communication Archives - Page 8 of 11

What qualifies as good content? Our two cents on it.

by sincera | Dec 13, 2016 | Content Writing, World of Work

What makes you want to read something? Is it the caption? Or the promise of information or entertainment? Is it sheer curiosity that fuels a click or makes you open a page? Well, the secret of good content is that it brings in all of these elements.

Originality

To begin with, the big differentiator between good content and great content is originality. This does not merely mean passing a plagiarism test. Besides being technically original, the content also needs to be original in terms of ideas. The information may be the same as another article in the same genre, but originality can also come from a fresh look or point of view. Giving your own perspective or wording the same information differently for a different audience is what sets content apart.

The Headline

The eye-catching part and click generating part of any content is its headline, and the tag line summing up the article. This needs to be as succinct as possible with a rare twist that will draw a person’s interest and convert him or her into a reader. The headline should be short, but impactful. It should not be overly sales-y and yet, should spell out the tone that will follow through for the rest of the article. Further, one should always steer clear of making promises that the content cannot keep. Remember, the key is to draw in the audience and keep them – not break their hearts and send them packing.

Grammar

This one should not come as a big surprise. Grammar was, is and will always be one of the basic pillars for good content. Understanding grammar is a matter of tedious hours spent over your “its” and “it’s”, “you’re” and “your” as well as “there” and their”. While some of these may leave the average writer scoffing at the plain obviousness of it all, the Grammar Nazis do end up having a field day with typos. Proof reading is everything as are your grammar skills. Punctuation, and the right prepositions are the very basics that take your writing from good to great. “I love correcting the mistakes in an article instead of reading and enjoying,” said no reader, ever!

Call for Action

In today’s day and age of Social Media marketing, content is THE tool with which a brand can drive, engage and build audience. Here, the writer or content creator’s job is to insert a deliberate and obvious call to action. Maybe a “like our page,” or a simple “click here” or “rate”. The key is to inform, entertain and then tell the reader what to do next. It may be as simple as asking him or her to subscribe to the newsletter for constant updates on the posts. Whatever it may be, ensure that it is there.

Accuracy

Information is a major part of content. Providing accurate information, therefore, is a given. Do not merely stick to an exhaustive list that looks like you have put in hours of research – make that research count. Besides wording it well, ensure that you check back and double-check to ensure that you do not commit any blunders in reporting. Plus, citing all sources of information is an absolute must and any direct quotes must be referenced and put within quotes.

Engage

The idea is to leave the reader asking for more. Creating engaging and thought-provoking content is the key to creating good content. It should leave the reader with insights, and give him or her enough reason to come back for more. You can add to the value of your content by adding images and videos or even infographics to make it more attractive and easy to understand.

Bonus Tip: Always keep your reader in mind while writing. That will help keep you on track while writing.

We hope that these tips help you in creating memorable content that will help you carve out a niche of your own. Keep writing!

The Five Cardinal Sins For A Content Writer – Content Writing Mistakes

by sincera | Dec 10, 2016 | Content Writing, World of Work, Writing

Content, like many things in life, has its good days and bad days. This directly reflects on the content writer, who is the creator of said content. There are some mistakes that we can avoid to ensure that we do not end up churning nondescript, error ridden or downright, mediocre content. So here are the five cardinal sins/ Content Writing Mistakes that a content writer must avoid at all costs:

Not knowing your audience:

Before you start writing, always ensure that you know who you are writing for. Remember, the way it sounds in your head when you are writing it, may not be the same way it sounds in the head of your potential reader. Part of not losing the plot, includes knowing who you are writing for. If, for example, you are writing a blog post for a bar of soap, ensure that you know what that soap manufacturer is after. Is he looking for a piece of the 30 something, more mobile upwardly market, or the nascent, “just started earning, so have to feel good instantly” market? A short questionnaire swap with your prospect before the start of a project can do the trick.
Errors:

Error 404 is a commonly made mistake in any content writer’s life. This can mean anything and can cover any range of errors from plain and simple grammatical to errors in reporting. Remember, accuracy is key here. You need to get your facts right before you set on writing that engaging and thought-provoking piece of news or blog post. Check and double-check to ensure that you have the facts you need on hand. Do not write a haphazard piece, or a piece ridden with ill-informed and erroneous views. You will shoo away your audience and lose all credibility. Ditto for grammar.
Writing without a synopsis or summary:

This can spell suicide from the word get go. As a writer, you will come across many situations that distract and make you entertain multiple thoughts. This is especially true in our social media driven times, where distractions are dime a dozen and perspectives (differing, nonetheless), even more commonplace. So, to ensure that you do not lose the plot, stick to a summary of what you are writing and exactly how you are going to tackle it – point by point. Make a short synopsis before you get started and try not deviate. This synopsis should be drawn up at the research phase itself.
Verbose, much? Now, this can be a virtue:

