Blog Copywriter

Love 'Em or Hate 'Em, Freelance Copywriter Praises Netflix' Authenticity

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by Sharon Long

Authenticity. You can't fake it. You can't beat it.

Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO of Netflix gets huge kudos from this freelance copywriter for his blog post on the changes at his company.

Did they mess up? Yes. Did they fess up? Yes. And that makes for a lot of forgiveness among customers. That blog post has 22,000 likes.

One look at the comments indicates not everyone is happy with the splitting up of the company. But as far as how he (or his content writer?) worded the apology post I don't think anyone is complaining.

Authenticity works, whether apologizing or marketing.

Content Made Easy! How to Make Content Creation a Piece of Cake

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by Sharon Long

creative content marketing is a piece of cake

After the amazing success of Content Marketing World last week, with over 600 people in attendance, I wonder if some marketers are heading back to their desks full of new ideas and energized to take their content marketing programs to a whole new level...but are still stymied by the content creation itself.

As a freelance copywriter, I have run into this situation with clients years before content marketing ever became a term, let alone a mainstream one. It would usually come up in conversation when I was encouraging clients to consider using e-newsletters for marketing. "But what would we write about?" I was repeatedly asked.

Then when blogging as marketing tools became an effective SEO strategy (remember, this is before we were talking about content marketing), I was repeatedly asked the same question: "But what would we write about?"

Marketers had an easy time figuring out what they would say in a brochure or on a website. No problem creating content for those marketing pieces! Those would be produced once then maybe modified later. With the e-newsletters and blogging, I was suggesting they commit to creating content--new content, mind you--over and over and over again. Even when they knew they could use We Know Words to supply the copywriting and content, they would be fearful of running out of ideas, and fearful of their own in-house ability to write.

Well, the obvious answer to the first fear is to outsource content creation. :-)

But the answer to the second fear is just as easy. And this is when I'm going to tell you how to make content creation a piece of cake. Seriously. In fact, it will be easier than baking a cake. Ready?

Tell stories.

That is it. That is all I am suggesting you do. Tell stories.

When you go to a cocktail party, a networking event or a family gathering, people talk, right? And a lot of times, that talking is story telling. Stories about pets or kids or bosses or clients or vacations of the mechanic who tried to cheat you or the hairdresser who got your color just right...stories, stories, stories.

Do you have to sit around tapping your pencil on your desktop struggling to determine what you'll talk about when you get to that party, event or gathering? Of course not! You're just talking and telling stories and entertaining.

So tackle your content marketing the same way. It's a creative content marketing approach that will require only the effort of typing and spell checking. Tell a story about a new client, an old client, a favorite client, a troublesome client (and maybe make that one anonymous). Talk about how your business started or why. Tell a story about an employee or a company tradition or picnic. Talk about the industry, maybe how it used to be or what you see now.

If you were talking to me right now at a networking event, both of us holding a glass of wine and getting to know each other's businesses, what would we talk about? What stories would you tell me, the freelance copywriter, about your business so I'd know it better?

Write those stories down. Don't worry about anything else except the story. Now spell check them. Now put them in blog posts and/or newsletter articles. Plug in your keywords as needed. Then publish these stories and share them via your social networks.

Now do it again. You, me, glasses of wine, you're talking and telling me stories...

There. Content creation without the agony, without wondering what you'll talk about.

Finessing your content marketing strategy can come later. For now, I only suggest you get the content creation part down.

Does it sound too simple? It's easier than baking a cake!

Smile! Content Marketing as the Coming of Age of Copywriting

Monday, September 12, 2011 by Sharon Long

It's enough to make you smile...

Every day I get a Google alert for "content marketing" and every day I am more and more convinced of one thing: content marketing is the coming of age of copywriting.

Lee Odden started an article on content marketing published today with these words:

"Companies are jumping on the content marketing bandwagon in increasing numbers, investing in new content for articles, newsletters, whitepapers, blogs, and video to better attract and engage customers." (Emphasis mine.)

I've been heading up the copywriter firm We Know Words for 11 years now. During that decade plus, we have created more of this type of content described by Lee than any other (i.e. ads, brochures and other content not considered "content marketing"). We've written articles for national publication. We've written countless newsletters for everyone ranging from staid government organizations to go-getter dotcoms. We've written whitepapers ranging from extremely technical to almost pedestrian. We ghost blog for several companies sometimes for thought leadership and sometimes for SEO. And we've written scripts for video too.

