Three Essentials of Freelance Technical Writing

Business technical writing is a growing field these days, because the Internet has made experts of anyone with a computer.  Complicated aspects of a product or service that could have been avoided in promotional material only a few years ago almost have to be explained now, because the competition is doing so.  

Freelance technical writers have to consider three aspects of a technical writing job.  As always, accurate audience evaluation is required to make proper use of the following thee considerations:

1. What the audience already knows - or thinks they know.  The latter is a very important distinction.
2. What the audience requires to comprehend the material or make a favorable decision.
3. The lowest reading and comprehension level of audience members.  This is sometimes known as the “lowest common denominator.”

Technical communication is everywhere today, but so much of it is substandard because the three above factors aren’t considered.  The most blatant examples include the documentation that comes with computer software and hardware.  An entire segment of publishing is dedicated to explaining software that developers never bothered to do well.  Help centers would likely cut their call volume by 30 percent or more if the computer manufacturer invested in professional technical writers. Read more …

Making the Pieces Fit

Integrated strategic marketing is by far the most effective marketing methodology available today.  While most people can discuss the matter in theory, it’s an entirely different thing to implement the concept as effectively as companies such as QVC have managed to do.

Not every company requires every step of the strategic marketing approach, however every company must use the same disciplined and methodical tactics in order to succeed.  Marketing communications is an orderly process in which the consumer is repeatedly imbued with a consistent set of value statements.

I’ve written a white paper about the most important steps to consider when embarking on an integrated strategic marketing effort.  Download the paper here.  I welcome questions and comments.

Pulling the Pieces Together

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an exceptionally important aspect of websites these days, but all too often it’s not done well.  Too much emphasis on Google AdWords is common and the resulting key phrases are frequently so generic that they do little to distinguish your website from millions of others. 

I’ve recently acquired search engine optimization software that finds key words and phrases from a variety of sources and ranks them according the number of sites already indexed for the words in addition to other measures.  The result is a set of expressions that attract the maximum number of visitors by exploiting weaknesses in the competition. 

For example, a financial planning firm must have the expression “financial planner” on their website, but thousands upon thousands of other sites are already indexed for the term which means ranking will suffer.  While it’s true that millions of people may use the phrase in their searches, the sheer number of other sites citing the term makes the likelihood of a strong ranking almost non-existent.  A high number of searches doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good term to use. Read more …

Damages Brand, Undermines Credibility 

In a rare misstep, the Obama communications team declared open warfare with news giant Fox on October 11.  The move had little benefit for the White House and plenty of downside.

Calling the Fox network ” … either the research arm or communications arm of the Republican party,” may have some merit and garner support in the Democratic Party, but it’s the type of encompassing statement that can be easily undermined.  Worst of all, the move to exclude Fox from major communications efforts severely harms the president’s carefully crafted brand of openness, inclusion and dialogue. 

It’s a classic case of scoring short-term public relations points at the expense of well-established and successful marketing.

First, let’s examine the universal nature of the charge that Fox News is a puppet of the Republicans.  This statement is far too general and is now being picked apart.  While it’s fair game to specifically name opinion shows like the Hannity’s America or the Glen Beck show, it’s a mistake to apply the label globally, because Fox will and is finding it easy to refute with many examples of fair reporting.  The statement essentially undermines itself and all who support it.  Read more …

A curious characteristic of humanity is the predilection to become less patient as life gets more convenient. That tendency means your website has to immediately capture audience attention.

The average visitor will only scan an unknown website for 10 seconds or less.  That’s how long you have to spell out a benefit the visitor wants or needs.  It’s equally important to realize the rule applies to every page on the site, because visitors don’t always come in the front door.  The above factors make the presence of a marketing communications professional an indispensable asset for a web development team.

As a former Webby Award reviewer, I know the vast majority of sites don’t communicate a value statement for the prospective customer within the allotted time.  Worse yet, some never get to the point at all.  The primary reason for this sad state of affairs is the absence of experienced writers with marketing communications expertise.

The majority of a website’s communicative value is in the written word, but for some inexplicable reason, the technological generation has overlooked the importance of using it to capture audience attention.  The implicit assumption seems to be that the medium itself is sufficient to make people read the content, but the statistics do not bear out that hypothesis.   Read more …

Surprising Numbers Do Not

Whenever I first meet a client, I ask them what they sell.  The answer is almost always expressed in terms of features, but that’s not why people buy.  Therefore, it’s not what they’re selling.

A feature is only relevant when it satisfies a need or desire.  The fulfillment of the customer’s needs and desires is the essence of the marketing process.  Moreover, people don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy.  All we have to do is figure out what the customer is really buying.  Unfortunately, that’s not always a straightforward process.

One client told me over and over again that his was a “boutique agency,” and I kept asking him, “Why does that matter?  How does that benefit your customer?”  It took a remarkable amount of time to get an answer to my question.  It turned out that “boutique agency” really meant personal attention to every account and frequent information updates that his competition doesn’t provide.  Those are real benefits.  That’s the “WIIFM” - an acronym standing for “What’s in it for me?” Read more …

We, the people of the United States of America, have long suffered the expense, damage and physical harm from activities detrimental to our common environment and life itself.  Our country and people have now been pushed to a precipice of profound historical import that will determine the future growth and development of all humankind.  The continued indifference to the people’s full interest with regard to the environment upon which all lives depend is politically unacceptable and biologically untenable as a nation and a world. 

The government of the United States was founded upon the principle that all humanity has inherent rights as living and equal beings.  We, the undersigned, assert that our inborn rights extend to the commonly shared environment upon which all life draws sustenance for survival and health.  Moreover, we declare the natural resources of our country to be the province of the people.

