How clear is your written content?
Vague, abstract content on your website and in other marketing collateral can be costly to your business.
My favourite cartoon shows a signwriter painting a title on a professional office door.
He has been asked to write:
PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Instead, due to the large lettering, he writes:
PSYCHO
THE
RAPIST
Most of us believe we communicate clearly. We’re surprised when the message others receive is different to our intended meaning?
Each time we fail to communicate, we potentially lose a customer. We potentially lose revenue. We may have to spend extra time restating the message in a clearer form.
We should all pay more attention to the clarity of our written content.
Near enough isn't clear enough
When we write, we sometimes think an approximation of the right words is sufficient.
Surely it’s other people’s problem if they fail to decipher the accurate meaning. They’re just being lazy.
However, this sentence:
The dog bit John.
is different to:
John bit the dog.
Same words. But syntax changes everything.
That’s how easy it is to get it wrong.
What about digital content?
The need for clarity is even more urgent when applied to content online.
As Copyblogger’s Chief Content Officer Demian Farnworth argues:
In less than four seconds visitors need to be able to comprehend what you wrote on your web page. I didn’t say “read.” I said “comprehend.”
When a reader doesn’t understand the words on your web page, blog post or social media update, they won’t persevere. In a click or two they can access countless alternative pages.
(For more on this, see my previous blog post, 10 ways to improve the clarity of your written website content.)
How to be clear online
Clear writing stems from clear understanding.
Before you write anything, make sure you clearly understand your subject, your message and your target audience.
As you write, check that you understand each word and phrase?
Do you know, for example, the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ or ‘lose’ and ‘loose’? Do you know that ‘ironic’ means ‘contrary to expectations’, not just any kind of amusing coincidence?
If necessary, check definitions to ensure each word says what it means and means what it says in the context of your content.
Your writing should also be simple and short. Long blocks of text are difficult to read and comprehend. So use short, simple words, sentences and paragraphs wherever possible.
There’s no reason to write:
In order to meet the diverse requirements of our corporate customers and stakeholders, Acme Ltd develops, implements and manages technological solutions that are innovative, pragmatic and potentially transformational to operational processes and procedures.
when you can simply state:
With our software, your company will be more efficient.
The essential tactic
To achieve clarity, one tactic is critical – editing.
Whenever you finish writing a draft content item, stop, close the file and walk away.
After a break, come back and read the draft with an objective eye.
Does it say what you intended? Is your message explicit? Is there ambiguity or potential for misinterpretation?
If it’s not clear, change it. Then close the document and walk away again.
You may have to repeat the process more than once. The effort will be worth it as you realise, over time, that you no longer have to suffer fall-out from miscommunication.
Is that clear?
When you need help with content writing and strategy, please contact me any time.