I received this note from a talented SEO copywriter:

“It’s really true that it’s important to do what one loves – and because I have ADD, I find social campaign management/monitoring, etc. to be extremely difficult, staying on top of Twitter and Google+ and FB and LinkedIn and StumbleUpon and YouTube and and Hootsuite and hash-tags and likes etc. It’s downright painful for me and I’d rather chew glass I’m afraid… 

Is there a place for an SEO Copywriter who has very strong skills in writing website core content, email/landing page campaigns, blog posts, case studies, reports, ebooks, etc. (which is a heck of a lot) — and not do social posts/monitoring too? I was recently asked to submit a proposal for a social campaign and I’m actually dreading it. I don’t even want the project. “

If you cut your teeth on traditional print copywriting, this may really hit home. Once upon a time, you may have been writing catalog copy (for print catalogs,) direct mail pieces and display ad copy.

Today, you’re being asked to research keyphrases, keep up with the latest search engine changes and watchdog social media campaigns.

Which leads many copywriters to ask the question “Is traditional copywriting dead?”

The answer is no. Not really. But things certainly have changed.

Many folks know that I cut my teeth on print copywriting. Long before we were Googling, I was writing ad copy for a local newspaper and developing marketing collateral for screw compressors (really.) Moving to an online environment was a very different experience 14+ years ago. Readability rules changed – since people were reading off of a monitor, that meant presenting the content in a slightly different fashion. Skill sets changed – I had to learn how to research keyphrases and segment them by buyer’s intent. And yes, I did have to keep up with the latest search engine changes and learn the technical lingo.

I think the definition of “copywriter” (and “copywriting”) has changed and morphed over the years. Today, a copywriter may still choose specialize in print communications (print is not necessarily dead and can still gain some great returns.) Or, a copywriter may love writing emails, landing pages and special reports. Or, some copywriters (sometimes called social media writers) may love tweeting, Google+-ing and Facebooking.

At the same time, how we write what we write goes back to traditional copywriting techniques. Show, not tell. Make sure your reader knows “what’s in it for her.” Know what makes your reader tick. The list goes on and on…

So “traditional copywriting” isn’t dead. There’s just more opportunity.

Does this mean that you, as a copywriter, need to embrace and do everything? No. It is perfectly OK to tell your clients, “I specialize in X copywriting” rather than tacking on Y and Z and gritting your teeth the entire time.

Having said that, there are some things that you may want to consider:

If you’re working online, it’s crucial to keep up with the latest search engine changes. Sticking your head in the sand because SEO is “too technical” can hurt your clients (something may change that you need to know about) and makes you look dumb (you want to be able to answer your clients’ questions.) It doesn’t mean that you need to be an expert. Just know what’s going on.

If you’re getting a lot of requests for X, partner with another copywriter. If you’re a print copywriter, the smartest thing you can do (assuming you don’t want to learn how to write online) is work with another copywriter. Then, when a client requests something you don’t like to do, you can hand it off to someone you know and trust. You could even build up a powerful virtual agency with this technique. Imagine being a “one-stop shop” for print, online sales pages/email and social – wow!

Always try something new – but be gentle with yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the “I don’t want to learn that – I’m already overwhelmed” trap. And yes, it really is easy to overwhelm. Choose one “thing” a quarter that you learn more about. Maybe it’s learning more about SEO copywriting. Or try setting up a Google+ account and build your Circles. Or if you’re more of a sales writer, try your hand at an ebook. Trying things new keeps you fresh and curious. And besides, you may discover that you actually like whatever you just tried – and you can develop a brand-new profit center.

Are your clients asking about SEO and you need to know more about it? Do you have a print background and need to learn how to write online? Check out my SEO Copywriting Certification training for step-by-step help.

Photo gratitude to tj scenes

Content Marketing

Perhaps the most balanced and comprehensive post to come out all week about the Google+/Search+ hybrid is Lee Odden’s “Google+ Optimization vs. Community Building: Pros & Cons of Google SPYW” at Top Rank.

Need content for Google+ and the Twitter stream? Heather Lloyd-Martin suggests you go “old school” and cultivate your portfolio of marketing tips like the pre-internet copywriters did with their beloved “tips booklets.” At SEO Copywriting.

Level 343 posts a smart discussion about budgeting for online marketing and measuring ROI (bonus – an actual ROI formula) with “Marketing Online – What Was That ROI Formula Again?”

Jeff Bullas discusses five lessons from Coca-Cola’s new content marketing strategy (and builds on his “liquid content” thesis) at his blog.

Adapted from a newly-released HubSpot e-book, an ode to the content editorial calendar – with an exemplary guideline – is shared by Sara Goliger at HubSpot.

Citing PQ Media stats, Brafton News reports that businesses generated more than $39 billion from mobile content marketing in 2011.

iMedia Connection (iMedia25) lists brands that are shaping the future of video marketing by their pioneering efforts in 2012.

Michael Kolowich shares ways to reduce your video content budget at Content Marketing Institute.

Building an online portfolio? Ann Smarty posts a detailed how-to on creating (and publicizing) a master feed of all your guest posts at SEO Smarty.

Heidi Cohen posts five quotes representing the “core principles of content marketing” from David Ogilvy, “the father of content marketing,” at her blog.

Marketing Profs shares three ways to make your content search friendly.

Andrew Dumont outlines five steps to “bootstrapping your PR efforts” at SEOmoz.

B2C (Business 2 Community) shows what black hat content marketing for SEO looks like.

Lee Odden shares five basic SEO troubleshooting tips for content marketers at Top Rank.

So does your sales content suck? Find out how to tell and how to remedy it at SEO Copywriting.

Finally, five “tricks” for generating web traffic when nobody’s at the proverbial helm are shared at HubSpot.

Events:

• iMedia Connection’s (Iconic) Branding Summit is scheduled for February 5^th through the 8^th in Bonita Springs, Florida.
• OMS and SES Search & Social Accelerator in San Diego are scheduled for Feb 6^th through the 9^th.
• MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2012 will be held in Las Vegas, February 7^th through the 10^th.

SEO & Search

Jason Cormier discusses “why your business needs to be on Google+ now” at Search Engine Watch.

Dr. Pete shares four ways to de-personalize Google (un-plus it) in your search at SEOmoz.

