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types of writing

Writing in Marketing

 

Please keep in mind that these are only general guidelines; always defer to your professor's specifications for a given assignment. If you have any questions about the content represented here, please contact the Writing Centers so that we can address them for you.

Due to its reliance on statistical analysis as a means of interpreting research data and identifying possible target markets, marketing often necessitates analytical writing. Such writing may involve comparisons of data to evaluate the limitations of data and applications of data to real-life settings.

But writing in marketing does not end there. You may also be asked to write research papers detailing sales strategies and identifying target markets. This may be followed by proposal and advertisement writing and creating product handbooks. Because marketing is dependent upon consumer satisfaction, the field requires its writers to gear their language towards a specific audience with the use of appropriate tone of voice and word choice. Hence, an innovative mindset is always an asset in marketing writing.

Nevertheless, writing in marketing should follow general guidelines of papers written in any discipline, such as a well-versed argument, organizational flow, and, of course, and clarity and accuracy at the sentence level.

Preferred Bibliographic Style

Although writing in marketing does not require a specific bibliographic style, the APA format is most commonly used. For guidelines, section descriptions, and sample papers, visit Purdue OWL’s page on APA. In case of publication, view The American Marketing Association’s Manuscript Guidelines page, which you may use in conjunction with APA.

Common Writing Assignments

  • Create questionnaires and design interview questions

  • Describe and analyze statistical data and its implications as well as evaluate its limitations

  • Apply research findings to real-world marketing issues/topics

  • Find parallels between the concepts learned in class readings and those that appear in current publications

  • Analyze a firm’s industry and competition

  • Research sociological, cultural, and psychological factors that may influence consumer decision-making

  • Identify the best-fit market for a specific product

  • Detail a product handbook and/or brochure

  • Construct white papers

  • Evaluate web-based marketing strategies and generate documents to be posted on the internet

Key Terms

White papers. In marketing, the term “white paper” refers to documents specifying the advantages of a particular product in hopes of selling that product. Such documents are also utilized when arguing for a specific solution to a problem, in which case the white paper would include information justifying why such a solution would be the best option to solving the problem.

Web-based Marketing. The internet can be a great tool for marketing due to its low cost and efficiency. Web-based marketing can come in form of online promotions, informative articles, online videos, and search engine participation. Nevertheless, web-based marketing needs to be catered towards internet surfers. As a result, writing in web-based marketing requires you to consider your audience.

Helpful Resources

DePaul Marketing Links

Online Sources

  • Monash University’s “Skills for Writing in Marketing” discusses three topic areas in marketing writing: research, structure, and using sources. The site also lists annotated assignments, which have been evaluated and annotated by a lecturer.

  • Visit George Mason University’s “Writing an Analytical Paper” for information about choosing a topic, organizing ideas, composing your paper, using textual evidence, and polishing your paper.

  • For help with general writing concerns, view the Purdue OWL page, which offers thorough descriptions and examples of grammatical issues, provides a guide to composing different types of thesis statements, tips on organizing a paper, and tone.

  • Don’t forget to consider your audience when crafting your writing. View University of North Carolina’s Writing Center website, clarifying the importance of audience, how to identity your audience, how much to explain in a piece of writing, and how to read as both a writer and a reader.

  • Need help writing a white paper? This website offers an in-depth definition, tips on how to consider audience when constructing a white paper, and different approaches to writing white papers.

Books

  • Through a comprehensive examination of major marketing writers, the following book offers tips and detailed lessons on writing in marketing: Brown, Stephen. Writing Marketing: Literary Lessons from Academic Authorities. London: SAGE, 2005. Print.

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