What is corporate prose?

Corporate prose is a hybrid term to describe business writing as a vehicle for storytelling.

Business writing today is filled with jargon, acronyms, and filler words. These are strung together to sound intelligent but mean very little to a buyer:

“We are the leading SaaS provider of strategic service solutions that improve ROI for your business.”

Prose is a literary style in which language is written in its ordinary form. It is the style most commonly used in literary writing, though it applies to any type of writing that is not stylized.

Corporate prose is intended to use plain language to convey business purpose. It relies on common words, meaningful statements, and narrative arcs. It encourages a reader or buyer to connect with the copy, rather than wondering ‘what kind of synergy will this SaaS service solution provide?”

What is professional service marketing?

Professional services is a broad term to describe a business that provides a knowledge-based service to a buyer, rather than selling a physical product.

Corporate Prose works best for businesses that trade on intellectual capital. Think business consulting, engineering, architecture, advisors, accountants, attorneys, and everything in between.

What do I look for when choosing a professional service marketing consultant?

There are many amazing marketing consultants out there. But, there seem to be more ‘not so good’ ones popping up every day. Technology has made it too easy to hang out a shingle.

When selecting a marketing consultant you want to verify credentials, industry experience, and see work and/or get references. You can ask the following questions:

1. What types of clients do you serve? Can you give me an example of a client or project that is similar to mine?

2. Tell me what you know about trends in my industry. How do you see them affecting my business?

3. Who will be working on my project? What are their credentials, experience, etc.? May I see a sample of their work?

4. What can I expect from the engagement? What deliverables do you provide with your recommendations?

5. What areas of marketing do you cover? What would you outsource or refer? Do you have partners you commonly work with?

Go with your gut. Experienced marketers are worth it. They may charge more upfront, but you will get results much faster than a fly-by-night.

What is the ideal customer for Corporate Prose?

We believe that the best marketing is highly focused. Targeted to buyers with specific profiles, needs, wants, and desires.

Corporate Prose specializes in business-to-business marketing for knowledge-based service providers whose target buyer sits at a Director level or higher, with a lean toward C-Suite. Our clients tend to be small to medium-sized consulting firms, regional professional services firms, technology information service providers or implementers, and larger companies with niche business service lines that need targeted support.