Lior Levin posts how businesses can actually benefit from Google’s Search+ at Pandia.

Nathan Safran discusses how Google’s Search+ could threaten its “core search business” at Search Engine Watch.

Kristi Hines lists 40 advanced and alternative search engines at KISSmetrics.

Website Magazine reports that Google is doing the flip-flop on its page layout algorithm “improvement.”

Danny Goodwin reports on Google’s new privacy policy, noting that it combines user data from all Google services, at Search Engine Watch.

Corey Eridon shares “Five Awesome Landing Page Lessons From Real Life Examples” at HubSpot.

Your local SEO checklist for 2012 is posted at Search Engine Guide.

For enterprise-level SEO, Brian Provost posts the ultimate guide to enterprise SEO (25 things to know before you take the plunge) at Search Engine Land.

Avinash Kaushik posts “Google Analytics Tutorial: 8 Valuable Tips to Hustle with Data,” aimed at inspiring the reader to get involved with analytics, at Occam’s Razor.

eMarketer reports that “Google remains king as search ad spending climbs,” and Barry Schwartz elaborates on this further at Search Engine Land.

P.J. Fusco discusses how Google’s Search+ is changing SEO at Search Engine Watch.

Glenn Gabe discusses how Google’s Search+ could impact search engine marketing with seven examples, at Search Engine Journal.

So will Google be changing your titles and descriptions? Bill Slawski examines the question at SEO by the Sea.

Michael Gray discusses how to write blog posts for existing customers (to turn them into repeat customers) at his blog.

Andy Komack poses three questions to three experts about mobile SEO at Blue Train Mobile.

Greg Sterling discusses the results of an eye- and click-tracking study conducted by Mediative, showing that customer reviews and images drive clicks in mobile users, at Search Engine Land.

Neil Patel discusses three ranking factors that matter (“but nobody seems to care about”) at Search Engine Journal.

Geoff Kenyon discusses avoiding over-optimization with targeted anchor text distribution at SEOmoz

George Aspland posts 12 steps to optimizing a webpage for organic keywords at Search Engine Land.

Melissa Fach posts “Klout Myth Busters: Thoughts from the Experts” at Search Engine Journal.

Finally, Ethan Lyon discusses finding guest post links via a custom Twitter search tool (that he made) at SEOmoz.

Events:

• Search Marketing Expo (SMX) West 2012 – is on for San Jose, from February 28th through March 1st.
• The SMX West Session Agenda is now available: Heather Lloyd-Martin will be speaking on “The ‘New’ Killer Content” on March 1st, from 9 to 10:15 a.m. (Pacific time).
• SES Conference & Expo New York 2012 is scheduled from March 19^th through the 23^rd.
• Distilled’s LinkLove is scheduled for March 30^th in London (LinkLove London) and for April 2^nd in Boston (LinkLove Atlantic).

Social Media Marketing

The top 10 social media blogs of 2012 are posted at Social Media Examiner.

Google+ updates headlines Social Media Examiner’s weekly news.

Guillaume Bouchard posts a how-to on harmonizing Google+ with your other social platforms at Search Engine Watch.

Aaron Friedman discusses how G+ is not a Facebook killer and was never intended to be with “Google+ Growing Your Social Network: Quantity vs. Quality” at Search Engine Land.

Rebecca Corliss reports that LinkedIn is 277-percent more effective for lead generation than are Facebook and Twitter, at HubSpot.

Shelly Kramer lists the 12 most effective ways to generate leads on LinkedIn at V3 Integrated Marketing.

Newt Barrett discusses how to put social media marketing to work for your company at Content Marketing Today.

MarketingProfs reviews (Ant’s Eye View) Chris Carfi’s Social Engagement Journey, comprised of five social stages, with “Socialize Me! In Stages, Though, Please.”

Martin Solar posts an industry discussion of the “true nature” of social media ROI at Search Engine Journal.

Casey Zeman posts five ways to brand your (new) YouTube profile at Social Media Examiner.

Lauren Indvik reports that Pinterest has become the top traffic driver for retailers via an infographic at Mashable.

Kaila Strong discusses seven creative ways that your brand can use Pinterest at ClickZ.

Pamela Vaughan posts “the ultimate guide to mastering Pinterest for marketing” at HubSpot.

Dave Copeland explains how Pinterest uses your content without violating copyright laws at ReadWriteWeb.

Jeff Bullas posts a how-to on taking advantage of the latest Facebook updates at his blog.

Neil Patel posts no less than 100 ways to become a Twitter “power user” at Quick Sprout.

Website Magazine posts “awe-inspiring” Twitter brand page designs and tips.

Rae Hoffman-Dolan (“Sugarrae”) discusses turning customers into fans and followers at OPEN Forum.

Brian Solis discusses five trends that will change CRM at his blog.

Finally, Corina Mackay posts three new apps to help you manage your social networks at Social Media Examiner.

Events:

• Starting today: Social Media Examiner’s online Small Business Success Summit 2012 will run from February 1^st through the 23^rd.

Want you own mini weekly roundup delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the free weekly SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter, with the latest SEO Copywriting posts, expert interviews, how-to’s, and hot copywriting tips!

photo credit to Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho

Alice’s Journey

I am a beginning SEO web writer with 30 years of business and technical writing knowledge and experience. As an online web writer certified in SEO, I specialize in copywriting for small businesses. I have an extensive background in training business and technical writers to communicate clearly. My clients have included major aerospace companies as well as businesspeople from a variety of industries.

My entrance into training technical people was an accident that may remind you of how you got into the business. Most people don’t start their childhood hoping that when they grow up they’ll become SEO copywriters. How did YOU get to this place?

I started as a classroom elementary school teacher. I decided to get a Master’s degree in Reading to become a reading specialist. I soon discovered that all of our courses specialized in Psycholinguistics (how the brain processes information). After graduation, I began to give workshops to other teachers and parents showing them a new way to teach their children to read.

I loved working with adults and became disaffected with teaching children and working for our huge school district. I found a kindred spirit, whose husband happened to be the head of corporate training for a major aerospace company. “They need people to teach writing,” she said.

We spent a year learning as much as we could about teaching adults to write better. Based on my knowledge of Psycholinguistics, we built our program around how readers process the written word. Finally we were ready to launch our business, In Plain English Associates.

