How to make your content more informative
Feb 05, 2010 Comments
There can be various purposes for publishing content on your website or blog but when you want to generate business from your content, you need to impart the right information as clearly as possible. What’s right information depends on how your customers and clients perceive your content, not you, unless there is a parity.
Whenever you are writing content (or working with a content writing service) for your business you should step into your customers’ shoes. This means not only presenting the greatest benefits of your product or service, but also addressing their concerns before they raise them themselves. This means highlighting even the negative aspects of your product or service. But this doesn’t mean you’re conveying something negative about your business: you are simply informing your visitor so that he or she can make the right decision. Here are a few things you can consider to make your content writing process informative:
- List all the benefits: What do your customers gain when they purchase your product or service? Don’t go on a boasting binge. For instance, if you want to avail my content writing services it doesn’t matter much to you if I’ve done my higher studies in linguistics or if I read abstract literary classics in my spare time. You are interested in knowing whether I can consistently provide you quality content or not, and if yes, what system I have in place to ensure it. Additionally, what benefit you get by working with me and not by working with another content provider?
- Who might benefit the most: Don’t try to sell your product to everybody under the sun (although this seems very desirable). When you are selling, you’re not selling a product or a service, you’re selling a benefit, a usage, a value. So whereas selling combs to bald men may seem quite smart, you are simply cheating people and when they realize it they’re going to have a really bad feeling about your conduct. Help people make a better purchase decision.
- Clearly mention if there are any drawbacks: You may think, what am I talking about? Am I trying to help you increase your sales or lose your prospects. The truth is, if you think there are too many drawbacks then may be you should reconsider your offer, and if you think their are more benefits then drawbacks then your customers are going to thank you for informing them. Don’t let your customers find out what your product doesn’t do — tell them on your own and also tell them when a particular feature will be available in case it is currently missing.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Content Writing, Copywriting and Content Writing Tips
Conveying your ideas better through story-telling
Jan 30, 2010 Comments
Does your content or copy tell a story? Story-telling engages your readers. When you’re reading a story, there is something in it that grips you, that exhorts you to read further. You want to know what’s going to happen next. Whether you can relate to the narrative or not (mostly you can) reading a story is always more than reading uninspiring, drab text
Smashing Magazine has an interesting post on creating a better use experience with story-telling.
A good story is like a journey, and when you start reading it, you join that journey. There is a beginning, there are various ups and downs, joys and conflicts, and finally there is an end that changes something inside you. The beauty of every story is that it brings about a change: significant or infinitesimal.
Although the post mentioned above mostly talks about design, you can apply the art of story telling better on content writing. I’ll soon write about this to further elucidate my point.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Content Writing
Overcoming the “So What?” problem while writing content
Jan 29, 2010 Comments
Don’t know what’s “So what?” problem? It’s when you write something seemingly great and your reader thinks, “So what, big deal!” Alright, there are some readers who have an insatiable penchant for being critical and they will criticize you no matter what, but you can drastically decrease the number of such reactions by devoting enough thought to what you are writing/publishing.
Why do readers reject outright what you have written?
- The information you have provided is of no real use
- The same information is available on hundreds of other websites and blogs
- People have been sharing the same “secret” since 1998, or may be since 1500 BC
- You are drawing wrong visitors to your website or blog (you are not creating optimized, seo-focused content)
What sort of content creates the “now this is something really great” effect?
- Your content reaches the target audience (or vice versa)
- You pack lots of information that can be used in the real world
- You are providing valuable information that is not easily available
- You are offering easily available information with an interesting twist
Is it always about informing and educating your readers?
Not always, but most of the times. You have to make sure your content solves your readers’ problem, that it provides a solution, that it delivers what your readers want. So what about content writing for businesses and corporate websites?
The same thing applies. If you are providing online copywriting services then you must (ideally) be attracting visitors that are looking for (or may need in the future) a competent copywriter. So if you say you’re a great online copywriter it’s not going to make much of an impact because there are thousands of “great” online copywriters on the Internet; in fact these days anybody who can type starts calling himself or herself a content writer or an online copywriter. Rather, you should immediately address your visitor’s problem (that’s why it’s advised you should have targeted pages) and offer the most apt solution.
Here’s a good blog post by Chris I cam across that talks about solving the “so what?” problem while publishing your content.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Content Strategy, Content Writing, content marketing
The benefits of updating your existing content
Jan 23, 2010 Comments
We are perpetually talking about adding new content to your website or blog but there is another way of having fresh content, as explained in this blog post titled 6 ways to give your old content new life. Personally for me it’s quite difficult to sift through my old posts and articles and update them. Although this does not increase the quantity of content, when you update your existing content, you keep it relevant, and you give the search engines a reason to re-crawl and re-index your older blog posts and articles.
This way you don’t have to create new content each time you want to drive traffic from social networking websites. Simply update your existing content and repost the links.
