 Fusilli pasta. Under-appreciated. Under-estimated. Often, under-cooked. But if one lesson has emerged from my 2009/2010 festive feasting, it's that there are hidden gems lurking in unexpected places. Below is a list of 10 little-known or frequently overlooked resources, tools or tips which - if used properly - will dramatically enhance your business writing in 2010: 25 Jan 2010 10:28
 So, 2009 is nearly over. Aren't you thrilled? Even if you've had a cracker of a year, it's been a long one, and pretty much everyone is ready for a break. However... since 50% of my training enquiry emails lately have centred on proposals, proposal writing and proposal writing training, I've put together a brief cheat-sheet for you, so that when you go back to work in '10, you'll have the right proposal ammo. 4 Dec 2009 11:00
 One of the big trends in small-to-medium business marketing at the moment is content creation: writing articles, blog posts and newsletter articles on a regular basis and using these to boost website traffic, public interest or even sales. 12 Nov 2009 12:27
 You can't please everyone. At some point on your professional path, you'll do something silly: offend a client, annoy a customer, give shoddy service or even be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And you'll have to apologise. 5 Oct 2009 12:00
 There's a new beast in town. It's short, hairy and smells a bit rancid. It snaps at your ankles and leaves slimy trails on your office floor. It doesn't speak, but rather grunts and grumbles. And just when you think you've shut your door and left it out in the cold, it pops out from behind the dustbin and bears its rotting yellow teeth at you. 28 Jul 2009 11:15
 Suffering from a recession-era retrenchment? Been unceremoniously ousted from your job? Latest casualty of ‘Last In, First Out' syndrome? Massive dent to your ego notwithstanding, a retrenchment can mean huge stress and even family trauma, on top of the urgent need to find yourself another job. A nicer job. A better-paying job. And hopefully, a more ‘you' job. 1 Jun 2009 11:31
 So you're getting traffic, but not converting it into sales. Or, you're not getting traffic. Or, and this is the worst one, you have no idea whether or not your audience knows your website exists. Here, for the non-techies, and for people who are scared of words like SEO, html and metatags, are the first five of 10 easy ways to ensure that your website copy is actually working. 20 Apr 2009 10:40
 How to use simple words and clean phrases in your business writing, so you don't sound like you're trying to mimic a pompous colonialist with top hat, tails and a large marble in each cheek… 10 Mar 2009 08:58
 The last time you wrote a document, didn't it make you mad when - after checks and double-checks - someone pointed out the error you should've spotted before you printed 50 of the bleeding thing? Welcome to the world of what I call ‘Neuro Autocorrect', where your brain fixes your mistakes so you don't see them. Here's how it happens, why it happens, but more important, what you can do about it. 4 Feb 2009 09:28
 To paraphrase the Chinese curse, 2008 was ‘an interesting year' for business in general and for marketers in particular. We ran the gauntlet of swearwords, from Eskom to sub-prime; from inflation through Zuma to cholera. And then we started using the rudest word of all - the ‘R' word - due to impact enormously on how smart businesses talk to their target markets in 2009. 22 Jan 2009 12:47
 In every business writing workshop I run, the delegates cackle like crazy when I use my ‘mini-skirt analogy': make sure your writing is like a mini-skirt - short enough to warrant a glance and tight enough to have an impact. A cheeky picture, yes, but it works. Here's how to mini-skirt your business writing. 27 Nov 2008 09:05
 During a recession, like the one South Africa (and, in fairness, everyone else) is looking at right now, scared businesses tend to cut back on marketing. “After all,” they say, “most clients are becoming more cautious about spending, so let's conserve our resources, wait out the downturn and spend when the economy picks up.” Not true, I'm afraid. 30 Oct 2008 09:00
 As an editor/copywriter, the biggest thorn in my backside is the client who emails an 80-page document with the brief, ‘Please have a look at this.' [I can visualise those of you who share my industry nodding your heads supportively.] So it's time I distinguished between these different skills and the different accompanying costs. Hopefully, this'll serve to a) enlighten the clients out there and b) help my fellow wordsmiths to clarify what clients get in return for what they pay. 17 Oct 2008 09:06
 Okay, okay - it's finally here... Part III in my series on ‘How to become a killer freelancer'. This is the scary bit: the business planning gargoyle that looms over your head; the tax gremlins that keep you awake at night; the BEE hobbits at the bottom of the garden; the time-keeping jungle. So allow me to turn on some lights for you, and let's banish the beasties. 6 Oct 2008 09:30
 Whether you're a) already freelancing and looking for a more substantial knowledge base to back you up, b) entirely new to freelancing and wanting to get going or c) still thinking about beginning a freelance career, here's the second in my three-part series. 21 Aug 2008 09:00