My partner’s husband told us one of his employees was looking for a business writing course. We decided I would call her and not let her know who my partner was so she wouldn’t feel pressured. I called on a Thursday and she said, “We filled that business writing class, but we need a technical writing course. Do you do that?”

“Of course,” I said, fingers crossed, and set an interview for the following week. I needed time to go to the technical writing book store and find out what a technical writing course should include.

As it turned out, the technical writers were fine when writing their technical information. They just needed more organization, captions, and bullet points. Their main problem was writing to multiple readers including management, customers, and other non-technical people in the company. We taught them to write clearly and concisely, that is in plain English.

So I, a little kid from the tenements of Brooklyn who wanted to be an M-G-M musical comedy star, became a trainer and later a technical and business writer—and now an SEO copywriter.

What was your journey?

A Brief Interview with Alice

What attracted you to SEO Copywriting?

After completing various business writing projects for clients, I realized that I needed more persuasive tools to help my clients convert prospects to customers.

What SEO Copywriting projects are you working on now? 

My main project is creating my own website and making sure that I use all the best SEO practices to attract clients for my new business.

What do you find most challenging/interesting about SEO copywriting?

My greatest challenge is trying to balance SEO keyphrases and good customer-oriented writing. I tend to write in a conversational tone, but when I review what I wrote, I discover that I didn’t include important keyphrases in my headings and captions.

What have you found to be the biggest “take-aways” from the SEO Copywriting Certification program?

I was delighted to discover that Heather spent the first two segments on getting to know your customer. Influenced by my study of Psycholinguistcs, my underlying principle in teaching writing since 1983 has always been getting to know your reader (prospect, customer) and understanding what their questions, concerns, and problems are.

Heather also validated for me the importance of communicating clearly and concisely in a conversational tone, an integral part of training by In Plain English Associates.

Finally, I appreciated learning about how to apply the best practices to ezines, blogs, and all social media elements.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

What free time? When I do have some, I teach friends to play bridge. I play bridge, lead a weekly creative writing workshop, and play guitar and sing.

Any words for those considering enrolling in the SEO Copywriting Certification program?

I tried studying on my own using free ebooks and blogs, but it wasn’t until I took Heather’s course that I realized how all the parts fit together. SEO includes much more than just learning how to find the best keyphrases.

I especially appreciate how generous Heather is with her students, even after they complete the course. She is always aware of the latest Google trends and makes sure her graduates are aware as well.

And I will be very proud to have my certification badge on my new website!

Alice Zyetz‘s new website (Alice Zyetz.com) is under construction, but you can find Alice on LinkedIn.

Would you like embark on your own writer’s journey and make more money doing so? Learn the latest SEO copywriting and content marketing skills and techniques through SuccessWorks’ SEO Copywriting Certification training and make 2012 your best year ever!

It’s true, writing sales copy is really difficult if you’ve never done it before. There are several ways you can inadvertently go wrong, and many DIY folks don’t know how to go about checking their sales copy to see if they’ve done it right.

So without your knowledge, much less your intention, your sales copy might suck!

Don’t despair. Tune in as Heather addresses the most common sales copywriting mistakes, and how to check your sales copy to ensure you’re not making them…

Your writing focuses on the product/service – not the reader.

• How many times did you include your company name and the words “we” and “our”?
• Readers want to know what’s in it for them.

http://www.futurenowinc.com/wewe.htm

When you’re brand new to sales writing – or even when you’re experienced, but things just aren’t clicking when you sit down to write – it’s all too easy to focus your copy on your company, and/or your product or service. You’ll use the words “we” and “our” a lot, and mention your company name over and over.

• What you want to do is change the focus of the sales content from features to benefits, telling your readers how your product/service helps them.

One of the things you can do when double-checking the focus of your sales copy is to go through and count how many times you’ve used the words “we” and “our,” as well as your company name.

• Or, you can try this cute little tool called the “wewe” monitor. Simply put your sales page URL into the “wewe” tool and it will give you a score that reflects how many times you have focused on the company rather than on the reader. It’s a fun tool worth checking out!

You’re repeating yourself. Repeatedly.

• Repeating yourself = sloppy writing.
• Tighten up the copy and delete any repetitive content.

Repetitive copy is not a mistake reserved for brand new sales writers – it can mar the content of experienced writers who just haven’t quite got the flow of a new writing project yet.

With repetitive copy, the writer might mention a concept or a benefit statement in one paragraph, and then again in the next paragraph – maybe in a slightly different way – and yet again further down the page…

• That is sloppy writing, because it stretches the sales page out longer than it needs to be. Also, repeating a benefit statement may preempt the inclusion of another – possibly even more powerful – benefit statement while cluttering your copy.

So check your sales copy for repetition, tightening it up and deleting any repetitive content.

• If you’re having difficulty seeing where that repetitive content is, then it might be a good idea to give your sales page to an editor, or a trusted someone who can check your work and give you honest feedback.

Your copy is TDL (too damn long)

• Long-form sales letters/Web pages work – if you know what you’re doing.
• Don’t make your readers scroll through useless information.
• Try splitting your information up on multiple pages instead.

Often, a sales page will run too long if the person is new to sales writing, or if they’re experienced but haven’t quite gotten into the flow of the project.

In either case, the writer is throwing everything s/he can think of into the sales page to see what sticks. Besides ending up with a really long sales page, chances are the copy has repetitive content.

• You want your sales page to be as long as it needs to be to convey the information you want it to convey.

While there’s no hard and fast rule for sales page length, the “sweet spot” is usually around 250 to 500 words…BUT that depends completely on your target audience!

You want to avoid writing a long-form sales letter unless you really know what you’re doing. People who know how to write lengthy sales copy online have tested a lot of approaches – it’s what they do, they’re experts. Anybody else who tries it is not likely to see the same results.

What most likely will happen is you’ll end up with 10 pages of copy that your readers will have to scroll through to find out how to take action. You don’t want to do that.

• If you find that your page is getting TDL, but you have so much that you want to say and it’s important information that you what on your site somewhere, try splitting the content up on multiple pages. That way, your readers won’t be overwhelmed with this long, 15,000-word essay!

