Jim Connolly Marketing

  • Home
  • About
    • About Jim Connolly
    • Jim’s small business marketing newsletter
    • Top Marketing Tips for 2026
    • Privacy Policy
    • How I use cookies
    • Contact
    • Disclosure
  • Let’s Grow Your Business

Marketing 101: Vigorous, written marketing

Updated April 2025

By Jim Connolly | April 2, 2025

vigorous written marketing, marketing copywriting, content marketing

Most of the marketing copy I see is at least 75% too long. Overlong copy lacks impact. It also lacks clarity and fails to motivate prospective customers or clients.

I want to help you avoid this expensive mistake, which is why I wrote this for you.

Vigorous, written marketing

And it starts with one of the best-known quotes on the subject.

“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that he make every word tell“.

Professor William Strunk Jr. – The Elements of Style.

The vigorous writing referred to here, is writing that is strong and full of energy. That’s the kind of writing that moves people to take action; to contact you, buy from you or hire you. It’s the kind of writing that gets the results you need.

How can you and your business benefit from the power of vigorous, written marketing?

The answer comes from understanding why the problem exists.

Google usually gets the blame

That’s because Google’s search algorithm rewards overlong, written content. It prefers 2500 words to 250. So, for over 20 years, online marketing writers have been rewarded for high word counts. That’s certainly not what’s needed for vigorous, written marketing.

But Google isn’t responsible for the wider problem.

Email marketing and off-line media is just as ruined by overlong content. Neither of those formats have ever required the writer to dance the Google dance.

The problem exists because most written marketing is created by people who lack sufficient training. It’s either written by business owners who ‘dabble’ or by below-par copywriters.

The solution?

The business owner wishing to switch to vigorous, written marketing has two options.

  1. Learn how to do it effectively.
  2. Pay someone who already knows.

How to decide?

  • The cost (in time) of learning is considerable. It takes years of practice. However, you’ll start seeing improvements relatively quickly.
  • The cost of hiring an expert is lower. And it’s a lot faster.

The price you pay for starving your business of vigorous, written marketing is far higher than either of those options. So pick one of them and run with it.

Photo by Cherrydeck on Unsplash

IMPORTANT: If you want to make more sales, boost your profits and grow an amazing business, this will help you!

FREE Marketing Tips

Get my best tips delivered direct to your inbox. Just add your email below.

You can unsubscribe at any time. I respect your privacy.

Jim Connolly

Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I help small business owners to increase sales, boost their profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

Featured by

marketing advice, marketing help

Site sponsor

packaging consultancy

Categories

  • AI (5)
  • Blogging (407)
  • Business development (491)
  • Copywriting (307)
  • Email marketing & mail shots (187)
  • General marketing (1,663)
  • Professional development (543)
  • Social media marketing (357)

Hosting provider

20i hosting

Search

Recent posts

  • The stupid game July 13, 2026
  • Hey! Not so fast! July 6, 2026
  • How to get your fees right June 23, 2026
  • A 3 shot espresso for your business June 17, 2026
  • Unproductive? You’re probably just bored June 12, 2026
  • Make AI grow your business June 8, 2026
  • It motivates people to take action, now June 4, 2026
  • Is your business one of the 50% that prospects now avoid? Probably! May 30, 2026
  • Give your best ideas away for free. Here’s why May 12, 2026
  • AI is wiping out your competitors. Now take their market share May 5, 2026
  • Powerful words for your marketing toolbox. Part 2 April 29, 2026
  • Your social media is sending an important message April 27, 2026
  • When was the last time? April 23, 2026
  • Jim, why are my sales numbers down? April 20, 2026
  • The secret sauce you were looking for, is here April 15, 2026
  • A few things worth learning, from the top small businesses April 9, 2026
  • Be optimistic. Because all this is true April 2, 2026
  • Why your audience isn’t growing in 2026 March 27, 2026
  • This marketing idea costs nothing and is extremely effective March 25, 2026
  • Let’s get things back to normal for your business March 19, 2026

Creative Thinking?

My Creative Thinking Website
  • Home
  • About
  • Let’s Grow Your Business

Copyright © 2026 Jim Connolly