As a marketer, you probably do a lot of writing, especially when you take into account letters, emails, proposals, notes, plans, etc. Writing takes time and sometimes it takes time away from other things we could or should be doing. Imagine a world where you could write up to 200% faster. How much more productive would you be?
One of the challenges with marketing is tailoring your message. There are generally two schools of thought in marketing: boilerplate and tailoring.
Boilerplaters use standard language for the majority of their writing. The benefit of this approach is speed. The downside is that the ultimate work product can be less effective because it does not always speak to the client’s specific situation.
With tailoring, you write something that speaks directly to your client’s specific situation. The problem is this type of writing takes significantly longer to produce. Many seasoned professionals claim that this approach actually takes too long. But tailoring is the best approach if you have the tools and ability to write significantly faster than the average bear.
When you tailor, you can’t just cut and paste boilerplate paragraphs into your work product. But there are phrases, sentences, and even clusters of sentences you will type over and over and over again. Using a simple tool, you can automate this process, allowing you to write 200% faster.
Both Texter (Windows) and Text Expander (Mac) are tools that allow you to type triggers into your document or email that will automatically generate text. Once you get used to using these tools, you will be astounded by how much quicker you can compose powerfully tailored emails, letters, and proposals.
Let me give you an example of one of my triggers:
Trigger: mycard
Resulting Text: If you ever need anything at all, just shoot me an email. I’ll be glad to help. I have attached my vcard (which contains my contact info).
You’ve probably written something similar about a million times. The difference is it takes me literally two seconds to write.
Both these programs work at the system level, so you will be able to use triggers in every piece of software you use.
This approach won’t be as fast as the boilerplate approach. But it will allow you to develop tailored documents significantly faster than you thought possible.
Texter is free and Text Expander is only $30. But using one of these tools will save you significant time, allowing you to get more things done!
Speak Your Mind