Thanks for joining us for this week’s SEO copywriting how-to video! If you have a question for Heather, you can tweet it to her @heatherlloyd or email  heather@seocopywriting.com. And be sure to check back next Monday for another hot Web-writing tip – it may well answer your question. See you then!

Want to learn more about sales writing and SEO? Check out SuccessWorks’  SEO copywriting training options to see what program suits you best!

photo credit to josef.stuefer

The “tips” booklet.

Companies would pay a lot of money for writers to pour through their past articles and ferret out tip-worthy content.  These tips were typically turned into a softcover booklet (like “101 Pet Care Tips.” Or “50 Ways to Stage Your Home,”) that sold at trade shows, given away as prospect “leave-behinds,” or marketed as a free gift.

Tip booklets were extremely popular. Readers loved them. Companies loved them – they made great giveaways, and they could be very profitable. Plus, they were (fairly) easy to write.

I realized that there were so many businesses that didn’t post on social media because they didn’t know what to write. At the same time, these companies are leaving money on the table – Google’s brave new “Search Plus” world shows that posting on social networks is more important than ever.

If this sounds like you, it’s time to go old school – and wow ‘em with your expert tips. Here’s how you can leverage this technique and make it work for you:

1. Write a bunch of tips that relate to your product or service. Don’t worry about writing something as long as a blog post – you’ll want to look at posts that weigh in at 140 characters or less. If you want to play with Google+, you’ll have more of a character count…but thinking short and sweet can make the tips creation process go faster.

For example, a vet could create tips like:

• Cat health tips
• Dog health tips
• Facts about dogs/cats
• How to introduce a new pet into the home
• How to handle a pet with separation anxiety
• When to vaccinate your pet.

2. Comb through old marketing materials and pull out anything that you could massage into a tip. Be sure to check out:

• Past newsletters (print and online)
• Past direct mail pieces
• Old blog posts or articles

You can also get ideas for new tips by reading trade magazines, your local newspaper – even listening to the radio. Once you’re in the tip-writing zone, you’ll be amazed how easy they are to brainstorm and write.

3. Next, figure out a daily tips “editorial calendar.” For instance, a vet could segment his tweets/Google+ posts like this:

Monday:  Tip/fact about dogs

Tuesday: Tip/fact about cats

Wednesday:  Pet health tip

Thursday: Answer a reader question (this is great for reader engagement.)

Friday:  Post an article and share why your readers should read it.

Or, maybe you’re a personal (or virtual) assistant. An editorial calendar may look like this:

Monday: How to save time on X.

Tuesday:  How to organize your office

Wednesday: How to save time on common tasks

Thursday:  Easy computer tips and tricks

Friday: Answer a reader question

See how easy it is?

Of course, you can (and should) share more posts – the vet may share a cute picture of one of his furry patients. Or the virtual assistant could post more than one tip a day. But this “old-school” strategy makes sure that you’re doing something – and giving your readers useful information that they’ll want to read (and share.)

Need someone to help you comb through your marketing materials and pull out engaging, on-message tweets? I can help – contact me to find out how.

Photo thanks to laffy4k 

Meanwhile, the big G is roasting in both internal and external PR debacles with its self-serving Google+ corruption of search results, and Facebook rolls out its widely-anticipated open graph app’s.

Whatever your calling – content, social media, SEO and/or search  – you’re sure to find a post or two to illuminate your world here…Enjoy!

Follow-Up on The SOPA Saga

Todd Wasserman reports that SOPA is no more as Lamar Smith, the chief sponsor of the bill, pulls it (for now) at Mashable.

Miranda Miller warns of an emerging threat to online privacy and freedom in the way of legislation forcing internet service providers to collect and retain data on all users, at Search Engine Watch.

Ian Lurie rips into both SOPA and content thieves at Conversation Marketing.

Alexa Steele discusses the #stopSOPA protest as “one kick-ass internet marketing campaign” at The Website Wordsmith.

Content Marketing

Level 343 discusses using the old-school marketing concept of “AIDA” (Awareness/Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) as part of a smart internet marketing strategy.

Heidi Cohen shares seven tips for creating content “that pulls prospects in” at Content Marketing Institute.

RINF News discusses “the bold new face of article marketing.”

Five (likely) flaws in your mobile content marketing strategy are shared by Scott Forshay at Mashable.

Citing data from Marketing Sherpa’s 2012 Email Marketing Benchmark Report, Adam T. Sutton discusses the top three tactics for list growth at the Marketing Sherpa Blog.

Pamela Vaughan posts the ambitious and comprehensive “Everything Marketers Need to Measure and Prove Content ROI” at HubSpot.

Alexa Steele posts “12 SEO Content Commandments for 2012” (part 2 of 2) at Business2Community (B2C).

Andy Havard posts a nine-step guide to creating and marketing your own video content (“for free!”) at SEO Copywriting.

Incredible stat’s from YouTube: Danny Goodwin of Search Engine Watch reports that YouTube is now serving 4 billion videos a day.

Mike Lewis discusses why online video marketing is essential for marketers in 2012 at Socialnomics.

John Jantsch discusses marketing as “the ongoing operation of a system” at Duct Tape Marketing.

Stephanie Tilton discusses how to join the ranks of “best in class” content marketers at Content Marketing Institute.

Finally, Heather Lloyd-Martin shows how to tap customer testimonials in creating your site’s sales page content via her weekly video post at SEO Copywriting.

Events:

• Langley New Media’s 2^nd Annual Content Marketing Retreat is slated to begin tomorrow, January 26^th (and 27^th) in Langley, Washington (state).
• iMedia Connection’s (Iconic) Branding Summit is scheduled for February 5^th through the 8^th in Bonita Springs, Florida.
• OMS and SES Search & Social Accelerator in San Diego are scheduled for Feb 6^th through the 9^th.
• MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2012 will be held in Las Vegas, February 7^th through the 10^th.

SEO & Search

Quantum growth: TechCrunch posts “Apple’s Massive Numbers And Some Context,” noting that Apple’s 2012 first quarter profit of $13.1 billion is equivalent to its fourth quarter revenue of 2010.

WordStream’s Larry Kim posts a breakdown of the top 10 industries contributing to Google’s 2011 advertising revenues of $37.9 billion, complete with an infographic noting each industry’s commonly-used keywords and their cost per click.

