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Is
Your Letter Writing Fit for This Century?
By Jane Watson
Over
7 billion letters are produced each year in Canada. They
relate to jobs, relationships, fund-raising, public relations
and sales. They are important to the growth of a business.
Penton Research Services of Cleveland has uncovered a
wide range of costs (US) per contact in the methods companies
use to generate revenue:
Industrial
sales call $277.00
Trade
show $162.00
Telemarketing
$31.16
Business
letter $13.60
Therefore,
letters are the least expensive way to get your name
in front of a customer. However, many writers fail to
produce effective documents because they are using outdated
writing styles. This causes their written materials
to be overly formal, long-winded, difficult to read
and lacking a clear call to action.
Today's correspondence should be concise, reader-friendly,
and it should build relationships with clients, customers
and internal staff. Here are some tips to ensure your
writing style is ready for the new millennium. But don’t
wait for then, put these ideas into practice now.
-
Write
with the reader in mind: what does he want to know;
what does he need to know. Omit all other details.
-
Use
words the reader can easily understand. If he or she
is familiar with jargon, use it. Otherwise, choose
simpler words.
-
Don’t
waste your reader’s time with cold, useless phrases:
as per, we are in receipt of ..., we wish to acknowledge
... Jump in with why you are writing: I need
your assistance to ..., As you requested, here are
...
-
Make
it easy for your reader to interpret the message.
Use plenty of white space and wide margins. Keep sentences
short. A reader's attention drops off after the 18th
word. If you add a 19th, it better be good.
-
Think
of visual appeal when you compose paragraphs. Long
paragraphs intimidate; however, too many short paragraphs
makes it look as if you are in a time warp and trying
to send a telegram. A good guideline is to use variety
but keep opening and closing paragraphs three to six
lines long and nothing in the body over eight lines.
(Half these numbers if you are sending an e-mail.)
-
Keep
the tone warm. Use the reader’s name. Write about
what you can do — not what you can’t. If
your purpose is to inform or persuade, use the word
you more often than the words I, we or
it.
-
Always
give your readers a WIIFY—what’s in for
you. Too many writers stress their own importance,
or the wonders of their product/service without spelling
out the benefits to the reader. To gain a reader’s
attention you have to focus the benefits to them rather
than the object.
(I am amazed at the number of sales people who confuse
features and advantages with benefits. It is hard
to write persuasively if you don’t understand
this concept.)
-
Close
with what you want the reader to do next. If you have
a date, give it. Never use the ambiguous term as soon
as possible. Wrong and overused: If you have any
questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Better: If you have any questions, please call
me at ...
Remember,
our readers are drowning in paper, and they don’t necessarily
have to read and follow up on your correspondence. However,
if you write in a warm, easy-to-understand, concise style
your chance of having your message acted upon will greatly
increase.
©2006,
Jane Watson is dedicated to advancing business communications.
She is a consultant, author, keynoter and trainer and can
be reached at jane@jwatsonassociates.com
or (905) 820-9909.
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