Yes, the bulk of the work we have done all these years as freelance copywriters is now in the spotlight as content marketing.

That makes the heart of this content provider very, very happy and puts a big smile on my face! It's as if finally our work, our laboring, our writing is now finally something everyone sees the value in...not just the consumer but the client too. We've always argued for compelling, customer-centric content that engages by talking to customers, not at them. Now we can stop arguing for that approach. Now that approach is mainstream.

So bring it on, marketers! Let's keep this content marketing train a chugging along! And these copywriters smiling! :-)

Repurpose Social Chatter, But Make Sure to Deliver Content--not Clutter

Monday, May 9, 2011 by Sharon Long

content marketing group choose content over clutter

I appreciate that this article is encouraging us to repurpose content, I really do. It's something I push as a freelance copywriter and content consultant. I encourage our copywriting and content marketing clients to think in terms of rite once, use in multiple places. I'm also a huge proponent of sharing content across media, like blogging on your email newsletter or using testimonials posted to your Facebook wall as blog content. The possibilities for repurposing content are endless.

However, our goal must always be the same: Be customer centric. Whether you're hiring a ghost blogger or a content marketing group, make sure your content is customer centric. It has to be about them, not you. Talk to your customers, not at them.

That's why I take issue with this MarketingProfs.com article on using social chatter in email. The author is saying repurpose what people say about you in social networks by making it your email marketing content. I'm fine with repurposing the content! Go for it!

However, I have a problem with the reason for doing so and the approach the author recommends. His reason for using social chatter as email marketing content is simply to show your audience that you have a social presence. As a consumer, not copywriter, I say, "So what?" And the approach he recommends? Just stick it to them. OK, not in those words. But he's only saying to include it in your email marketing. I say, give it some context and, more importantly, vet it. Don't stick every Yelp or Facebook comment into an email willy nilly, and I don't mean use only the nice comments. Only use content that's relevant, useful and/or engaging. Only use customer-centric content.

If republishing that content into your email marketing isn't in some way helpful to your email recipients, don't do it. People already get far too much email and they're easily turned off by email marketing that's self serving.

Repurpose yes, but make sure you're delivering content, not clutter.

Choose GOOD Content Over "Any" Content...Even if Your Budget Is $150/Month

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 by Sharon Long

This morning I moderated a panel on SEO and organic search at the eMarketing conference in San Francisco. Content was the over-riding theme of our SEO panel. Which is music to my copywriter and content marketing services ears, right?

There was plenty of talk about Panda too, again, getting us to look at content. Here's the thing about content and content marketing: You can create all kinds of content, but it must be good content. As the panelists said, the content must educate, entertain and enlighten (the three Es).

After the panel, I checked my email and read the following (with specific company names removed to protect the sender).

"In thinking about blogging, content, link building etc.

"Blogging...awhile back you asked about a budget to get blogging and content going. Budgets are going to be real tight at least until I can start seeing results of some type. But I understand it is going to be a critical part of our success.

"With that said I have tried to go out and pull together some ideas of what is available and at what cost.

"Things I have found are mostly from my current partners or industry resources, organizations I belong to.

"Example 1 ABC case study. They will compile these for free with my complete input and approvals. However they get the rights to use them at any time for there own purposes. which obviously has some down sides but also gives me direct links to to some very authoritative folks.

"Example 2 Content site from XYZ. This is a content site; they will update monthly with new articles and the like. This is a pay for service for $150 per month. I get complete access to all content I can use as just a link on our site branded to our look or take content and incorporate directly into our site which is probably what I would do. By the way the new site will have a pretty easy to use CMS for just this type of thing.

"Down side it is not my original content. Will we be penalized by the gods of Google? Sounds like we might as this same content will be sold to others."

I smiled when I read this because of all the discussion about Panda that happened during the panel. Here's my reply to him:

"I would be a lot less worried about duplicating content and a lot more concerned about offering content of value! Plus you won't get SEO if you don't have keywords...

