Author: sarahkingsleylondon

My top five writing tips for business

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Nearly everyone can write. But to write well – that’s a different story. Forget what you learnt at school. Ok, not everything, but some of the rules can be bent a little and even broken at times. You can start a sentence with and, but and ok. Not every sentence, obviously. And, when writing for business, you don’t have to write a lot to make your point. Skip to the good bit.

1. Know your audience.

2. Go easy on adjectives unless you are writing a love poem.

3. Be active. The past has passed. Write in the here and now as much as possible.

4. Ditch the jargon. You want your writing to be inclusive.

5. Keep it simple. It’s as simple as that.

Does my business need social media?

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I often get asked whether social media provides any tangible business benefits. Sure, if your company sells products aimed at teenagers and younger people the benefits are more obvious, but for many businesses social media is regarded as the modern version of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.

Certainly, many companies view Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ as ‘low influence’ channels within their marketing strategy. Research also reveals that around 50% of decision makers don’t use social media at all. But it’s important to remember that most under-40s do use social media and in a few years many of them will become the decision makers, if they aren’t already. Today, if a business doesn’t have a website it doesn’t create the best first impression, especially if customers/clients are trying to find out information or make contact. Likewise, companies who don’t use social media can be perceived as dated, out-of-touch and, at the very least, not very social.

Strong brand awareness is vital for most businesses. Clearly, there is not much point having a company full of talented people and amazing products and services if nobody else knows about it. Social media is an inexpensive and immediate way to spread the word. For businesses with a healthy marketing budget, it is worth employing a social media agency to set up and run a Twitter profile, a Facebook page, an Instagram account, YouTube videos and other relevant social media accounts, as well as writing regular blogs to keep your website fresh and up-to-date. At the very least, this will boost your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and help your business appear and stay on the first page of a Google search.

Many small companies try to run their own Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts but be aware that this takes dedication and time. Social media by its very nature is social and immediate. Even if you don’t have the budget to employ an agency, make sure you either devote enough time to it yourself or use the services of a freelance consultant.

Of course, you may decide that social media isn’t necessary for your business right now. But keep an eye on your competitors and remember, email was the new kid on the block once upon a time…

Here are links to articles which outline the pros and cons of social media in more detail:

International Business Hub – Top 10 benefits of social media

The Independent – Is Social Media Important for Big Brands? (The answer may surprise you).

The Telegraph – Do I need social media to promote my business? Although this is a sponsored blog it offers sensible advice as to whether you need to promote your business via social media.

Five Fast Fs For Focus

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I’m not usually one for gimmicks but with so many distractions luring us away from the task in hand, I decided to pass on some quick tips on how to focus fast. Conveniently, they all start with the letter F…

Focus at Work
  1. Find somewhere quiet with no distractions. If your office is noisy, either find a quiet area/meeting room or put on headphones and listen to background music. You’ll find people are less inclined to disturb you too. Here’s a link to an article on the best music to listen to when working. But don’t get too distracted…
  2. Food and drink: if you’re hungry, you’re more likely to focus on your rumbling stomach than the work in front of you. Conversely, if you’ve just eaten a three course lunch you’ll probably be headbutting your desk before long. Aim for something in between.
  3. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email, phone – log out/switch off all distractions and don’t even think about checking your emails before you start.
  4. Five minutes planning is essential for productive working. Believe me, the back to school approach really does work and saves time in the long run.
  5. Finally, forget about everything else apart from the task in hand and just do it!

These are a few of my favourite words

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I recently asked a group of family and friends for their favourite words. Some chose less common words:  discombobulate, cacophony, antidisestablishmentarianism (not surprisingly one of the longest in the English dictionary) and serendipity. Others mentioned words which sound amusing such as hippopotamus, kerfuffle, higgledy-piggledy and hullabaloo.

I like onomatopoeic (there’s another) words – ones which sound like their definition such as whisper or crash – although I don’t often use them in my business writing. Whistle, tremble, rustle, flutter, flounce, huddle, clatter, swoop… There are so many. In fact, there are more English words than most other languages so it can take a lifetime to fully appreciate the nuances within the language.

Just think how many words we have to describe the weather.  Foggy, misty, dank, smoggy, gloomy, dreary, murky, hazy, stifling, sweltering, scorching, sultry, muggy, humid – no wonder it’s our most popular topic of conversation. Or perhaps it’s because Britain has such varied weather that we need so many words to describe it?

If you also have a fascination with words, take a look at these articles on The Guardian and BBC websites for more favourites.