Entries from July 2012 ↓

Most online marketers engage in content marketing in one form or another.

They understand the benefits it brings to their website’s visibility, customers’ satisfaction levels and of course, their bottom line.

But content marketing is only any good if people can find your blogs and articles. So, how can you be sure it’s being found and being read?

It all comes down to measuring the 3 pillars of content marketing:

Visibility

This one is concerned with how easily people can find your content.

When you check your Google Analytics, if your page views are low, it would suggest your content is less than prominent in the search results.

You can remedy this by comparing the keywords that people are using to find your content with the ones that are part of your strategy. You’ll also need to check your META tags and META descriptions. And remember, your META description is the initial hook you can write to encourage someone to click through to your website so make sure it’s enticing.

Relevance

Assuming people can find your content, they’re only going to read it if it resonates with the. Are you offering a solution to their problem? Are you providing the answer they’ve been looking for?

In your Analytics, this can be judged by your bounce rate (the percentage of people that land on your site and then leave immediately). A high percentage suggests they are not engaging with your content. So, make sure it is packed with benefits and written from your customers’ point of view – not blatant promotion for your company.

Value

The type of post you produce is also important.

We’ve already said how important it is that your content resonated with your reader, but it’s equally as important that the format of your post appeals to them.

How to articles, statistics, templates etc., are all very popular because they give your reader something for nothing.

The number of sign ups to your RSS feed and the number of shares you receive on social media will reflect how ‘on target’ your information is.

You see, content marketing is essential for any online business – from copywriters to solicitors, software houses to photographers – it will:

• Promote you as an expert in your field
• Give you more ownership of the web
• Boost your visibility in the search results
• Generate links to your website

But to get the most from it, make sure you always think of your customer and measure your results.

This guest post is by David Harfield of iPhoneAppCafe.com. The author’s views are entirely his own and may not reflect the views of FreelanceCopywritersBlog.com. If you are interested in producing a Guest Post for this blog, please get in touch with your ideas.

After spending five years in the freelance copywriting game, I’ve had to iron out a fair few bad habits as well as learn a few good ones.  I’d like to share with you a few pieces of advice that will help turn any rusty copywriting skills into pure gold.

1. Know your audience

OK, this sounds like a fairly obvious point, but when you take the time to think about it, it is actually the most important thing to remember; if you want traffic to be directed towards your blog, you have to appeal to the people that make up that traffic.  So, if your blog or website tends to attract younger people or is based around a theme that is typically associated with the younger generation, consider this when you are wondering what vernacular to use.

Perhaps you could throw in a few ‘cool’ colloquialisms or reference some zeitgeist pop star to show them that you have the common touch.  On the flip side, let’s say that you work for a technology site; your audience is going to appreciate it if you have a decent grasp of technological terminology, so don’t be afraid to do a little research in this area.  Remember, a little can go a long way.

2. Make your titles ‘clickable’

In the blogosphere, one of the most important elements of your article will be your title; seeing as this is what your audience is going to initially be attracted to, it has to be particularly attractive.  So, let’s discuss what’s attractive.  I’ll bet that you clicked on this link because you thought that it would be a short, brief summary of copywriting tips that you could digest before moving on to doing something else (and you were right!).  If I had entitled it ‘If you want to improve your copywriting skills, this article can help’, most of you would have clicked off by the fourth word.

What I’m trying to elucidate is that short, snappy, keyword rich titles work best.  Don’t use language that alienates your audience, but definitely use specific niche keywords that they will be drawn to.  Numbered lists are very attractive too, as are ‘How To…’ titles; basically, most people are short on time and if they want to read an essay, they’ll buy a book (or at least go to a library…).

3. Proof, proof and then proof again!

Once again, this seems like a fairly facile point to make, yet you would be surprised at how many writers do not proof their work.  I like to encourage people to submit each piece of work that they write to the ‘Read Out Loud’ test (I’m pretty sure that you can work out how this test works); if it doesn’t sound right when spoken, it’s certainly not going to read fluidly and your audience will click off as soon as they are bored.

Concurrently, Google has recently altered its algorithm for ranking sites, meaning that user experience counts for a lot more than what it did previously; this means that if you want your site to rise up the rankings, you have to rid your articles of any (and I mean ANY!), grammatical and spelling errors.

David Harfield is the editor at iPhoneAppCafe.com where he reviews the Best iPhone apps and accessories.

If there’s one thing that never changes in the world of marketing, it’s the power of the written word.

Adverts, websites, brochures and emails would be nothing if it wasn’t for the carefully crafted copy that persuades their readers to part with their hard earned cash.

That’s why I wanted to bring this post back from the archives. It’s as relevant today as it was 3 years ago. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the power of words:

Words can be a powerful force when used correctly.

In a novel they have to conjour up an image in your head so you can visualise the characters and scenes they are playing out. In the world of marketing they have to be direct, simple and to the point.

