With electioneering well and truly underway, it is timely to remember that while politicians seem to feel obliged to put as much spin on their ‘product’ as possible, for the ‘ordinary’ business person it is wiser to be more transparent.
For example, when politicians talk about ‘efficiency savings’ we all know they mean ‘cuts’. When Cabinet Secretary Sir Robert Armstrong famously said he was being “economical with the truth” we knew he was hiding something.
If businesses are similarly vague, then their clients and potential customers won’t understand what they offer and are less likely to buy.
This is especially true of website writing; the lesson is always to keep language simple, clear and concise.
So try not to write about “our value proposition” but instead write ”we offer value-for-money”. Avoid long sentences like “alternatively if you have a training requirement that needs to be sourced”. Simply write: “Can’t find the training course you are looking for?”
Words like ‘solutions’, or ‘proposition’ are business jargon. Why write “we offer financial solutions” when you can say far more clearly “we’ll help sort out your finances”?
When copywriting a website, try to write how you speak. Would you say “my proposition is a strong focus on training solutions…”? It’s unlikely. You would probably say “We offer top quality training courses”.
Your website is your shop - show people what you are selling, tell them how to buy it and give some indication as to cost.
At Word Worker we are happy to give you advice on writing your website. Contact us on 01666 861149.