to about 10 simple, clear words.

Make this prominent on your website because you’ve got roughly 3 seconds before people bounce.

2. You’re not asking your audience to do anything

You want customers or clients. That’s business.

So what do you want them to actually do?

Buy, register, contact you, sign-up, download, install, explore, start trial etc.

Too many businesses have a wooly ‘call to action’ - or none at all.

Great, you’ve told them about your offer and why you’re the team for them.

They’ve read your features and they like them.

Then what?

Tumbleweed.

Don’t skirt the issue. Drive them to take positive action.

Use a verb at the start of your call to action.

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3. Your writing’s all about you, not your customer

If most of your sentences start with We, I, Our then maybe your writing is too focussed on you.

To get more customers, clients or clicks try focussing on the end user instead.

Think about their problems, barriers and fears.

Show them you understand and explain how you can help them.

Using pronouns like We and You makes your writing feel more conversational.

You need to write as if you’re speaking to one person. Not everyone.

If you don’t know who that person is, find out. It’s important you know.

The end result should be writing that uses You and Your more.

This draws readers in and builds rapport.

4. Your business’s voice keeps changing

Every time you write words for your business, its speaking in a voice.

That voice needs to speak clearly, confidently and consistently.

It also needs to be authentically ‘you’ and work for your audience.

Your business might need a fun and informal voice, kinda like this...amiright?

Or maybe it requires a voice that is more formal and serious. See previous sentence.

Creating some brand voice guidelines will help you, and your team, speak consistently.

To do this, think of 3-5 adjectives that describe how you’d like your customers to see you.

Eg. Human, modern, young, reliable, knowledgeable, trustworthy etc.

Now you need to create a list of words and phrases that give off the sense of each adjective.

Weave these into your writing to make sure you’re coming across in the way you want.

5. Your writing’s dense and difficult

One thing every business needs is clarity.

We get taught to write in long, difficult sentences at school, college and university.

But why?

Probably because it sounds more ‘intellectual’.

It’s designed to show off and to keep less educated people out.

Screw that.

Writing for your business should be clear and concise.

Think about users that access your business through mobile devices.

Run your words through the excellent Hemingway app to see where you can make it leaner.

And check the reading level needed to understand it.

Make your writing accessible for a 10 year old.

Because if they can understand it, everyone can.

6. You’re selling what your business does, not how it improves lives.

People buy things with their hearts as much as their heads.

They’re driven by bigger factors than just needing a product / service.

Too many businesses focus on the features of what they offer.

But the real trick is to sell the benefits.

How will working with you make the end user’s life better somehow?

Let’s say you sell vacuum cleaners.

Honestly, nobody really cares about the RPM of the motor.

They care about getting the vacuuming done quickly so they can do something more fun.

And now let’s say you’re selling project management software.

Yes, people will want to know what it does and what functionality it has.

But what they really want is to save time, effort and money by being more efficient.

And, going even deeper, they want to focus on growing their business.

Not getting bogged down in the day-to-day.

7. There’s no humanity in your writing

Whatever your industry, business is about people.

Too often, a business can feel cold or robotic, thinking they sound professional.

You don’t have to be informal, casual or silly sounding, but you need to be human.

There are a few ways to do this;

• Tell stories  

Nobody wants a dull history of your whole life.

But we naturally tune in to narratives that take us on a relevant journey.

Make the story come back to how you improve the audience’s life somehow.

• Talk to people, not at them

Good writing speaks to one person - your ideal customer.

It needs to speak to them in a language that feels relatable.

And it needs to do this at every stage, from first meeting your business to purchase and beyond.

Use their language and promote a conversation.

Even if it’s an assumed conversation that’s happening in their heads.

• Relax your writing style

Even something as simple as using we’re instead of we are can sound more human.

This is how people speak. Even CEOs and billionaires.

And you can break some grammar rules. Like starting sentences with And.

How relaxed you want to appear is down to you, but avoid coming across as stiff.

• Be honest and open

Audiences are bored of businesses claiming they’re the best all the time.

Sometimes admitting your weaknesses can disrupt their thinking.

It’s human to have flaws (hopefully only minor ones) and it can be endearing.

• Read your writing aloud

Does it sound like something you’d actually say?

No. Then it might be worth tweaking until it does.

Because this is how your audience will hear it.

Summary

There are millions of things to consider when you’re running a business.

But ultimately finding and retaining customers or clients will always be the main driver.

In today’s visual and tech-driven world we all get caught up in the latest hype.

But the best weapon at your disposal is often the most overlooked; words.

Wield them wisely and you can attract new business, build a brand and create a community.

Gloss over them and lose customers at your peril.

That’s power. Use responsibly.