3 things SEO copywriters need to know…right now!
Greetings and welcome back! In this week’s SEO copywriting how-to video, Heather addresses 3 separate questions posed to her from the SEO Copywriting Facebook group.
Heather’s initial question to the group was: What are your burning questions about being a freelance SEO copywriter?
Their three responses resounded with relevance for all freelance SEO copywriters, so she answers each one in detail via this week’s video post…
Question #1: How do I find clients?
This is very common question, and an important concern for freelancers, because you want to be able to find and work with folks who value your expertise and are happy to pay you for it!
So one of the tips I have is to find your niche.
- You’ll make more money, faster, if you find a niche.
For example, I work a lot with catalog copy and B2B companies, so people call on me because I have that type of expertise as an SEO copywriter.
So think about what you specialize in, and/or love to write about. Maybe you used to work in-house in a particular type of vertical and you know it through and through. It could be credit unions and financial institutions, or perhaps gyms and health clubs.
- Once you have one, consider where your target audience “hangs out” online and offline.
For instance, do they favor certain LinkedIn groups? Do they read particular types of trade magazines (offline as well as online)? Are there certain bloggers that are big “influencers” in their industry?
The point is, get to know where these folks are, what they read, and what they pay attention to!
- Don’t forget in-person networking!
Yes, this can be scary. You may prefer to hang out behind your computer and do your business strictly by email, but meeting other folks in person can really make a huge impact!
Once you push yourself out the door and start engaging with folks via events and conferences, after awhile it will feel more natural and you’ll no doubt start seeing some leads coming out of it. So don’t be afraid to get out there and mix it up!
Question #2: How can I establish myself (as a trusted authority)?
Again, this goes back to securing that niche specialty…
- This is easier if you have a niche – check out PetCopywriter.com and InsuranceCopywriting.com.
These two sites are great examples of freelance copywriting business owners, just like you, who decided that they wanted to work within a specific industry – so their websites and every piece of marketing that they do reflect that.
And once you’ve honed in on your own niche as these copywriters did, you can consider building your credibility and authority with content creation and marketing strategies…
- Write case studies, e-guides, newsletters – and show up at industry conferences.
Also, brainstorm things that will be useful to your chosen niche industry, then get on Twitter and chirp those things. You could also start a LinkedIn group for your colleagues/audience. And going back to that in-person networking, you can choose to attend industry conferences.
On the matter of attending industry conferences…yes, it will cost some money to get in the door, but that networking – especially when you can say “this is what I specialize in and this is how I can help you” – can prove to be very powerful!
- And just know that this [brand building] takes time.
While we all would love to be able to establish our brand within a couple of months, the reality is that, in most cases, it’s going to take 6 months to a year. Like all good things meant to last, building a brand takes some time.
Try to be patient with yourself and with the process, and go on out there and make those contacts…and you will start to see results!
Question #3: How can I manage client expectations?
This third question from the SEO Copywriting Facebook Group is especially good – especially given that clients often look to the SEO copywriter/copywriting to solve all of their inbound marketing problems.
So, how do you balance that all out? How do you help your client understand what they can realistically expect from an SEO copywriting service?
- Work as a team. Partner with other experts (designers, programmers, social media gurus.)
If you’re looking at a website and can tell that it has “other issues” besides the (SEO) copywriting – for instance, the design isn’t too great or the site owner clearly could stand some social media help – then working as a team with other specialists can be really powerful…and profitable!
That way, you can let the client know that while your SEO copywriting can help them immensely, it isn’t the alpha & omega of website rankings.
You can define what exactly you can do for them with your copywriting; then you can introduce the client to your talented colleagues that can make things happen in concert with your exceptional SEO copywriting…
- Consider an initial inbound marketing opportunity audit.
This is a way to help your client while creating a deliverable that you can make money from: gather your team and look at the client’s site, and determine what the client can do – or what you can do for your client, as a team – to drive more qualified traffic to their site, and convert visitors at a higher rate.
- Educate your clients about how unethical tactics can harm their site.
As you probably know already, client education is crucial.
Explain to your client why keyword stuffing is not a good tactic, edify them about Google’s Panda and Penguin updates and consequences, and then let them know what tactics will really work for them…versus what tactics will get them in trouble.
And around the copywriting itself, it is typical for a (misinformed or simply unaware) client to wonder what their site ranking will be after you’ve written a Web page (or entire site).
The honest answer? “I don’t know.” Because you don’t! It can be different for each client, as there are so many factors at work, such as personalization.
- Focus the benefits on conversions – as well as shares and “likes.”
Stress the benefits of conversions – they are actually more important than the search engine page ranking, because in the end that copy has to generate money!