"If someone finds your blog because you've repurposed content from somewhere else, you've won only one part of the battle: You've been found in the search engine. If they click on the search result and end up at your blog, you've won the second part: They are at your site. But you're going to probably lose the third part: They aren't going to stay. If they go to your site and see content that's not yours, or that's crap, what are they going to learn about your company, your brand, your product, your service?

"Plus there's no guarantee your keywords will be used, so you're not really going to get any SEO benefit from doing so.

"For $150/month, original blog content can be created. We'll set you up with a writer for that. If you can pay that money towards blogging creation, plus commit 20 minutes of your day every day to blogging and get the free case studies, you will get better SEO results, and you will have happier site visitors. When they land at your blog, they are going to know that they have come across a real company and a real person...not a company regurgitating what someone else said.

"That's my opinion. :-) Remember too that any content you create is potential blog content: press releases, case studies, emails to customers even."

Honestly, $150 per month spent on good content is going to do this small business more good than all the free repurposed content he's going to grab from other places. Because it's not just having the content. It's about having good content. Period.

Does Your Business Have a Sales or a Marketing Mentality? Please Say Marketing!

Friday, April 15, 2011 by Sharon Long

Does your business have a sales or a marketing mentality?

I’m asking because it’s heavy on my mind and, although I think I sensed there was a difference, it wasn’t until this week that I realized how different the two mentalities are. And don't think I'm going to say the sales one is better. I'm not.

This thinking was prompted by an eye-opening conversation with the marketing person for a company I’ve worked for in the past. I was their website copywriter for a much-needed website revamp. I was happy with what we accomplished, and I expected more online marketing to follow suit after this initial project.

But none did.

I kind of pushed them with occasional emails hinting at and asking about potential online content marketing they could be doing. Now when I say “pushed,” that’s a relative term. I’m not a pushy person. :-) So my suggestions to them were likely easy to ignore.

After leading a highly successful panel on content marketing at a Seattle marketing conference, I thought enough is enough. It’s time to get these folks doing some online content marketing. “It’s a perfect fit for them,” I thought. “Surely they’ll see the need for this and the ease of it.”

Alas, I had overlooked one critical factor, one that hadn’t even occurred to me before. This company has a sales mentality, not a marketing mentality. You might be asking, “So what? I mean, the point is sales, right? So what’s wrong with a sales mentality?”

It leaves out an entire potential market.

Here’s what it looks like: A company with a sales mentality has a sales staff, not a marketing staff. They zero in on certain companies and individuals. They wear blinders as they work to get the attention of these highly desirable prospects…who aren’t really prospects, meaning they haven’t expressed any interest. At all. A company with a sales mentality invests all their time, effort and therefore financial resources into the manual labor of pursuing these elite businesses they want to woo and convert to customers.

Here’s why this is a problem: While the company with the sales mentality has a laser focus on say the 100 ideal customers they’d love to win, another 100, nay 1,000, potential customers are actively seeking a solution to a problem…a problem this company could solve. But they don’t find out about this company. They use a search engine and get a page of results and this company isn’t one of them. So they spend their money with someone else, one of the someone elses that did show up in the search results.

And the company with the marketing mentality? They are making themselves known to everyone out there looking by using content marketing such as keyword-rich websites, blogs and other content they create and share online. When someone goes looking for a solution to their problem, this company shows up in the search results. And when the possible prospect clicks on the link and goes to this company’s website or blog, they find engaging, relevant content that says to them, “Yes, we can help you solve your problem.” The company with the marketing mentality invests time, effort and therefore financial resources in content that will continue working for them day after day after day. They create it once, and reap the benefits of it repeatedly. They expose themselves to a whole big audience of potential customers. And the sales staff? Their time is spent closing, not pursuing.

What kind of mentality does your company have?

Let's Not Lose Sight of the Real Value of Compelling Content, OK?

Monday, April 11, 2011 by Sharon Long

Last week I was asked to write a press release.

For $100.

At the last minute.

For a business I've never worked for before.

And this press release was going to be a critical piece in getting word out about a big move on the part of this company. It was meant to be the one means by which this company is going to get all kinds of free publicity for their expansion. No other marketing effort, only this press release.

All that for $100.

Offered by a CEO who should know better.

