This presentation by Stephen Bush summarizes practical examples about making business writing more effective by paying attention to obsolete strategies and new solutions.

1. THE OLD AND THE NEW:
BUSINESS WRITING
STEPHEN BUSH
10 EXAMPLES

2. UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL CONTENT
PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
The New — Focus on truly unique content and place articles on one
or two primary websites.
Suggested Strategy — Publish content that is genuinely unique.
The Old — Use article spinning to create multiple versions of the
same content.

3. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION INSTEAD OF LESS
The Old — Make written content “short and sweet” (250 to 400 words).
The New — Provide more details with longer explanations (often
exceeding 750 words).
Suggested Strategy — Resist the temptation to over-simplify
business writing.

4. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
REMEMBER NICHE AUDIENCES WITH WHITE PAPERS
The Old — Keep content generalized and write only for mass
audiences.
The New — Always think of niche audiences with detailed content in
white papers.
Suggested Strategy — Focus on white papers for products, services
and topics of all kinds.

5. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
DO ADS IMPROVE THE READER’S UNDERSTANDING OF WRITTEN CONTENT?
The Old — The working assumption = Readers don’t mind relevant ads
when reviewing content.
The New — Readers want to focus on compelling content that is not
disrupted by ads.
Suggested Strategy — Think about minimizing advertising for
maximum readership.

6. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
DON’T OVERLOOK THE IMPACT OF CUSTOMIZED TEXT IN IMAGES
The Old — Textual images and animated video/slide presentations are
“too cute” to be effective.
The New — SlideShare and YouTube presentations work well in
conjunction with textual images.
Suggested Strategy — Feature images that include customized text.

7. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
ONE-PAGE PROPOSALS?
The Old — Business proposals only “work” if they are lengthy.
The New — The most effective business proposal often includes only
one page.
Suggested Strategy — Learn how to prepare and present a one-
page proposal.

8. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
MANY INTERNET PUBLISHERS HAVE ALREADY GONE OUT OF BUSINESS
The Old — The working assumption = Writing for big internet
publishers provides maximum visibility and income.
The New — Business writing can be more effective on smaller
websites.
Suggested Strategy — Pay less attention to “well-known” websites
with little or no traffic generated by search engines.

9. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
UNSOLICITED BUSINESS PROPOSALS?
The Old — The working assumption = Business proposals are not used
unless requested by a prospective client.
The New — Unsolicited business proposals can provide maximum
impact and results.
Suggested Strategy — Make a concerted effort to use and perfect
unsolicited business proposals.

10. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN B?
The Old — Adopting one business writing strategy and ignoring the
possibility that it might not work.
The New — Applying contingency planning to business writing by
constantly asking: What if something goes wrong?
Suggested Strategy — Always have a Plan B.

11. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE OLD AND THE NEW
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS WRITING HAS MULTIPLE BENEFITS
The Old — The working assumption = High-quality business writing
provides limited value for organizations.
The New — Business writing can help individuals and businesses
eliminate multiple recurring problems.
Suggested Strategy — Review the different ways that business
writing can help. Three examples: With lender negotiations, new
business development and inbound marketing.

12. “THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN COMMUNICATION IS
TO HEAR WHAT ISN’T BEING SAID.” (PETER DRUCKER)
BUSINESS WRITING ADVICE IN 14 WORDS OR LESS
“Easy-to-read is hard to write.” (Pam Zollman)
“Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted.” (Jules Renard)
“Good writing is clear thinking made visible.” (Bill Wheeler)
“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” (Mark Twain)
“Writing is seeing. It is paying attention.” (Kate DiCamillo)
“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” (James Michener)

13. AVOID THESE OLD AND INEFFECTIVE BUSINESS WRITING STRATEGIES
AVOIDING MISTAKES
Poorly-written business communication in any context
Too much promotion and not enough information
Article spinning and duplicate content
Website publishers with excessive advertising
Unnecessary links
Misleading claims
Free press releases
Overused stock photo images
Not having a Plan B
Repeating the same mistake over and over again

14. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B
A FEW FINAL WORDS
Stephen Bush