Nonprofits and/or businesses can no longer write to merely relay information. You have to write for impact - in other words, to get results. Long gone are the days when people will spend hours searching through pages and pages of copy on your website, or pouring over tedious copy in a brochure or newsletter looking for answers to their questions.
We live in the world of Twitter and texting. They want access to their answers now. As an example, research shows that people spend less than 30 seconds on a website landing page before moving on.
So, what do you do?
1) Start with the end in mind. If you’ll notice, the title of this post tells you up front what to expect.
2) Be concise. Don’t dawdle. If you love the sound of your own voice, join Toastmasters.
3) Use emotion to heighten the impact of your message. And to do that, you have to show people what you mean with vivid descriptions. It’s the difference between, “We give the homeless a place to live,” and “We bring people off the streets and give them a safe place to lay their head.”
4) Surprise them with something. A quote. A unique concept. Some bold language. Humor. A thought-provoking question.
5) Make it personal - because it is. Don’t just talk at them. Talk to them as if you know them.
Do all of that and you'll see a distinct difference over time in your response rate.
Get it? Got it? Good.
