They’re only words, after all
Fair comment, although really good copy is trickier to create than you’d think, especially when you’ve a couple of consecutive deadlines to meet and a paralysing dose of writer’s block
Choose your medium
For a start, you always need to match the message with the medium; what gets impressive results in a full-page magazine editorial may not work on your website, where audience attention span is notoriously limited and concision is king. You’ll need to consider content, tone and purpose – simply put, the ‘whats’, ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of your words – and you should make sure you maintain consistency across every platform, establishing a house style that extends to copy as well as visual design elements. Your brand can only carry weight if it’s delivered with confidence on your website, as well as in your newsletters and blogs.
Connect with your audience – lots!
You’ll also need to be prepared to hunker down in front of the word processor every week to create new copy that will engage and delight your audience. If you update your content with relevant, customer-focused features, you’ll have plenty of material to feed your social media channels, enabling you to draw in readers, establish your credentials and build the trust that will help turn visitors into customers. And while nothing looks worse than a 12-month-old blog post skulking in the shadows, conversely, nothing will improve your traffic flow like freshly minted, razor-sharp content that resonates with your audience (and finds favour with Google, natch).
Tricks of the trade
So what are you waiting for? Anyone can – and should – try their hand at jotting down some words on paper (or screen), but if you get stuck, consult one of my handy copywriting guides or, better still, call me for your FREE introductory consultation on 015242 73636 or email me and I’ll put my professional services at your disposal!