BusinessWritingZone.com Tips Summary

Strategic business writing can be your most cost-effective marketing tool - online, on
paper, or digital. We've also included some small business marketing articles to help you
jump start your new business - or build on your existing one... read more

Checking Out the Competition

To succeed in business, you've got to know what your competition is up to. It's always
been true, but never more so than in today's highly competitive business environment.

If you're just starting a business, you need to find out whether there's room for you to
be successful - and what niche is open to you. If you're building a business, you've got
to know what you're up against...  read more

Generational Marketing

You know about market segmentation. You know how to target your prospective buyers demographically (i.e., by age, gender, economic status, education) and psychographically
(how they see themselves, how they want you to see them, desired life style, values).
Now it's time to think generationally... read more

Getting the Most Out of Your Marketing Materials

If you haven't reviewed your promotional materials for a while, now is a good time to do so.

But before you begin, let's add a penny-pinching note of realistic caution here: If the only
thing wrong with your material is that you're getting tired of using the same brochure,
letterhead, or ad, you cannot justify dumping it, and starting over - certainly not if you're
a savvy penny-pinching marketer... read more

Trends to Watch For

A few years ago now, when I asked economic futurist Harry S. Dent, Jr. what he saw as
the major marketing trends for home-based and small business people in the next few years,
he noted three: (1) finer niching; (2) leveraging off information technology; and (3) going
direct to the customer. It seems he was right. Here's what he had to say... read more

Penny-Pinching Marketing Techniques

Simply put, the idea behind Penny-Pinching Marketing is to help you spend less and sell more.

Penny-Pinching Marketing starts with a plan. Determine what kind of business you'll have;
how it will be structured; what its products or services will be; how they will be packaged
and priced; how they will be promoted; and through what channels they will be sold. When
you have your plan and refer to it frequently, you'll need to develop what I like to call your
Penny-Pinching Marketing Starter Kit. Your Starter Kit will take care of most of your
marketing needs for about the first year... read more

Strategic Business Writing: A Powerful, Cost-Effective Marketing Tool

Strategic business writing - writing that gets results - can be an extremely powerful,
cost-effective marketing tool. Even an ordinary email, memo, letter, report, or proposal
has the potential for financial payback, as well as the less tangible results brought about
by clarity and directness. Be clear about what the piece is to accomplish. Focus on the
reader's needs, wants, and desires. Select content based on his or her need for, and
use of, your information, and stay focused on your purpose for writing... read more

To get your Email Read, Start with a Strong Subject Line

Email is opened and read immediately based on two criteria: (1) who sent it; or (2) what
it’s about. There may not be much you and I can do about being who we are, rather than
the boss, the most important client, or the head of the company, but we can create subject
lines strong enough to move that email up in the reader’s priorities. Simple and short: 50
characters at most. Respect the reader’s time. Consider the corporate culture. Build a
positive relationship over time. Consistently deliver what you promise... read more