Watch Your Voice!
by Nancy Simonds
Tweets and IM notwithstanding, sometimes you have to communicate in complete sentences, especially in your marketing materials.
People often fall into the bad habit of using passive voice rather than active voice in their writing. Active voice simply means that the subject of the sentence acts rather than is acted upon.
(Remember those awful grammar lessons back in seventh grade? This is when they have a real-life application.)
In marketing materials, I prefer active voice because it’s more direct and has more authority. Passive voice is often clunky and wordy.
For example~
PASSIVE VOICE:
Your lawn will be affected by the quality of the grass seed you plant.
ACTIVE VOICE:
A beautiful lawn depends on quality grass seed.
See? Active voice is simpler and more to the point, and creates a stronger image. Use active voice in your newsletters, postcards, brochures, and Web content to add spark and interest.