Strategic writing is an efficient way to reach your customers, and the best way to share information about your products and services. Each platform has a different style of content associated with it, but no matter which platform you’re writing for, you should ultimately craft a message that speaks to your existing and potential customers—and resonates.

1. Focus on the customer: Instead of describing why your product or service is best, explain how it can help their business or personal goals.
2. Know your audience: This is true of any marketing message, but especially content. Who are you writing for? Do they already know industry terminology, or do you hope to educate them as well? What are you asking them to do? How old are they, and what problems or pain points can you help them solve?
3. Speak the audience’s language: Make your copy simple, concise, and jargon-free. If you need to include a few technical terms, make sure you define it and provide a meaningful example. Keep your words, sentences, and paragraphs short and manageable.
4. Set a goal and deadline: Think about the purpose of your content and what you hope to achieve. Are you trying to persuade? Then include a call to action that shows them how to take the next step. Are you trying to inform? Then provide pertinent facts and figures. Different goals require different information in your content.
5. Make it easy: Headings and bulleted lists are a must for easy scanning, which is key to not losing your audience immediately. Readers look for headings for categorization and bulleted lists for easily readable features and lists.
6. Don’t overlook the obvious: You know your products and services like the back of your hand, but others don’t. Explain key features, even if they seem apparent to you. Ask a lay person to read your copy before you distribute it.
7. Check and check again: We can’t stress enough the importance of editing and proofreading. Although the U.S. president seems to be skipping that step in his tweets, you might not want to. Your content represents you and how much you care. Before printing or posting that content on which you’ve spent much time and energy, have several sets of eyes read through and check for mistakes.

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