Making Your Marketing Easy to Read - Adult B2B Marketing Tip
 

Increasing Readability: Language

The first suggestion when it comes to simplifying your writing is to use SHORT SENTENCES. Avoid the tendency to go on and on and on in a sentence. It makes it difficult for the reader to keep up with you. Instead of putting two ideas into one long sentence, try using two short sentences. You'll find it breaks it up and makes it easier to read. If you want some help with this, go pick up a copy of USA Today. It's a well-known fact that USA Today is written on a low reading level, which is good. That increases the overall readability. Go read any article out of that paper and you'll quickly see what I mean about using short sentences.

The second suggestion is just flat-out use SIMPLER LANGUAGE. Here are a few rules of thumb that I employ. Use familiar words instead of words that are far-fetched. Use a concrete word instead of an abstract one. Choose short words instead of long words. I think the best way to illustrate this is with a list of complicated words and their more simplified equivalents:

Instead of: Encourage
Use: Urge

Instead of: Continue
Use: Keep up

Instead of: Supplement
Use: Add to

Instead of: Acquire
Use: Get or gain

Instead of: Along the Lines of
Use: Like

Instead of: As to
Use: About

Instead of: For the reason that
Use: Since

Instead of: In order to
Use: To

Instead of: In the event of
Use: If

Instead of: In accordance with
Use: By or under

Instead of: Prior to
Use: Before

Instead of: With regard to
Use: About

Instead of: Accordingly
Use: So

Instead of: Likewise
Use: And, also

Instead of: Nevertheless
Use: But, however

See how that will lighten up your writing and make it more conversational?

More on the subject on tomorrow.

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