Use Google News

Let’s say, for example, that you manage the Facebook page for a real estate agency in the Cayman Islands. Since you typically want the posts on a given page to be a mix of direct self-promotions and indirect industry-related information, it makes sense to search for recent, relevant news articles that speak to the theme of your page. This in mind, it makes sense to type in “Cayman real estate” (or related keywords) into the Google News search bar and pore through the articles that come up to find the one that best suits the tone of your business’s “voice” on Facebook.

Speak Casually

When under a time constraint, it’s easier and more effective to write under a casual posting “voice” than to confine yourself to rigidity. The nature of Social is somewhat relaxed compared to traditional media, and you can get away with making posts that are more freestyle in nature. This is not to say that you should ignore the tenets of good grammar and punctuation for the sake of appearing casual, but when you can find the magic sweet spot between “professional” and “laid back”, your posts are likely to attract more engagement.

Keep An Emergency List Of Post Ideas

Let’s be honest: some days you’re just not as sharp as others (lack of coffee etc.). For times like these, it’s a good idea to have a backup list of pre-prepared post ideas to keep your business page fresh and relevant. Though these planned posts are more likely to be non-topical, it’s better to post something useful, even if old, than nothing at all. It’s very noticeable to the public when a business page loses momentum, and looks very unprofessional when someone comes to your page and sees that you haven’t posted in months. With a little bit of research and forward planning, you can avoid the need to deal with this, and always have an extra one in the chamber.

Image Credit:  Massimo Barbieri (Flickr)

Respond In A Timely Fashion

This may seem obvious, but its a best practice ignored more often than you’d think. If a client or potential customer reaches out to you with a specific inquiry or comment, they’re expecting a timely reply: Don’t leave messages sitting in your inbox, particularly if your page is public and is seen to be regularly posting. Its also important not to ignore comment threads on individual posts, which can be easy to lose track of as they’re replaced with new ones. Even if you don’t have an immediate answer to a question you’re posed, its always advisable to let the person know that you’re in the process of following up. Punctual response is always appreciated, and is simple as a few keystrokes.

Remain Calm

One arguable drawback of social media’s personal nature is that things can get publicly (and easily) combative in the event of an upset customer. When put on the spot by someone unreasonable , it’s important to keep your cool and remember that your entire base of followers are watching. Show your audience that you’re able to deal with conflict in a collected manner, and they’ll respect you for it. If all else fails and the person is antagonistic, you can always block or report them to the platform administrators. The key is to always be aware of your audience and never risk presenting yourself as unhelpful or rude.

Speak Succinctly

The reason platforms like Twitter are designed around brief messages is because they operate on the assumption that web users have short attention spans. If you can transcend your point in fewer words without losing key details, you’re in a better position for your audience to stay engaged throughout a given post. Its fine to expand on customer queries during a private message exchange, but it’s best to write your public exchanges in an uncomplicated manner, under the assumption that your answer will be useful to many people watching.

1. Why is copywriting so important to the success of a website?

It’s important for both aesthetic and technical reasons. Depending on the platform, web copy should be written in a way that appeals to an online audience (ie. caters to shorter attention spans while still transcending the key points of the desired message). People don’t want to slog through paragraph upon paragraph of text, even if you’re extremely proud of your business and want to tell your entire story.

On a technical level, the way you compose your text has a direct effect on how well your site gets indexed for certain keywords on major search engines like Google. By following some basic principles of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you can appeal to Google’s algorithm through proper keyword density (not using a given keyword too many or too few times), optimized meta tags (taking advantages of important text fields that Google uses to determine what your site is about) and adhering to the basic tenants of good grammar.

2. What is your thought process for working with each client?

As cliche as it sounds, every client is unique with different business goals. Some business owners are more hands on than others. If I’m able to get an initial kickoff meeting with the client (which doesn’t always happen to our global scale), then great: I’ll feel them out to get a sense of their business, and that makes it easier. However, a lot of the time I’m working strictly from a design brief and supplied content with no personal introduction, so I have to revolve my writing style solely around that material.

3. How do our copywriters fit into the rest of the Yabsta creative chain?

We work with the sales reps, designers and developers throughout the whole build process. As it happens, clients may have to make changes at the 11th hour, so I always have to be ready for that. I’ll typically start the copy for a given web build before an initial design concept is proposed, then alter it accordingly to the typography of the design.