Let's not lose sight of the real value of compelling content, OK? A few dozen quickie blog posts used for SEO might cost you just $100, but a critical press release? That requires skill and experience and insight to craft in a way that will do you any good? And when everything is riding on that one communication? What is the real value of that, I ask?

To do that right would take me several hours, and even then, I don't know if it's possible to write a compelling enough press release, one that would do the standalone, heavy lifting this company is hoping for.

Just because we've entered the age of content marketing, and content all over...so much content we now need content curation, for goodness' sakes...just because all eyes are focused on creating content (if not on reading it), let's not forget that there are still pieces of content, copywriting if you will, that require a level of experience and expertise that is not a cheap commodity.

I'm sure this company was able to find a flunkie or newbie to work for peanuts as their press release writer. I'm equally sure they'll be disappointed with their results.

I love words. I know words. My whole business is based on words! But I know the true value of words too, as written and verbal communications meant to drive action as opposed to empty words on a page.

$100 for a press release? No thank you.

Will Content Marketing Be Reduced to Formulas? I'm Just Sayin'...

Thursday, April 7, 2011 by Sharon Long

Today I read two blogs in total contrast to each other that really got me thinking.

One was on email copywriting, and thinking about writing emails as an author would think about a novel. It's a great reminder that the email copywriter has a responsibility to not only "sell" something but to use thoughtful, meaningful approaches to writing to do so. And my apologies to Mike May, the author, if my paraphrasing of his post is not quite what he intended!

The other was on a content marketing checklist, called "Creating Valuable Content: An Essential Checklist." For me, it presents a real contrast to the email copywriter blog. It represents something I fear about content marketing, that it will become formulaic. When our checklists are all about making sure we've used the right tags and included a call to action and a sharing link, well, where's the checklist that asks "Is the content authentic? Is it engaging? Is it real? Is it customer-centric?"

Like Mike May alluded to in his post, content must still be good content! You could use a checklist for an email too, and it wouldn't look all that different from this content marketing checklist. But both the email and any other kind of content you produce must have some substance and a reason for being beyond a place to put tags and sharing links.

I know the creator of the content marketing checklist knows this. I just get a little nervous about the direction of this kind of thinking, away from the quality of the content itself and toward the technical, formulaic details.

I'm just sayin'.

Be Careful to Be Timely When Re-Using Content for Content Marketing

Friday, April 1, 2011 by Sharon Long

I've always been a huge proponent of repurposing and re-using content as a freelance copywriter, long before the dawn of content marketing. But I just saw an "oops" that prompted this content marketing blog on being careful to be timely.

I opened an email newsletter from a company I trust, and scrolled down to see a headline I thought I'd better click on. It was on a topic that was hot back in the fall and one I need to stay on top of as the copywriting and content marketing coordinator for one of We Know Words' clients. "What is this new information?" I wondered. "I'd better read this article right now!"

So I clicked...and then clucked...my tongue, that is. In disgust.

The article wasn't new information. It was an article from last September when these industry changes were new. In fact, I probably read that very same article back then when researching the then timely topic.

I think I know why the company repurposed the article: as part of their content marketing program. And I don't have a problem with that except they didn't alter the article in any way to make it timely. In my opinion, the intro should have been changed to something like, "We reported on these industry changes when they first came to light back in September 2010 when this article was published. Because we are still finding out clients don't yet understand these changes and the ramifications, we are re-publishing the article."

One reason I'm so happy that such a thing as content marketing exists is because many pundits call for authentic content, something I've wanted to see become widespread for a decade. But simply linking to a six-month-old article in your newest newsletter isn't authentic if you don't give it context and make the reader aware that it is six months old.

It would have taken all of five minutes to do so. And that would have been better content marketing.

I'm just sayin'.

(Need a little help making sure your own re-use of content is up to snuff with the new rules of content marketing? Start here: We Know Words.)

Stop Talking About Yourself. Now. Pleeeeaaase. (And please make it stop raining...)

Thursday, March 31, 2011 by Sharon Long

When one blogs as a means to market onself and/or one's business, one should not blog:

a) After 9:00 at night.
b) After drinking.
c) When in a pissy mood because it has been raining nonstop since who knows when and one is sick of the rain, mud and wet.

