Use These 4 Tricks to Compose Your Next Marketing Masterpiece
Many wine marketers who are required to write for their businesses quickly point out they are “no Hemingway.”
The irony is that Hemingway is known as a “plain” writer who preferred to use straightforward language when crafting his work. It’s an approach that–in theory–anyone should be able to replicate.
Of course, emulating Hemingway’s style is easier said than done. When you boil it down, what people are trying to get at when they reference the author is the importance of clarity and conviction.
With text marketing, you’re often faced with limited character space. So, writing clear text messages is critical, and you can learn some essential lessons from Hemingway’s approach.
While you might not win The Nobel Prize in Literature, your text messages will be easier to read and more engaging. So, in the spirit of brevity, let’s dive right into what Hemingway can teach us about writing texts.
1. Trim the Fat
“If I started to write elaborately…I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away…”
With a standard SMS, you have 160 characters. Using aimless, fuzzy words quickly eats into this available space. With this in mind, you should avoid the following where possible.
Adverbs: actually, currently, really, literally
Adjectives: very, real, simple
Other filler words: perhaps, pretty, now, that, in order, just, maybe
Untrimmed|
Trimmed
2. Use Simple Language
“I was learning something…writing simple true sentences is far from enough to make the stories have the dimensions that I was trying to put in them.”
Beyond being economical with your word choice, it’s vital to use simple and clear language. According to a study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, you don’t sound smart when using big words.
While it can be tempting to choose flashy words, it’s more impressive when you can deliver a message clearly and directly. The key lesson here is to choose simple words over complicated ones. Here are a couple of examples where a more straightforward word works best.
> Write next to instead of adjacent
> Write start instead of initiate
> Write use instead of utilize
Flowery Language
Simple Language
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Revise
“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit.”
Even the greats have to reread and often rewrite their work. So, don’t be afraid to do the same with your text messages. You can use tools like the–wait for it–the Hemingway Editor to make your writing bold and clear. There are other alternatives, like Grammarly.
The point is that it’s okay to write a couple of drafts of a text message and then decide what version works best. Shorten, delete, and rewrite anything that complicates what you’re trying to communicate.
4. Know Who You’re Writing For
“I decided that I would write one story about each thing that I knew about.”
We’re paraphrasing Hemingway a little here, so bear with us. While creative writing students hear they need to “write what they know,” marketers are told to write for their audience. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. If you’re marketing wine, and you’ve sold a bottle face-to-face, you likely know your audience.
Let’s say you’re texting wine club members about a new release, don’t be afraid to use common jargon to help you connect with your buyers.
Generic Text
Audience Specific Text
These four tips won’t transform you into a rum-drinking, bearded Nobel Laureate overnight. However, they will help you write better text messages and get your wine-loving customers to take more action.
For more ideas on how you can delight your best customers and sell more wine using opt-in text marketing, visit us at www.vinteractive.com.
And the next time you say, “I’m no Hemingway,” you can add, “But I write damn good texts.”
Happy Selling!