Emphasize how you can test your client’s copy and discern what is going to convert better, regardless of rankings.
Also, discuss the importance of social media with your client, and specifically, how well-written content is going to be linked to, shared, and liked.
When you focus on the benefits of conversions and social media sharing, it helps move the discussion away from “I need to be #1 on Google, otherwise I won’t work with you” trap. Show the client all the other good things that great copywriting can do, and what you bring to the table.
Thanks so much for tuning into this week’s SEO Copywriting video post! Do you have a question or topic suggestion for the video blog? We’d love to hear from you! Email Heather Lloyd via heather@seocopywriting.com, or give her a 140-character shout on Twitter, via @heatherlloyd. See you next Monday!
Bad, fluff-stuffed marketing subscriptions got you down? Cheer up! Sign up for the SEO Copywriting’s free daily or weekly newsletter, lean with industry news, expert interviews, and otherwise meaningful content, and receive Heather Lloyd’s How to write for Google whitepaper free!
photo thanks to saaleha (Saaleha Bamjee)
3 business-killing freelance copywriting traps
July 9, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
Tune in to see if any of these trap scenarios resonate with you, and find out what to do instead to enjoy a more profitable, happier, and healthier freelance copywriting business…
Freelance Copywriting Trap #1: Taking on every client you can just because “it’s money,”
This trap is not solely one that freelance copywriters often fall into – anyone with their own business is at risk for taking this tumble. But for those freelance copywriters who are first starting out, it is especially easy to do this because it’s exciting to get that paycheck and realize that wow! you’re on your way to having your own business.
Or if you’ve been in business for awhile, you may feel like you need to take on every client you can because you’ve got expenses, and if someone wants to pay you, then you should let them pay you – right? But…
It’s important to…
Taking on every client possible can back fire on you, because sometimes that means you’re taking on work you don’t enjoy. And even though you can turn it around and collect, chances are you won’t enjoy the process and your work can suffer for it. You may mean to turn in quality writing, but chances are it will not be as good as it would be if you enjoyed the work.
Another consequence of taking on every client you can is that you risk accepting less money than you’d like to make, or need to make.
This is another situation where, if you start slicing your rates figuring “All right, well it’s money in the door – I might as well take it,” then you’re not going to do that good of a job for the client in question, and you might start resenting the client – even though it was you who decided to take the gig in the first place.
So it’s always a smart idea to work with clients who are going to pay you your rates, rather than discounting your services just to get money in the door.
Here’s a scenario: You take on a client who requires a next-day turnaround, even though you already have five other projects on your plate. So you burn the midnight oil trying to get everything done on time, and again, the quality of the work suffers, you burn yourself out, and it isn’t a good experience for either you or the client.
So consider all of these points when taking on a new client: will you enjoy the work? will it pay what you need to earn? can you easily meet the client’s deadline? If you can answer “yes” to all three of these questions, then definitely, take the gig!
Freelance Copywriting Trap #2: Not paying attention to taxes and contracts
The second trap common to both established and new copywriters is to ignore the business side of their business, like contracts and taxes.
If this sounds like you, then this is something to get a handle on, and fast. In fact…
Not only will getting a handle on the business side of your business help you make more money, but it will also help you protect yourself.
For instance, suppose you have a disagreement with a client who seems to think they’re entitled to 15 revisions of a web page. If you have a solid contract you can point to it and say, “Well, I’m not going to do 15 revisions of your web page; my contract states that I will provide two.” End of argument.
Many folks get stuck in this trap by thinking that consulting with an attorney or CPA will be prohibitively expensive. Not so!
My attorney Bob Ellis, who teaches a class in the Copywriting Business Boot Camp, makes it clear that talking with a legal (or other) professional doesn’t have to be expensive. Attorneys are accustomed to dealing with folks who don’t necessarily have that much money, especially for drawing up a very simple client contract.
You probably don’t need a big, complex contract. So find professionals you can work with and let them know that you have a limited budget and that you are trying to grow your business. They’ll often be happy to work with you, knowing that down the road, as your business grows, you’ll likely be using their services much more – and they want to grow with you!
Freelance Copywriting Trap #3: Using low-value referral sources as your only marketing avenue
The third common trap of freelance copywriters – which I hear about literally every day – is to rely solely on low-value referral sources such as Elance and Odesk. My advice:
If you’re using low-value referral sources, and if they’re not working for you – meaning, you’re not making the money you want or need to make, or you’re not finding the clients you want to find – then it’s time to do something different.
This is where you need to define your niche market, and define what it is that makes you unique. This is also where you need to figure out how to market yourself: just like you do for your clients, you need to do for yourself!