Please realize that you are reading a blog written under condition "c." Yes, I am violating my own, self-imposed rule. But I have been a freelance copywriter for over 10 years and I am tired of seeing the following mindset be so pervasive among marketers. CEOs, yes. Sales teams, sure. But marketers need to know better!

What prompted my pissy reaction? I just responded to a question on a message board. The question was about what types of content to produce to market to a B2B audience. Fair enough. But the poster said the goal is to "provide thought leadership on key issues affecting business leaders by helping them understand the role that our technology and services can provide." (Emphasis mine.)

This, my marketing friends (and fellow pissy mood people, if you're in western Washington), is what is wrong with marketing today. Still. This is why I talk about marketing is like dating. The problem for this company isn't the kinds of content they are producing. The problem is they are focused on what they are selling, not on what the customer is buying.

They shouldn't be trying to help business leaders understand the role of "our" technology and services. They should be addressing the problems of the B2B audience they are trying to reach!! (Excuse the exclamation points. The more it rains, the more I punctuate.)

If marketing is like dating, this is akin to the guy going out to a bar to meet women...and only talking about himself. Which plenty of guys do.

One reason I love content marketing is because I am so hopeful that it will finally make marketers switch their mindsets from talking at customers to talking to them. You talk to someone when you make it about them, when you relate and listen. Do you know how many dates I've been on where the guy told his stories, talked incessantly about himself and/or talked the whole time period? Plenty. Those are the worst dates to be on. And that's your typical marketer, folks. As the post I just responded to implies.

Oh, please, content marketing gods, let the dawn of content marketing truly result in engaging, useful content and no more ego-centric "all about me" copy!

And please, content marketing gods, can you make it stop raining too?

From Copywriter to Content Marketer...It's a Matter of Semantics

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 by Sharon Long

On page 7 of the popular content marketing book "Content Rules" by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman, a sidebar attempts to clarify the difference between copywriting and content marketing. It essentially says copywriting is ads and the like and content marketing is everything else.

What's funny about that to me, as someone who has spent the last 11 years as a freelance copywriter, is that most of those 11 years have been spent writing the very things the people now say are content marketing. But I thought I was a copywriter...

As much as I love the book "Content Rules," and as much as I admire Ann Handley as the chief content queen at MarketingProfs (and have for years), I confess to being a little confused by the statement. I can count on two hands (and maybe the toes of one foot) the number of ads We Know Words has written for clients in the past decade. And we've been the brochure copywriter for some printed projects and done some direct mail, yes.

But really since the year 2000--11 years now--our bread and better has been content marketing services, it turns out: case studies, whitepapers, ghost blogging, website writing, SEO work, articles, video scripts, newsletters, press releases written as part of what was meant to be a content strategy.

I didn't know it was called anything but copywriting.

And I do see a huge difference between what people call content marketing today and what We Know Words has been doing for the past decade: strategy. That was not part of the content marketing services we offered. The clients would come to us with a content or copywriting need and we would fill it.

I'm delighted to know that copywriting as I know it has now come of age, it's now considered something much more honorable and it's more strategic! Let's face it. Walk into a crowded room and start introducing yourself as a freelance copywriter and you're not going to impress anyone. (Never mind the confusion some people have with the word "copyright" and the trying lunch-time conversation I had with a former state governor trying to explain copywriting vs. copyrighting.)

But now I get to walk into a room and say I offer content marketing services...and that's a lot more important sounding! And a whole lot more important.

Now there's really a strategy, or should be. I have long wanted clients to make better use--and re-use--of the content we've created. I've long talked about repurposing and re-using. And now that can happen. I can turn to the experts and authors like Ann and C.C. and Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 or Russell Sparkman of Fusion Sparkmedia and I can cite them...and get heard.

I think it will enable us to create the kinds of engaging, real, authentic copy I've been trying to talk clients into for a very long time, as well. Now we are backed up by the experts! No more generic copy!

From copywriter to content marketing? I'm all in. I just never realized I was out. And I'm not quite sure I ever was. :-)

Unlike Boyfriends, Blogs Are Forever...Make Them Part of Your Content Marketing

Saturday, March 19, 2011 by Sharon Long

online content marketing strategy includes blogs

Why blog? Because blogging is forever. OK, forever is relative in this day and age. But a blog post is going to be around a lot longer than other social media marketing.

