Tag Archives: writing

Be “Real” With Your Customers

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A lot of today’s top copywriters got their start in direct mail, broadcasting and catalog pieces.  Back then, the medium was strictly rooted in the “Push” era – we shovel out the content, you take it all in and buy this widget. When the web started coming of age, people realized that they didn’t have to “take it all in” – they could comparison shop, read reviews and judge ratings.  Even in the last few years we’ve gained the ability to ask friends, groups and followers for their thoughts and recommendations over social networks and get the answers we need almost instantly wherever we are. The “Push” Era is over.  But the Share Era is just getting started. The question is – is your content keeping up with the times? So many sales letters on the web are still crafted the “old fashioned way” – they assault your eyes with huge red fonts and bright yellow highlighters (all probably stemming from what some direct mail copywriter swore worked like magic back in the 1960’s).  They do nothing but push, push, push – and hope that they’ll sound like an authority long enough for you to grab your credit card and order. Don’t Write “At” Your Readers – Write “To” Them The best way to get in on this gigantic wave of share marketing is to explain your product or service to your reader as if they were sitting in the room with you now.  Grab a tape recorder and record yourself – since you’ll talk very differently than you write.  Don’t be afraid to “be yourself” either – be enthusiastic and excited about your offer. If your product or service is truly as great and as helpful as you believe it is, this will come through in your voice – and in your writing.  These are the kinds of “real life” tidbits you want to include.  Not hype, not fluff, but believability and sincerity. Throw out the larger-than-life, stiff suit you and let people see the real you. Don’t worry about what they’ll think – because your visitors, subscribers and customers are people just like you.  If you’re afraid of turning people away by “being yourself” – that’s good. Those people would’ve likely gone elsewhere anyway. Let them go.  Focus on the ones that stay – those are your real fans. “You’re Just Like Me!” Take a good, strong look at your copy. Clear out anything that smacks of temptation, manipulation or arm-twisting persuasion.  You don’t need it.  What you do need – as I’ve seen happen time and time again for truly great products, is enough strength to say “I’ve tried this, and it really helped me.  Here’s how I did it and here’s why I think you’ll like it too…” Make that person reading your copy exclaim, “Hey! You’re just like me!”  And being able to reach people on that kind of “real life” level is something that no bright red font or yellow highlighter can ever match! Sherice Jacob helps site owners improve website performance and increase conversions through her blog and custom design service at iElectrify. You can also follow @sherice on Twitter for more big bangs of inspiration and design coolness. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Be “Real” With Your

Creative Writing Tips for LinkBait Production

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Have you ever sold a client linkbaiting content and when it came time to produce the bait, you’ve thought “oh dear, there’s not much to write about ___” (copper pipe manufacturing, hermit crab pet insurance, massage distance learning, etc)? Writers block.  Brain freeze. Call it what you will – the inspiration behind link bait doesn’t come easy to all.  Most of us are SEOs, not trained copy writers, but on occasion writing link bait or guest blog posts for client products land in our laps.  I tend to get creative, and think up dramatic story lines to combat the sometimes sterile concepts at hand. Creative Writing Tips for LinkBait Production Tone . Toys for kids, project management software for AB’s, electric guitars for musicians – these groups don’t speak the same language.  Get the lingo down for any one group – lets focus on guitar musicians in this case. Google’s Wonder Qheel is great at suggesting industry relevant terms . After searching for top blogs in any given industry, I use the Cloudlet plugin for Firefox which scrapes SERPs to form a tag cloud of often used keywords on a results page. Looks like I should also mentions amps, top brands like Fender, and the popular sunburst finishing glaze. Character Development . SERPs image results, Flickr, and Picassa often give a pretty accurate idea of the types of people using any given product.  Results for electric guitar: men, 20 – 60yrs, dark outfits, large boots, long hair, holding electric guitars, sweaty, 1 syllable names.  Now I must imagine myself as a man who likes to dress for funerals, goes hiking, doesn’t own scissors, is in need of some Axe, named Spike. Adversity . This is the opportunity to incorporate the client. What is your character having to overcome?  This challenge will ultimately result in utilising your client’s product as an aid or the full on solution.  Spike’s adversity: He needs to buy a new guitar because he smashed his old favourite on stage in last weeks gig. Plot Line .  Like any good story line we need a beginning, middle, and end evolving in the face of this adversity. Beginning: Set the scene and explain the adverse situation.  Spike the electric guitarist has just moved to Memphis.  His record company has given him an instrument allowance and he needs to decide on a new electric guitar. Middle: Spike hum’s and ha’s over the types of electric guitars in his price range. End: Spike decides on the client’s brand of electric guitar because of the great X, Y, and Z features it possesses.  Spike can’t wait to play it on stage and share it with his friends. While an obvious challenge, try to be subtle about how you introduce your product.  The entire point of a story line and character is be more organic so that you appear legitimate, and not just another product cheerleader. I hope you take away a refreshed creative edge when producing client linkbait, be it a blog post or perhaps even using your character to explore (infiltrate?) social media avenues and forums.  Please, leave comments below and share your own inspiration for writing linkbait copy for clients – bonus points for especially monotonous industries. My “Spike” inspiration. Chelsea Blacker is a London based search consultant currently working at Base One Search With a background in SEO & PPC cultivated at Promediacorp in NYC, Chelsea focuses on engaging B2B brands in social media and online PR. If you want to further procrastinate from getting on with your real work, check out her current Marketing Pilgrim post You Know You Work in Search When… or say hi to her on twitter @ChelseaBlacker Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Creative Writing Tips for LinkBait

