Overdoing SEO
When marketing your small business online, it's easy to get carried away by using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. While SEO writing may help customers find your website, it has limited ability to keep the attention of a reader or new potential customer. In order to add relevant content to your website, you'll need to know what keywords people are using to find your site. But once they get there, clear, succinct writing--rather than overuse of keywords--will keep them there.
Natural Language
The key is to use natural language, without awkwardly introducing keywords into your writing. When you tell someone in person about your small business, for example, you wouldn't ordinarily litter your speech with redundant references to your location or the products you sell. That wouldn't sound natural. Instead, you'd tell them what you do, who your customers are, and what products or services you offer.
Think Face to Face
Same with good online marketing. Make your writing sound natural and drop the hype. One way to do this is to act as if you're having a friendly conversation with someone you just met. Your readers will be glad to hear what you have to say when you say it using plain language.
Why Hiring a Writer Sometimes Makes Sense
As a small-business owner, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a writer or editor to help you with your writing efforts. A good writer will meticulously prepare your material to ensure that it's targeted and error-free. Why? Because he or she depends on your referrals to be successful. Not only that, but a good writer is often a skilled editor. So if you already have something written and would like to hand it over to a professional writer, you'll be pleased to see the results of your final, edited work. Here are just a few elements that are a writer's meat and potatoes--elements that you might not have the time or inclination to give attention to:
Pretty mundane stuff. But ensuring that these elements are addressed means that you reach your audience and engage new customers with maximum effect. You won't have to wonder whether you've expressed yourself properly.
Compelling Writing for Your Target Market
Carefully crafting the writing in your online marketing efforts can make a tremendous difference to your business. And if you're projecting a distinct voice for your business and answering the "What's in it for me?" question for your customers, you're on your way to reaching your target market. And on the way, you're also establishing genuine rapport with new and returning customers.
When marketing your small business online, it's easy to get carried away by using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. While SEO writing may help customers find your website, it has limited ability to keep the attention of a reader or new potential customer. In order to add relevant content to your website, you'll need to know what keywords people are using to find your site. But once they get there, clear, succinct writing--rather than overuse of keywords--will keep them there.
Natural Language
The key is to use natural language, without awkwardly introducing keywords into your writing. When you tell someone in person about your small business, for example, you wouldn't ordinarily litter your speech with redundant references to your location or the products you sell. That wouldn't sound natural. Instead, you'd tell them what you do, who your customers are, and what products or services you offer.
Think Face to Face
Same with good online marketing. Make your writing sound natural and drop the hype. One way to do this is to act as if you're having a friendly conversation with someone you just met. Your readers will be glad to hear what you have to say when you say it using plain language.
Why Hiring a Writer Sometimes Makes Sense
As a small-business owner, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a writer or editor to help you with your writing efforts. A good writer will meticulously prepare your material to ensure that it's targeted and error-free. Why? Because he or she depends on your referrals to be successful. Not only that, but a good writer is often a skilled editor. So if you already have something written and would like to hand it over to a professional writer, you'll be pleased to see the results of your final, edited work. Here are just a few elements that are a writer's meat and potatoes--elements that you might not have the time or inclination to give attention to:
- structure and organization
- quotation marks
- punctuation
- spelling
- comma usage
- capitalization
- audience appropriateness
- subject-verb agreement
Pretty mundane stuff. But ensuring that these elements are addressed means that you reach your audience and engage new customers with maximum effect. You won't have to wonder whether you've expressed yourself properly.
Compelling Writing for Your Target Market
Carefully crafting the writing in your online marketing efforts can make a tremendous difference to your business. And if you're projecting a distinct voice for your business and answering the "What's in it for me?" question for your customers, you're on your way to reaching your target market. And on the way, you're also establishing genuine rapport with new and returning customers.
Charles Everet is senior project editor of Cogent Text (http://www.cogenttext.com/), a writing and editing services company that extends the reach of small- and medium-sized businesses by offering a range of writing and editing solutions.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment