copywriting | Proof Communications

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

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink – how to gently push your customers in the right direction

July 13, 2017

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

‘Nudging’ is the runaway winner in the ‘how can I get my customers to change their behaviour?’ stakes. SMH writer Matt Wade reports that it was the Brits who first came up with the idea of creating governmental behavioural insight units aimed at improving the effectiveness of their public services. In essence, they use simple psychology when contacting clients to change their behaviour. The NSW Government caught on pretty quickly, establishing its own unit which is generating savings in costs…

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink – how to gently push your customers in the right direction was last modified on July 13th, 2017 by Proof Communications Author

Make video marketing work for your business

July 4, 2017

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

Look at forecasts for marketing trends for the next twelve months and it’s a safe bet that video content is in the top five. Tim Asimos from Circle S Studio sums up video’s success: “Video – done well – is engaging and generates ROI, with four times as many consumers preferring digestible video content over text.” Asimos believes that the increasing number of live streaming tools is a huge boon for forward thinking marketers, opening up “virtually endless possibilities for…

Make video marketing work for your business was last modified on July 4th, 2017 by Proof Communications Author

Words to avoid in your B2B writing

June 8, 2017

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

Here are some suggestions for words to avoid in in your B2B writing. Personal judgement words. It’s common to see a business describe itself as the’ best’ or as the ‘leading’ in its field. Unless, you have independent evidence to prove your business really is the best, avoid judgement words. For example, it’s just not credible to say: “We are the leading law firm…” It is better to say: “Five of Australia’s top 10 listed businesses choose our legal advice.”…

Words to avoid in your B2B writing was last modified on June 25th, 2017 by Proof Communications Author

How to generate more Ideas for your business blog

May 31, 2017

B2B documents, Blogs, copywriting, Editing, How to win business, Preparation guides, Writing tips

That business blog you started recently is no doubt coming on a treat. However, even the most ardent blogger can find it challenging at times to come up with new topics. Check out these great ideas for some inspiration. Has your company just won an award? Why did you enter and how will winning help your customers? What’s a typical problem that your target customer has? Outline your best solution. What other industry blogs do you read regularly? Share your…

How to generate more Ideas for your business blog was last modified on June 25th, 2017 by Proof Communications Author

Telstra Business Women’s Award: winning tips from a Telstra Business Award winner

May 8, 2017

Award Entries, Business Awards, copywriting, Editing, How to win business, Proofreading tips

The announcement of Artlivemedia as winners of the prestigious 2016 Telstra New Business Award (Victoria) is glowing testament to this dynamic digital agency’s runaway success after a mere 18 months in operation. Founder and CEO Michelle Bourke believes that recognising when you need to bring in the professionals was a major contributing factor in creating a winning award entry. “When you’re writing about your own company, it can be difficult to gain perspective. I had the internal knowledge, but to…

Telstra Business Women’s Award: winning tips from a Telstra Business Award winner was last modified on July 10th, 2017 by Proof Communications Author

Prepare for Victory: How to write Winning Government Tenders

April 6, 2017

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

There are two areas in which SMEs tend to fall down when it comes to tendering for a government contract. The good news is, they’re readily fixable. Capability statement These are increasingly being asked for as one of the standard requirements for government projects at all levels. This valuable document needs to encapsulate five key areas about your business. Core competencies – Short statements relating your company’s key skills to the specific needs of the government tender. This is not the place to…

Prepare for Victory: How to write Winning Government Tenders was last modified on August 28th, 2018 by Proof Communications Author

Could a comma cost you $10M?

March 29, 2017

copywriting, Grammar tips, Proofreading tips, Typos, Writing tips

If you think that “never underestimate the importance of a comma” sounds like an exercise in uber-pedantry, then just ask the US dairy company now facing an overtime bill of approximately $10M about their recent experience. And it’s all because of one of those innocuous-looking little black squiggles known as the Oxford comma. Rarely used in the UK or Australia, but widely used in the US, an Oxford comma is used after the penultimate item in a list of three…

Could a comma cost you $10M? was last modified on June 25th, 2017 by Proof Communications Author