A wall post on a Facebook page has a very short life span. A tweet even shorter. But a blog will be around always. It will be indexed by the search engines and served up when someone goes looking for what you're offering...even if it's two, three or even five years later. That's a lot longer than a lot of boyfriends! And that won't happen with any other kind of popular social media like Facebook and Twitter!

As a freelance copywriter and now as a provider of content marketing services, I have been pushing for blogs as marketing tools for a few years now. With the advent of content marketing as a strategic way to create and use content, maybe blogs will be taken more seriously.

Although I don't know. I still run up against the initial reaction of a) thinking a blog is just a place to spout off or b) the "there's no way we could keep up with one."

It's funny because people--even savvy marketers who should know better--seem to see the blog as something extraneous and extra. And a lot of work with no payoff.

It's none of those things.

It can be the hub of your online content marketing strategy. Dare I say it should be the hub of your online content marketing strategy? And blog content is easy to come by when you're focused on online content marketing. You simply need a strategy.

And isn't that what content marketing is all about? Being strategic with your creation and use of content?

To talk strategy with a content marketing agency that's been around the content block for a while now, reach out to We Know Words.

Does Fear Keep Marketers From Content Marketing?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 by Sharon Long

I'm in love with the whole idea of content marketing because the premise is something I've pushed for for years. As a freelance copywriter, I have pushed people to be real and tell stories. I have pushed clients to get testimonials and find out their customers' stories. I have pushed for repurposing (now called reimagining) of content.

And why didn't clients listen to me before this whole notion of content marketing came along? I don't know. Maybe I'm simply not pushy enough. Maybe I wasn't secure enough because no one else was saying it so maybe my ideas weren't so great after all (or so said the little voice inside my copywriter head). Maybe I didn't explain it very well!

Today listening to a webinar on content marketing starring Chris Baggott, Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman...three of the biggest names in content marketing...I had a thought. What if it was fear?

I admit, it has been a battle at times to get the We Know Words copywriter clients to be real, to tell stories. "But what we do is proprietary." "But we need to sound like everyone else." "But we need to tell people about our widgets and gadgets." "But we can't sound that different." Those are the kinds of excuses I heard when clients wanted their freelance copywriter to create what I call "me too" copy rather than anything compelling and unique.

(And there was the time the landscaping firm had paid the PR firm tens of thousands of dollars and by golly, that was the messaging they were going to use, no matter how irrelevant it was to their target market!)

As We Know Words morphs from copywriting agency to content marketing agency (which, of course, includes copywriting as a core offering), I sense I will still run into the same kinds of "buts" as before. And this idea of fear makes it all make sense.

Ever since the publication of Seth Godin's "Purple Cow," we've been called upon to be different, to stand out. As Seth said in his book, the risk isn't in being different, it's in being the same. And yet, maybe 20% of We Know Words clients over the past 10 years have embraced that concept.

It's scary to be real! It's scary to be different! It's scary to stand out! Not just for me and you as individuals, but for companies too. What if you're wrong? What if you fail? What if no one likes you?

That's why we all dress pretty much the same and wear our hear pretty much the same and all that. And that's what most companies and brands do as well.

So as we move into thinking of what we do as content marketing, and we are called about to create, coordinate and distribute content that is real and engaging, as we work to convince those clients who hire us for content marketing services that yes, they do need customers telling stories and employees blogging, I suspect we will run into that same fear factor and bunch of "buts" that I've come up against before.

My job as the woman offering the content marketing services? Be more convincing.

It's a good thing I know words...

The Languages of Love. The Languages of Marketing. What's the Difference?

Saturday, February 19, 2011 by Sharon Long

freelance copywriter ready to write about languages of marketing

I'm reading "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman, and even though I'm barely past the introduction, my freelance copywriter brain is already going, "Oh! This applies to marketing too!"

I don't have to know about the five love languages to get the concept: Speak in a way the other person will hear.

At We Know Words, our mantra is talk to your customers, not at them. Another favorite: Your words have to sell what people are buying.

That means you're selling a good night's sleep, not a mattress. You're selling SEO, not blogging software. You're selling a mom's peace of mind, not organic apples. And sometimes you're selling a story, not a handcrafted cheese.

