7 Professional Writing Tips For IT And Cyber Security Firms

Want to know the secret to a great online relationship with your clients? Come closer, and we’ll tell you.

One of the best ways to build a relationship with your customers is… through the professional writing on your website and blog.

Touching base with your target market and client base shows you’re present, you take the initiative, and you want to help.

But when it comes to writing quality content for your firm, do you feel like you’re letting the side down? Maybe you’re struggling with inspiration, or getting your point across. Perhaps it’s the nitty-gritty of content structure you’re worried about.

If you’re looking for ways to engage potential customers and website visitors with awesome writing, then we have the answer. Keep reading for 7 professional writing tips for IT and cyber security firms.

1. Know Your Audience

The first thing an author does when they come up with a concept for a book is to develop their characters.

Your job’s either easier or more difficult, depending on how you look at it – your characters are real people. You’ve just got to find out who they are.

Before you start writing stuff, you need to know who’s going to read it. To get that clear picture in your mind, do some character development of your own.

Ask yourself questions like:

• How old are they?
• Where do they work?
• What’s their annual income?
• Are they married?
• Do they have kids?
• What kind of home do they have?
• What does their lifestyle look like?

Questions like these will help you flesh out your customers in your mind, so you see them as real people.

Now that you know who you’re marketing to, you can move on to the fun part of actually writing stuff.

2. Keep an Ear to the Ground…

Next, you’ve got to have some inspiration.

Authors get writer’s block all the time, so don’t despair. If you’re struggling with topics to write about, the answer is simple – read.

For your professional writing to be effective, read about the things your target customers are talking about online. Forums like Reddit and Quora are great for finding out what people are really thinking.

You can also check out your competition. If you’re a cyber security firm, for example, then check out competitors like Paranet, who have heaps of current hot-topic articles on their blog.

Remember to never, ever copy what’s on another blog, though. Use these sites for inspiration only – plagiarism is never okay.

3. …Then, Write About What You Hear

You’ve got your audience, and you’ve got your subject. Next comes the part that’s an author’s bread and butter: the writing.

To start with, if you have customer comments on your website about your products and services, answer them. You can then use these questions and replies to form an article that’s up-to-date and interesting.

If you find the same question popping up again and again online, write an article discussing the answer.

Controversial or risky subjects are great for piquing interest, by the way, whichever side of the issue you’re on. And it’ll keep your readers in eager anticipation for your next article.

4. Focus on Quality

The first thing to focus on when writing a piece is a quality title. Your title’s like the title of a book – pick a bad one and it might not even get a second glance.

Write something thought-provoking and intriguing for best results, to make your reader want to find out more.

Next, your headings are hugely important. Use headings to generate interest, and also to break up large blocks of text. Make sure the text relates to the heading it’s under, for continuity and flow.

What’s important about your piece is not how long, but how informative and relevant it is. Don’t write reams just for the sake of it.

In fact, if you’ve got a lot to say, break it down into two or three articles to heighten interest and keep them reading.

5. Keep It Simple

Professional writing isn’t all about fancy words and pages of text.

Authors that use unnecessarily sophisticated vocabulary or are highly loquacious are often thought to be rather tiresome. (See what we did there?)

Very wordy, long articles that are difficult to understand will be a big turn-off for your readers. Who wants to feel like they’re being talked down to, or that they need to have a dictionary on hand to read something you wrote?

Instead, keep your writing simple and easy to read. Use headers for your main points, and be clear and to-the-point in your delivery.

There’s a place for complex vocabulary and a plethora of words… But your IT or cyber security website ain’t it.

6. Show Them Your Smarts

Often, you’ll find that authors tend to write books for just one or two genres. That’s because they write about what they know, and what they’re good at.

In the same way, you’re going to know things about your field of interest that your customers simply won’t.

Help them understand how and why they should use your services by showing them what you know.

You can do this by answering complicated questions, writing step-by-step tutorials, or reviewing different products and services you supply.

You want to give your audience information they don’t already have, and show them there’s plenty more where it came from, too.

7. Proof-Read Your Work

Read this title. Now, read it again.

We cannot stress how important it is to read through your work once you’ve written it.

Use a spell-checker tool to correct any spelling errors. Grammarly offers a great tool for checking the spelling and grammar of anything you type online.

You’re not only checking for typos – you also need to check that you got your facts straight the first time around. Proof-reading your article will also allow you to notice any unfinished thoughts or poorly-written phrasing.

Correct any mistakes as you go along. And rest assured, re-writing parts of your article doesn’t make you a bad writer. In fact, publishers are so hot on good writing, even their best authors have their work edited – for around 6 months!

So proof-reading and editing your work doesn’t make you a bad writer. It actually makes you a really good one.

The Takeaway on Professional Writing

High-quality content on your website speaks volumes about the people behind it. Through your professional writing, your clients and potential customers can build a relationship with your firm.

Draw inspiration from what your target consumers are saying online. Write about what they want to hear about. Focus on the quality of your work, rather than just banging out a lot of words.

Do all that, and pretty soon you’ll be writing pieces that’ll make your customers come back for more.

Want to put your newfound skills to good use? Check out this article on how to create a writing schedule (and stick to it!).