If you are writing a novel. Not when you are sending out a blog post into the great, big void called the Internet, where scores of people inhabiting different rungs of literacy and exposure can stumble upon your piece. So ensure that you keep it simple. Use one adjective per sentence. Do not repeat prepositions. And ensure that you use smaller, simpler words wherever you can. If you tend to go around in circles, proof read twice – once for grammar, and once to come to the point faster.
Creative expression:

Knows no bounds. Therefore, remember to be as creative as you can be. Some content writers keep it bland – a sin like no other. It is imperative to follow your heart and do some well intended research. Feeling like writing a food blog post on healthy summer eating? Google fruits and find out what citrus based recipes could trickle into a post on light-hearted salads and smoothies. Use analogies and make your piece truly shine, truly come alive. Try adding texture where none is possible – yes, even in that straitjacket report on the financial outcome of the latest IPO to have come to Wall Street. Make it resonate and let your words really talk.

Ideas and content go hand in hand, as do various writing techniques. Ensure that you put enough tools in your content arsenal to avoid making these content writing mistakes, so that you can successfully build an author platform. Keeping these five basic things in mind while writing is a great way to start. As you grow, your own experiences will sharpen your intuition as a writer. The best trick is to keep writing!

5 Indispensable Tools for a Content Writer

by sincera | Dec 6, 2016 | Content Writing, World of Work, Writing

The life of a content writer is not easy. We understand that. It sure is a tough job to produce content which is well written, well researched, factually correct and pleases Google baba enough to list it in its searches! Here’s how we’ve tried to make your life a teeny bit easier by sharing these resource hacks with you. If you were a shoe-maker, these tools would be your elves. Well, you are a writer, and these tools can still be your elves!

1. Tagcrowd

A post which is not search engine optimized might do well to not exist on internet at all. This tool helps boost search engine optimization by enabling you to create your own tag cloud from the text in your content, to visualize word frequency. It gives you an idea about what your post will look like with word clouds and frequencies.

2. Evernote

From your grocery shopping to your research bibliography, Evernote is the ‘one size fits all’ solution to note keeping. It’s our favorite here at OBOlinx as well. The interface is easy and the layout is clean and simple with tons of useful features. It enables to create entire notebooks so that your notes don’t get jumbled up. The web clipper extension is especially useful when you are researching on something and taking notes simultaneously, instead of switching windows, it enables you to view the web clips while you take notes! The best thing – it syncs your notes automatically, allowing you to start from where you left off, on any of your devices – laptop, desktop, phone or iPad!

3. Factbrowser

The facts you incorporate into your content should always be from a dependable source and verified by you, as a writer. While people may not appreciate when the facts are accurate (because that’s what you’re supposed to do anyway!), it surely damages your credibility as a writer if they are not correct! Factbrowser to the rescue. This website is a savior when it comes to helping you find dependable sources for studies, surveys, reports, stats and other kinds of facts you need to add some meat to your writing.

4. Grammarly and Correctica

If you are a content writer, you would know, the wrath of a Grammar Nazi is the worst thing to bring upon yourself. Especially since you are one yourself! (a safe assumption?) Grammar and spelling errors are extremely embarrassing, more so if you are a writer. We may be merciless editors ourselves, however, just to triple check, use tools like Grammarly and Correctica before you publish your posts. Additionally, Grammarly also checks for plagiarism.

5. Headline Analyzer

People do judge a book by its cover and a post by its title. Only 62% of readers, read past the title (yes I have used Factbrowser for this one). Spend as much time, or more, as you spend on writing the content to come up with a kickass title for the post. And when you think you’ve found it, use Headline Analyzer. This tool scores the title of your post and rates its SEO value, ability to attract traffic and generate shares on social media. It also shows you how far up or down below your post will appear in the search results! Which content headlines will get you most results? Have a look at this post to crack the secret.

Did you know about these tools? Do you think there are other awesome tools we have missed out on? We are all ears!

Writing Effective Emails – Why Your Subject Line and Signature Matters

by sincera | Dec 3, 2016 | Email Etiquette, World of Work

Usually while drafting an email, we pay little attention to the subject line and the signature at the end of the email. Some of us even go so far as to leave these fields completely blank, simply writing the text of the email without any subject or signature. Very often, the subject line helps the recipient decide whether or not (s)he should even open the email. The signature reflects courtesy and also, a formal end to the email. Here are our thoughts on the importance of subject lines and signatures – especially when it comes to drafting a Effective Professional Emails.

