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Digital Copywriter. Digital Life

Well the TV’s gone digital, the radio’s going digital, the internet’s always been digital – maybe the digital copywriter isn’t such a far fetched idea. A spectre of binary, of bits and bytes in human form, sat at a desk tapping away, cup of digital tea by their side. The digital copywriter stroking their digital chin, chewing a digital pencil and soullessly generating reams of digitally enhanced, high definition SEO copywriting, digitally modelled and crafted. Digital copywriter robots writing for search engine robots.

Real copywriters, real beards

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your take on things) digital copywriting and digital copywriters still take a very human form. Real people, real human copywriters with real beards are still at the centre of all things copy. What the term digital copywriter refers to is that of course the vast majority of copywriting that is targeted for consumption via the Internet.

How does digital copywriting differ from traditional copywriting?

Are there any significant differences between digital copywriting and more traditional offline copywriting? And if so what are those differences?

Essentially digital copywriting and non-digital copywriting share the same principles. When people write, they write to elicit a response to change something or to make something happen. Perhaps they want to try to shape an opinion, or educate, entertain or make a sale. Vivid, persuasive copy is effective on or off line.

The way that strong copy is formatted though differs slightly between digital and non-digital copywriting. A digital copywriter must always in the back of their mind be aware of how and where the copy is to be accessed – at present that is through search engines, although social media is creating multiple access points. A digital copywriter must at least acknowledge search engine ranking criteria and use that knowledge to format their copy in ways that appeal to search spiders using appropriate keyword selection, headers, paragraph lengths, keyword collocation and so on. Online readers are also attracted by pithy, quickly informative copy that delivers information succinctly.

Readers with itchy trigger fingers

Perhaps the biggest difference between digital and non-digital copy is reaction time. You only have seconds to capture the attention of web users and when you have their attention it’s vital that your call to action is clear and compelling. ‘Click here’, ‘download’, ‘buy now’ – Get it wrong and they’re gone. Get it right and your website will flourish.

B is for Blog Copywriter

Most organisations these days burden assign somebody in the company with the responsibility of keeping the company blog updated, interesting and social media-centric – to be the company blog copywriter. Often though the job is divided up and a number of different people contribute their different perspectives, insights, expertise and opinions through their own different contributions.

There are an increasing number of ‘rock star’ blog copywriters out there who have established celebrity within their niche, huge readerships, success and influence through their writing.

They all had to start somewhere. They all started small. People like Brian Clark in America or UK copywriter Pete Cashmore who both write on copywriting and social media built their reputations and popularity on sound principles. You’ve probably got a list of people you like to read, writers specific to your industry or field. The same applies to them too. A blog copywriter, whatever their expertise, whatever their niche, needs to follow some basic blogging rules.

1. Be yourself – be human, be real
2. Engage – seek the opinions of your readers. Build your blog with contributions and community.
3. A blog is anything but a corporate brochure – listen and lighten up
4. Be brave – dare to be outspoken if that’s how you feel, dare to be opinionated
5. Add value – share useful information. Tips, tricks, inside knowledge, advice, guidance anything that your readers will genuinely benefit from and leave them wanting more.
6. Have fun – don’t approach your role as a blog copywriter with a heavy heart. Play with words and ideas and use your blog copywriting as an excuse to exercise your creativity. Blog copywriting is freer, less constricted than say, sales copy. Hunt for the angles. Find them and have fun. How many people dream of being a writer and never get the chance? Here is your opportunity.

Point number 6 leads on to the 7^th and final rule employed by every single one of the world’s most successful blog copywriters, a rule that you too would be wise to follow. What is the 7^th rule?

There are no rules.

Three killer copywriting techniques for creating headlines

In the mysterious world of the press, headline writers are a secretive bunch, blessed with the ability to tell an entire story in just a few short words. As a copywriter, you need to develop that killer headline instinct that succinctly puts across a message in the shortest space possible. The last thing you want to hear from your reader is: “You lost me at ‘hello’”. So here are three tips to writing the perfect headline.

1.    Don’t go with the first thing you think of

Writing a great headline, particularly if you’re trying to encourage a reader to buy into an idea or a product, takes time. It’s one of the most important things you’ll do as a copywriter, so write down several options before you choose your final headline. You may find that a combination of two headlines gives you the most effective result. Make it relevant and make sure you’re also thinking about the Internet search engines as well as the reader.

As any boy scout SEO copywriter knows, good, relevant keywords not only give you a greater chance of appearing higher up on the search engine listings, but also ensure that more people read your work. Go for commonly used search phrases that are particularly associated with your product or the point of view you are trying to put across.

2.    Science – facts work

“New research shows that 68% of people click on attention grabbing headlines” – using scientific facts (the above percentage is made up, by the way) gives your headline clout. By adding a level of provenance to your copywriting through quoting scientific research in the headline, your reader is more likely to ‘trust’ your headline and read on.

3.    The big reveal

A headline that promises to divulge hitherto unknown information is a great hook. By sounding authoritative or offering to solve a problem, your headline is a tempting lead in to the main body of the article. Another copywriting technique that can draw in a reader is using the ‘Curiosity factor’, but don’t make it so obscure that the reader has difficulty relating it to their own personal experiences.