 Whether you're a) already freelancing and looking for a more substantial knowledge base to back you up, b) entirely new to freelancing and wanting to get going or c) still thinking about beginning a freelance career, here, in the first of a three part series, is something for nothing. Enjoy. 23 Jul 2008 09:13
 As it turns out, web copywriting is a contentious issue - peppered with strongly differing views and hotly defended opinions. At this kitchen of contention, it can be hard to distinguish between the myths and the truths. Also, Google regularly changes the rules. So here are a couple of the latest prevailing myths about web or online copywriting… 30 Jun 2008 09:11
 Not everyone knows how to do it. Not everyone can do it well. And just because web copywriting and copywriting have one word in common, doesn't make them the same animal. In truth, they're two different beasts altogether. 12 Jun 2008 09:02
 How do you ensure that you never look stupid in your haste to get messages out? Regardless of your personal beliefs about the world, humanity, religion or politics, the bottom line of all business communication is that God is in the details. In other words, if you're operating inside the corporate arena and you're writing stuff (no matter how short, informal or irregular) that other people read, perfect accuracy is part of your job. 29 May 2008 09:23
 If you talk to your company's employees, this is for you… According to the experts, there's never been a better time to be in internal communication. But that's a little surprising in light of some recent research. 17 Apr 2008 12:15
 Experts estimate that up to 50% of your time at work is spent on written communication, even if that's not strictly your job. So it's absolutely vital to develop your writing skills - not only because of the time involved, but also because your success may depend on it. 9 Apr 2008 09:30
 The average individual is confronted with 3500 commercial messages a day. Billboards, streetpole ads, text messages, email, TV, radio, magazines, newspapers - and that's before he or she even gets to work, where there's a mound of communication waiting. 4 Mar 2008 09:18
 In an email, you have 15 seconds to hook your reader. Only 15 seconds. Then they either close up and move on, or skip past all of your beautifully crafted paragraphs to the end, to find out what you really want from them. And this, even in cases where they've requested contact from you. Fifteen seconds is all you've got. 14 Feb 2008 09:23
| | Tiffany Markman |  Believing strongly in the power of words, Tiffany Markman [www.tiffanymarkman.co.za; +27 (0)82 492 1715] is a prolific copywriter, editor and writing trainer. She is also a five-time published author in the fields of life skills, careers, emotional intelligence and democracy for young people.
Tiffany has two passions: teaching and writing. At 17, she satisfied the first by conducting study skills workshops and English tutorials for her fellow Matrics, going on to work as a private tutor and college lecturer. After university, she became the full-time editor of a life skills and career annual distributed free-of-charge to 540 000 Grade 12 learners nationwide in 2004 and 2005.
Today, as part of her day job, Tiffany focuses on corporate and creative copywriting and copy editing, with an emphasis on websites, newsletters, ads, marketing campaigns, brochures, books, magazines, sales letters, feature pieces, scripts, multimedia presentations and reviews.
She has worked for over 90 blue-chip, start-up and public sector clients over the last 10 years, including Absa, African Footprint, American Express, BMW, CC Africa, Citadel, Citizen newspaper, Crowne Plaza Hotel (Dubai), Ekurhuleni Municipality, Global Wrapps, Intercontinental Hotel (Dubai), Leading Africa, Macdonald & Company, MAIA Luxury Hotel & Spa (Seychelles), Makro/Massmart, MAN Truck & Bus, Modlin e-Learning, Penguin Books SA, Peregrine, Sappi, South African Airways, Standard Bank, The Coca-Cola Company, The Umsobomvu Youth Fund, The Wedding Expo, Transnet, Travel With Flair, Wits University and World Leisure Holidays.
Tiffany runs regular workshops on print copywriting, web copywriting, basic and advanced editing, freelancing, newsletter writing, proposal writing, corporate communications, grammar and other topics, all of which can be customised to address delegates' specific needs and requirements.
A member of both the Southern African Freelancers' Association (SAFREA) and the Professional Editors' Group (PEG), Tiffany is also a regular presenter for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), which has twice voted her ‘Best Speaker'.
When she's not writing, editing or teaching others how to write and edit, Tiffany can be found in a corner with her nose buried in a book. Her secret joy is book reviewing and her book reviews appear in Marie Claire, as well as on her blog, http://bookreviewsbytiffany.blogspot.com.
Tiffany Markman can be reached on tiffany@tiffanymarkman.co.za or +27 (0)82 492 1715. |
|
|
ADSL & Web hosting proudly provided by Afrihost.