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Blog was last modified on July 2nd, 2016 by Proof Communications Team

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How to write newsletters that won’t comatose your readers

January 22, 2016

copywriting, Newsletters, Preparation guides, Punctuation, Writing tips

Well written, targeted articles can breathe new life into business communications. But you also want to avoid your newsletter being sent straight to the reader’s recycle bin. Rather than bore customers to death, here are three ways to keep newsletter content fresh and your customers focused on the good work you do. 1. It’s about your customer Important though it may be to you, no one wants to read about how your business operates or who has been moved from one…

How to write newsletters that won’t comatose your readers was last modified on September 19th, 2017 by Proof Communications Editor

How to use Social Proof to Blow Your Own Trumpet

January 22, 2016

Writing tips

It’s all very well for a company to say it’s the best there is in its particular field, but unless the claim is backed up by solid facts (or social proof), it’s all hot air. In today’s markets, established firms with years of solid experience can often find themselves competing with relative fly-by-nighters who have little actual history but a far more impressive array of sales and marketing materials. So how can you help potential clients separate the wheat from…

How to use Social Proof to Blow Your Own Trumpet was last modified on February 3rd, 2016 by Proof Communications Editor

How apostrophes can get you arrested

November 22, 2015

Writing tips

Apostrophes are everywhere. Especially in the wrong places. Often called greengrocer’s apostrophes, these are well-meaning but unnecessary apostrophes in plural words, anecdotally favoured by shop owners who feel compelled to add an apostrophe to the end of any word that ends in “s” on their display placards. You know the sort of thing: Banana’s $4.99kg Fresh carrot’s Todays special’s A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald suggested that despite their 300-year existence, apostrophes are under threat. According to the…

How apostrophes can get you arrested was last modified on January 15th, 2016 by Proof Communications Team

10 Top Tender and Proposal Mistakes – How to Avoid Them

November 22, 2015

Writing tips

Let’s face it. Tender writing and proposal writing is something most of us would prefer to avoid. Writing tenders and proposals takes a lot of time and effort. I’ve written 100s of tenders and proposals for professional services firms and services businesses. People tend to make the same mistakes. Here are the most common ones: Mistake number 1: Forgetting to answer the questions It might sound obvious – but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t answer the questions!…

10 Top Tender and Proposal Mistakes – How to Avoid Them was last modified on January 15th, 2016 by Proof Communications Team

The Most Costly Typos in the World

November 22, 2015

Writing tips

A couple of years ago, I was proofreading an annual report for one of the Big 4 banks, only to find the word ‘divided’ had been used a few times instead of ‘dividend’ – a pretty significant typo for a publically listed financial institution. Whilst this mistake was easily remedied, typos can cost companies lots of money—up to millions of dollars. Here are some examples. Car dealership loses US$50 million (or $250,000 in Walmart gift cards). In 2007, in Roswell,…

The Most Costly Typos in the World was last modified on November 22nd, 2015 by Proof Communications Team

EoI RoI RFT – What Does It All Mean?

November 22, 2015

Preparation guides

If you are new to writing tenders, you’ll be bamboozled by all the abbreviations: RoI, EoI and RFT. What do they all mean, and how do you respond to each of them? Very large tenders involve a number of stages, but most involve only stage three listed below – the RFT. For those times where you are faced with the full evaluation process, each stage will require a different type of submission. The stages are: 1. RoI – Registration of…

EoI RoI RFT – What Does It All Mean? was last modified on November 22nd, 2015 by Proof Communications Team

Top 10 Tips for writing Tenders and Proposals

November 22, 2015

Tender writing tips, Writing tips

Yukk. Tenders and proposals. If we’re honest, tender writing or proposal writing is something most businesses would prefer to avoid. Writing a tender or a proposal takes a lot of time and effort. That’s why getting help is worthwhile. I’ve written literally hundreds of tenders and proposals for businesses pitching to public and private companies and government organisations. Despite the hopes of many businesses, especially professional services firms, tendering hasn’t yet gone out of fashion. If you’re challenged by a…

Top 10 Tips for writing Tenders and Proposals was last modified on February 18th, 2016 by Proof Communications Team