It also helps you refine your content. Frankly, we’re are constantly learning and evolving. I’m pretty sure I write better than what I used to write a year ago (although I feel my fiction writing has deteriorated considerably) and if you feel you could have done a better job with that post you wrote on providing better content writing and blogging services, you can try again and sound more convincing.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Blog Publishing, Content Strategy, Content Writing
How I have been adopting minimalism and eliminating distractions while doing my content writing work
Jan 21, 2010 Comments
It started with using Q10 (a full-screen text editor). When you use this text editor there is nothing else on the screen: just the text you’re typing, according to your preferred column width and background and foreground. Prior to this I was already using EditPad for my writing needs. I don’t even remember when I used MS Word last. I kept using it for saving files though because clients prefer doc files.
There were three activities I was using bloated software for: MS Word for writing, Photoshop for random graphic work and Dreamweaver for PHP coding (all pre-installed by my Laptop vendor). I remember spending hours getting the right font shape or shade. Although I used Dreamweaver just for coding, it was so resource hungry that I couldn’t run another application while working on it. Frankly, I had no problem with MS Word, it’s just that I wanted to use a text-editor rather than a word processor.
About 4 months ago I switched to Ubuntu (a Linux version) completely and automatically stopped using all Windows software. For sending DOC files to my clients I switched to the OpenOffice writer. For doing PHP coding I started using Komodo Edit, which is lighter, and quite better than DW (although it has some problem with handling larger files). Since there is no better alternative to Photoshop (GIMP doesn’t even come near) I haven’t done a single graphic work for the past 4 months. In fact I redesigned this entire website to make the layout graphic-free. All the “cool utilities” I’d been using for years, I stopped using. I deleted 40 GB of software that I’d been downloading and backing up for years. I also deleted files and folders I haven’t used for the past 4 years.
Primarily, I need my laptop for
- Content writing
- PHP coding
- Communication
- Managing tasks
As you notice, I haven’t included graphics work because I was doing that simply for designing my own websites, and only I know how much time I’ve spent designing and redesigning my websites (and I regularly use just a couple of them).
Since I couldn’t find an alternative of Q10 in Ubuntu, I had to make do with OpenOffice writer for a while. I also used the gEdit text editor that comes with Ubuntu, but it had some line break issues when I transferred the text to the word processor (for final formatting).
For the past 3 years I’ve been using Google apps to manage my email. This means I can use the Gmail interface with my business email ID. I never configured its POP3 features and have been managing my email online from the beginning. It not only lets me manage different conversation threads, it also lets me find old emails fast. Of course I never have had to take email backups.
My writers keep sending me attachments when I outsource my work to them. A couple of months ago I started opening the files in Googledocs instead of downloading the attachments. Whatever editing and proofreading needed to be done, I did in Googledocs, and then sent the files to my clients straightaway as doc attachments. I created folders for different writers and started sharing with them so that they could directly save the files in those folders. Eventually I started using Googledocs for working on my own documents too, and now, no documents are saved on my local drive. I don’t need many word processing features and I rarely use spell checks and thesaurus etc., or use online references.
The only files I have to save locally are my media files and PHP files. Once I figure out how to edit PHP files online I’ll stop using Komodo Edit too. For managing my tasks I regularly use Tadalist and occasionally, Remember My Milk. To generate my invoices this month I started using Zoho. For instant messaging and voice chat I use Empathy and Skype. Since I’m not a power user when it comes to Twitter and FaceBook, using Tweetdeck was an overkill and hence I switched to Brizzly.
So basically I’m saving no information locally and I have minimum software installed. How does it let me get less distracted?
You get distracted when one, you can easily do the things that distract you, and two, when you spend more time trying to be productive, rather than actually being productive. Ubuntu versions of various software tools are not easily available and even if they are, it’s often tedious to make them work the way you like them to work. This encouraged me to install less and less software, and totally chuck away tools I use once in may be 3 months.
Now each morning all I have to do is, fire up my browser and start working. Even when I’m typing this, nothing else is visible on my laptop screen. In Googledocs you can remove the upper portion by pressing CRTL SHIFT F and in FireFox you can press F11 to get full screen view. So it’s just you and your text.
Putting everything online (in the Cloud) saves me the trouble of constant backups and a desire to do everything on my own. It also enables me to work from any machine…it means my work doesn’t depend on a single machine. It helps me focus on just the necessary.
And what if I need some graphic work? I’ll outsource. Ever since I started outsourcing my writing projects I’ve become more eager to pay for services rather than spending my own time. It’s not that bad to pay people for services that help you save time…you can put that time to some better use.
