Copywriting is critical to the success of any website or marketing campaign, but conveying the right message in the right way can feel like a daunting task if you don’t love writing (and, sometimes, even when you do). But don’t fret!
Writing great copy involves following a map of what to do and what not to do with all of your communications.
Writing great copy involves following a map of what to do and what not to do with all of your communications.
Do:
Write for Your Audience
Knowing what you want to accomplish with your copy and who the copy is intended for is key in determining what you should write and how you should write it. Don’t confuse your audience with your target market though. Your target market encompasses anyone who may be interested in your products/services and your audience is the specific segment that you intend on reaching with a particular piece of content.
Make it Easy to Read
Readable content is key! Break up your content with spacing, formatting, headings and other stylistic elements. Introducing white space into your content gives your eyes a place to rest and your brain to process what it’s reading.
Make it Shareable
Limiting your length will make people want to share your content but if it’s not easy for them to do so, they won’t. Include social buttons so that they like and share your blog posts, products and other interesting content.
Be Concrete
Having vague or ambiguous content is a good way to annoy readers. People don’t want to waste their time with content that won’t help them. Be as specific as possible and include examples in any of your instructional content to give readers a deeper understanding and keep them coming back for more.
Be Passionate
Caring about what you’re writing about will come through in your writing and enrich it. There’s no substitute for honest-to-goodness interest and expertise. If you’re truly passionate about your business, it will show.
Don’t:
Make it Too Long
Long content and verbose content often get ignored by readers who are looking for resources that will answer their questions quickly and get them on their way. Be respectful of people’s time and they will be more likely to read and share your content.
Forget to Incorporate Keywords
Using keywords naturally in your writing is the whole point of creating optimized content. Be sure to incorporate your top keyword phrases into the article itself or your closing bio. This will help your content to get discovered by the major search engines.
Use Industry Jargon
Your lingo and jargon may make sense to a fellow industry pro, but your audience may not understand these words and abbreviations. Ensure that your writing will be easily understood by your audience. Provide explanations where needed and scale your content to the experience level of your audience.
Jump from Trend to Trend
When it comes to content, there are always silly fads and trends making their way through the SEO world. There was the period where only content with a keyword density of 10% would pass muster with marketers and then 3% keyword density became a fad. These “rules” are ridiculous and you shouldn’t try to hold your content to them or their newer counterparts. Write in a way that addresses the topic at hand and let the rest come naturally.
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
Write for Your Audience
Knowing what you want to accomplish with your copy and who the copy is intended for is key in determining what you should write and how you should write it. Don’t confuse your audience with your target market though. Your target market encompasses anyone who may be interested in your products/services and your audience is the specific segment that you intend on reaching with a particular piece of content.
Make it Easy to Read
Readable content is key! Break up your content with spacing, formatting, headings and other stylistic elements. Introducing white space into your content gives your eyes a place to rest and your brain to process what it’s reading.
Make it Shareable
Limiting your length will make people want to share your content but if it’s not easy for them to do so, they won’t. Include social buttons so that they like and share your blog posts, products and other interesting content.
Be Concrete
Having vague or ambiguous content is a good way to annoy readers. People don’t want to waste their time with content that won’t help them. Be as specific as possible and include examples in any of your instructional content to give readers a deeper understanding and keep them coming back for more.
Be Passionate
Caring about what you’re writing about will come through in your writing and enrich it. There’s no substitute for honest-to-goodness interest and expertise. If you’re truly passionate about your business, it will show.
Don’t:
Make it Too Long
Long content and verbose content often get ignored by readers who are looking for resources that will answer their questions quickly and get them on their way. Be respectful of people’s time and they will be more likely to read and share your content.
Forget to Incorporate Keywords
Using keywords naturally in your writing is the whole point of creating optimized content. Be sure to incorporate your top keyword phrases into the article itself or your closing bio. This will help your content to get discovered by the major search engines.
Use Industry Jargon
Your lingo and jargon may make sense to a fellow industry pro, but your audience may not understand these words and abbreviations. Ensure that your writing will be easily understood by your audience. Provide explanations where needed and scale your content to the experience level of your audience.
Jump from Trend to Trend
When it comes to content, there are always silly fads and trends making their way through the SEO world. There was the period where only content with a keyword density of 10% would pass muster with marketers and then 3% keyword density became a fad. These “rules” are ridiculous and you shouldn’t try to hold your content to them or their newer counterparts. Write in a way that addresses the topic at hand and let the rest come naturally.
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
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