Five Tips to Tighten Up Your Writing

Writing can be a funny thing. For all the stipulations, rules and wisdom that we picked up in grammar school, sometimes the situation calls for everything to be thrown out the window. Other times, we want our writing to be as clean and concise as possible, following the letter of the law. For whatever the situation calls, here are a few things that are always good to keep in mind…

• Know your audience – In my experience, this one is probably the most important element. It will dictate the level of detail and type of language that you use. It will determine how technical your speech, and how thoroughly you need to explain.
• Know your project – This is where adhering to the rules, or throwing them out the window, comes into play. Especially when writing for advertising purposes, writers will often start sentences with “and” and “but,” omit punctuation or use fragments. Rules are ignored so long as the copy is catchy and succinct - but it’s certainly something to avoid in an official memo or press release. Formality will vary greatly from piece to piece.
• Know the content – We’ve all been there at some point … You’re tasked with a writing assignment, and don’t even know where to start. Don’t know what you’re writing about? Sounds like step one isn’t writing, it’s reading!
• Active vs passive – Past the basic and into the technical. Juxtaposition of words will govern the strength of your statement. The active statement: “John threw the ball,” is much stronger than the passive: “The ball was thrown by John.”
• Reducing unnecessary words – Active writing is a good first step towards tightening, and reducing unnecessary words, especially prepositional phrases, is another solid step. Consider that, “It would be best if John threw the ball,” is saying the same thing as, “It would be the best case scenario this time if John threw the ball,” only using less words.

These tips all assume that the writer has a good foundational mastery of grammar, comma usage, spelling, etc. Some are better than others with these basic building blocks, and we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but keep these few simple tips in mind and keep moving in the right direction.


Need a little help developing copy? Whether you need text for your website, marketing collateral, press releases or social media, CU Solutions Group is here to help. Contact us today and we’ll develop strong and concise copy for any project!

What’s Your Credit Union’s Voice?

by Amy Neale 

I’ve been writing copy for credit unions for the past five years and I’m noticing a trend. More and more, credit unions are paying attention to their “voice” and making sure their websites and marketing materials have a distinct personality. Not that credit unions were lacking in personality to begin with, but there’s been a definite shift from formal business writing to informal writing for their content.

In this quest for informal content with a personality, I feel like I’ve been lucky enough to have an advantage. I used to write for television and video – which has a completely different style of writing than postcards and Web pages. Until recently, that is. I applaud credit unions looking to reach their membership on a more one-on-one, personal approach. Especially when you consider how personal your members take their finances! 

If your credit union is hunting for the right voice, I have a few tips for you. Get your marketing team and/or creative-types from your credit union together and ask:

• Who Are You?
  First, personify your credit union. If it was a person, who would it be? Find some good, solid adjectives to describe it.
• Who Are Your Friends?
  What kind of friends would your credit union have if it were a person? What would they like to do together? Basically, what kind of members do you want to attract?
• What Do You Want to Be?
  When you’re a kid, everyone always asks what you want to be when you grow up. Figure out what you want your credit union to be in five or ten years’ time.

While this may seem like a silly exercise, it does encourage you to think creatively about your credit union and what you need to accomplish when creating its voice. When I’d write for specific on-air talent, I’d always think about whom I was writing for and how to make it sound like my words came naturally out of their mouths. Each person had their own way of speaking. Writing for your credit union is essentially the same thing – just without the TV cameras or dressing rooms!

Is Your Credit Union’s Website Easy to Use? Top 5 Things to Consider

When redesigning or even just tweaking your credit union’s website you need to think beyond the bells and whistles and focus on website usability. There are four tests to assess your website’s usability:

• Design Test – This test consists of showing respondents an image, be it a wireframe, design or mock-up, for five seconds. After the respondents have viewed the design they are then asked a series of questions. It’s used to evaluate and determine if a site’s design is meeting its goals.
• Navigation Test – Respondents are given a task to complete on your site and test results show the success or fail rate in addition to a click analysis as well as if the navigation makes sense.
• Click Test – Click testing gauges how users engage with the site’s overall design. It also evaluates the key area of focus of the design and can determine user preference between two designs.
• Eye Tracking Study – A specialized test that tracks where on the computer screen the test subject is looking and in what order.

Website Usability at its Best

If you think you know your website, you might want to think again after undergoing any of the above tests. No matter how good looking and content-rich your website may be, there’s always room for improvement. 