Result: my earnings from content writing this month so far have been the highest ever.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Business Development, Content Writing, Personal Growth
Focused content writing actually means SEO
Jan 13, 2010 Comments
What exactly does SEO (search engine optimization) mean? It means generating and organizing your online content in such a manner that search engines can appropriately rank it for the related keywords and key phrases. If you are writing a page on providing content writing services or blog writing services then the search engines should be able to rank that page higher on the SERPs (search engine result pages).
Of course your source code must be free of unnecessary clutter and you must have the right information in your meta tags, but the real SEO juice comes from your content — what you are writing to describe your message. It’s important to know what keywords and expressions must be used and avoided; you don’t want to rank higher for all the wrong keywords (there is no harm in it but that traffic gives you a false sense satisfaction and that might be bad for your marketing efforts).
So decide on the topic, make a list of the words you must use to describe that topic and then start writing. Talk about the subject and try to focus on it — the search engines prefer focused, targeted content. Just be careful not to overdo it. There is a very thin line between keyword stuffing and optimized content.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Content Writing
Does your content writing solve your reader’s problem?
Jan 12, 2010 Comments
What makes your content writing effective? When it addresses exactly the issue faced by your reader. Whether you are writing a product description, a corporate profile, a blog entry, a tourist destination description, your whole agenda should be solving a problem, because once you solve a problem, you have delivered a solution, and everybody is looking for a solution.
But how does your content solve a problem if all you’re concerned about is help yourself or your client sell more? When you’re writing content for a website that needs to sell a product or a service, you need to take into consideration the following facts:
- Does your reader really need that product or service and is simply exploring various options by visiting multiple websites?
- Is your reader looking for a solution that can be provided by your product or service? (better anti-virus protection, or better search engine ranking)
- Is your reader there just to read some interesting trivia and has no intention of ever buying your product or service?
- Does your reader has no clue why or she is here and plans to go somewhere else within half a second?
- What sort of readers do you actually want to attract, and if possible, convert?
The first thing to do is, forget about trying to provide a solution to all the categories…it’s simply not possible through a single page and on the very first visit. Your most important readers is of the second category, and then the first category? Why second category?
Primarily we’re solution-oriented people. Even if we’re buying something just for a fad, we need to believe that that product or service actually achieves that. The reader of the second category has a problem. He or she may not be bothered about what product or service he or she is going to buy, provided his or her problem is solved. So you have a good chance of selling to that reader.
Take for instance your reader’s need to rank higher on various search engines on a long-term basis without having to spend lots of money. An SEO company can improve his or her search engine rankings, but so can a trained content writer. So how can you sell your solution (higher search engine rankings) by offering your content writing services? Explain to your reader as clearly as possible how good content helps improve search engine rankings. You can use client testimonials, you can refer to other authoritative articles, and you can use your own skill as a communicator: the basic idea is providing a solution to your reader, a solution he or she can afford, and believe in convincingly.
That is why you’re repeatedly told that don’t highlight features, highlight benefits. Of course some people do find features appealing (explaining the features of a RAID drive to a nerd) but basically we want to know eventually what a particular product or service is going to achieve for us.
Here’s another post on empowering your visitors by publishing solution-oriented content.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Content Strategy, Content Writing
Why my content writing services are different?
Jan 06, 2010 Comments
I was just browsing through various content writing blogs and websites and this set a thought pattern inside my head: why should my clients work with me instead of all these people whose websites and blogs I’m looking at? Frankly, some are damn good writers and heck, even a couple of writers to whom I sometimes outsource writing assignments write better than me? So how do I convince prospective clients to choose me over other writers?
Here are a few things that come to my mind:
I understand how important content is
Really. People write simply because they think they’re better writers. I don’t think I’m one of the best, but I understand how important rightly targeted (written) content is. On your website, you are what you say, and even small things you say or don’t say can change the course of your business history. These days your content travels all over the Internet due to social networking websites (are you still dependent upon search engines for your traffic?) and wherever it goes, it takes you brand reputation along. Page by page, paragraph by paragraph, you weave your identity that culminates into reliable business opportunities. So when you approach me for your content writing requirements, I understand the gravity.
Besides, when I’m writing content I’m constantly brainstorming how every individual line is going to help your business.
I’m consistent
I’ve been writing content since 2003 and before that I was making websites (sometimes I still do). Back in 2000 when my friends and cousins were chatting, downloading porn or figuring out how to send emails, I was looking for business opportunities on the Internet. My oldest client has been with me since April 2002. So yes, I’ve been here for a long haul. Search for amrit hallan on various search engines and you’ll discover for how long I’ve been writing online.
I’m comfortable with technology
No, I don’t mean I was among the first who got the iPod or the iPhone, or even the Android phone (I still have none) but I’m comfortable with technologies that can help me deliver better services to my clients.
I know how to design websites, seriously
By this I don’t mean “I know HTML”. I’ve developed complete PHP applications, I’m more than average OK with CSS layouts and for many clients I have setup WordPress to manage their regular websites. Does all this matter if all I do is provide content writing. Yes and no. I know some of you understand. Those who don’t. It doesn’t matter 
.
