Words, wonderful words

This week, we’ve run a brand messaging workshop with a new client as the first step in their communication planning and before they start their media outreach. I developed our brand messaging workshops and love running them for a number of reasons.

Firstly I get to work with a company where we strip back everything and look at their brand values as the foundations of all their future communications, which is extremely rewarding and exciting. Secondly we spend time looking at and talking about words and that’s before I run a session where we spend some more time using one of my favourite tools – the thesaurus.

I love working with clients, examining which words work for their business, suit their values and helping them prioritise which words will work best with their target audiences. I love the debate about choosing one word over another as well as looking at how the words we pick can vary the tone and message of what we’re communicating. And I love the challenge of using words to keep us on our toes, with conveying a message and making reading easy. In essence, choosing the words that matter.

After a great session, I got in the car and drove home listening to one of my favourite songs  that packs in a lot of great words (it’s become a bit of a habit after a brand messaging session). We’re passionate about words at Padua Communications. We’re lucky – we get to be creative and use words in lots of different ways. It’s worth saying though that even we always get a fresh pair of eyes to look at the copy we write for clients before it is signed off.

In today’s world where we’re running from one thing to another at great speeds, there is a risk of getting slapdash with the words we choose. When was the last time you spent a whole morning reviewing the words you use in your business? On your website, in social media, marketing and in meetings and presentations – are they still working for you?

Are your business communications fresh, dynamic, punchy? Are they getting you sales or are they losing you leads? Why not be inspired by Roger Hodgson and the rest of Supertramp and try and use some new words in your communication with customers? If you need a hand to get started, give Padua Communications a call. I think I mentioned we love running our brand messaging workshops. I can pretty much guarantee that some of our passion for prose will rub off. You can get us on the usual number or email [email protected]

ps. We’d love to hear about your favourite words and how they’re used in marketing, business and lyrics too.

pps. We hope you all have a tip top Easter break – we’re back in the office on Tuesday the 2nd.