Kind of the same thing as the love languages, isn't it? If we don't speak in a language our audience understands--whether that audience is a target market or a lover--how can we expect to be heard? If we're not talking about the problem in the way they view the problem, we might as well not be talking at all!

As I plug away at my "Marketing Is Like Dating" book, I'm drawn to any connection between marketing and dating, relationships and marriage.

Now I'm thinking maybe after I finish this book, I'll write "The 5 Languages of Marketing." After all, if your marketing is like dating, you're wooing your customers...and talking their language.

It takes copywriting to a whole new level...

Freelance Copywriter Says Content Marketing Takes Style

Thursday, February 17, 2011 by Sharon Long

freelance copywriter says content marketing demands style

Twice in the last couple of weeks, I have had copywriting clients comment on how much they like my style.

They're not talking about my clothes, trust me. They are talking about my approach to their content as a freelance copywriter. And I find that funny, because I don't think I have a style. As a freelance copywriter, I mean. I know I have a style as a writer, and I love to entertain my family and friends with my writing when it's personal. But I think of myself as a professional copywriter who shouldn't have a style because I should simply be adapting to the client's voice and brand.

But then I realized, I can and do adapt when necessary. But clients like these, who just complimented my style, fit with my natural writing style. They probably like me as their freelance copywriter because I write naturally in a way that meshes with their brand. I am free to write like me when I write for them.

And I think style is something we're going to want a lot more of as Content Marketing becomes the norm! As we're creating more content, more whitepapers, more web writing, more blogs as marketing tools, we're also setting ourselves up to get lost in the whirl of words that will be swirling all around our prospects as they attempt to navigate all this "stuff" we're putting out there and online.

Just like the woman who walks into the bar dressed with style will shine compared to any plain Jane counterparts, so will the content with style outshine the drab and dull.

Style, huh? Well, yay for that! This freelance copywriter is going to consider that a plus to be exploited, not a minus to be escaped!

You Can Love Design But It's the Words That Win in Content Marketing

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 by Sharon Long

Love your design but words win says freelance copywriter

Reading David Baker's email marketing blog, I just had an "ah ha" copywriter moment.

He makes the point that we spend so much time, effort and money on creative, and maybe we should spend less on creative and more on content:

"We spend far too much energy on revitalizing creative. Don't get me wrong, good creative does pull, but does the effort involved warrant the output? Depending on your business, I believe most could compress creative costs 25% with rational approaches and better content management."

Is this music to the ears of a freelance copywriter? You bet it is, but not new music, rather classical. Good content, engaging content, customer-centric content...this is what We Know Words copywriters have been crafting for 10 years. That is what content marketing is all about.

And we have often as the freelance copywriter taken a back seat to the creative. Many times we've been called in as the website copywriter only to find the design and navigation are set...and aren't appropriate to the message.

Many times have we as the freelance copywriter been tasked with writing brochure copy or other sales collateral with very specific word counts...we couldn't write the right amount to get the message across, rather we had to write long or short enough to fit the already determined space...because the creative was foremost.

Now that we've entered the age of content marketing, and more and more emails are read on smartphones, words will matter more than ever. Content has always been king...but a bit of a tepid ruler, hidden behind a mighty council of designers.

But you know what? The right color doesn't get you found in Google. The right words do. The right logo doesn't get someone to click on your call to action in your email marketing. The right words do. And the design of your whitepaper is irrelevant if you haven't hired a whitepaper copywriter who builds a compelling case for your product...with words.

Thank you, David! I know this wasn't the direction you meant for your comment to go, but I appreciated taking it there just the same. :-)

From Webinar to Whitepaper: Voila! Content Marketing!

Friday, February 4, 2011 by Sharon Long

freelance copywriter creates content marketing

Why am I sharing this paper on the top 5 misconceptions about corporate blogging? Because I wrote it. OK, I transcribed it, wordsmithed it, edited it and formatted it, using the conversation between Debbie Weil and Chris Baggott as the source. But it's share worthy for two reasons:

1) It shows how a freelance copywriter can help you repurpose content for content marketing. This was a webinar. Now it's a whitepaper too. How cool is that?

2) There's great information in here about blogging and social media marketing and how it all ties together. If you're making blogging part of your content marketing program (and if you're not, why not??), read this.