3 Ways to Blog from Your Email

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If you travel much and still need to keep your blog active, you will definitely find these tips useful: they will show you how to post to your blogs from email (and thus from your mobile phone ). Of course, you won’t be able to apply those to all types of blogs but generally this is very useful to know. Post from Email to Your WordPress

Short Sentences Sell: How to Make a Big Bang with Little Words

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When was the last time you read your own copy and set about cutting out any words larger than three syllables? It sounds like a drastic measure, but these days, even corporations are starting to see the light: words like synergy , sustainable and assessment are being sliced out in favor of more direct, simplified language. What’s the deal here? Have we all gotten dumber? Not at all. But we have gotten more used to the instantly-ready, on-demand world. That means we want to get to the good stuff in language we can understand immediately. Words like teamwork , wholesome , and report . Prevent Junk from Seeping Into Your Copy Junk words and phrases like “It seems like” and “Possibly” and “Actually” are all working together to clutter up your copy. They seep in so innocently and then, before you know it, you’ve started writing just like you talk. Sure, a conversational tone is great – but it also creates a lot of needless words that detract from the real meat of your writing. Go ahead. Strop out words like “very”, “just” and “maybe”. It might seem awkward at first to edit out everyday words like that – but in no time, you’ll find that your words flow much more easily while making your message clearer. Exaggerations Aren’t Helping Anybody! Making bold statements with a huge red font and a yellow highlighter aren’t going to get your message across any better. It’s fine to draw attention to some things, but too much exaggeration just dulls the impact that your words have on people. Dig a little deeper and try to find a word that says exactly what you want without going overboard: For example, how many times have you read something like this? “Only 27 widgets Left at This Price! Order Now Before It’s Too Late!” *Yawn*. What happens when it’s too late? Here’s something that’s more likely to startle you into action: “I can only guarantee 27 widgets at this price. Once the last one is sold, please don’t email me asking where you can get a new widget at 50% off – because when they’re gone, that’s it. If you don’t believe it, just ask the 28th guy who tried to order what he paid for his widget.” Make Your Writing More Active Writing in an “active voice” means you use more direct, actionable verbs instead of weaker, passive ones. For example: “The leftovers were eagerly eaten by the dogs” (passive) “The dogs eagerly ate the leftovers” (active) Which one has more punch to it? When you have words like was and were before your verbs, consider cutting them out altogether and using a stronger verb in their place. It reads more easily and is more likely to be noticed by your reader. Keeping these tips in mind will give your writing much more powerful meaning without taking away your individual creativity and the personal touch you lend to your words. Try it out yourself and see how much easier it is to create more compelling content! Sherice Jacob helps site owners improve website performance and increase conversions through her blog and custom design service at iElectrify. You can also follow @sherice on Twitter for more big bangs of inspiration and design coolness. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Short Sentences Sell: How to Make a Big Bang with Little