Hyphenation help for business writers

hyphens

Every professional wants to produce grammatically correct, perfectly punctuated business communications, in everything from email to blog posts. And yet, those little nit-picky issues that you just don’t know how to deal with can pose a challenge. Hyphenation is a frequent point of confusion; since some compound words call for a hyphen and others don’t,…

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What’s the deal with headline capitalization?

capitalize headlines

If you’ve noticed a whole lot of variation in capitalization patterns for headlines and article titles lately, you’re not imagining things. Whereas there used to be a couple of standard styles that most publications adhered to, today’s wide variability can leave a person wondering if there’s even a right way and a wrong way to…

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5 keys to a professional bio that helps you stand out

professional bio

You’ve worked hard to design an attractive website, described your services clearly, and even added testimonials or case studies that let visitors hear what real clients think of your firm. What’s still missing? Your professional bio, of course! Bio pages are an important part of your online presence, and they get a surprising amount of…

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Clients are the true content experts

choosing blog topics

When it’s time to create blog content, professional service firms are often at a loss. How can you generate ideas and determine appropriate topics to ensure that your content is read and valued? It’s easy to get hung up here, but there’s a readily available source of expertise with all the guidance you need: your…

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The mysterious linking verb revealed

What are linking verbs and why do they matter? Most of us remember the term vaguely from school but can’t say much more about this part of speech. No need for embarrassment though, because you almost certainly use linking verbs correctly without even thinking about it. There are a few commonly used phrases that sound…

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Your firm is not the solution

Does your firm proudly announce itself as a solutions provider? You’re not alone. In fact, ‘solutions’ is now right near the top of the trendy, overused buzzwords list. I’m sorry to be the one to break the news, but this word has joined the ranks of leverage, synergy and other wildly successful business terms that…

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Embiggen Yourself!

Next time someone reminds you to use your words, you’ll have a few more to choose from. More than a few actually, because Merriam Webster has added a fresh batch of 850 officially sanctioned “real” English words to the dictionary. As any linguist or casual wordie knows, language isn’t a static phenomenon. It’s always shifting…

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3 Keys to a Great Blog Post

The internet is awash in content, making it harder for any one article or post to stand out. What’s the best way to create blogs that people will choose to read from this vast sea of options? If you focus on these three points as you write, you’ll have a better shot at delivering content…

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What About You?

Your firm has an About page on your website – every firm does – but have you ever really pondered what it says about you? An About page is akin to a professional bio, introducing readers to the firm as an entity rather than focusing on a single individual. Like bio pages, these are critically…

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Esoteric Mysteries of the PDF

Have you ever copied text from a PDF file and pasted it somewhere else, comfortable in the knowledge that it had already been proofed and approved, only to find that certain letters were missing? If not, it’s time to get a little uncomfortable. That’s because there’s a strong likelihood you have used this finalized copy…

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