copywriting | Proof Communications

Headline grabbing?

July 17, 2018

B2B documents, Blogs, copywriting, How to win business, Writing tips

So, you’ve just came up with a great idea for an article for your website or blog and you’re convinced everyone is going to love it. Thing is, you can’t think of a good title or headline to grab your readers’ attention. So, where can you go for inspiration? According to Dave Navarro in his article The 10 Essential Ingredients of Successful Sales Pages, you’re making life harder than necessary if you’re not cultivating what he refers to as a…

Headline grabbing? was last modified on July 25th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

Me, myself and I: The biggest mistake in marketing communications.

February 20, 2018

B2B documents, copywriting, How to win business, Writing tips

I, me, moi! Eavesdrop on any Gen-Y conversation and you’ll be in no doubt: we live in the ‘me’ age. Facebook updates, tweets and blogs – there is a whole generation out there ready to share the minutia of their lives with the entire world. The tyranny of ‘we’ But, at Proof Communications, we think much of the business community is living in the ‘we’ age. Desperate to talk about their size, reach, depth, experience, qualifications and overall fabulousness, many…

Me, myself and I: The biggest mistake in marketing communications. was last modified on February 20th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

Is it worth hiring an award writer?

February 12, 2018

Award Entries, B2B documents, Business Awards, copywriting, How to win business, Writing tips

The boost that comes from winning a business accolade – be it a major national competition or a smaller local or industry award – can be enormously beneficial to you, your employees, and the business you’ve worked so hard to build. Your clients love it when you win because it vindicates their decision to choose your product or service. And potential clients are far more likely to become bona fide customers once your bright and shiny award win is unashamedly…

Is it worth hiring an award writer? was last modified on February 12th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

Stay ahead of the game: know your market and your competitors

February 1, 2018

B2B documents, copywriting, How to win business, Uncategorised, Writing tips

As a small business owner, it’s only natural that you’ll want to channel all your energies into growing your business. But whilst you’re busy beavering away, you can reduce risk by taking care to keep a weather eye on what your competitors are up to. Regularly conducting a spot of market research will mean you can prepare for industry changes and ensure your business doesn’t get left behind. Collecting ‘market intel’, as its known, involves gathering and analysing information about…

Stay ahead of the game: know your market and your competitors was last modified on February 1st, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

How to avoid shift happening in 2018

January 24, 2018

B2B documents, copywriting, Writing tips

If your paradigm hasn’t shifted in recent times, then 2018 really is the year to let it go. That’s because there’s nothing quite like continuing to use outdated corporate jargon to set your employees’ teeth on edge, according to a recent survey conducted by job site, Glassdoor. The Telegraph’s Sophie Christie wrote an article in December 2017 reporting that more than 2000 workers happily gave Glassdoor their two cents worth regarding phrases that drove them crazy. Coming in at number…

How to avoid shift happening in 2018 was last modified on January 25th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

Why it’s important to create an organisation Style Guide

December 1, 2017

B2B documents, copywriting, Grammar tips, Preparation guides, Style Guides

Big businesses have in-house style manuals or style guides which set out basic grammar rules and conventions, plus those used specifically by the company. This is so each document put out by the business, including emails, is presented consistently. For instance, every time an employee creates a bullet list, the style guide means, in theory anyway, that they will stick to the company’s convention for bullet points. It could be that semi colons are always used at the end of…

Why it’s important to create an organisation Style Guide was last modified on December 1st, 2017 by Proof Communications Author

Writing proposals: What’s Common Sense isn’t always Common Practice

November 23, 2017

B2B documents, copywriting, How to win business, Tender writing tips, Writing tips

The reason so many proposals and tenders fail to make it past the first cut? The proposal writer confuses activity with preparation. Not understanding the difference between the two can have major implications for your business and directly impact your chances of winning. Poorly thought out and poorly written proposals or tenders are: A sure sign of numerous re-writes, ending in a rush to submit a final document that’s nothing like you wanted it to be. Indicative of many contributors…

Writing proposals: What’s Common Sense isn’t always Common Practice was last modified on August 28th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

How a simple comma could cost you business

October 17, 2017

B2B documents, copywriting, Grammar tips, Proofreading tips, Typos, Writing tips

A misplaced comma can come at an almighty cost. Just ask Oakhurst Dairy in Maine, USA. They’ve recently been embroiled in a landmark court case over their interpretation of a law which excludes overtime pay for companies involved in the ‘…drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of’ certain products. One side argued that ‘packing for shipment or distribution’ was one activity; the other side claimed it was two. And with around $10M at stake if three employees suing…

How a simple comma could cost you business was last modified on August 28th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

How to edit your content and keep your customers

August 23, 2017

B2B documents, copywriting, How to win business, Writing tips

How much information is too much information? Are our efforts to retain customers working or are they actually turning them away? And if they are, how did we get it so wrong? Our big mistake, according to a survey of over 7000 consumers published in the Harvard Business Review, is in thinking that the more we communicate with our customers the more likely they are to be loyal. However, far from making them stay, engaging with them too often has…

How to edit your content and keep your customers was last modified on August 28th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

Is poor spelling ruining your love life?

August 3, 2017

copywriting, Proofreading tips, Punctuation, Typos, Uncategorised, Writing tips

When it comes to finding a partner, some prefer to meet someone the old fashioned way. Through alcohol and poor judgement. For others, online dating sites are the way to go. But it turns out there are things way more unacceptable to potential mates than spurious claims of having actually enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, declaring you’re a “glass half-full kinda guy” or employing the excessive use of LOL. And one of the biggest deal breakers of all? Poor spelling and…

Is poor spelling ruining your love life? was last modified on August 3rd, 2017 by Proof Communications Author