Creating powerful messages and getting results. Could anything be more vital in today’s global business world of mass marketing and hyper-communication? If you are an international sales manager, you need powerful messages that are concise, credible and influential in any language. To make a sale or motivate others, your message must communicate competence, interest, purpose, openness and tenacity. If you are an entrepreneur, your solicitations, responses, proposals and presentations must communicate professionalism, capability, and trust. Since business success is often based on online appearance and reputation, businesses also need a powerful online image. The catalyst for this success is effective writing. Unfortunately, many business people still underestimate the power of strategic writing.
Importance of Writing Today
How difficult would it be to establish and grow international customer relationships without language? A hundred years ago, most business relationships were established through face-to-face contact, and forty years ago, many relationships were initially established by phone. Today, however, commonly the first interaction occurs through e-mail. While telephone and in-person meetings may follow, we rely on writing to get us beyond the initial phase in the business process. Whether we send simple e-mail messages, develop complex proposals, create persuasive sales fliers and online content, or produce insightful reports, our global business world depends on writing. As a result, successful business demands skilled writers.
The internet allows anyone to market a product, start a blog, or establish authority online. However, to be successful, we must find a way to cut through the competition. With the hundreds of messages and advertisements that we receive each day and an over-committed population, captive audiences seldom exist. Further, before someone will read a message, we must establish trust and interest. Therefore, businesses must employ strategic writing.
Strategic Messages
To be strategic, a message must accomplish a set of objectives that the writer establishes and the intended audience shares. Base these objectives on the 3 components of a successful strategic message: the Subject, the Audience and the Goal. As you develop your message, look for considerations that pertain to your own specific situation and goals, as well as those of your audience. Some sample considerations include the following:
- What is the best medium for the content?
- What is the best way to capture attention?
- What is the most appropriate and persuasive content?
- How can I best estimate the response rate?
- How can I solicit feedback?
Everyone involved in international business can immediately benefit from strategic writing, which will improve your response rate and build your reputation. You will also begin building stronger, more powerful relationships. Even when communicating with foreign audiences, the certified translators you hire will translate your messages for easy, accessible, accurate comprehension. Less confusion, more conciseness and an improved structure simplify messages and make them easier for all readers to digest.