Latest content from Marketing Magazine http://www.marketingmag.com.au/ en-us Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/937/ When you are writing an advertisement, the first impression – the first thing the reader sees or reads – can mean the difference between success and failure. If the first impression is boring or irrelevant, the ad will not attract your prospect. If it offers news or helpful information, or promises a reward for reading ...]]> Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:56:00 GMT Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/856/ When writing for the web, don't write for readers, but write for scanners. Make sure you are as concise as possible. Make sentences short and to the point Avoid long blocks of text. Each paragraph should be about a specific idea Use headers and subheads so that scanners can navigate information easily Use bulleted/numbered ...]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:23:47 GMT Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/786/ Writers need to be aware of mood changes. You need to alert the reader as soon as possible to any change in mood from the previous sentence. Words to use for changing the mood include: but, yet, however, nevertheless, still, instead, meanwhile.  It is much easier for readers to process a sentence if you start ...]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:27:19 GMT Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/564/ One of my pillars of good non-fiction writing is brevity. Essentially, brevity means saying things in the most economical way. A good writer does not give the reader anything he or she does not need. Writing is like a good watch. It should function smoothly with no extra parts getting in the way. Generally in writing, ...]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:04:47 GMT Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/493/ An important part of writing is being able to relax. In the typical situation at work, you sit down to write and you want your report or email or whatever, seem important. You think about how impressive it will look in print. You think about all the people who are going to read it. Senior people. You think about ...]]> Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:03:00 GMT Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/461/ Do you want a very simple technique for improving your writing? Well, this is one that really works and you can start doing it from today. Cut the length of your sentences! It’s as simple as that.  Long sentences should be seen as the enemy. They create confusion for readers and they block clarity. And ...]]> Sun, 08 Jun 2008 07:57:19 GMT Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/301/ When you write your first draft, the words very often just bubble out. There may not be a great deal of structure. That's fine for the first draft. When you move into the rewriting or editing phase, you check that there is a logical flow to your work. Plus, you delete unnecessary words to make the writing sparkle ...]]> Thu, 08 May 2008 17:05:50 GMT Frank Chamberlin http://www.marketingmag.com.au/media_zone/view/460/ Emails are such a huge part of our lives these days, it’s worth thinking about how to do a better job with them. Here are a few things to think about. The salutation is an effective way to set the atmosphere. Think about the options such as ‘Hello’, ‘Dear’ or ‘Hi’ and decide what’s right for you in each case. Make ...]]> Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:48:53 GMT