Corporate Writing / Tech Writing
I put corporate writing and tech writing together because… well, I have my own little sense of organization.
I could easily write a page on each one, but for ease of use, I only wanted six subpages on my writing services page, and I wanted to talk about both of these – hence the double dip.
I’ll discuss each below.
I like these pop-art pictures. Sure, stock imagery has its place, but over-reliance on it can be boring. So I like changing it up. Plus, you can imagine a million and a half scenarios for this picture (In my mind, the woman in front has a ton of stuff stacked up, but she’s got my work in front of her, and that brings her to a good place…)
Corporate Writing
Honestly, there really is no “official” definition of corporate writing (or corporate communication if you prefer). I mean, it’s writing a corporation needs, right?
That said, there is an image that pops into your mind when you think of a “corporation”: big, multi-faceted, maybe a hint of bureaucracy (others, not yours)… you get the idea.
So I like to define my corporate writing as maybe writing that uses the more “professional” tone that is preferred by many corporations. Not Dilbert-inspired corporate-speak, mind you, but a professional, reasoned tone.
What I do in my corporate writing is bring a little clarity and life. I do this with both internal and external communication, and it works really well. When I write a memo or a press release or anything similar, I make sure it’s professional, yet easy and engaging to read.
Technical Writing
Now there is an overall definition to technical (tech) writing. It’s essentially writing that makes complex processes easier to read and understand.
Think a user manual, or the instructions for a product. Or the process instructions to the new ERP system that’s being rolled out.
I’ll be honest – many companies let tech writing fall by the wayside. How many times have have you seen a situation where there’s a complex computer system, and the instructions are in a sloppy binder, complete with handwritten notes. This costs a company substantial money in mistakes and unused features.
My last real job had a binder like that for their ERP system. In tooling around one day, I discovered a feature that took an hour-long process they were doing by hand and automated it in seconds. I documented it, and bam, I saved three department workers an hour a day each, and also completely eliminated the costly weekly mistakes from something being entered into the wrong column.
That’s what I offer clients who need tech writing – I’ll ensure whatever it is you need, from instructions for your products to your internal process, are clear and thorough.