Words to the Wise

Over the next few posts, I’m going to focus on website copy and what it means in the 21st century. I spend a lot of my time reviewing websites - noting what works, what doesn’t work, and why today’s consumers are visiting your site with a different perspective.

First of all, visitors to your website today are not the same as they were five years ago. Heck, they probably aren’t even the same as they were five MONTHS ago. Today’s consumers are buried under the piles of information, they’ve got less time than they ever had, their nerves have been overstimulated by wars, natural disasters, politics and the like, and they’re feeling a financial strain that is apparently not getting any better.

Just the kind of customer you were looking for, right?

So what do you do with your copy to reach these people? Well, first of all you have to get to your point - fast. When we visit a website that goes on and on without giving us some kind of payback, some gem of information or an opportunity to meet one of our needs, we tend to get ’sleepy eyes’ and move on.

Long, useless copy like I’ve described comes from a number of sources:

1. Some copywriters tend to ‘fall in love’ with their work. They churn out word after word to impress themselves, their bosses and, of course, you. Too bad you aren’t a copywriter. You might be more impressed.
2. Some clients love themselves too much. “We need a company name density of 12%” is exactly what I was told by one client last year. As if their company name was a keyword and their entire SEO strategy depended on it.
3. A copywriting budget that is too small. Truth be told, it takes longer to write a to-the-point, well crafted message than it does to ramble on and on. Get to the point. Hiring a junior copywriter may save you money, but you could end up with thousands of extra words that simply drive your prospects away.

Next up…why smaller is better. At least, in copywriting.

For me, a new year brings renewed drive and determination to give my clients the best copywriting, marketing and public relations I can at affordable rates. And that also means attracting new clients to my websites and blogs to learn more about me. Which means adding content and making sure that content is relevant to prospects and search engines alike. I’m going to give a little bit of detail about my five website suggestions for 2008 below. If you want the in-depth version, you’ll have to tune into This Hour has 22 Widgets on Wednesday, December 20th at 10:00am Eastern Time. Let’s just say I have a lot to say, and typing it would take all day.

Here are my five favorite ways to make 2008 an even better year for your website:

1. Fix the ‘little’ things in your site. Did your site designer give your website title tags like this: “About Us”, “What we Do”, “Contact Us” and “Page 5.html”? If your pages have title tags that like those, it’s time to change them. Title tags play an important role in search engine rankings and in overall marketing. When (and if) a prospect sees a page in your site listed in a bunch of search engine results, do you think “What we Do” is going to entice them to click on the link your site? Titles should be no more than 70 characters long, including spaces and your keywords or key phrase should be as close to the start of the title as possible.

Also, do you have description copy for your website pages? This is another very important tool for your online marketing.

2. Plan an online PR campaign. Got company news that you want to get out to the world? While I never discount true, person-to-person PR practices, planning an online-only PR campaign can really boost your traffic and send you qualified leads. Google the term NC Based Copywriter and you’ll see some releases from me. While the releases are not part of my site, they each link to me or describe my news and services in some way. I suggest planning on two press releases per month depending on relevant company news you have available. Obviously if you don’t have relevant news, you won’t be putting out a press releases. As for distribution, tune in to the show and I’ll give you a bit more info about that.

3. Start a blog. This couldn’t be easier, yet it is STILL seen as a daunting task for many business owners. The first major question you need to ask is where you will host your blog. Your blog acts very much like a website. With WordPress blogging software (my particular choice for two of my blogs, including this one), you can choose to have WordPres host your blog (yourblog.wordpress.com) or you can host it with a separate hosting service (www.yourblog.com or www.yourwebsite.com/blog). The difference between the two is very important. WordPress does not allow commercial information to be posted on WordPress-hosted blogs. This is why I moved my blog to my domain: jasonpedey.com/blog. This is not hard to do. Again, the blog creates relevant links to your site and products and also provides an avenue for you to create relevant content both easily and often.