4. Do you think that it’s important for modern copywriters to have web development or graphic design skills?

Hard to say. It definitely couldn’t hurt, but the job descriptions are so different that in my opinion, most people who are full time copywriters wouldn’t have time to be involved in design or development. As I mentioned before, however, communication with the people who do have those skills is absolutely essential to the finished project.

5. What kinds of projects/clients give you the most satisfaction?

The ones where the client is actually making a difference in the world. For example, I manage and write for the Facebook pages of the Bermuda Heart Foundation and CORE, two organizations that are striving to make Bermuda a healthier place. It feels good to work for people like that.

6. What do you enjoy the most about working for Yabsta Digital?

That I genuinely like everyone I work with…We’re all functional nutjobs. It can be a very hectic environment, but having good relationships with your coworkers can get you through the toughest of work-related times.

7. What is a project that you would like to check off your list?

We’re currently building a website for a new internal product we’re launching (Yabsta Site Builder), and the scope is huge. I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time on any one copy project before, so that.

8. If you could give our marketers one copywriting tip, what would it be?

It will take time to adapt to writing for the web. No matter how good of a writer you are, if you were taught a more academic style of writing (which most people are), you will feel frustration initially. Expect rewrites and lots of trial and error before you get it down.

9. What do you enjoy outside of work?

Fitness, craft beer, politics, serial television, film, poetry

Keep It Brief

Typical internet users don’t want to read a lot of textual content when exploring a given website. Though it may be tempting to upload every single detail about your business to your online presence, the attention span of an average web surfer is incredibly short and they’re likely to become disinterested in your offerings if you bog them down with too much information. Keep things short, yet succinct, and try to avoid overly-descriptive grammar. If you can transcend your key selling points in 2 or 3 sentences per page, you’re more likely to drive engagement and keep people clicking through to deeper pages.

Strong Headings & Subheadings

A bold, powerful heading is often the first thing that catches an internet user’s eye when they arrive on a website. This is mind, its crucial that you don’t waste this space with fluffy or irrelevant language: Every word counts. Your headings and subheadings are meant to compel readers into moving onto the body text, where you’ll presumably house the meat of what you’re trying to say. If your heading is weak or confusing, there’s a chance users may not even bother reading on and leave immediately, which increases your bounce rate (not a good thing). The key is to tease them with something that leaves them wanting more, then delivering it to them immediately below the fold.

Bullet Points & Lists

Given that web users’ attention spans are notoriously short, bullet points can be an effective way to call visual attention to specific copy points that you want to be noticed. Let’s say your business offers a wide range of branded products, but that some of the brands are more popular than the rest: Highlighting those brands with bullet points as opposed to rattling them off in the form of a paragraph increases the likelihood of them being seen. Lists in general are a great method for promoting minimalist content that alleviates the need for unnecessarily lengthy chunks of text. If your products and services speak for themselves with strong visuals, there’s less need for detailed copy.

Image Credit:  Thoughts On Internet Marketing

1. Know Your Audience

Relevant, targeted copy speaks to a specific audience. Who is your dream customer and what do they do (for work and fun)? What is their likely age bracket, what’s important to them and what products and services do they use on a regular basis? More importantly, which products and services do they need? The better you know who you’re communicating with (not at), the more of an impact the copy will have.

2. Impact Those Emotions

Great copywriting compels readers via a distinctly emotional experience. Capitalize on emotions already present in a given scenario instead of attempting to create a certain feeling. For example, if you’re writing Web copy for a product that solves a problem for a niche group such as web professionals, speak to the frustrated developer who’s just run into the same issue again. Making a reader truly feel something communicates productively and on a human level.

3. Write a Killer Headline

A killer headline is what draws readers in. According to Copyblogger, an average of 8 out of 10 people will read a headline while only 2 of them will read the remaining copy. Making a great first impression improves your odds of gaining wider exposure. We’re a fan of the 4 U’s Formula; turn a good headline into a great one by making it urgent, unique, useful and ultra-specific.

To use an obvious example, compare the headlines “How to Make Good Copywriting Better” and “5 Tips to Make Good Copywriting Great.” Which are you more likely to click on? Let readers know exactly what they’re getting into when they click through to the copy and offer a time-sensitive, compelling benefit – stand out from the crowd!