Here are the top five website usability factors that often get overlooked:

1. Strong calls to action
   Having text that proclaims “click here” isn’t enough for Web users anymore. You need eye catching graphic designed buttons with strong calls to action like “apply here,” “contact us” or “rates” to get the responses you’re looking for on your credit union’s website.
2. Think F-shaped
   Most eye tracking studies done on websites, especially by the pioneer of website usability Dr. Jakob Nielsen, reveal a consistent pattern. Most users’ eyes tend to follow an F-shaped pattern when looking at websites for the first time. They start at the top left, work their way down and then briefly look to the right. You might want to consider laying out your website accordingly, putting important content on the left side of the page.
3. Ignore the fold
   Well, not completely … but the idea that all your important content needs to be “above the fold.” This means the part of your website you first see without scrolling down. Studies show that if your viewer is interested, they’ll scroll down for more information. And with so many varying screen sizes these days – from gigantic flat screen monitors down to tablets and smartphones, everyone’s fold is different!
4. Speed matters
   Do you have any idea how long it takes a slower computer to access your credit union’s website? It’s worth finding out. Too many images or other website performance issues can determine the click speed. And in this fast-paced world, people don’t like waiting. If they have to wait too long, chances are they’ll find another credit union’s website that’s faster.
5. Keep it clean
   We’re not talking about having G-rated content (although it never hurts). We’re talking about layout. Were you so concerned about getting every speck of information on your site you didn’t think about how attractive or readable that content is? Consider how much white space you have and how your content is formatted. A good amount of white space, easy-to-read fonts, headings, bulleted lists and concise copy are all your website’s friends and improve its usability.

Test it Out

If you don’t believe our tips, test it out for yourself. Have new members, family and friends visit your site, their feedback may be enlightening. If you’re looking for a more thorough analysis of your website’s usability, CU Solutions Group can help.

We utilize the design, navigation and click tests to get a good understanding of your site’s strengths and weaknesses, compile and present the data and offer useful suggestions. We also offer Web design and development, custom copywriting and more to help make your credit union’s website the best it can be.

Custom Website Content is King in the Credit Union Difference Kingdom

Bill Gates famously forecasted back in 1996 that “content is king” when it comes to the Internet. This was a couple years before people even knew what Google or search engine optimization (SEO) were, but Mr. Gates couldn’t have been more correct. The question for your credit union is – if content needs to be king on your website, who is going to build the kingdom and how?

As a credit union, the biggest market differentiator you have is that you are a credit union, along with all the benefits you bring to your members and the communities you serve. Does your website truly reflect that difference, or are you trying too much to look and sound like a bank? Given the not-too-long-ago bank bailouts and the more recent Bank of America debit card fee fiasco, now is the time to emphasize and revel in the credit union difference.

If, upon review of your credit union’s website, you realize that it could use some tweaking to highlight that credit union difference, you might want to consider using a professional copywriter trained in writing custom website content. Website content needs to be more than informational or readable – it needs to be written for your readers first and Google second.

Copywriting for Readers
Copywriters are trained to write content that persuades and appeals. When it comes to your website, your visitors aren’t going to read every single word – they’re going to scan. That’s where a professional copywriter comes in handy – they know how to write catchy headlines and bullet points (readers love bullet points) as well as clear, concise copy.

Using a professional copywriter has other perks as well:

• You’re guaranteed a consistent voice throughout your website. Many websites have content that’s written by a multitude of staff members, each with their own turn of phrase.
• Your staff won’t be splitting their time between writing content and their various other duties. When you use a professional copywriter, like those at CU Solutions Group, all they do is write content.
• A good copywriter will work almost as a satellite employee for your credit union and its marketing team. They’re there to write to your credit union’s needs and specifications – including spotlighting the credit union difference.

Copywriting for SEO
When done properly, writing for your readers and for SEO should go hand-in-hand. Writing for SEO is a definite science and your copywriter should be well-versed in what keywords need to be included on your site to boost your search engine rankings. In addition to keywords, Google and other search engines also evaluate keyword placement, links, formatting and much more. So, it’s not enough to outline what makes your credit union different, you also need to consider the nuts and bolts of the messaging. This is second nature for a professional website copywriter, enabling them to seamlessly accomplish all of your content goals.

Custom Content is Key
Don’t just take our word that custom website content is the way to go to deliver your credit union difference message. This year, the custom media professionals organization Custom Content Council surveyed chief marketing officers (CMO) in major industry sectors, including financial, and they’ve determined that custom content is now key when it comes to attracting new customers. Nearly 90 percent of the CMOs see the value in the service provided by custom content, and more than 90 percent feel that custom content has a positive effect on audience attitudes and can strengthen the customer bond. And isn’t strengthening that bond with your members what the credit union difference is all about?

Related Services:  Custom Website Content, Website Design and Development