Author: Kate Dunstan
Published: 30 August 2024
Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Your communications are from you and about you.
But your communications are more than words and they send a message between those words.
In websites, pitches, brochures, and thought leadership articles, most professional services firms want to make sure the client gets how great they are. Which is the point, right? But sometimes that point can be made in a way the client gets a different impression. And they may just see it as chest beating. If you’re not addressing their needs and showing the value you can bring in that context, the communication is all about you.
So here are three tips to keep your communications on track – to have them read, understood, and welcomed.
When you’re an expert in a field, it’s an easy trap to fall into the language that is familiar, the lingo. Jargon is a shortcut and it’s comfortable for you. But maybe not for clients.
Technical language can form a barrier rather than make a connection. There’s a difference between formal report writing and marketing communications. It needs to be easy to understand, as well as engaging.
So, describe what you want to say in everyday language. It’s easier to understand and it’s friendly. After all, you want to be seen as the firm that’s easy to do business with.
What is the purpose of your communication? Whatever it is, it needs to do what it promises. If your newsletter promises updates about the market, it needs to deliver meaningful information, not just an advertisement for your business.
Client communications are an extension of the work you deliver. They need to be authentic. Yes, they’re an excuse to keep in touch and therefore, top of mind. But they need to be as true to their promise as your work is.
And they need to be relevant in the context of your work. This is where you can show how great you are, rather than just saying so. Make it worth the client’s time to read it.
Above all, stand in the client’s shoes. What is important to them? What’s the goal they want to achieve or the problem they need to solve? If you write from that perspective, they’ll keep reading. If you write about how great you are without that context, they’ll give their time to something more relevant. What better way to show how great you are than through what you achieved for clients? Or better still, what they were able to achieve through what you did?
Every piece of communication is different, according to its purpose. But whether it’s a newsletter, a case study, or business development collateral, these three rules apply. Keep it simple, relevant, and about the client. Otherwise, what your words say about you might not be what you meant at all.
Author: Kate Dunstan
Published: 30 August 2024
Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Your communications are from you and about you.
But your communications are more than words and they send a message between those words.
In websites, pitches, brochures, and thought leadership articles, most professional services firms want to make sure the client gets how great they are. Which is the point, right? But sometimes that point can be made in a way the client gets a different impression. And they may just see it as chest beating. If you’re not addressing their needs and showing the value you can bring in that context, the communication is all about you.
So here are three tips to keep your communications on track – to have them read, understood, and welcomed.
When you’re an expert in a field, it’s an easy trap to fall into the language that is familiar, the lingo. Jargon is a shortcut and it’s comfortable for you. But maybe not for clients.
Technical language can form a barrier rather than make a connection. There’s a difference between formal report writing and marketing communications. It needs to be easy to understand, as well as engaging.
So, describe what you want to say in everyday language. It’s easier to understand and it’s friendly. After all, you want to be seen as the firm that’s easy to do business with.
What is the purpose of your communication? Whatever it is, it needs to do what it promises. If your newsletter promises updates about the market, it needs to deliver meaningful information, not just an advertisement for your business.
Client communications are an extension of the work you deliver. They need to be authentic. Yes, they’re an excuse to keep in touch and therefore, top of mind. But they need to be as true to their promise as your work is.
And they need to be relevant in the context of your work. This is where you can show how great you are, rather than just saying so. Make it worth the client’s time to read it.
Above all, stand in the client’s shoes. What is important to them? What’s the goal they want to achieve or the problem they need to solve? If you write from that perspective, they’ll keep reading. If you write about how great you are without that context, they’ll give their time to something more relevant. What better way to show how great you are than through what you achieved for clients? Or better still, what they were able to achieve through what you did?
Every piece of communication is different, according to its purpose. But whether it’s a newsletter, a case study, or business development collateral, these three rules apply. Keep it simple, relevant, and about the client. Otherwise, what your words say about you might not be what you meant at all.
