http://www.words-work.com CGFeedMaker 1.0.14 on CMS Made Simple michelle@feelingpeaky.com (Admin User) http://www.words-work.com/news/26/37/Content-strategy-what-makes-good-content Before you write a word, pick the design or set out the information architecture of your website, spare a thought for content strategy.  There's lots of content out there.  But is it good content?  What makes good content anyway?... Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:04:41 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/26/37/Content-strategy-what-makes-good-content http://www.words-work.com/news/25/37/Copywriting-styles-for-different-media People don’t expect to be able to design things.  But they do expect to be able to write them.  Writing isn’t as easy as it looks.  Getting your head round writing for the reader, while getting it right for... Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:47:43 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/25/37/Copywriting-styles-for-different-media http://www.words-work.com/news/24/37/5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-creating-your-customer-value-proposition Figuring out what you're offering and what's different about it is the tough bit.  But it's worth putting in some legwork – a good customer value proposition means you are clear what you offer and potential customers are clear... Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:40:55 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/24/37/5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-creating-your-customer-value-proposition http://www.words-work.com/news/23/37/The-foolproof-guide-to-proofing "I've spotted a typo".  No words fill me with greater horror.  There shouldn't be any – especially when you're doing my job.  But once in a while, there are... ... Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:54:28 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/23/37/The-foolproof-guide-to-proofing http://www.words-work.com/news/22/37/The-truth-about-words Our tolerance of untruth is rock bottom.  We can spot spin the minute we see it.  The MPs expenses and phone hacking scandals didn’t help matters.  Now, our internal lie detectors are on red alert with every word we... Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:35:21 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/22/37/The-truth-about-words http://www.words-work.com/news/21/37/Is-verbing-out-of-control I can see from just typing the article title that my spell checker hasn’t got to grips with it yet, but verbing has been around a long time.  Ever since farm became farming.  Recently though, it feels like there’s... Wed, 09 May 2012 15:36:53 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/21/37/Is-verbing-out-of-control http://www.words-work.com/news/20/37/Building-a-practical-style-guide E-mail or email? BlackBerrys or blackberries? Use or utilise? I doubt whether it’s the kind of thing that keeps you awake at night. Me neither. But there are times when style matters. Having a... Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:13:26 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/20/37/Building-a-practical-style-guide http://www.words-work.com/news/19/37/Style-how-you-write-is-as-important-as-what-you-write Written communication is one of the main ways I talk to you, my readers and potential clients. And one of the main ways you talk to yours. The quality of the words I use and the way... Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:53:18 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/19/37/Style-how-you-write-is-as-important-as-what-you-write http://www.words-work.com/news/18/37/General-writing-tips Your words have an enormous impact on your reader.  For better or for worse. ... Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:44:58 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/18/37/General-writing-tips http://www.words-work.com/news/17/37/Tips-for-writing-emails Getting emails read and acted on – whether they're to customers, suppliers, colleagues or friends - is a tough task when people have so little time and so much in their in-boxes.  Here are a few tips... ... Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:15:59 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/17/37/Tips-for-writing-emails http://www.words-work.com/news/16/37/Why-isn-t-your-landing-page-getting-you-results It's stunningly designed. It's got an irresistible offer. So why the high bounce rate?  From the micro-second they arrive, users start asking themselves questions. If just one of the answers is "no" or "I don't know", they're off... ... Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:33:21 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/16/37/Why-isn-t-your-landing-page-getting-you-results http://www.words-work.com/news/15/37/Tips-for-writing-for-the-web When people go online, their behaviour changes.  You need to adapt your writing when you write web copy to take account of that. ... Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:28:11 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/15/37/Tips-for-writing-for-the-web http://www.words-work.com/news/14/37/Tips-for-writing-presentations The job of the written part of a presentation is to keep the audience focused, not to say it all.  Telling the story is the presenter's job. ... Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:57:15 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/14/37/Tips-for-writing-presentations http://www.words-work.com/news/13/37/Tips-for-writing-proposals Ploughing through proposals isn't the most exciting job in the world. Making your potential customer's life a little easier is bound to win you a few extra points - however stringent the assessment system. ... Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:43:00 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/13/37/Tips-for-writing-proposals http://www.words-work.com/news/11/37/Tips-for-writing-brochures The reader is there to solve their problem – not to find out about you. Write down the top ten questions potential clients ask.  Include answers in your brochure. What keeps the... Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:00:07 +0000 http://www.words-work.com/news/11/37/Tips-for-writing-brochures http://www.words-work.com/news/10/37/9-common-writing-gaffes I once got chatted up in an airport by a dead sexy English professor because I was reading a book called The Elements of Style. I wasn’t reading it for its pulling power. I was reading it because it’s... Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:23:24 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/10/37/9-common-writing-gaffes http://www.words-work.com/news/9/37/Finding-a-tone-of-voice-for-your-brand Remember those signs you used to see in no smoking compartments on British trains? “Please do not smoke”, they requested politely.  While, if you took a trip to Germany you’d be told “NICHT RAUCHAN!” The English version sounded diplomatic... Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:37:56 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/9/37/Finding-a-tone-of-voice-for-your-brand http://www.words-work.com/news/8/37/4-reasons-tone-of-voice-matters-as-much-as-content What would happen if Gordon Ramsay and David Cameron were to swap tones when speaking to their audiences?  I fear Gordon's ratings would fall through the floor.  And it wouldn't please David's followers much either.  Written tone of voice... Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:58:19 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/8/37/4-reasons-tone-of-voice-matters-as-much-as-content http://www.words-work.com/news/7/37/Why-it-s-important-to-be-the-same-on-the-inside-as-on-the-outside People meet your brand everywhere. They buy something from a salesperson, visit your stand at an exhibition, read an article about you in a magazine, chat to one of your staff at a party.  And the internet has opened... Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:24:22 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/7/37/Why-it-s-important-to-be-the-same-on-the-inside-as-on-the-outside http://www.words-work.com/news/4/37/How-do-you-set-your-prices Pricing is the most feared and ignored aspect of marketing.  But it’s really about 4 very familiar things. The article below is from a newsletter I wrote for client, Ripe Strategic, a specialist pricing consultancy, who decided to give Colin... Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:49:39 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/4/37/How-do-you-set-your-prices http://www.words-work.com/news/5/37/10-SEO-must-dos The boys and girls at Google have been busy again. Quite rightly, they want to make sure customers get what they want when they Google something.  Here are a few ideas to help you keep up with the latest... Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:50:22 +0100 http://www.words-work.com/news/5/37/10-SEO-must-dos