Freelance Copywriting, marketing and social media tips

Whether you need someone to work on an off line or online project, it’s essential the copywriter you choose has certain qualities.

The ability to write is obviously right up there, but being an effective writer goes a lot deeper than being able to string a few sentences together.

Creative

Really? OK, a copywriter rarely gets involved in design, but they must have a creative side to be able to look at your project from a number of different angles. They must be able to come up with concepts that will make your project stand out.

A bit of nous

Because copywriters usually are not industry specific, it is imperative they have the ability to grasp a subject quickly. Frequently, copywriting projects only last a few weeks or months (especially when it is in relation to website copy or brochure content), so they have to get up to speed with your product/service PDQ in order to write about it in an intelligent, coherent and persuasive manner.

Understanding

You’ve undoubtedly heard many copywriters talking about ‘speaking to your audience’. But to make their copy resonate with your customers, they have to show empathy for the issue they have (and the reason why they need to buy what you’re offering). Only when they place themselves in the shoes of your customers can they create copy that will deliver the emotional connection needed to make the sale.

Great listeners

Although your copywriter knows how to write to sell, it’s important they also listen to your goals. After all, riding roughshod over your ideas is hardly going to ingratiate themselves to you.

A good copywriter will listen first, weigh up the project and then provide feedback. After that, the collaborative process begins so a mutually approved course of action if determined.

Organised

Not only do they have to be able to work to deadlines, they also must be able to follow direction, manage multiple tasks and be completely focused on the details of your project.

The last thing you want it to have to be constantly chasing them up to see how far along with the project they are.

Your copywriter should drive the project through to completion.

Not afraid to stand their ground

A copywriter won’t bully you (a good one, anyway), but they have to manage your expectations, so, should you want to take the project in a direction they know won’t work it’s important they have the guts to tell you.

After all, if they follow your instructions like a sheep knowing it’s not going to work, the project will be doomed. And, because they wrote it, it’ll be seen as their fault.

Therefore, any professional writer will point out when you are wrong and tell you why. Listen to them; they know what they’re talking about.

Simple

That needs a bit more explanation. Simple, as in writers of simple language. They’ll steer clear of any jargon or technical mumbo-jumbo and create content that is clear, concise and easy to understand.

They are not there to make you look intelligent by littering your content with long words no one understands.

Consistent

They will also produce content (especially if you commission them for multiple projects) that is consistent in voice and tone, keeping your marketing materials on brand.

Unassuming

When you’re a copywriter there’s no room for ego. Everything you write is for others, so it’s essential it follows the customer’s style and brief. It is essential your write can cut and edit the material without any emotional attachment to it. Its purpose is to sell, not gain kudos for the copywriter.

Understand the web

If your project is an online one, it’s also essential your copywriter understands how to write effectively for the web. That means they understand the use of hyperlinks, internal linking structures, search engine optimisation and how to cultivate a persuasive momentum that will keep the reader hooked.

Other than that, it’s also important you gel with your copywriter. Give them a call and have a chat to get a feel the type of person they are and whether you can work together.

It’s really important the client/copywriter relationship works to get the best out of your project.

Sally Ormond – Briar Copywriting Ltd, Twitter and Google+

Everyone knows that content marketing is the way to go.

With SEO becoming more social, it’s essential that businesses start to get great information out to their potential customers, to remain visible in the search results.

But what do you do when it’s ‘out there’?

Do you tweet a link and leave it at that?

No, you must engage in smart marketing.

It’s up to you to produce marketing that your customers want – useful information that builds trust and engagement.

Shouting about what you’re doing through social media will help get that information out to a wider audience.

You’ll know if you’ve hit it right because your followers and Facebook fans will then share it.

Why?

If your information is useful, relevant and valuable to them, then they will share it for you. This will get it out to a wider readership who’ll then share it with their friends too. And so it goes on until, before you know it, your audience of a few hundred has transformed into one of thousands.

That’s how the smart marketers do it.

They leverage their own audience to push their message out further.

Pretty cool.

So when you next create a video, podcast, blog or article, make sure it’s:

• Engaging
• Relevant
• Valuable
• Useful

Then share it through your social media channels and watch what happens. Of course, not every piece of content will strike gold, but when one does take a look at why it worked so well and replicate it.

Sally Ormond – copywriter, tweeter and Google+

How many times have you heard that the best copy focuses on the benefits of your product or service?

It’s true – your customers (and potential customers) are only interested in what you can do for them. They don’t care about you, your company or even what you sell. They just want to know how you’re going to make their life easier.

Mind you, when it comes to actually writing the copy, focusing on the benefits is tricky.

For starters, how do you know what they are?

When it comes to the features and specification of what you’re offering, you’ve got loads to write about, but the benefits? That’s a whole different ball game.

Before you start writing you need to work out who is your ideal customer.

Who are you writing for?

If you could pick your ideal customer, what would they be like?

Think about their age, occupation, likes and dislikes, what keeps them awake at night and what they want to get out of life.

Once you know everything about them, you’ll be able to write to them with passion to engage them in what you’re saying, to convince them their lives would be so much better with your product or service.

What about the benefits?

Once you know whom you’re writing to, it’s time to work out the benefits.

That means it’s time to do some research.

The first stage is to list all the features and specifications of what you’re offering.

Then, take each of these in turn and decide how they benefit your customers. How will they make their life easier etc.?

The next step is to think about the problems you will help them avoid backing up your benefits.

Finally, write down all the buying objections you can think of (e.g. in relation to cost) and how you would address them using the benefits you’ve already identified.

As you can see, writing copy isn’t quite as straightforward as you would think. If you want people to buy, you must:

• Address them directly
• Appeal to their needs and wants
• Demonstrate how your product/service will benefit them directly
• Address all potential buying objections

That’s quite a tall order for anyone, which is why many businesses bring in a professional copywriter.

The final video in this Matt Cutts mini series relates to a question all online marketers want answered – what does Google have up its sleeve in terms of SEO.

This video was shot in May 2013 so it initially talks about Penguin 2.0 which has already happened, but Matt then goes on to cover other areas, such as:

• Tightening up on advertorials that violate Google’s guidelines
• Link spammers
• More sophisticated link analysis
• Hack site detection
• Identifying niche authorities

Of course, the world of SEO changes rapidly, but this short video gives a heads up to what you should be looking out for.

So, that’s the end of our mini series for now.

Thank you to Matt Cutts and his team for these great videos. They are a great help to businesses trying to get to grips with what’s happening in the fast moving world of search.

See you soon.

Sally Ormond

Copywriter @ Briar Copywriting Ltd

Follow me on Twitter and Google+

In this video Matt Cutts talks about the top 5 search engine optimisation areas where webmasters make the most mistakes.

There’s so much to think about when creating a website, it’s easy to miss something important.

This video covers areas such as:

• Crawlability
• The right words
• Compelling content
• Titles and descriptions
• Webmaster resources

Here’s what he says:

I hope that gave you a few ideas about how to improve your website.

The final video in this mini series will look at what SEO from Google has in store for online marketers.

See you soon.

Sally Ormond

Copywriter @ Briar Copywriting Ltd

Follow me on Twitter and Google+