4. Podcast. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Stop the sucky podcasting. I’m serious. There are still PR firms out there who think it’s cool to sit an intern with a script across the table from a C-level executive with a script and let the two read to each other while the conversation is being recorded. I don’t know why this still happens. When you podcast with me, you get interaction. Sure I’ll send you an outline of the topics we’ll cover in a podcast, but no word-by-word soap opera scripts. When you podcast with me, listeners get information with an element of entertainment, interaction and excitement. And again, podcasts are a great way to add relevant content to your site while giving people an inside look at who your company is. It’s easy and affordable and the best part is that I do most of the work. I’m talking 95% of the wrok here. All you have to do is read the overview and dial a phone number.

5. Dream big. I know each of the above counts as one idea. One blog. One podcast. One Ppress release, etc. But, that’s how big, powerful sites with lots of content are born. Imagine blogging twice a week for a year. That’s over 100 pages of relevant content for your site. Then post some press releases, articles and podcasts to your site and you have the nutrients your site needs to grow.

All of my suggestions for 2008 are within your reach. I can even help you set them up and make them happen. Don’t let another year of wanting to blog, or wanting to podcast, or wanting to do a PR campaign pass you by. Now is the time.

You know, some days even I don’t get it right. I have (or had) a client who wanted me to write four pages for their website based on four articles they had previously written for some print marketing. The website revolves around a real estate service that caters to For Sale By Owner sellers. I took the information, feedback and direction the client had provided, and wrote the best copy I could for them.

They didn’t like it. And in fact, they flat out stated they wouldn’t even use my copy.

Now, this isn’t the first time this has happened to me (if you find a copywriter who tells you they’ve never had a client hate their work, they’re lying). After the initial shock wore off, I looked inward to figure out what to do.

So what DO you do qwhen this happens? Well, if you’re the copywriter, you step back and look at the input and information. Is there something you missed? Is there something you misinterpreted? What can you do to correct the situation while still turning a profit for your time?

If you’re the client, you have a responsibility as well. Were you clear with the direction and guidance you offered? Were your expectations realistic and well-defined?

Many situations that involve dissatisfied clients come down to miscommunication and unrealistic expecations. And, even if things can’t be resolved in a way that completes the project, it doesn’t mean that the client and the copywriter just drop the project and go on their merry ways without some money changing hands. Time is valuable on both sides of the client-copywriter equation. The copywriter has invested time and effort into a project, and a resolution must be found that involves compensation. As a colleague of mine puts it: “If you buy a car and you don’t drive it, you still have to pay for the car.”

With my freelance copywriting service, I always try to get as much information about a project BEFORE I start. I ask a lot of questions, research the market, and make sure I have every piece of info relevant to the task at hand. And I’ll always do my best to complete your project the way you want it: on-target, on-time and on-budget.

Ask. Nicely, of course.

You’d be surprised at how many people simply don’t ask for the order. They bury it deep inside copy, or in a weak image . Your call to action has to be loud, clear, and easy.

Something like “Pick up your phone and call 1.800.123.1234 now to order your own two week supply” makes it clear what the reader needs to do.

One particular area where I’ve seen weak calls to action is in political campaigns. In fine print, at the bottom of a postcard, is where the campaign genius decides to put the instructions on how to show your financial support.

You have to be clear on what action you want people to take and how they should take it.

A friend of mine uses Facebook to advertise their wedding photography business. Another uses it to promote their real estate agency.

So what does this have to do with description tags? Well, when you insert a URL or link into a Facebook message to another user or in a post to a group, Facebook automatically grabs the description tag of that page and pastes it into the message.

This makes for a new twist on description tags.

Since they hold little or no relevance in search engine ranking, anymore few people pay much mind to them. Yet, they are vital in terms of web traffic via search engines…and now, from Facebook.
Do all of your description tags make sense? Could they use a tune up? Are they too long? Too short? Here’s a quick guide to help you out:

Description Tags, with spaces, should be no more than 70 characters long. Without spaces, they should be no more than 62 characters long.

If you don’t have a description tag for a particular page, search engines typically take the first block of copy they see on the page. This isn’t always a great thing if your first bit of copy is a chart or has little to do with the page topic.