This is something I frequently have to remind my clients – not all, but a few.

A while ago, I was writing for one client and nothing I produced seemed good enough. It was frustrating because I knew what I had written worked. No matter how many times I explained my reasons for using certain layouts and words, it wasn’t good enough.

The reason…

“I thought you were supposed to make me sound more intelligent.”

Eeek! And there was me thinking the whole purpose behind copywriting was to generate sales.

So what does a freelance copywriter do?

Working as a freelance copywriter, it is my job to create great copy which will be interesting and sell – but without being ‘in your face’ super sales hype.

I write all sorts of copy from SEO website copywriting through to reviews and just about everything else in between.

Let’s take website copywriting as an example. If you could ask someone what their reaction was when they landed on your website, which scenario would you prefer?

Scenario 1

Reader – “Gosh, what a superbly written site. You are obviously incredibly intelligent and well edcated.”

You – “Why thank you, and what did you think of our product?”

Reader – “Product? Oh, were you selling something too?”

Scenario 2

Reader – “Amazing, that’s just what I’ve been looking for. It’ll solve all my problems.”

You – “Great. What did you think of the writing on the website?”

Reader – “Writing? Oh, I don’t know. I was too interested in your product and how it would help me.”

I think I know which one I  would perfer.

Invisible writing

It sounds rather strange that your writing should be invisible to your reader, but that’s how it should come across. The words you use have one purpose only – to convince your reader the product you are selling is the one for them.

Becoming blinkered by your own writing ego is the fastest way to churn out redundant copy. If someone is reading your website or brochures, they are doing so for one reason only – they want to know if your product is a fit for their needs. If they can’t find that our quickly, they’ll move on to the next company’s product.

Clear, conscise and simple – that’s it. No frills, no sparkles and no sequins.

Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, ‘re-pin’ images to their own collections and/or ‘like’ photos. Pinterest’s mission is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting” via a global platform of inspiration and idea sharing. Pinterest allows its users to share ‘pins’ on both Twitter and Facebook, which allows users to share and interact with a broad community.

Source: Wikipedia

Have you been bitten by the Pinterest bug yet?

Personally, I haven’t. It’s not something that I really ‘get’ – admittedly because it doesn’t really appeal to me.

But there are a lot of buisnesses out there who’ve had a lot of success with it and a study by SteelHouse identified that ‘Pinterest users are nearly twice as likely to purchase than Facebook users.’

However, many B2B businesses (like my copywriting business) are struggling with the whole concept of promoting themselves through this pictorial platform.

Thankfully, those wonderful people at SocialMediaExaminer have come up with a post helping people just like me.

They explore 7 tips for successfully using Pinterest in a B2B business.

In it they look at how some B2B businesses are using Pinterest by:

• Using infographics
• Ebooks, guides and white papers
• Engaging with their fans
• Displaying their products
• Displaying their work culture
• Using pin brand-related images
• Showing how they are serving the community

Take a quick look, it might just give you the motivation to start Pinteresting your business.

You’re most probably aware of the recent EU Privacy and Communications Directive that came into force at the end of May that affects all UK websites.

Basically, it states that website owners must get their users’ consent (via an opt-in basis) to be able to use non-essential cookies to track their data.

If you’re unsure what a cookie is, it’s a small text file that stores data about website users. An example would be Google Analytics, which provides anonymous tracking data about users.

(In case you were wondering, essential cookies are those used to remember the goods you’re buying when you reach checkout, those used in internet banking and those that help pages load quickly.)

90% of UK website owners are ignoring the new legislation

That’s right, according to a recent article in Business Matters, as many as 90% of UK website owners are currently ignoring the new legislation.

The actual ruling came into force in May 2011, but British website owners were given 12 months in which to comply with the legislation.

The most common of the non-essential cookies used by UK businesses is Google Analytics. Although the legislation does allow for those websites that work on ‘implied consent’ where users have been made aware of revised privacy policies, this is still a bit of a grey area, so it is best to use a pop up to explicitly gain the users consent.

The cost of non-compliance

The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) has the power to fine website owners £500,000 if they don’t comply – that’s going to make a huge dent in anyone’s wallet.

But, they don’t have a stealth team out and about tracking down miscreants.

In fact, the ICO have confirmed that even though they are currently receiving complaints from users of UK websites that aren’t complying, in the first instance they will work with the site owners to improve their cookie policies rather than enforcing the rather hefty fine.

What you should be doing now

If you are a UK website owner and you haven’t put any compliance measures in place yet, we suggest that you at least show you are moving towards compliance, just in case the ICO come knocking.

Alternatively, get a notice and opt-in box on your home page that tells users that you use cookies and ask for their consent to use them, along with a link to further information.

Over to you

What are your thoughts about the cookie directive?

What actions have you taken to make sure your website complies?

Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you.

Sally Ormond – Copywriter & Managing Director of Briar Copywriting Ltd