Citing comScore’s December 2011 data and Media Matrix rankings, Matt McGee reports on the widening gap between the “big three” search engines and Facebook (in terms of both aggregate and unique visits) at Marketing Land.

Kate Freeman posts “Bill Gates Recalls Final Talks with Steve Jobs” at Mashable.

Danny Sullivan pens a detailed post on the introduction of the “Don’t Be Evil” tool, backed by Facebook and Twitter, at Search Engine Land.

At Search Engine Watch, Miranda Miller explains the intent of the “Don’t Be Evil” tool:  “…to call Google on the carpet over the preferential treatment given their own Google+ posts and pages in organic search results.”

The “Don’t Be Evil” tool is available at Focus On The User.

Citing Larry Page’s ultimatum to Google employees, Sarah Lacy discusses Google’s internal PR nightmare with Search Plus Your World (SPYW) at pandodaily.

David Angotti discusses Google’s new user account registration requirements in “Google+: Growth by Brute Force,” at Search Engine Journal.

TheNextWeb reports that Google is now allowing users to start conversations directly from its search results.

Matt McGee posts his in-depth interview with a “Google Search Quality Rater” at Search Engine Land.

A.J. Kohn posts “The Ultimate Guide to Google+ SEO” (covering “every aspect and angle of Google+ and how it impacts search”) at Blind Five Year Old.

Brian Whalley shares “Five Google+ Tricks to Dominate Google Search Results” at HubSpot.

TechCrunch discusses Google’s new privacy policy in its ongoing war with Apple, Facebook and Twitter with “Google Stockpiles Data Ammo Through Privacy Merge, Guns To Win Relevancy War.”

Danny Sullivan submits a proposal for a social network détente (specifically Google, Facebook, and Twitter) at Search Engine Land.

At Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz reports on Google’s new page layout algorithm change that could penalize and downgrade sites that are “top heavy” with excessive ads above the fold.

Referring to Google’s page layout algo change, Kevin Gibbons posts “Did Google Just Roll-Out Panda 3.2 (2012 Edition)?” at SEOptimise.

Will Reynolds posts the interesting “Never Worry About an Algorithm Update Again, a History” at SEOmoz.

Aaron Doades discusses “Understanding Keywords in Search Retargeting” at Search Engine Land.

Bill Slawski posts the insightful “Google’s Query-Based Analysis and Reranking of Search Results” at SEO by the Sea.

Ardala Evans discusses how to use the Intelligence feature of Google Analytics at Vertical Measures.

Ian Lurie shares an updated version of his Google Analytics tutorial (Install) at Conversation Marketing.

Kristi Hines posts an excellent how-to on getting “actionable data” out of Google Analytics at KISSmetrics.

Hugo Guzman discusses social media influencer outreach and SEO link-building strategy with “What fishing with my dad taught me about link building.”

Rand Fishkin posts his answers to “43 (Twitter-solicited) questions about search, social, content, conversions and more” at SEOmoz.

Tim Ash continues his ClickZ blog series on fixing your website with “Step 3: Determining What to Test.”

Neil Patel discusses the importance of website design for SEO with “How to Design Your Blog for Awesome SEO” at QuickSprout.

Finally, at RINF news, Mike Meaney promotes Ann Smarty’s MyBlogGuest as a resource for keeping your website fresh with guest posts.

Events:

• Search Marketing Expo (SMX) West 2012 – is on for San Jose, from February 28th through March 1st. Early bird rates expire January 28^th.
• The SMX West Session Agenda is now available: Heather Lloyd-Martin will be speaking on “The ‘New’ Killer Content” on March 1st, from 9 to 10:15 a.m. (Pacific time).
• SES Conference & Expo New York 2012 is scheduled from March 19^th through the 23^rd.
• Distilled’s LinkLove is scheduled for March 30^th in London (LinkLove London) and for April 2^nd in Boston (LinkLove Atlantic).

Social Media Marketing

Facebook’s integration of 60 apps with its Timeline headlines Social Media Examiner’s weekly news.

HubSpot also reports on Facebook’s launch of its “much-anticipated open-graph applications,” as does Shelly Kramer of V3 Integrated Marketing.

Another perspective on the Facebook apps roll-out is posted at SEOHacker, with “Facebook is blurting out your private information.”

Lance Ulanoff questions the timing of Facebook’s apps launch (“Facebook Timeline-ageddon: Why Now?”) at Mashable.

Maya Grinberg discusses what marketers need to know about Facebook’s Timeline at Social Media Examiner.

Lee Odden posts “11 ways to get smarter and stay current in a world of social information overload” at Top Rank.

Lauren Schaefer lauds the benefits of Pinterest, the hot new social-sharing (“virtual pinboard”) platform, at {grow}.

According to stats and data from Hitwise and comScore, Pinterest “is growing like gangbusters,” at Marketing Land.

Citing survey findings from Borell Associates, Matt McGee expresses relief that small businesses are measuring social success “the right way” (with new customers) at Small Business Search Marketing.

Mark Burgess discusses the strengths of Google+ for small businesses at Blue Focus Marketing.

J.R. Pittman shares her epiphany about what “build your brand story” actually means at Level343.

Ekaterina Walter (guest) posts “Brand-Jacking: Social disaster or the highest form of flattery?” at Brian Solis’ blog.

Jeff Bullas shares his top 10 social media posts from 2011 at his blog.

MarketingProfs shares five ways to boost B2B fan engagement on Facebook.

Sexy Social Media recommends five tools for enhancing your Twitter experience.

CompuKol Connection posts why it’s necessary for the media to be social.

Seth Godin discusses icky mercenary and obligatory social sharing with “Trading favors.”

Ashley Zeckman shares four tips for “avoiding the social media time suck” at Top Rank.

Finally, Brian Solis posts “Looking Beyond 2012: Trends for Leading Transformation.”

Events:

• Social Media Examiner’s online Small Business Success Summit 2012 will run from February 1^st through the 23^rd.

Want you own mini weekly roundup delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the free weekly SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter, with the latest SEO Copywriting posts, expert interviews, how-to’s, and hot copywriting tips!

photo credit: Jachin Sheehy

For many of us, writing a sales page can be challenging. You may be a really great blogger, able to write about anything, or you may be a small business owner wanting to write your own sales copy for your website…in any case, if you’ve never written persuasive copy before, it can prove to be very difficult.