Copywriter vs. Content Marketing: What's the Difference?

Monday, January 31, 2011 by Sharon Long

This whole Content Marketing thing has admittedly caught me a little off guard. As a freelance copywriter, I work with words every single day. Marketing through content is what I do. It's my passion, my livelihood.

As a freelance copywriter, at first I thought, "Well, content marketing is what I already do." But as the articles keep popping up in the email newsletters I read, and eMarketer, and other places, I am trying to sort this out. And here's what I think...

Yes, as a freelance copywriter, content marketing is what I do. But in a way it's also what I've always wanted to do, and that is to be involved in the strategic planning of the content. I tried making a list of what I would consider copywriting vs. what I would consider content marketing...as a way to sort things out on the We Know Words website. But having two lists was disingenuous. From web content to banner ads to SEO to ghost blogging to writing articles, it's all copywriting.

But maybe what's happening here is an evolution. For two years now, I have been the freelance copywriter for a Bay Area company, integrating the ghost blogging, email newsletters and other content. I have from the start tried to tie all together, repurpose content, and link between different channels. And you know what that is? Content marketing.

I can see some distinctions, that I'm working to address at our We Know Words copywriter agency as I type this. If you need to generate 100 blog posts per month for online content marketing, you're not going to pay a typical freelance copywriter rate for that kind of volume. That's where I stop thinking of it as copywriting and start thinking of it as content generation.

Ditto if you want to generate weekly articles as web content, or weekly press releases.

Working on that here in our Seattle copywriter office...stay tuned.

Content Marketing Best Practices: We Know Words Was Ahead of the Game!

Monday, January 24, 2011 by Sharon Long

I admit it: I haven't blogged for six months. Why? Watching and waiting...

Things are changing for us freelance copywriters. The demand is different. There's still some demand for the kind of qualified freelance copywriter who can whip out a dynamic ad or compelling brochure. But now we have Content Marketing. And it's not the same as freelance copywriting. Where a copywriter might be hired to provide quality, Content Marketing has a bit more to do with quantity...but one must not ever lose sight of the quality, no matter how much content you're charged with creating for your company's Content Marketing program!

So I've been watching and waiting the Content Marketing discussion evolve, and determining how to keep We Know Words relevant with this hugely fundamental shift from copywriting to content creation.

As part of that, I've been reviewing the We Know Words website and was pleasantly surprised to realize I have been ahead of my time! Below is content drawn from our Approach page, written several years ago. It describes how we approach messaging (my preferred word over copywriting) and you can apply these exact same principles and standards to Content Marketing best practices!

Being customer-centric (putting your customer first, not you)
Giving your business a distinct voice
Telling your story: What makes you remarkable?
Speaking directly to your target market(s)
Developing messages and marketing methods that are sustainable
Considering all three types of customers: potential, present and past
Knowing when to integrate different marketing methods
Being consistent in all messaging across every channel
Delivering the message in a form appropriate for your audience

A clearcut definition of Content Marketing is yet to be agreed upon as I write this blog. But certainly the best practices We Know Words has adhered to since its founding in 2000 ring true as Content Marketing best practices too!

So maybe I didn't need to spend so much time watching and waiting. Maybe We Know Words never stopped being relevant...maybe we were really ahead of the game!

Blogging Is Like Online Dating for Your Business: Get Out There to Get Found!

Monday, May 10, 2010 by Sharon Long

Imagine trying to find someone to date without ever leaving your house or going online. How would you meet anyone? You wouldn’t. You have to put yourself out there in order to meet potential dates and mates.

Same with marketing. If you don’t put yourself out there, you won’t be found by potential customers.

Blogging is one of the best ways to put yourself out there online…if you’re doing it right, meaning with enough of the right keywords and frequently enough.

As a freelance copywriter and now a Copy Coach, I’ve been promoting blogs as marketing tools for a long time now. But this report from Hubspot should convince you. If it doesn’t, I’ll think you want to “stay single” meaning you don’t want to find new customers!

According to Hubspot, companies that blog enjoy:

55% more visitors
97% more inbound links
434% more indexed pages

Still not convinced? Read the article on small business blogging.

Ready to get your blog up and running? Or want help making your blog make more business? Drop me a line!