Entries Tagged 'website copywriting' ↓

Meet Dave,

He’s a Suffolk wedding photographer.

Photography is his passion; he’s a natural with people but he has one fatal flaw. Something so dangerous it could potentially destroy his business. Something so terrifying it often keeps him awake at night because he knows that one day it could mean the end of his photography business.

Oh my God! What on earth could it be?

It is something so dastardly it affects numerous small businesses every day – not just wedding photographers. It could even effect you!

Tell me!

The thing that keeps Dave awake at night is his roller-coaster marketing.

Every small business experiences it to some degree. You see Dave has had a busy summer – every weekend he was doing wedding photography. In fact he was so busy he’d taken his eye of his marketing. He had no systems in place to contact past customers and he didn’t provide a newsletter. But Dave wasn’t worried – he had a full diary this year.

But then Dave looked towards next year. Oh dear.

Normally by now Dave would have 30 or more weddings already booked – so far he had 10. The wedding fair season was fast approaching but that wasn’t going to generate enough leads. He had a website – a real flashy little number full of photos and graphics.

“But it looks great” said Dave

“It does,” I agreed, “but Google doesn’t look at pictures.”

There lies the problem. His website looked very pretty but no one could find it. He had two choices – pay for an expensive pay per click campaign or do some serious work on his website to get Google to notice him.

Content is the key. Even if you work within a very visual industry (such as wedding photography) you still need great quality, keyword rich website copywriting on your website.

You see, you have to remember who is going to be looking at your website. It is your readers that you have to draw in. Yes, they will want to see your photographs, but they also want to know what you are going to do for them – what sets you apart from all the other wedding photograhers?

The only way they’ll discover that is through your words. Talk to them, don’t just tell them how wonderful you are. Put their needs first – if you were looking for a wedding photographer what would you want to know?

Some copywriters will specialise in a certain industry or field of writing. Others offer copywriting services that cover just about every aspect of sales and business writing you can think of.

Many copywriting projects begin with a desire to tell an audience about a product, service or idea. But if all you do is tell your readers about something, you are missing the mark. Telling is done by journalists and teachers. Copywriting is about giving much more value.

It should sell not tell

Your message – whether it is an advert, website copy, brochure or email – should persuade and motivate your reader to carry out a particular action – BUY NOW, CALL NOW, BOOK NOW.

Below are three crucial elements that distinguish between writing to tell and writing to sell:

1. Benefits

This is one thing you must become completely fixated on – because it’s what your readers want to know about. By highlighting the benefits you are appealing to your audience’s self interests. Why? Because benefits provide motivation.

1. Make offers

To make a sale you need to make a deal and this is your offer. Whether it is BOGOF, a time limited offer or a limited edition bonus gift they all add weight to your sales campaign.

1. See if from your customer’s point of view

This is where you leave your ego at the door. If you want to build rapport you have to write from their point of view. Suspend your own opinions and only think about what you are promoting from your reader’s side of the fence.

There are many other factors that need to be taken into consideration but the three elements described above are crucial if your writing is to sell rather than tell.

For more information about writing to sell, download Sally Ormond’s free eBook – 5 Simple Steps to Sensational Marketing.

I was reading an article the other day about the fashion industry.

Every day we are subjected to images of super skinny models showing off the latest designer offerings. The clothes just hang off their emaciated bodies as they strut their stuff up and down the catwalk.

Most of them look as though they’d snap if they turned too quickly or stumbled off one of their ridiculously high heeled shoes.

But what’s more attractive? Half-starved models with gaunt, over-made up faces or the 1920s vision of beautiful women with rounded hips, thighs and bellies?

When today’s models turn sideways they disappear; there are no curves or substance to them.

So what has all this got to do with a copywriting and marketing blog?

Well, think of your website as a catwalk model. If it is lean and malnourished of words and content, Google won’t see it. But if it is well fed with keyword rich content that is relevant and interesting, Google will not only see it, it will hold it aloft for all to see.

A substantial website with generous amounts of copywriting is the best way to get your company noticed. Of course, if you fill it with inconsequential nonsense that is of no use to man nor beast, it will just be taking up space.

Your website copywriting should be relevant to your businesses. When writing the copy think sales, think relevance, think about your reader.

If you are writing your own copy, ensure you write it for your reader and not for you. If you are getting a copywriter to write the content for you, make sure you provide a brief that really gets across your product, its benefits and details of your target audience.

Content is one of the key factors for great organic search results – basically the more relevant content you have on your site the better.

Sat on a train on way my home from London yesterday, I was doing what all good writers do – ear-wigging other people’s conversations.

There was one conversation in particular that I just couldn’t help but tune into. There were a couple of stereotypical city suits sat together having a bit of an ego battle. They spent two and a half hours (typical trains as the journey should only have taken one and a half hours) trying to out do each other.

If one had had two pints at lunch time the other had had four; if one had closed a six figure deal the other had closed one that was closer to seven…

This went on and on.

What does all this have to do with websites?

I have already blogged about the importance of using the word “you” in your website copywriting. It is the one word that allows you to connect directly with your reader. And, after all, that is what your website should be about – making a connection.

Sole trader websites and I

At times within your copy, you will need to talk about your business, but how you do that is crucial.

Even if you are a sole trader, when referring to your business use ‘we’ or ‘our’. This has the effect of making your company sound bigger than it is. It generates an image of experience, expertise and stability.

I came across a website the other day that was promoting a one man band. He was a photographer and used the word “I” repeatedly throughout his website copy.

The effect was an Ego Website. That sounds a bit harsh but effectively that’s exactly how it came across:

“I do…”

“I do…”

“My portfolio…”

“I will…”

The mistake he made was that he never addressed what he would do for his clients. The entire site was stating how marvellous he was (and I’m sure he was an excellent photographer). But his readers want to know what he will do for them, what makes him different? There was no attempt to build rapport with them.

You can still make your site personal even when it is written in the third person. You can create a connection between you and your reader which will grow into a trusting relationship.

If you fill your website with “I” it will come across as though you have an ego the size of your website – probably larger.

Website copywriting is absolutely crucial. At the end of the day people visiting your website will only want to know what you are going to do for them. Ignore that and you’ll be waving goodbye to loads of business and sending it to your competitors who understand what their clients want.

I guess we’ve all seen websites that just go on, and on, and on, and on….

They are full of information we don’t need to know and certainly don’t want to know. Things like Our company was formed in 1890….We have 35 members of staff….Our MD drives a Smartcar…

What were they thinking of when they wrote it?

It’s rather like a kid in a sweet shop. Do you remember that feeling? You are stood in the shop, peeking over the counter at the rows of jars containing delicious sweets in all shapes and sizes. You can’t decide what you want so you buy everything you possibly can. When your mum sees you she tells you not to eat them all at once because you’ll be sick.

‘OK mum,’ you shout as you disappear up to your room.

What’s the first thing you do? Scoff all the sweets as fast as possible. You don’t known when to stop. The result? One very sick child.

It’s the same scenario with the website. The sweets in this case is the information. When you write your own website copy you just want to include everything because you believe it is important. You’re proud of your company’s achievments, and quite rightly so. But your reader only wants to know what you will do for them. They couldn’t care less about anything else.

If you overload your website with material it won’t take long for your reader to get rather sick of it, hit the back browser and look elsewhere.

So, the moral of the story is to be economical with your information. As the title of this post says, less is most definitely more. Tell your reader simply what you’ll do for them i.e. the benefits of your service (you’ll save them time, money etc.). Take a step back and resist the urge to fill your website with information that only you want to read.

Be ruthless – your readers will love you for it.