Fortunately, there is a rich resource you can tap for crafting convincing sales copy: tune in and learn how you can draw on your happy customers’ testimonials for the specific content you need to write a killer sales page…

Sales writing can be challenging…

• You need to tell your prospects ”what’s in it for them.”

All of the content that you write needs to be customer-focused: your prospects want to know what’s in it for them.

• But if you’re new to sales writing, it’s easy to write about features and forget about benefits.

If you’re brand new to sales writing, or if you don’t’ do it all that often, it’s easy to lapse into a discussion about the great features of your product – its color, shape, and dimensions – rather than how those features can actually benefit or otherwise help your prospect.

In the case of a service, you may say “we offer a, b, and c” but fail to say how these offerings can improve your prospects’ bottom line.

Testimonials provide valuable insight…

Here’s an easy way to work around the features vs. benefits conundrum and jump-start the process of writing a kick-butt sales page: rather than starting the sales writing process first, instead have the first step be gathering customer testimonials about your product or service.

• Why not discover what your customers love about your product or service?

By discovering what it is your customers love about your product or service, you’re spared trying to guess or make a judgment call about what the most important benefit statement should be. You can simply gather customer testimonials and find out for yourself!

• When you write your content, you can refer to the testimonials and create better benefit statements.

In crafting your sales copy, you can refer to your customer testimonials to provide content rich with tangible, specific benefit statements.

For example, maybe you own a pilates studio and have helped a lot of people with back problems. If you see that specific benefit mentioned time and again in your customer testimonials, then you might weave it into your sales copy: “We help people with back problems,” and then add a sample testimonial.

Or, it might be that you own a company that helps other companies with their accounting. Perhaps you can say that you helped company X streamline their accounting process, and even made it fun…If that’s the feedback from your clients – that they enjoy working with you and find it fun to work with you – then by all means use it in your sales copy!

Consider asking questions like…

Using client testimonials is a different way to slant how you write the sales page.

When you’re getting ready to send out those requests for testimonials, rather than say “ Hey Bob, you’re a great customer and I’m wondering if you would write a brief testimonial for me” – which might strike Bob as headlights strike deer, or elicit something that doesn’t work the way you’d hoped – instead refine your request, such as:

• How has my product/service helped you? Please be specific.

The hope here is that folks will talk about how they saved or made money working with you – something that speaks to how working with you helped improve their bottom line.

• What were your challenges before finding my business?

In this way you can take your customer’s story and weave into your sales copy.

• Why did you decide to work with my company over my competitors?

The answer to this can enlighten you as to your U.S.P. (Unique Sales Proposition) and provide specific insights to include in your sales copy.

You can simply put these questions in an email, taking care not to overwhelm – maybe limit them to five.

Once you’ve gathered your customer testimonials, you will have a fantastic platform to write that sales page!

This approach provides four benefits…

• The writing process will go much faster. You don’t have to “guess” at benefits.
• If a testimonial is really good, you can expand it into a case study, interview, or blog post.
• You’ll have powerful “specifics” that you can weave into your Web copy.
• You’ll have testimonials!

And as a final note: remember to sprinkle your testimonials throughout your site – you’ll wow your prospects even more!

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s SEO copywriting video! If you have a question for Heather, you can tweet it to her @heatherlloyd or email  heather@seocopywriting.com. And be sure to check back next Monday for another hot Web-writing tip – it may well answer your question. See you then!

Want to learn more about sales writing and SEO? Check out SuccessWorks’  SEO copywriting training options to see what program suits you best!

photo credit: Mathyld

Yeah, me too.

Once upon a time, it felt like I wrote copy for every cosmetic dentist in North America. At the drop of a hat, I could talk about veneers, teeth whitening and “laser gum surgery.”  Yeah, I was great fun at cocktail parties.

I was also bored too. So very, very bored.

I’ve seen this happen to in-house and freelance copywriters. Every day feels exactly like the day before. Your writing no longer energizes and excites you.  Everything you write starts to sound exactly the same.

If you’re being really honest with yourself, you know that your writing is starting to suck.

Here’s a reality check: This is very common.

And here’s another: You need to get a handle on this and stop suffering behind the scenes. Fast.

Here’s what to do:

Take some time off. Have you been working some heavy-duty deadlines? Is it hard to remember your last vacation? Your lack of creativity is a big red flag with “You’re burning out” in big, block letters. If you’re thinking, “I can’t afford the time. My clients/employer needs me,” consider this: They hired you for your writing ability. If your writing quality is dropping, you owe it to your client to take a break.

Give yourself some space.  Is a short-term holiday not possible right away? Start giving yourself “writing breaks.” I’ve found that scheduling one or two non-writing days during the week makes an incredible difference – and what I do write is sharp, flows easily and is even fun to write.

Take on a new challenge. Consider taking on a new client that’s not in your current niche. Or writing a short story just for fun. The key is to break out of your writing rut and stretch your wings. It’s amazing how focusing on something else for awhile can help us regain passion for our current gig.

Split up the work. Do you have 100 pages of personal injury law copy staring you in the face? Are you wondering how you’re going to write all those product descriptions without losing it? Sometimes, the best way to give yourself a break is by letting someone else do the work. If you’re still feeling the burnout blues, see if another writer can take some pages off of your plate. Not only will you get a break, but reading someone else’s copywriting approach may spark some new ideas.

Let it go. Does another type of writing (or client) excite you ? There’s no law that says that you have to keep working with the same niche group – or writing about the same topic. Slowly phase out the work that’s making you suffer and make room for your new profit center. Sometimes, a new direction is all it takes – and you’ll finally remember what you love about copywriting.

What about you? What do you do when you’re “suffering in silence?”

Do you have too much content to write, and no time to write it? My Certified SEO Copywriting team can write blog posts, product descriptions sales pages and more. Contact me for details – I’m happy to help!

Meanwhile, the social media and SEO/search community continue to grapple with Google+ and Google Search Plus Your World, while content marketers focus on video and business blogging. But first, here’s…

The Scoop on the SOPA Saga

Since SOPA has all the industry buzzing up the web, you might want to check out some of these select posts explaining what it is, why it’s widely perceived as bad for internet marketers and online businesses, the politics, and more:

What exactly SOPA is and why it is dangerous are explained in great detail in an editorial opinion penned by Chris Heald of Mashable.

