When writing copy for online marketing, there are certain standards you have to follow. One of the most basic rules is, “Never, ever use a plug-in… like… WordVerb.”
You’d be surprised how many businesses violate this basic rule and end up using plug-ins like WordVerb to automate parts of their copy. Even more amazing is that they don’t notice that their conversion rates are going down until they try and implement a new SEO strategy. Once they do, they realize exactly what happened and don’t have the tools to fix it. This is often because they don’t know how to use the tools or, worse, because they think that using a plug-in is the same as having a human edit every single word. Automating your content so that you can focus on generating more leads and converting them into customers is the key to successfully running an online business.
Never Use A Plug-in To Edit Your Copy
Whenever you run across a piece of copy that needs editing, take a few minutes to fix it up and then hit the publish button. After you do that, take a few minutes to check the copy for spelling errors and then sit back and relax. You just saved yourself a ton of time and energy. The same principles go for creating draft emails that you’ll never send out. You can use tools like Drafttoemail to quickly create high-quality emails that are ready to go when you hit send.
Start A Conversation
Unless you’re writing to inform your readers of an upcoming sale or new product, a good rule of thumb is to start a conversation with your copy. Instead of simply using keywords to trigger an action or bring in customers, build a compelling narrative to draw the reader in and keep them engaged. For example, if you’re writing about fashion and you want to promote an upcoming sale, you might say something like:
“Next month, we’ll have lots of great deals on clothes and accessories. You can find a wide range of fashion items at amazing prices! I’d love to tell you more about this but, luckily, I have an associate editor who’s more than happy to help. If you’d like, I could ask her to get in touch with you about special offers. I’m sure she’d love to tell you more about our fantastic fashion department.”
Spelling And Grammar Check
Besides the fact that you’ll never get paid to proofread your copy, having someone else do it is also extremely inefficient. No matter how good your grammar may be, spelling errors are an inevitable part of writing. Even if you have the best of intentions, you’ll inevitably make a mistake that’ll turn out to be embarrassing (at the very least) or, in some cases, even hurtful to your readers. When you’re in the middle of writing a massive blog post, it can be tempting to simply copy and paste content from other websites. While this may work great for getting your point across, it doesn’t do any favors for your SEO efforts or customer experience.
How Long Should My Articles Be?
One of the most common questions newbie bloggers ask is: How long should my articles be? This is a tricky one because there’s no straightforward answer. The best way to figure this out is to follow the instructions of a successful blogger you respect:
“If you want to be able to grow your blog and find your voice, don’t be afraid to throw out the rule book and experiment a bit. There’s no typical blogging length, so don’t worry about falling into a common pattern. Instead, focus on what works best for you and your audience. Sometimes, less is more. Sometimes, you need to write more.”
Sometimes, less is more is exactly what you want to hear when you’re frustrated because you don’t seem to be making the progress you’d like to as a blogger. In that case, go ahead and keep writing. Don’t worry about the rules too much. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Just make sure you don’t go overboard and overextend yourself. Try to keep your posts under a thousand words. Anything more and it starts to become difficult to maintain a conversational tone. When you get to that point, it’s usually time to put your writing on hold and come back to it later. While you’re waiting, try to find some focus and determination so that you can get back to it soon. This way, you’ll continue to make forward progress and keep improving as a writer.
Make It Snappy
Use short, snappy sentences and paragraphs. Break up longer paragraphs with an abbreviation or acronym (e.g., NLP – Natural Language Processing). When someone scans through a mass of text, they want to feel like they’re getting something worthwhile; therefore, make it as easy as possible for them to extract the key points you’re trying to make. Use simple language and words that anyone can understand. While writing, ask yourself, “Is this the clearest and most concise way to explain what I’m trying to say?” If you use a thesaurus to look up synonyms and alternative ways of expressing yourself, you’ll increase the clarity of your writing and make it easier for your readers to understand. When you have a clear idea of what you’re writing and the purpose behind it, the writing itself will flow more smoothly and it’ll be easier to keep your audience engaged. Short and snappy is always the way to go.
Keep It Fun
Writing a blog post is a lot of work, and a lot of times, it can be stressful. Keep things light-hearted and make your audience laugh or at least smile. If you’re serious about your topic, then do your best to maintain a very professional tone. If you want to keep readers interested and engaged, make sure to include a strong mix of content: informative articles, trivia, and humor. The key to keeping people coming back for more is by creating a good experience for them. Use insider jokes and references to make it seem like you’re talking to a friend and not just some crazy person yelling at the screen.
Above all else, make sure that you’re having fun. If you find that you’re not, then take a break. Go for a walk, get a massage, meet up with a friend – anything to take your mind off of work for a bit. When you get back, you’ll be much more motivated to keep working hard to improve your craft and grow your blog. Having a good time is what will help you accomplish great things – so go have some fun!
After you write an article, make sure to read it over several times before you publish it. This will help eliminate any errors you might have made and ensure that everything is spelled correctly and that you’ve used the right words to convey your meaning.
Above all else, make sure that you’re having fun. If you find that you’re not, then take a break. Go for a walk, get a massage, meet up with a friend – anything to take your mind off of work for a bit. When you get back, you’ll be much more motivated to keep working hard to improve your craft and grow your blog. Having a good time is what will help you accomplish great things – so go have some fun!