Try to avoid too much humour in your headline. What may seem like an hysterically funny play on words to you or an inside joke to other copywriters may be lost on your readers. Keep it professional – inform, offer the reader something new and exciting or a solution to a problem and your headline will work for you every time.

Email newsletters: what makes a successful subject line?

Over 90% of the millions of emails sent every day are spam – instantly deleted (or even filtered out through your computer’s filters), and always ignored. So if you’re planning to use email newsletters as a marketing tool, how do you avoid the oblivion of the trash bin and grab your reader’s attention?

Whether you’re writing yourself or using an external copywriter, make sure you have a good subject line. Keep it short and to the point, and avoid the ‘hard sell’ approach in your email newsletter subject line. Nothing will make someone reach for the delete button quicker than a subject line, resplendent with ‘screamers’ (exclamation marks), that belittles or insults your reader’s intelligence.

• Avoid sales language such as ‘exclusive’, ‘once in a lifetime opportunity!’ or ‘free!’ This usually initiates a “This has got to be too good to be true” response in the majority of readers and it sets alarm bells ringing in their spam filters as well.

• Keep the language short, clear and to the point. Keeping your subject line down to a few, well-chosen words will give you more credibility.

• Don’t misrepresent yourself. The closer your subject line comes to an ordinary email, the better. But be aware that if you pretend to have false intimacy with your targeted customer and they find out later that the email newsletter isn’t in fact from a friend but from a sales rep, you can guarantee it will be deleted and your name added to their security block settings.

So that’s the email copywriting don’ts – what are the ‘do’s’?

• Ask questions – a subject line with ‘Have you seen this?’ works well. It immediately rouses the reader’s interests and they are much more likely to read the rest of your email newsletter.

• Try and avoid multiple mailings. If a reader sees a long list of names they’ve never heard of in the recipient’s address line, they’ll realise very quickly that they’re just part of a ‘round robin’ email approach and delete. A one-on-one approach to emailing is much more personal and consequently more successful.

• Finally, make sure that the product you’re selling is relevant to your recipient and is a worthwhile product at a fair price. Creating perceived value in your copywriting without offering real value in your product leaves your customer with a nasty feeling of buyer’s remorse. Long-term relationships based on trust are far more profitable and an email newsletter is a good way to develop that.

Five copywriting tips for the perfect email newsletter

Used properly, an email newsletter can be an effective marketing tool. Whether it’s plain text or html or you do it yourself or use a UK copywriter making a newsletter work for you is all in the planning and preparation.

1.    Check your facts

If your email newsletter has technical information that your customers are going to be familiar with, make sure you get your facts right. Nothing shouts ‘amateur’ more than the wrong information paraded as ‘fact’. If in doubt, speak to someone in your organisation that, while they may not be a copywriter, does have the technical know-how to double check any factual information you may include.

2.    Grab their attention from the outset

Your opening statement should get the attention of your target audience. Make it relevant to them – think about what you would like to read as a customer and then adapt your style to make that opening statement something that will hook them in and get them to read the whole newsletter.

3.    Call to action

The call to action is vital in any commercial copywriting exercise, whether that’s a newsletter or an email. You don’t just want your customer to read the newsletter and then file it away – you want to garner a positive and active response, preferably resulting in a sale.

4.    Keep it short and sweet

Newsletters should be punchy, short and to the point. If your customer wants more details, then a call to action is the best way to initiate direct contact. Newsletters are the hors d’oeuvres of commercial copywriting. They’re the appetiser that draws the customer in and gets them to sample the main course – your product or service.

5.    Spell check

Nothing puts off a customer more than a newsletter peppered with spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and poor sentence construction. Although the spellchecker on your computer should catch most errors, don’t rely on it (particularly for grammatical errors) and before you send your newsletter out, make sure that it’s professional, well written and grammatically correct.

So keep it simple, keep it accurate (both factually and grammatically) and make sure you finish with a strong call to action that motivates your customer to respond.

The web copywriter: your secret marketing weapon

A skilled UK copywriter can play a vital role in your online success. One of the essential keys to winning more visitors and more conversions, the quality of work delivered by your web copywriter might very well make or break your online marketing campaign.

Big is not always best – SEO copywriting for small businesses

For most small businesses these days life is undoubtedly tough. Spending some time on your SEO copywriting might be one way for you to make some quick, cost effective headway. With more and more business now being conducted online (9 million UK shoppers now buy on the web with online sales expected to more than double to £21.3bn by the end of 2011) your copywriting could make all the difference to your online success.

Anything out there that’s going to strengthen your chances of winning more business, marketing components such as web copywriting must be worth serious consideration. If you aren’t finding ways to add value to your web site and to attract visitors you may get left behind. Rest assured that the competition is doing all it can to take advantage of any reluctance to market effectively online.

A skilled SEO copywriter focused on the specific needs of your business might though be all you need to conquer the search engine high ground and with it the customers and profits that can follow through.

How does SEO copywriting for small businesses differ from other website copywriting?

