http://www.sallybacchetta.com/column.htm Award-winning freelance writer syndicates a bi-monthly column on the power of the written word. en-us Copyright 2012 Sally Bacchetta Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:23:10 EDT Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:23:10 EDT http://www.sallybacchetta.com/column_monthly.htm If you have a website, you’re trying to sell something. Whether you’re promoting a product, a service, a point of view, or a perception, the text on your website can indeed make or break your sale. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0412.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0212.htm The ubiquity of technology creates many opportunities to promote your business for free or very little cost. This article may give you a starting point for getting talked about without breaking your budget. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0212.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_1211.htm Great instructional design attracts learners to the content, to the performance ideal, and to the change process. This attraction is essential for changing behavior. If you’re looking for great instructional design, what you need to find is an instructional designer with these three qualifications. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_1211.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_1011.htm Humans learn every minute of every day. We learn without overt effort or intention. So, why does anyone need instructional design? Why not just provide content and let people learn it? http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_1011.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0811.htm What you get out of a freelance relationship depends on what you put into it. Freelancers bring unique strengths and perspective to your business; it is up to you to give them what they need to shine and make you look good. Here are five tips for working successfully with freelancers. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0811.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0611.htm Whether your business is large or small, growing or slowing, a qualified freelancer can help you produce more and better work at higher profit margins. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0611.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0411.htm A sell sheet is a high-impact, single-page presentation of your core capabilities, customer benefits, and contact information. It is a smart way to get your brand into the customer’s hands without the bulk or expense of a brochure. When you think about it, sell sheets are a lot like superheroes. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0411.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0211.htm This year resolve to go green with your written communication. Green communication can save you time and money as well as reduce clutter and your environmental footprint. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0211.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0409.htm Sometimes your best work is to stop working for a while. Kick your shoes off and pull your nose back from the grindstone. Take a break, any kind of break. Take a coffee break, a stretch break, break bread or break out in song. Read on for inspiration to break free and put some spring in your writing. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0409.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0209.htm In my quest for greater balance this year, I resolve to write without editing and edit without writing. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0209.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0807.htm Why settle for tired, flabby writing? The buff article body you've always wanted can be yours today. All you need to do is Identify, Unify, and Beautify. Three easy steps... amazing results! http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0807.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0607.htm Titles are like faces. They're the first thing we notice, and we form our earliest impressions from what we see there. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0607.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0407.htm When I edit my own or other writers' work I look for three things to jump off the page. What is it? Why should I care? How should I proceed? If I have to look hard to find any of these, or worse, if I can't find them at all, there is more work to be done. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0407.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0207.htm Your brand is identified by a logo or a look, but it is ultimately a perception that rests with your customer. Words are a powerful tool for conveying brand benefits and building a positive consumer perception of your product or service. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0207.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_1006.htm The rule against ending a sentence with a preposition is one of the first academic restrictions I chafed at. Some sentences just sound better with a preposition in the terminal position. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_1006.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0906.htm Many employees think of meetings and training workshops as stand-alone events rather than focus points on a performance continuum. Strategic written communication is the key to changing that mindset and improving your ROI. Whether you're planning a corporate strategy meeting, a training workshop or a new employee orientation, you can increase the impact of your message with a few well-written pre- and post-event communications. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0906.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0806.htm Welcome back to 10 Powerful One-Liners to Keep Your Writing Strong (Part Two). Here are five more powerful one-liners to inspire you and keep your writing strong. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0806.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0706.htm Rudyard Kipling said, "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." Nothing changes people like words, written well. 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That is, web readers expect the same quality of writing as print readers do, but they want it presented differently. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0506.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0406.htm Choosing the right words is essential for crafting professional business communications. Would you be satisfied with almost closing a sale or almost getting a promotion? Do your marketing materials urge customers to almost contact you? Then why settle for the almost right words? http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0406.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0306.htm Content editing is a process of addition by subtraction. It's no coincidence that edit and diet are spelled with the same letters. Success in either case requires cutting some things and keeping others. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0306.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0206.htm Copy editing is vital for crafting professional communications. In the second in a series of four articles designed to unleash the power of your written words, I have simplified editing into three and a half easy steps. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0206.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0106.htm Everyone edits. Everyone. All the time. Editing is a second look. Editing is as simple as reading email before you send it, to make sure that you included everything you want to say, or as complex as overhauling a book manuscript. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0106.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0505.htm When is your best advertisement not an advertisement? When it's a press release. In the competition for consumer attention, a well-written press release is one of your most important marketing tools. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0505.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0405.htm Written communication is often the first impression you make on potential customers, business partners, or employers. Because of its significance to your marketing message, it is one of the most important aspects of your business. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0405.htm http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0305.htm It's a great day to be a woman and a writer. Today is International Women's Day 2005. It is the 94th annual celebration of the power of women to create change. http://www.sallybacchetta.com/Column_archive/column_0305.htm