Day 3 of my MarketingSherpa “Marketing Wisdom for 2010” freelance copywriter insights...
Ah, content. What a lovely word. :-) Today's favorite topic from the Marketing Wisdom report is about budgeting for content creation. I didn't pick it because I'm a content copywriter. I picked it because content often gets the short end of the marketing stick. All kinds of attention goes to design, but quite often not enough to the copywriting.
John Miller of Marketo gets it. He understands the importance of content, especially in the age of social media. He even says, in this report, "...marketers should take some of the budget that you would normally allocate to trade shows and list purchases and allocate it to writers that can generate great content and the efforts to promote it."
Thank you, John Miller!
Content will always be king. Therefore, a content copywriter will always be needed.
Have you made your investment in the best copywriter possible?
Posted Monday, March 8, 2010 by
Sharon Long
MarketingSherpa just rocks. They put out great reports and summaries in addition to their weekly wisdom. And speaking of wisdom, reading through their recent “Marketing Wisdom for 2010” report prompted quite a few insights for this freelance copywriter. This week, we’ll delve into one per day (since there were a total of five, I figure it was meant to be!)
Today, I gush over what Dean Rieck of Direct Creative had to say. Any comment that starts with "Content is king" is going to speak straight to a freelance copywriter's heart. But he gives proof, talking about a client that created more than 7,000 pages of blog posts and pages. And got results. As he says, it boosted the website in search engine rankings and it created a large pool of keywords.
Although I'm "just" a copywriter, I keep up with all things marketing...or at least as many as I can. How to increase your search engine rankings via organic SEO is one of those things. It's not rocket science, but it does take work. As this guy says, in this case, thousands of pages of work. But that's not hard!
Over and over I am approached by company's that want to improve their SEO and over and over I tell them to consider blogging...and they do not listen. It's like me saying I want to lose weight while chowing down on chocolate chip cookies. I have a choice to make. So do they. But blogging takes commitment and they must want a magic bullet instead (which is, I think, why so many companies turn to pay per click instead).
If you want to improve your search engine rankings, add blogging to your marketing mix. Blogging is not hard, nor is it time-consuming! In addition to blogging, your company has ample opportunities to be creating content that can go on your website: press releases, tip sheets, whitepapers, how to guides, FAQs...
Content is king, especially in the world of search. The way to win search is to have great, keyword rich, relevant content. It's that simple. Hire the best copywriter you can find, and let her get to work creating your content so you can get the rankings you want.
It's not rocket science, but great content might take your SEO to the moon.
Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by
Sharon Long
Everyone's inbox is full of emails, much of it poorly written email marketing. That's why I enjoy the emails I get from ServiceMagic. They have attention-getting subject lines, and copywriting that's fun to read but helpful too.
Their most recent email to me had the subject line "All parties end up in the kitchen somehow..." and then the header text when you open the email said "Unless your sink is smelling up the place." The rest of the email newsletter gives advice on getting rid of a stinky sink odor, then offers a link to look for home cleaning pros to help.
I'm a freelance copywriter. I read pretty much everything with a critical eye. And this email newsletter passes the test every time because it does what I encourage my copywriting clients to do:
- It provides useful information, without a catch.
- It builds trust.
- It has a call to action, so when the recipient is ready to look for a service, she can.
- It's fun.
Posted Wednesday, February 3, 2010 by
Sharon Long
Three days ago, a dog named Bear joined our family. Animals now outnumber people by 5 to 1 (not counting squirrels). Being a professional copywriter who wants to relate everything back to marketing and copywriting, I was thinking about Bear, and how he sleeps on my daughter's bed and is so protective of us. And boy, does he look protective when he's laying there sleeping next to her! They're the same size!
Thinking how to relate this to my job as a freelance copywriter, I kept coming back to the idea of peace of mind and security. Having Bear around means feeling safer, even if he might turn out to be a big huge chicken, more than a big huge dog.
But it's the idea of security that matters here, the comfort my daughter feels with that big lug sleeping next to her, and the peace of mind I feel when he raises his head and gives a soft bark just in case. It feels good in a world that quite often doesn't.
Does your marketing offer a feeling of security? Does your web site copywriting make people feel safe buying from you? How about your printed collateral, has your freelance copywriter conveyed your marketing message in a believable way?
I think about Bear, and even the warm fuzzies I feel as he dozes at my feet while I type, and I think, "This feels good. I want to feel more of this."
I'm not alone. Your prospects and customers want to feel more of that too. Work with your best copywriter and make that happen, make those words on the page or the screen convey that you can be trusted, buying from you is safe, that you really do have that customer's best interests at heart, as Bear does mine.
Be like the big dog.
Posted Thursday, April 9, 2009 by
Sharon Long
When this Seattle copywriter gets busy, the blog gets neglected. I confess. So I love when something happens that makes me have to blog, like today.
Every day I get email requests for my marketing tips ebook. These email requests are usually straightforward, but often include nice praise too, like "love your Web site," "love to read your blog," etc.
This email request takes the cake as being the sweetest I ever received, so I just have to share...and wonder if they're buttering me up for something. Thanks, Lynn, for the kinds words to warm a copywriter's heart, and thanks also for letting me share your email in my blog:
Now, if you're paying attention, you'll see this is also a cool way to use blogs as marketing tools: I get a nice email or comment, I put it in my blog and at the same time give myself a third-party endorsement. So, hint, hint, look out for those opportunities!
Every day I get email requests for my marketing tips ebook. These email requests are usually straightforward, but often include nice praise too, like "love your Web site," "love to read your blog," etc.
This email request takes the cake as being the sweetest I ever received, so I just have to share...and wonder if they're buttering me up for something. Thanks, Lynn, for the kinds words to warm a copywriter's heart, and thanks also for letting me share your email in my blog:
I would like to request a copy of your e-marketing book. I thoroughly enjoy your Web site...such great information. Each morning I look forward to reading new posts on your Blog, and if not a new post...a previous one. We are in the process of redesigning our Web site and the information you provide has been very helpful. Yes...you “extremely bright, talented, informed and fun” women may indeed be the best copywriting agency on the West coast J
Lynn Mitchell
Woodland Scenics
Now, if you're paying attention, you'll see this is also a cool way to use blogs as marketing tools: I get a nice email or comment, I put it in my blog and at the same time give myself a third-party endorsement. So, hint, hint, look out for those opportunities!
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