Nervous? Me neither.
How to hide
the wobbles in your writing.
- Tamsin Windsor
You founded your own business. You believe in it. And you know it inside out. But, when it comes to putting this passion into words, you feel a dip in confidence. Suddenly, telling your story, or selling a new product, becomes a lot more difficult than it should be.
There are many ways your insecurities can manifest in your brand writing, - any of the below sound familiar? But just as there are tricks for masking your nerves in front of the camera, there are ways to conceal the insecurities behind your copy too. The writer’s equivalent of speaking slowly, making eye contact and not fidgeting.
“What this? It’s just a little product thing I made, no biggie.”
You are a fully-fledged grown-up. And what you offer is valuable and important. Sound ridiculous? It’s amazing how many people need to hear this at times - me included. Be proud of what you have made and tell the world in a solid, no-fidgeting way that you offer quality. If your brand tone is professional, wise or nurturing, fight the urge to be flippant or minimise what you do. Speak with pride and conviction and no one will question you.
“When I was 3 and a half, actually I might have been 4 and a half, I had a dream that I was going to start my own small business…”
Okay, don’t get me wrong, I really, really love a backstory. It made you who you are and it’s so important to share that with your consumers. But long-winded explanations of how you came to be are rarely read by your busy and easily distracted target audience. Reread your longest pieces of brand writing and try to edit away at least a third of your text. Fight the urge to over-explain. Stay single-minded and hone-in on moments and insights that make you feel something.
“Level-up with this hyper-relevant, cutting-edge innovation “
Anyone actually know what that means?
The beauty of a small business is the personal connection. The knowledge that there is a real person behind the branding, who loves what they are selling and loves you for buying it. You don’t need to sound like ‘a brand’ to sound professional. In fact, when I write for small organisation, I work extra hard to ensure the true personality and charm of the founder shines through. You have it in bucket-loads. Don’t feel you need to hide behind marketing jargon.
“You need this! Get it NOW!”
It’s hard to attract customers. And even harder to convert those customers into sales. You can’t help thinking that they must be missing how great your product is and how much value you can bring to their lives. And sometimes this frantic, fearful need to drive urgency can come across in your writing, Unfortunately, a lack of charm can also cheapen your product, it’s always worth spending a little time giving your language some love.
“A truly exquisite product for all you awesome young peeps”
Okay, a slight exaggeration. But if you feel a constant need to switch up your tone and change your marketing, it might be down to a lack of confidence rather than a need to fix what you have. It might take time for your message to reach the people who need to see it. But this process doesn’t mean that what you are doing isn’t working. And remember, there is a lot to be said for consistency. By the time you are completely bored of your logo or brand message, your consumers are only just starting to recognise it. Hang in there. Find your brand positioning and stick to it.