Marketing writing tips: five mistakes to avoid (quick lesson)

Have you ever considered how valuable a word can be? Big business has, relying on well-crafted marketing messages to drive sales. While it's impossible to calculate how much revenue a slogan like Nike's Just Do It has generated, those three little words are probably worth billions apiece. And it all started with a blank page and a good idea.

Nike isn't alone. Any business, large or small, needs effective marketing copy to create customers and sales. Traditionally, businesses have hired experts to help them spread the word. Luckily, the growth of technology and the rise of the well-rounded entrepreneur have changed this. Many businesses now choose to tap into their own experience and passion to help create solid, effective marketing campaigns. After all, who is better qualified to talk about their business and the value it delivers to customers?

Unfortunately, marketing efforts often collapse under the weight of too many confusing words with no real coherent message. The reader remains disengaged, inactive and no closer to completing a sale. This quick lesson is designed to help you identify and avoiding five very common mistakes that can render marketing writing useless. Here are the common marketing writing mistakes we'll address:

1. Writing headlines that fail to lead
2. Taking the wrong tone
3. Creating content without focus
4. Using too many words, too few details
5. Failing to include a clear call to action

As we move through the five bad writing habits, you'll learn by example as a fictitious business, SmarterData Technology Solutions, plans and produces marketing copy that demonstrates their knowledge of customer needs and their ability to meet them.

Here's a little background on SmarterData. For their first 15 years in Center City, SmarterData faced no competition. But as the area grew, so did the number of firms offering similar services. SmarterData decided to aggressively market themselves to local businesses to help secure a larger share of the market. As you read through the SmarterData examples, focus on how each principle or change applies to your own marketing needs.