Our age has witnessed and tolerated an assault on nature to the extent that the lives, property and health of the people are imperiled. 

We therefore demand in the name of the people and generations of Americans to come the following inalienable rights be acknowledged and enforced: 

The Right to Clean Air 

The unaffected state of the world’s atmosphere enabled all life on the planet to arise and flourish.  The prerequisite dependence of all land-based life upon clean air for sustenance makes an atmosphere free of corruption an absolute right of survival and healthy development. 

Numerous chemicals, radioactive isotopes, carbon, heavy metals, and other non-natural elements have been introduced into our common environment, which has caused lung disease, poisoned our food supply, affected the planet’s climate and upset the delicate balance of numerous natural systems.  We hold that the continued violation of this resource is an infringement upon the rights the people of the United States and all other life forms.   

The Right to Clean Water

Water is the primary requirement for life to exist anywhere in our world and universe.  Water’s unique and well-documented capacity to birth life of infinite form and variety makes it a miraculous and indispensable asset of our planet.  Since the dawn of time, the quality of water has always been life-giving when left to its essential state of existence.  Furthermore, humankind must have sufficient supply of potable water as a requirement for continued existence, which therefore makes clean water a natural right of all citizens and life forms.

The planet’s water systems have had aberrant elements introduced to them, and the life forms within the water have been killed and mutated.  Human beings who ingest either the corrupted water or food from those systems are likewise susceptible to painful and debilitating health problems, genetic mutation or death.  Therefore those who alter the balanced and unspoiled state of water, or who directly and artificially reduce or diminish natural clean water levels to the point of doing harm in a country, county or province, trod on the rights of all who depend upon the water. 

The Right to Healthy Food

Humankind has cultivated crops, fished the seas and raised livestock for at least 10,000 years to acquire the necessary nutrients to sustain life and to properly develop the internal bodily systems required for a life free of disease and pain.  The human body must ingest organic material for its energy and nutritional value.  Since all life forms depend upon the environment for their growth, any pollution of the biosystem must and does get deposited within the human being.  Humanity is intrinsically deserving of food that has full value and is free of contamination. 

Pesticides, growth hormones, water pollution, air contaminants and artificial genetic modifications have been introduced into the food supply without a full understanding of the effect on the living.  At the very least, the nutritional value of modified foods is reduced, and in many cases the corruption may cause illness or death.  The extent of tampering with natural systems extends from the unintended consequence of burning coal that deposits mercury and arsenic in fish to the deliberate genetic mutation of crops.  The former makes large fish such as tuna unsafe to eat more than twice a week and the latter may severely lower the nutrients in food even as it increases the volume of supply.

Any method of tampering with the food supply that causes harm or death, either directly or indirectly, is a violation of the right to healthy food.  Read more …

Ask the Right Questions

One of the most frustrating parts of being a professional writer is that most believe the entirety of the profession is about words.  Worse yet, the stated requirements for many jobs are so basic that they do little or nothing to discern professionals from amateurs.  This article will help managers and hiring personnel make better choices by enabling them to ask the right questions.

While it’s true writers have a command of the English language and a variety of styles, these factors are not where the value of a writer is found.  There are subtle techniques at the sentence and paragraph level, but the four most important skills for professional writers are rhetorical strategy, audience analysis, research ability and knowledge of the genre. 

Any writer who has any expectation of being paid knows things like AP or Chicago style, is concise and knows how to spell.  Yet, most people’s expectations include those non-discerning criteria that almost guarantee a poor outcome. 

Writers are supposed to make your argument, describe your product/service/company with clarity and distinction and meet the needs of your audience.  This is the profession of writing - not the stylebook alone.  Read more …

A Cup of Coffee and a Slice of Philadelphia 

An exterior view of Philadelphia Java Company.

Office drudgery can stymie a writer’s creativity, so finding a place that inspires, intrigues and has enough refinement to satisfy a selective disposition is a treasure.  That’s why Philadelphia Java Company on 4^th Street just above South is one of my favorite places to refresh and rejuvenate.

Philadelphia Java has struck the perfect balance of atmosphere, quality and congeniality.  Visitors can count on an excellent cup of coffee, great food, interesting conversation and a genuine slice of Philadelphia life.  It’s an experience.

From the original artwork on the walls to the fresh-cut flowers, visitors are immersed in attention to detail that’s always comforting to find in a food establishment.  This isn’t cookie-cutter product marketing; it’s manifest hospitality providing a sense of welcome and warmth rarely found in our retail chain world. Read more …

A Look at the Former Governor’s Options

Sarah Palin’s resignation speech unwittingly painted her into a corner that now threatens her future.  The former Alaska governor needs serious professional public relations advice whether she knows it or not.  She set a contextual expectation that’s almost impossible to meet.

Palin resigned with the stated aim to do more for Alaska from outside the governor’s office.  Failure to do so will almost certainly end her career in public life, because she set a standard that directly reflects on her credibility and intelligence.

It’s well known she has a multi-million dollar book deal.  That arrangement was made prior to her resignation and therefore is of little consequence from a PR perspective.  Everything she does after the book publishes will be measured against her stated objective of being more effective for her state.  That’s a very tall order.

Palin’s options include:

Media Personality - It would be wonderfully ironic for a person who has so vehemently decried the media to become a member of the same troupe.  It could be spun to argue she’s improving the quality of public discourse, but that has no direct impact on Alaska or the voters who trusted that she’d finish her term.  It would have a significant effect on her income however.  Many Palin detractors will probably prefer this choice, because the resulting discredit would badly damage her value as a political force. Read more …