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Hello <name>, It is the start of another month and I hope you will make it a good one for yourself. I have just finished a long stint of writing webcopy, letters, PDSs (regulatory documents called product disclosure statements in full), marketing brochures and fact sheets for Professional Associations Superannuation Fund. I had no idea there were so many factors involved in running a super fund! Closer to my 'green heart', I have also been working with a new business, Precious Water, to help them get started. This business is selling flexible water tanks to help people save water from going down the drain. I've been helping coach the owner with getting tasks done, as well as starting their website and other documentation. If you care for our environment, too, do you show it in your business or at work? Have you got any 'green tips' to share? I'd love to hear them if you do... Personally, I turn off lights and equipment when I don't need them, make use of grey water and am about to install a water tank. But one of the biggest things I love about my business is that I can send out drafts by email and not have to use reams of paper as part of my business, despite being a writer! Use your words wisely!
Tash
Branding Branding is a big subject, covering how you use your logo through to how you give a presentation. But did you know that the words you use in documents, on websites and in presentations also form part of your brand? For instance, if your brand is to be young and funky, you don't want webcopy that reads "In our experience, prospective partnerships are best developed through a commonality of interests..." Some factors to consider to ensure your written communications enhance your brand are:
This can all come into preparing a style guide, too, as we discussed last month. A brand for a
company is like a reputation for a person. You earn
reputation by trying to do hard things well.
An illicit response? elicit: develop or arouse something. For instance, a sad story will elicit your emotions and responses and a problem solving team may elicit a solution. illicit: illegal or otherwise forbidden (perhaps morally or against rules.) Such as saying the couple had an illicit meeting during the meeting. Not sure how to remember which is which? Notice that illicit is illegal and 'wrong', so it can be considered an ill choice or action.
What is superannuation? There are a lot of regulations and rules surrounding superannuation (also known as super) so many people find it difficult to understand, but the concept of super itself is easy. Superannuation is simply a system of saving money to use when you retire. In basic terms, super is like a bank account in your name but you can’t access that money unless you meet certain rules. Super is therefore meant to fill in the gap between your regular savings and the pension (or lack thereof). Especially when you consider that increased life expectancies means we’ll probably spend more years in retirement, too. Learn more about super in this article. And note that with some changes in tax law coming into effect on 1 July, 2007, now is a good time to be reviewing your super savings and making sure your super funds have your tax file number.
Poor examples Sometimes, the easiest way to learn the correct way to do something is to see it done poorly so in this section of my newsletter, I show you some real-life examples of writing that need a little help. "The common
denominator across our client base is that each employee
programme is unique and is reflective of our clients'
specific requirements and employee demographics." A better version would be: Each employee program we offer is unique as we suit it to your specific needs. You are welcome to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think will be interested, but please send it as is without changes. If you were passed this email by a friend, you can subscribe here. This newsletter is only ever sent to my clients and people who request the monthly newsletter & writing tips found at www.wordconstructions.com. Your email details will never be given, lent or sold to any party whatsoever and you are free to leave this service at any time by sending me an email. Important: This email (including any attachments) is intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender. Whilst Word Constructions has taken reasonable steps to ensure this email is virus free, it accepts no responsibility and makes no warranty. The recipient should take its own steps to ensure there is no virus. Word Constructions accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. |
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© 2007, Tash Hughes