Firstly,

it has to give enough information that the reader understands what the e-mail is about. For example, a subject that goes “Action required” is ambiguous and unlikely to ring any bells with the reader. A better subject line would be “Assignment Deadline: Action required”, which makes it clear to the reader that the mail is regarding the assignment deadline and he needs to do something about it.

it has to be interesting enough that the user wants to read the rest of the letter. For example, a subject line “Quick question” is unlikely to arouse any interest in the reader and he might dismiss it as irrelevant if he is busy. You probably could have pinged him regarding the “quick question”, right? Instead, “Quick question about Friday’s seminar” gives the reader just enough information on what the question is about and he may go on to read the rest of it. It is important to keep in mind that the subject has to be concise and informative – being too lengthy can annoy the reader, for example, “Quick question on the 3rd day of the first seminar in this quarter on sales held on Friday”. Leave unnecessary details out of the subject line – include them in the text of the e-mail.

The subject line also serves to set the context of the mail. It should make the tone of the mail clear – whether it is a complaint, a query, a request, a congratulatory letter, or something that needs urgent attention. That prepares the reader for the content and he/she can spend more time on the details rather than finding out what the letter is for.

An equally important part of your email is how you end it, i.e. the signature. When writing a formal email, it is important to sign off appropriately. ‘Regards’ or ‘Thanks’ or ‘Best’ are the safest phrases to sign off with. Although smileys like 🙂 are accepted in informal mails, it is best to avoid using these in your business/professional emails. Likewise, avoid phrases that sound forced – ‘Thanks so much!’ might only be apt if it is a request mail.

At the end comes your contact information. When writing Effective Professional Emails, you should write your full name. Avoid signing off with only your first name or a nick name. Provide brief contact details, like your phone number and fax. If the reader does not know you, you should include your designation and the name of the organization. However, refrain from putting in unnecessary detail about yourself. Moreover, avoid putting inspiring quotes or large disclaimer messages or images that might take time to load over slow connections (which also, at times, come across as pretentious or pompous).

The subject and the sign off should be in sync with the tone of your email, so that you communicate yourself effectively.

All the best!

Writing a Professional Email – The Essentials

by sincera | Nov 25, 2016 | Email Etiquette, World of Work

With our lives becoming increasingly technocratic, e-mail communications are a vital part of the workplace today. A typical day in office almost always includes hours combing through emails. Embarrassing errors in the writing and style of your emails could prove to be detrimental to your professional life. Clicking ‘reply’, typing up a quick message, and hitting ‘send’ without giving it much thought, the way you would do for text messages, is not the best course of action. Here are some pointers we have come up with for what a professional email should consist of.

Professional email address

coolboy_007@gmail.com is not an email id you could use and expect to be taken seriously beyond your grad school. Your email id should let the recipient know your name at the very least.

Concise and direct subject line

The subject line would be used by the reader to gauge the contents of the email. Many times, for those with little time for emails, subject line could be used to decide whether they wish to read the mail. Therefore, it is imperative to use a subject line that tells them it’s worth their time. ‘Meeting time changed’, ‘Suggestions for the project’, ‘Regarding positions with your group’ would be examples of appropriate subject lines to use.

Brief introduction

Introduce yourself if it is the first time you are writing to someone. A small paragraph with clear points about your background is helpful to someone reading your email in order to form some context to the conversation.

Timely responses

It is good practice to be prompt in replying to e-mails. Depending on the nature of the e-mail and the sender, responding within 24 to 48 hours is acceptable. If an email requires elaborate research before replying for which you don’t have time on hand, you could always send in a mail giving the sender an idea of when you could get back to them with further details. It is polite and professional to do so.

No one-liners

‘Thanks’, ‘ OK’ and ‘Bye’ and other such one liners that do not advance the conversation in any way should be avoided in email conversations. You could also indicate that no reply is needed in your e-mail in the first place when you don’t anticipate a response.

Auto responder

Use an auto responder if you would be away from email for a significant amount of time (could vary from 3 days to 3 months depending on what your position is). Include details like when the sender could expect a reply from you and also an emergency contact in case it is urgent and cannot wait till you are back.

Exclamation marks!

Exclamation marks are best left out of professional mails. If and when it is necessary for you to use an exclamation, it is best to have just one exclamation at the end of the sentence, not several.

Professional salutations

Colloquial salutations are best to avoid in the professional sphere. ‘Hey’ is rather informal and should be replaced with ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’. Shortening names without knowing if the other person prefers it is also not advisable.

When in doubt, leave out humor

Humor could easily be misinterpreted in the written form of communication. It’s best to leave out the odd joke out of emails unless you know the recipient really well. What you think is funny, might not be as funny to someone else!

Spell Check

Errors not noticed by you won’t go unnoticed by the recipients of your email. You could well be judged for your errors by the recipients. Its best to proof read the emails before clicking send. Relying on spell-checkers is a bad idea as well. It may be a good practice to put in the recipient’s email address after you are done with the text of the email. You would not want to accidentally hit send on an unfinished mail and come across as unprofessional.

We may think that a person can judge our tone only if it’s a one-to-one or telephonic conversation. However, that is seldom the case. When you send an email, the receiver is actually listening to you speak, in a way. Write in a way the reader remembers you for your impeccable writing style!

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