Alex Fitzpatrick gives the background of SOPA legislation (and that of its sister/predecessor, PIPA – the Protect IP Act) and where they stand now, also at Mashable.

Greg Finn reports that Google will join the anti-SOPA protest by linking to anti-SOPA information on its homepage at Search Engine Land.

Matt McGee describes how to black out your own website in protest of SOPA – without hurting your SEO – at Search Engine Land.

Katy Ryan Schamberger reports that the author of SOPA has begun to yield to pressure at V3 Integrated Marketing, while Forbes reports that Obama is opposed to SOPA (with its current language) and that the bill is “dead” – at least as it is worded – for now.

Greg Finn looks at the #blackoutSOPA social media movement (“that helped stall the SOPA legislation”) at Marketing Land.

For the latest news on SOPA, see Matt Brian’s “What SOPA means around the world – literally” at The Next Web (Shareables).

Content Marketing

The top 10 marketing trends of 2012 are shared by Jeff Bullas at his blog.

Mike Sweeney posts 12 questions that should guide your content marketing plan at Marketing Trenches.

PR Web lists 19 (press release) content marketing resolutions garnered from its top 2011 tips.

Michael Kolowich discusses how content marketers can reinvent the webinar for 2012 at Content Marketing Institute.

John Jantsch shares five ways to get your customers to create content for you at Duct Tape Marketing.

Lee Odden discusses building your blog traffic with curated resources and lists at Top Rank.

Heather Lloyd-Martin shares three (more) business blogging tips for beginners via her Monday video post at SEO Copywriting.

Neil Patel posts eight things your blog readers want (“more than good content”) at Quick Sprout.

Rand Fishkin shares 21 tactics to increase your blog traffic (updated from 2007) at SEOmoz.

Heidi Cohen lists 31 ways to make your blog stand out.

Hobo Web talks up Ifttt, a free tool that automatically posts your blog to the big three social sharing platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook).

Pamela Vaughan discusses seven “fatal business blogging mistakes (and easy fixes)” at HubSpot.

Jeff Bullas shares 18 “key observations about the state of blogging in 2011.”

Citing comScore’s December 2011 U.S. online video rankings, TechCrunch reports that Facebook has “slipped.”

Tim Schmoyer reports on YouTube’s next wave of changes, including removing subscribers from your channel and a new YouTube player to come out, at ReelSEO.

Sherice Jacob discusses product videos and conversion rates at KISSmetrics.

Citing data from Flurry, Jeanne Hopkins reports that mobile app usage tops web browsing with an average of 94 minutes/day at HubSpot.

Jakob Nielsen discusses “thinking aloud” as the #1 usability tool – for some 19 years now – at his Alertbox site.

Events:

• Langley New Media’s 2^nd Annual Content Marketing Retreat is scheduled for January 26th and 27th in Langley, Washington (state).
• iMedia Connection’s (Iconic) Branding Summit is scheduled for February 5^th through the 8^th at Bonita Springs, Florida.
• OMS and SES Search & Social Accelerator in San Diego are scheduled for Feb 6^th through the 9^th.
• MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2012 will be held in Las Vegas, February 7^th through the 10^th.

SEO & Search

Gabriella Sannino and the Level 343 team share their own 2012 predictions with the sharp and witty “2012 Is the End of the Beginning: SEO, Social, Search, Copywriting Et All.”

Citing comScore’s newly released data, Miranda Miller reports that Google dominates global paid search (as the 2011 holiday online shopping numbers set new records) at Search Engine Watch.

Eric Enge talks “Mobile SEO Tips and Tricks” with Cindy Krum at Stone Temple (Consulting).

Ugly baby? Lyena Solomon discusses the necessity of planning  your website redesign at Netsprinter.

Jill Whalen discusses five reasons why you need to use Rel=Author on your content with Google’s Authorship program at  High Rankings (Advisor).

Michael Gray discusses creating microsites for online reputation management at his blog.

David Harry discusses the hidden (glass half full) value of Google’s encrypted (“not provided”) data for SEO analytics at Search News Central.

Byrne Hobart discusses the changing landscape of SERP rankings with “Rich Snippets: Learning To Love Not Being #1” at Search Engine Land.

Mat Bennett shares seven alternatives to Google Analytics at Search Engine Journal.

Danny Sullivan breaks down the whole Google Search Plus Your World thing in a clear and comprehensive post at Marketing Land.

Lee Odden weighs in on what Google’s personalized search means for marketing with an in-depth post at Top Rank.

Pandia (Search & Social) predicts that – “besides being the worst case of bad branding in a long time” – Google’s Search Plus Your World feature will cause the big G “a lot of pain.”

Eric Ward discusses linking strategies for Google Search Plus Your World at Search Engine Land.

At Search Engine Watch, Miranda Miller posts “Rank for Anything You Want on Google Search Plus Your World,” noting the ranking weight of Google+ “Circles” in search results.

In a similar vein, Danny Sullivan notes that Google is favoring itself with Google+ in its (Search Plus Your World) vertical search at Search Engine Land.

Noting the changes wrought by Panda and the rise of social signals, Eric Enge pens “The End of Link Building as We’ve Known and Loved it” at Search Engine Watch.

Neil Patel discusses seven “Panda-punishing” content mistakes at Search Engine Journal.

Kristi Hines addresses click-throughs vs. SEO with “Meta Description Magic” at KISSmetrics.

Think with Google posts an overview of HTML 5.

Finally, Danny Sullivan posts “The Big Preview Post” for SMX West 2012 in San Jose at Search Engine Land (see events).

Events:

• Search Marketing Expo (SMX) West 2012 – is on for San Jose, from February 28th through March 1st. Early bird rates expire January 28^th.
• The SMX West Session Agenda is now available: Heather Lloyd-Martin will be speaking on “The ‘New’ Killer Content” on March 1st, from 9 to 10:15 a.m. (Pacific time).
• SES Conference & Expo New York 2012 is scheduled from March 19^th through the 23^rd.

Social Media Marketing

“Google Search Adds Google Plus” headlines Social Media Examiner’s weekly news.

Reflecting the sentiment of many in the industry, Arnie Kuenn posts “Google’s Search Plus Your World? – Not in My World!” at Vertical Measures.

