Stop Coming Up in the Keyword Search Under Boring

Poor writing can be compared to a sundae with no fudge, a sugar free soda or a carnival without cotton candy! No matter how much information you put into the writing, if it's missing something, the exciting sugar rush just isn't there! Have you ever read a company's website, blog, social networking sites or email and asked yourself, "Who wrote this mumbo jumbo?" Unfortunately, that question is asked all too often when it comes to reading information on company sites. Being boring in your writing will make readers nod off and eventually click away. When thinking of business writing, you think of it to be bad, boring, and barely able to keep one's attention. Don't be compared to that 3-hr plants and society lecture from college that only keeps people awake because of the cold air conditioner, so be that 3-hr Ethics class that keeps people asking questions and eager to prolong discussion. A company's product descriptions, history, personality profile and website information are all vital when being judged of their written qualities.Those written pieces are a company's birth certificate, their social security card, if they aren't there and aren't good identifiers of the company, then you might as well not exist because no one will know you!  If a company can't keep the attention of the average individual to promote themselves, how would they ever make a profit from their products and/or services.

If the Wrong-Way Sign is Dead Smack in Middle of the Street, Turn Around:

It is absolutely astonishing to think about how many companies like to play, "Duck, Duck, Goose," with keywords and descriptions of their companies. Use Google search results as an example. Say for instance you want to search specific keywords to describe your company, but instead of being unique and out of the ordinary, the company chooses to follow keywords used by other businesses like theirs. Companies aren't born with twins and don't want to have a twin; why go through the hours of agony, turmoil, and double-trouble, trying to eradicate your personal identity, when the company could have done that from the beginning by being unique? Descriptions like, "Provider of value-added services," brings in over 600,000 search results. "Cost effective end-to-end solutions," comes up within 95,000 search results and, "Full-service solutions provider," shows over 47,000 results. Who's going to find your company in the midst of the thousands that show up? Maybe a psychic who sees the vision of the company wanting to be found, but not the average consumer. That's no way to brand the company!

Give that State of the Union Address You Dreamed About as a Kid:

A company has to stand out, like the Statue of Liberty! Remember to think outside of the box, like Jack, and be creative like Jerry's plan to always get back at Tom. Just because it's a company doesn't mean it can't have fun, use cool statements, and make readers laugh. When the company writes a written piece, ask yourself, "Are these words strong enough?" Take Saddleback Leather Co. for example, their slogan is, "They'll Fight Over It When You're Dead." This comes from the company's lifetime guarantee to always exchange or give you your money back whether you're dead or alive because their products are so well crafted, 'your ancestors will want the leftover leather handbag!' That slogan and meaning adds extra icing on the cake, and unlimited sprinkles that glitter. What consumer wouldn't want to do business with that company. Or check out Dilly Beans. Their slogan is, "If your friendly neighborhood grocer doesn't have a jar - knock something off a shelf on the way out!" Some people may find this slogan offensive and mean but to others it may come across as hilarious, which is the ultimate purpose of the line. The company isn't telling the consumer to be angry and destroy a store, they're telling them to look for their product because it's so good, it should be in every store.

Saddleback Leather Co. Website, Check out their slogan

When you present your company in the same manner as other companies you are informing consumers that you are in fact, just the same as the competition and that there is no particular reason for them to buy from your specific company. Don't give confuse consumers with the same options, give them your unique option. Care about the ways in which you describe the company and its products. Remember first impressions to consumers are made through company websites, sales materials, emails, and other promotional materials. Communicate through the written piece with eye-popping content, not just the boring jargon you see everywhere else and you may find success where it hasn't been before.