I’m a better communicator
Better communication is the real essence of writing well. If you simply churn out words without communicating a single idea, you aren’t achieving much. Effective communications means taking your reader from point A to point B. If you want your reader to purchase a gadget after reading your copy then you should know how to first engage her and then convince her.
I’m constantly evolving
This I have learned (or is it learnt?!!) from writers who constantly approach me for work. Although they are very much interested in getting paying assignments, they don’t upgrade their skills as writers. They simply believe that they write well. The kind of bloated confidence they ooze…I cannot do it even after years of professional writing. I’m always learning new techniques. I’m always trying to figure out how to say things in a better, more convincing manner. I fully recon the competition is quite touch when it comes to providing professional content writing services.
I really want you to do well
I’m not just bothered about supplying the content and getting the payment. I really want you to do well and I want my content to play a constructive role in it.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Content Writing
Is the Internet changing the way we write?
Jan 04, 2010 Comments
Writing is constantly in the process of evolution, as everything else is in this world. Almost 100 new words — taken from new worldly developments and the inter-mixing of various cultures — have been added to the English dictionary in 2009. How much impact has the Internet had on the way we write? This GigaOm blog post cites many instances, for instance the way people write online articles, blog posts, comments, Facebook updates, Tweets, and even text messages. But is that writing? Some of it, yes, most, no. One thing is clear, more and more people are writing, especially with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, but that’s not writing: they simply communicate.
Writing has certainly changed over the years. You read Charles Dickens, Dostoyevsky, and then you read Martin Amis or any other contemporary writers — you notice a big difference. There is less word-play and more communicating of ideas. Readers have less patience of intricate expressions and this is more true on the Internet. But let me not digress into literary writing.
As a content writer and a professional copywriter my primary concern is writing in such a manner that the central idea is conveyed sans obscurity and the reader is prompted to perform an action whether that action is buying something, contacting the business owner, forwarding a link or subscribing to a newsletter. My only concern is that the readers (prospective clients and customers) don’t leave the website just because the copy is too verbose, too long, or too brief.
Considering this, the Internet has definitely made us into better communicators and that’s what writing means: communicating the right ideas to cause the desired effect.
Posted by Amrit | Tags: Content Writing, Thoughts On Writing
How to use your business blog content to promote your business
Oct 06, 2009 Comments
The greatest benefit of your business blog is that it increases repeat traffic to your website — that’s why I advise my clients to host their business blogs under their main domain rather than using a separate, dedicated domain (even if the dedicated domain contains their keywords). If you regularly update your business blog with useful and relevant content you automatically cover the keywords you require to get targeted traffic from major search engines.
The key to turning your casual visitors into loyal customers and clients is, make them familiar with you, your product or service, and provide them all the information they require in order to want to do business with you, and you can easily achieve this through your blog. Although there is nothing particularly wrong or offensive if you occasionally publish your marketing or promotional messages on your blog (after all it’s a business blog), restrict them to one or two in a month. Don’t also make it highly personal unless people have become familiar with you and respect your knowledge and play close attention to your thoughts.
The basic purpose of your business blog content is to inform your visitors what you can do, convey to them how much you know about the product or service you are offering, and create a comfort level. Your business blog also creates opportunities for you on social media websites. If you want people from these websites (Twitter, FaceBook, Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit…) to visit your website on a regular basis, you can’t just go on posting the same old links again and again; your followers and friends will grow tired of them and start ignoring if in the interesting stuff you may post occasionally. Post something fresh on your blog regularly, and then promote those new links using social media and social networking websites.
Engaging business blog content also encourages conversation and herein lies the true power of your content. If people talk about what you publish on your blog and share your links with each other, your business blog has crossed a major milestone. After this you simply have to maintain the momentum and keep feeding them with new thoughts. That’s the human side.
On the search engine side, maintain a certain frequency so that the search engine crawlers know when your blog should be crawled and new content indexed. I’ve personally observed that your website or blog gets crawled and indexed depending upon your frequency. When I publish on a particular blog multiple times a day for a couple of weeks the blog posts begin to appear in search engine results within 40-50 minutes of posting.
Quality business blog content encourages other bloggers, social bookmarkers and online publishers to link to your blog if they find something worth linking to. This doesn’t happen the moment you start publishing your business blog; it takes time because you need a certain level of presence for topics concerning your field. People in the first place should know that they can find good, reliable content on your blog if they want to link to it. If they are looking on the search engines they should be able to find your relevant blog posts for the related search terms. If they are sifting through social media and networking websites then your links should be present under appropriate categories.
Maintaining a business blog and generating quality content for it on an ongoing basis of course takes up lots of time. But when you see the results, it’s worth the effort.