01. Find your niche

SEO copywriting for small businesses usually takes a wider, longer tail approach to winning business. Usually the more competitive search terms are so highly fought over in the natural listings that unless you are prepared to try and match the resources of a big company or corporation it’s unlikely that you will be able to compete. Popular Pay Per Click (PPC) keywords will be prohibitively expensive.

02. Find your ideal customer

The trick is to closely study your target audience, to get creative with your keywords and use these long tail terms in your SEO articles, SEO copy and online marketing. The good thing about small businesses is that many specialise in niche products and services, ideal environments to profit beyond the shadows cast by big business.

03. Share your expertise

Blogs are another effective way for small businesses to share their expertise and build community. The passion of small business owners when met with the desire that many shoppers have for small, independent specialists make blogs a great platform upon which to build trust and win new customers.

04. Give your customers something of value

Useful, well-written content, content that engages, informs and entertains rules the waves. Other sites love to link to quality resources and Google loves sites with lots of nice inbound links. The more popular your copy makes your site the more popular you are with Google and the more visitors are attracted to your products and services.

Three ways to be a laser-sighted SEO copywriter in 2010

Happy New Year everyone! Now that the tree is on recycling skip, the Christmas cards in the kids’ scrapbook box and Dad (me) is seriously considering getting down the gym again before he starts to look too much like Santa Claus, I’ve been starting to get into work mode again and looking at how to make things more efficient in 2010.

Inspired by my Christmas reading, Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week, I’ve come up with some key pointers to make my SEO copywriting services leaner, meaner and more effective in 2010:

01. Choose your clients

After four years of operating as a web copywriting company, I know now the type of clients that I enjoy working with, are most profitable for us and who get the best service from us because they allow us to play to our strengths.

When the country is in recession, it seems crazy to turn down work or drop clients because they don’t fit your organisation but in my experience focusing on the clients that value high quality content, pay well and know what they want works best for me and best for the client. Good relationships are worth cultivating, but equally relationships that aren’t working drag you down and hinder your ability to offer a good service to your other clients.

02. Play to your strengths

I believe we’re one of the best SEO article writing services in the UK – as a copywriting firm it’s probably one of our strongest areas and I’m blessed with some really good writers with experience on leading publications.

On the other hand we’ve got very little experience in writing for email marketing – it’s not that we don’t know how or that we’re not very good, it’s just that we don’t have the track record. Rather than try and fix this though I’m going to plough time and resources into promoting our article writing services and ignore email for the time being.

It’s common sense really but many businesses waste time and resources trying to improve their marketing and delivery in the areas that they’re weak in rather than trying to maximise their strengths.

03. Forget about keywords

I think this is probably the biggest tip I can give any new SEO copywriters out there. Too many writers get wrapped up in trying to write copy around keywords and end up writing stilted, unnatural content. I find that if the content is really relevant to your target keywords you hardly have to think about whether you’ve met your desired frequency or not – it usually just happens. Of course keywords are essential but they need to be put in their rightful place – good relevant content first, keywords second.

The SEO part of the SEO copywriter

People often think that an SEO copywriter somehow differs from any other type of copywriter, that the SEO copywriter needs to think in different ways, to apply different skills, that they weave magic spells that will hypnotise Google into handing out top search placements.

Well you know what? People are right (partly). The SEO copywriter does play a very important role in any website’s profile. Poor SEO means poor search engine profile. The SEO copywriter can make a big difference to the way that search engines evaluate the relevance of websites and position them against search terms.

People are also wrong though. In reality effective SEO copywriting and good traditional copywriting go hand in hand, performed by the same people and generating the same sorts of benefits.

SEO copywriters aren’t a breed apart – a talented SEO copywriter is a good marketing copywriter, is a good blog copywriter, is a good article copywriter is a good copywriter. Different writers might have different preferences when it comes to the medium they communicate in, but generally they are all one and the same person applying the same range of skills to the same sorts of ends.

What are the main skills that an SEO copywriter uses?

Here are three of the most important SEO considerations.

Headlines are important in all copywriting, even more so when it come SEO. Use the h1 tag as your title and to shine a very bright light on your keywords. Show Google you mean business. Use the h2 tag for sub-headings, and the h3 tag on sub-sub-headings. Google likes organised hierarchical writing.

No longer is keyword density (and associated keyword stuffing) of prime importance. What you need to do is to make sure that your most important keywords appear at the beginning of the page, ideally in the first sentence and again later in the first paragraph, in most paragraphs and somewhere towards the end.

Don’t compromise the quality of your writing by trying to shoe uk copywriter horn copywriter uk in keywords. Remember, the better your copy reads, the more inbound links you will attract and the more your quality content will be rewarded with healthy search engine positioning.

Use italics, underlining or bold to impress upon the search engines the importance of certain words.

Are you interested in saving money? Er… no, not really

“Are you interested in saving money?” It’s a question that I’ve asked many times as an SEO copywriter. In my professional capacity I’ve always assumed that the answer is, “of course, everyone’s interested in saving money.” It’s a given, a major benefit, a no brainer isn’t it? However, watching one of those TV money comparison [...]