4. Be Clear and Concise

Great copywriting is, at its core, persuasive. Striving for clarity in your copy is a great way to both achieve this and avoid confusing readers. Bypass the technical jargon and buzzwords in favour of simple, accessible terms and never assume the reader’s level of knowledge. Forego long sentences and paragraphs for short, punchy, easy-to-read phrases. Use verbs to stay on point and convey energy and excitement without rambling on

5. Read it Out Loud

A time-tested trick, a useful way to evaluate your writing is to read it out loud. A conversational tone is a great way to reach users through copy and hearing the words, instead of just reading them, helps to distinguish any awkward or vague phrasing. When in doubt, have a colleague or friend do the same; they might hear something you don’t.

Knowing your audience and impacting their emotions, drawing readers in with a great headline, being clear and concise and reading aloud are 5 ways to make good copywriting even better. If you’d like to learn more, check out our previous posts comparing copywriting and content marketing (hint: they work together!) and discussing brand copywriting.

Image Credits: Klenske Ink & Business 2 Community

Some of the most successful blogs on the web are akin to a cult of personality: People will keep coming back because the author writes in a way that connects with them personally through consistent use of ethos and/or pathos as literary devices. Depending on the blog topic at hand, different tones of voice may be called for, but the concept of personalization remains the same. For example, if you’re writing about something “light” in tone (eg. pop culture, food, comedy), it might behoove you to inject some humour into your posts to keep things interesting. On the other hand, if the topic in question is more sombre (eg. philanthropy, health, activism), you’d perhaps do better to write with genuine passion and call upon personal anecdotes that can provoke emotion if possible. Whichever route you choose, the point is that it’s important to stand out out from generically-written cookie-cutter blogs.

Genuinely Engage Your Audience

In 2014, think of each blog post as an interactive discussion forum as opposed to an article. Its no longer acceptable for up-and-coming bloggers to write a post, make it live, then simply leave it to the commenters to address and dissect: YOU, the author, should respond directly to peoples’ comments, queries and criticisms to show that you’re genuinely committed to your work. Not only does this help foster trust with your reading audience, but ultimately helps your blog’s search rankings by ensuring that the post in question is fresh and constantly updated for reindexing. Don’t feign interest just for the sake of engaging, either: People will know.

Promote & Engage With Fellow Bloggers

Traffic to the blogosphere thrives on the promotion of content between fellow bloggers, amongst other things (social shares, google searches etc.). Due to the sheer amount of new blogs that pop up daily, its more important than ever to prominently and consistently promote other blogs to show both readers and search crawlers that yours is already part of a strong, established online community. Such cross-promotion acts as an indicator of credibility to potential readers, thus giving them a pretty convincing reason to share it with their friends.

Image Credit: Sheknows

Web copywriters are a unique breed. In positions such as mine at Yabsta Digital, we not only write copy for Web-based clients in a wide range of industries, but we also tend to become Jacks (and Jills) of all trades. In less than a year I’ve gained valuable knowledge and experience in not only copywriting but also search engine optimization, content strategy and creation, social media, blogging and inbound marketing. I’ve tried on many hats, keeping most in my work closet to pull on at a moment’s notice.

Contributing to YaBlog has been a great experience. My conversational writing skills have improved significantly (see earlier blog posts for proof) and I’ve discovered a true passion for blogging. An imaginative outlet, working on a blog post for a few hours is a great way to escape more mundane tasks and explore the services we offer. It’s an exercise in creativity and a great way to research specific topics I’m interested in, such as how SEO relates to small businesses.

I’ve learned quite a bit about the inner workings of a digital agency. Our Toronto location is an offshoot of our main Bermuda office; navigating the waters of working effectively and on tight deadlines with a global team has taught me the value of communication and patience. I enjoy playing an important role in Yabsta Digital’s dynamic group collaboration process. My confidence has skyrocketed and that is due in no small part to the support of my amazing coworkers.

Though I’m sure I mentioned this in part 1, and probably in parts 2 and 3 as well, I’m incredibly lucky to be where I am right now. Working at an office for a successful digital agency in downtown Toronto, one of the greatest cities in Canada, is something many recent grads, myself included, strive towards. I am gaining invaluable workplace (and life) experience and having fun along the way, which probably isn’t something many junior web copywriters can say.

Overall, the past 10 months have been rich with new experiences and I’m constantly learning and growing, as a professional and a person. I’ve found a home here and in the digital world as a whole, which is both comforting and scary-exciting. I actually like coming into work for pretty much the first time ever and that, YaBlog readers, is how far I’ve come.

Image Credit: Mass Transmit