Business copywriting: why your solutions are actually problems
Every business copywriter has clients who love abstractions. Competencies, verticals, footprint, added value – these words are so common that businesses use them without thinking.
I’ve let plenty of these through myself, both in business copywriting and when I worked in corporate communications. It’s time, though, to be more vigilant.
So when do your solutions become problems?
1. When there’s no fixed meaning
What’s an IT solution? Is it hardware? Software? Perhaps it’s both, with some consultancy and a free iPhone thrown in.
You may have a clear idea of what you mean but there’s no guarantee your audience will, unless you spell it out for them. There’s no shame in being clear about what you’re selling.
2. When you sound silly
Want a dispense solution for the office? Probably not. But you might want a coffee machine.
Using abstractions to make a simple product sound clever achieves exactly the opposite. You’ll confuse and irritate your readers and make yourself look daft into the bargain.
3. When you sound like everyone else
Here’s a common defence for abstractions: ‘Everyone in my industry speaks like this. They know what I mean.’
Maybe they do speak like that. And that’s a problem in itself. Because how are you going to make your company stand out from the competition, if you sound exactly the same? Copywriting is not the same as copying.
And don’t be so sure that everyone knows what you mean. See (1) above.
4. When you sound disingenuous
| What you say | What you mean |
| The merger will create £100m of synergies | Higher sales? No, we’re firing people. |
| We’re expanding into new verticals | Our existing markets have tanked |
| We have a broad geographical footprint | We have a salesman in Belgium |
The problem with euphemisms is that your readers aren’t stupid. They see through you. They think you don’t respect them enough to give it to them straight. And they trust you less.
5. When it sends the wrong message
It’s great that you want to sell me some added-value services. But if your standard services don’t add any value, why would I want them? Don’t accidentally disparage the bulk of your business.
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Tags: business, communication, copywriter, copywriting, credibility
6 Responses to “Business copywriting: why your solutions are actually problems”
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Hi Richard,
I absolutely agree – meaningless generalised terms convey nothing concrete and can be little more than mood music in the background as opposed to a stunning and original guitar riff that demands your attention.
One of the times when I step back from this position a little, though, is when it comes to websites. Much as you would want to avoid such terms in effective copy, SEO can throw a spanner in the works. “IT solutions” had 201,000 searches last month. As you say, these terms are incredibly common, but that also means some of them are potentially useful in gathering search traffic.
I suppose it’s a question of judging each case on its merits, but just sometimes the abstraction can justify itself. Not that I’m suggesting this is a solution… ;-)
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All very true. Unfortunately, many clients really like this kind of language. I’m often making things more concrete and direct, only to have the client ‘solutionise’ the text and pass it back to me for comments, which can be difficult.
Why do they like it? It’s partly because, as you say, they think it makes them look good. In trades such as building, they should take a long hard look at their readers and think about what effect those words are actually having – generating indifference at best, outright irritation at worst.
Another reason, I think, is that firms simply get bored with their own offering. It’s so familiar to them that describing it simply and directly just doesn’t push any of their buttons any more. They feel like they have to big it up to make it more vivid.
However, if readers are searching online, the last thing you want to do is obscure the reality of a business when people have a whole page of other search results right there under the ‘back’ button. First time visitors MUST understand they’ve reached their destination.
Tom Albrighton recently posted Tinker- tailor- soldier- copywriter
David / Tom
Thanks very much for the comments.
David – you’re right that you have to think about every aspect of what you write and SEO is clearly an important factor. If you’re writing for one of the big players, then maybe a term like ‘IT solutions’ makes sense. Many companies would struggle to rank highly for that term, though.
Tom – client boredom is an interesting and often-overlooked issue. When you’ve seen something a thousand times, it can be hard to appreciate that your readers might be coming to it fresh.
… and why your problems have all become issues. And now that the word ‘issue’ has absorbed the meaning ‘problem’, we will not be allowed to say ‘issue’ any more and will have to find a new word. What will that be I wonder? ‘Situation’?
Jane Penson recently posted Writing Bored Reports
I’ve worked for several IT companies, though they’ve all been so keen on ‘solutions’ you’d think they were chemists.
To be fair the sentiment is fine – a combination of hardware, software and know-how that solves business problems – but it’s generally lost in an ocean of ‘meh!’, that you inevitably stop reading or listening.