Business is all about communication: regardless of the position you hold within an organisation, written communication in its various forms is both unavoidable and essential for effectively interacting with your own colleagues and the outside world. It is easy to overlook just how much written communication is produced on a daily basis: from internal correspondences, including presentations, memos, e-mails and reports, through to forms, corporate literature, advertisements, blogs and of course – your company website.

The difference that effective writing skills can make to your business can be significant. These various channels of communication all reflect on your company image, so applying an attitude of perfectionism to your spelling and grammar suggests that you maintain these high standards across the board. Well-presented information which is clear, concise and strongly persuasive can give your company the edge over your competition: if your writing exudes confidence, your potential clients are more likely to place confidence in you and your business. Furthermore, good internal communication can also improve your company’s productivity: when there are fewer misunderstandings, time is used more efficiently and relationships between co-workers are strengthened.

Some simple tips to consider when producing any piece of written communication are:

Spellcheckers – do not make the mistake of relying solely on spellchecking tools to correct your errors: they are not an adequate replacement for proof-reading! For example, they are not able to identify the difference between homonyms, such as ‘their’, ‘they’re’ and ‘there’ or typing errors which create another correct word – like ‘two’ and ‘tow’. Simple errors like this could be the difference between someone choosing whether or not to use your business!

Structural flow – there should always be an even and logical flow to the structure of sentences and paragraphs within any written piece. With any important piece of writing – such as sales pitches, proposals or important presentations – create a plan or skeleton structure before you start to keep you on track. Again, proof-reading is key – ask someone else to read over it for mistakes and then briefly summarise what they have read: if they struggle to remember or are getting things wrong, your written piece needs more work.

Edit, edit, edit – once you think you are happy with your text, try and reduce it even more. From a productivity aspect, it is good practice to always try and say things as concisely as possible. In addition, users tend to skim read content on Internet pages, so you should make sure that the most important information stands out, both through formatting and by keeping your word count as low as possible.

Language – this should be appropriate and in keeping with your brand – always consider the level of formality and technicality you should adopt when corresponding with individual contacts or clients. Your language should be kept as simple and understandable as possible – attempting to use complicated words is more likely to confuse than impress your reader and you run the risk of using terms in the wrong context.

However, unless you have someone in your company with impeccable writing skills and strong creative talent, when it comes to creating important written pieces for your website or other company literature it is well worth investing in professional services, to help make sure your copy and website content delivers the necessary messages efficiently and effectively. To find out more information on how the Energy Cell could help, contact our team today!