by Inge Fuglestved
This is a bit of a warning. We recently saw the movie What Just Happened and I was inspired to comment on it. I found it a pretty self-indulgent film, full of inside jokes and self-importance — just like a poorly communicating organisation that loves talking in ‘execubabble’.
In fact, I looked up ‘execubabble’ and this is one definition:
Execubabble – Verbal executive communication in broad, vague terms that rise above normal speak. Characterised by an excessive use of executive words such as robust, paradigm, and drill down. Those on the receiving end of execubabble are no better informed after the speech than when it began.
Question: “How is the company doing?
Answer: “We are entering a quarter in which we expect robust growth. Paradigms are shifting, but the team has drilled down to the heart of the challenge.”
This is a pretty mild example, but you get my drift. It’s silly. It makes you hard to understand. And your customers don’t like it, so my advice is: don’t use this kind of language in your ads or on your website unless you want people to turn off.
And if you have a copywriter writing that sort of tripe then give us a call.
by Inge Fuglestved
Is that not the same thing, you ask? Ah, therein lies the crux of many a debate, but today the answer would increasingly be ‘no’. There was a time, not very long ago either, when grammar and ‘correct’ writing were key criteria for good copy. I’m reminded of this because the writer’s bible The Elements of Style is now 50 years old. The authors, Strunk and White, came up with a simple set of rules for the use of language and how to express yourself well in writing, all in less than 100 pages.
What has changed since then is that informal grammar has become acceptable and writing more colloquial in style. Such as starting a sentence with And or creating sentences without regard to noun, verb and object being present. And doesn’t it help make the copy flow? Easier to read. More like spoken language.
Today, the key rules for written communication are:
- simplicity (people don’t have a lot of time to read),
- relevance (talk to your readers’ needs) and
- interest (try to be engaging).
But it’s still important to know the rules because it helps you communicate better. As the great author, Dorothy Parker, said: “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second-greatest favour you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”
by John Holman
Over the years I’ve read a lot about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) — not such a boring subject when you consider writing B2B content is a big hunk of our business. Anyway, reading these often lengthy posts outlining this and that must, it always amazes me how complex many of the so called SEO experts seem to make it.
In our opinion there is only one rule you need to consider for any content, anywhere, in any medium: content is king, so make it great. Ensuring content is relevant and interesting is not simply an SEO mantra, it’s the mantra for any good B2B or consumer-focused copywriting. Forget it at your peril.
To expand, all effective SEO means is:
- Establishing (and understanding) the purpose of your website —
its reason for being.
- Understanding your target market and their needs
- Writing relevant, interesting (and frequent) content.
Big or small, fast or slow, B2B or consumer, it really doesn’t matter what kind or size of organisation you are or what sort of business you’re in, ‘content is king’ is all you need to remember. SEO is really as simple as that — well, pretty much (grin).