A review of Chris Brogan’s new book, Google+ for Biz: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything, is at Top Rank.

Brafton News reports that social media and content marketing are the top priorities for 70-percent of marketers surveyed for Awareness Inc.’s report on the State of Social Media Marketing in 2012.

eConsultancy posts an infographic on which social networks to focus on in 2012.

Mack Collier shares how much social media will cost companies in 2012 at his blog.

Gabe Donnini discusses measuring the value and success of targeted social media marketing campaigns at Marketing Land.

AllThingsD reports that Facebook’s IPO should come in late May, and that its Open Graph apps are coming this Wednesday (as in today,1/18).

TechCrunch posts some key social media trends to look for in 2012.

Haydn Shaughnessy discusses the key behaviors of top social media influencers at Forbes.

The Next Web reports that Twitter is adding 11 new accounts per second, and could surpass 500 million accounts by February.

Mashable posts an infographic of HootSuite’s new milestones: 3 million users and 700 million sent messages over three years.

Brian Solis posts “Digital Trends: Strategies for Reaching and Influencing Connected Consumers” at his blog.

So what motivates readers to share? Dan Zarrella tackles the question at Problogger.

What Stephen Hawking can teach you about social media marketing strategy is posted at Marketo.

Lisa Buyer posts a how-to on creating a social media editorial calendar at Search Engine Watch.

Finally, Social Times posts an infographic showing which social networks had the most fans in 2011.

Events:

• Social Media 101, and interactive online workshop presented by mediabistro.com, Social Times and AllFacebook is scheduled from January 19^th through February 9^th.
• Social Media Examiner’s online Small Business Success Summit 2012 will run from February 1^st through the 23^rd.  The 50%-off sale ends Thursday, the 19^th.

Want you own mini weekly roundup delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the free weekly SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter, with the latest SEO Copywriting posts, expert interviews, how-to’s, and hot copywriting tips!

photo credit to cometstarmoon

While thinking about that post, Heather realized that there were definitely more than just those three blogging tips to share, and so she created three more to do with the realities of time management and scheduling, as well as the question of sales vs. blog writing.

So if you are one of those folks who resolved to do more blogging for their business this year, tune in as Heather shares three more business blogging tips for beginners (and for those who may be a tad rusty)…

Original 3 business blogging tips: a recap

Last week, Heather discussed these three business blogging tips:

• Brainstorm a list of possible topics
• Loosen up!
• Work with an editor

This week’s video focuses on the gritty realities of business blogging, starting with…

Tip #1: Be realistic

This first tip is focused around the time that you have to blog – realistically.

• How much time do you have to blog?

A lot of people start off with the goal of writing a blog post every single work day, or maybe even churning out a couple of posts a day. They may think I have a lot in my head that I want to say…so yeah, that’s reasonable…

• The challenge is that life gets in the way – and business gets in the way – of these ambitious blogging goals.

While you might have all these great ideas swirling about in your head, by the time that you’re able to actually sit down and write, you may well find that you really don’t have that much time to create a quality blog post… So think about how much time you really have to blog.

• Think quality over quantity.

If it turns out that you can only create one blog post a week right now, that’s okay!

One really good, quality blog post a week is far better than five so-so blog posts a week, cranked out at the 11^th hour just for the sake of creating something. Think quality over quantity.

• Can other people help you?

Another thing to consider is if there are other folks within your company that can help you with writing blog posts.

This one can be tricky – because these other folks would need to be accountable for their blog posts, making blog writing an additional part of their normal responsibilities.

But if you have other people available within your business that could be good writers and have topic ideas, definitely see if you can bring them on board to help!

Tip #2: Schedule your blog posts

This tip addresses time management, and the editorial calendar.

• Set deadlines and put them in your calendar.

This means: know exactly what you’re going to write, when.

Last week, we discussed brainstorming ideas for possible blog post topics – this is where you put those ideas on paper and say, “Okay, I’m blogging twice a week, and for Wednesday’s posts I’m going to talk about X.”

In the writing world, we call this an editorial calendar. It is a visual tool that allows you to look at a given week and know exactly what you’re going to be writing, and know exactly when you need to publish the post online.

• Give yourself a lot of writing time.

If you’re just getting into blogging, be gentle with yourself: it may take a long time to write a blog post and again, that’s okay!  Even for professional writers, it can take a very long time to write a quality blog post.

• So make sure you give yourself that gift of time. Don’t put undue pressure on yourself by thinking, “I have 30 minutes…I can kick out the post really fast.” Even an experienced writer might choke in such a situation.

Prevent that last-minute deadline stress and give yourself a lot of writing time before the deadline.

• Be faithful to your blogging schedule.

Consider your blog post schedule and deadlines with the same weighty level of seriousness you’d give to your clients’ deadlines, or those of the IRS. Make a commitment to keep to your blogging schedule and honor your editorial calendar.

Tip #3: It’s OK to link to your products/services – just don’t overdo it.

This final tip concerns the writing itself.

• Blog writing and sales writing are different – but that doesn’t mean you can’t do some soft promotion.

Rather than thinking of your blog post as a sales medium – where you talk about all the wonderful things you can do or provide for the reader – instead come up with a general, informational article.  Think of a topic that would address customer questions, or would otherwise be useful to your readers.

• If it makes sense to link to a product/service in your post – go for it.

You can easily direct traffic into your website’s inner product/service pages with links from your blog post, if it flows naturally and makes sense to do so. Such soft promotion is okay – just don’t overdo it.

• You can always put a sales “blurb” at the bottom of every post, too.

You don’t have to get heavy-handed with the sales writing. You can simply place a sales “blurb” at the end of each informational blog post, such as: “Would you like to learn more about our emergency plumbing services? Feel free to contact us at X.”

• Using a sales blurb provides you an opportunity to include a little bit of call-to-action, while ensuring that the integrity of your blog post stays intact.

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s SEO copywriting video! If you have a question for Heather, you can tweet it to her @heatherlloyd or email  heather@seocopywriting.com. And be sure to check back next Monday for another hot Web-writing tip – it may well answer your question. See you then!

Just getting by with your copywriting business? Ramp it up this year: check into SuccessWorks’ Content Into Cash Business Boot Camp and make 2012 your best ever!

photo credit: mrbill (Bill Bradford)