I remember several years back, working in-house and hearing the word “fluff” tossed around a lot. More specifically it was “marketing fluff.” Being a marketer, I never particularly cared for the word because it was the term people used to describe the writing in proposals, brochures and other pieces we were working on in the department.

We didn’t write fluff!

So, what is fluff, and how do we keep from writing it? I couldn’t help but include a snapshot from a recent SMPS DC golf tournament. My foursome had the honorable distinction of being the last place team in the tournament. Hey, somebody has to be last, right?

But we weren’t just last, we won an award for being last! I have to smile when I write this, but I am now an award winning golfer. And if I had to write a resume to be a physical education teacher, or golf team coach, couldn’t I technically include the words “award winning” on my resume?

The example is obviously a bit tongue-in-cheek and I would never do that, but the truth of the matter is that many AEC firms can say they’re award winning. If you open the statement up to say “award winning staff”, probably almost every firm can say it.

Your writing stops being fluff when you tell clients what matters to them. To do that, you have to choose which clients you’re writing for and include the details. If your firm wants to dominate the education market, don’t say you’re award winning, say that you’ve won eight awards for educational facility design in the past five years. The details matter to your clients.

And for the record, my kids loved the new golf set!