If you don’t want to make only $10 for a 500-word article, it’s okay to say no, and find those clients who will pay you what you want to be paid.
Once you have all the pieces of the puzzle in place, it’s a lot easier to find the type of clients that you want to work with, and they will be more than happy to pay you the money that you need to be paid, because they understand the value.
If you’re interested in becoming (or transitioning into) a full-time freelance copywriter, or even part-time, or if you already have a business that you’re looking to make better, I’m starting the next Turn Content Into Cash Copywriting Business Boot Camp next Monday, July 16th, taught by 12 of the world’s leading experts – at a special summer rate of 30% off (a value of $300)!
Space is limited to 15 participants, so apply now to reserve your space (and please be sure to carefully follow the application process to ensure that the training will be a good fit for you). Here are some of the highlights of the training:
Classes are starting soon – apply today!
Thanks for tuning in! If you have a question for Heather, or a suggestion for a blog or video topic, please let her know: heather@seocopywriting.com or via Twitter @heatherlloyd. See you next week!
image thanks to Patrick Hoesly
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques
Comments (5)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
The SEO copywriter’s guide to dealing with clients
June 14, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
From explaining SEO copywriting to clueless clients to handling their mangling of your best writing, here are sage tips from the woman who has been there and back. A few times.
“Clients – both small and large businesses – may think of SEO copywriting as “keyword spamming” and want nothing to do with it. Sure, they know they need good content. But where they get confused is what good SEO copy looks like. Maybe that’s because all they’ve seen is bad copy. Or maybe that’s because although content is crucial, it’s not necessarily valued: “We love what content does for us. But we want it cheap.”
Savvy tips to help you explain what GOOD SEO copywriting is to wary, misinformed (or cheap, or otherwise difficult) clients.
“What should you do if your client insists on their suspect SEO strategy after you’ve tried to talk them out of it? You may want to walk away from the gig. Or, if the strategy isn’t too bad, you could still work the gig and do your best. The way you deal with it will depend on the client and the situation. It’s never an easy decision to make – especially when you know that your options are “walk away” or “I’ll never be able to include this work in my client portfolio…”
Here are some smart strategies to deal with this thorny situation.
“Dealing with unhappy clients can be scary, frustrating and maddening. But remember, if you handle the situation quickly – and take the time to really hear your client’s needs – you can save the gig. Plus – like what happened to me 15 years ago – you may even get more work because the client liked the way you handled the situation. What a great way to transform a stressful problem into a profitable, happy client relationship!”
Follow these steps for dealing with the discontents.
“Talk about frustrating.
“You thought what you wrote showcased your best work ever. You expertly followed your client’s content marketing strategy. You chose good keyphrases. And when you finished writing your SEO copywriting masterpiece, you could almost hear the harp music playing softly and feel the sunshine on your face. Your copy didn’t just sound good. It sung.
Then a week later, you see what the client actually uploaded. All of your tricky turn-of-phrases were gone. Your Title was changed from a compelling statement to a list of keyphrases. And your headline…you can’t even look at what they did to your headline. You aren’t just mad. You’re hurt. How could they destroy your copywriting baby like that?”
Sound familiar? Here are six ways to handle the head/heartache.
“Smart SEO doesn’t ruin good content. It enhances it, in fact – making it easier to be found in search engines and shared via social media. If you’ve mastered the art of online writing for both engines and people, you have a very valuable skill set. On the flip side, yes, stupid SEO will ruin content. And your conversions, too.”
Avoid these three glaring examples of truly bad SEO. Please.
Looking for low-cost SEO copywriting training? Learn more about the SuccessWorks SEO Copywriting Certification Program, designed for in-house marketing professionals, agencies, SEO shops and copywriters.
photo thanks to Pink Sherbet Photography (D. Sharon Pruitt)
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques,Working with clients
Comments (3)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
On the business of freelance SEO Copywriting
June 5, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
Last week, we covered small business freelance copywriting, which had to do more with the personal struggles we as small business owners face in trying to cobble together a viable career for ourselves.
Today…we cover the same topic, but from a decidedly different angle: so get ready for another slice of Heather, focusing on the strictly business part of small business freelance copywriting!
In this reader favorite, Heather delineates 7 specific strategies for getting that client to say “yes!” without spending precious hours laboring over a proposal. Learn how to save yourself time, energy and grief by simplifying your client proposal to give your prospects what they really want!
So what happens when you don’t get the gig? Facing rejection sucks, especially if you’ve spent hours examining a prospect’s site and writing up a detailed (and what you thought, a killer!) proposal (see above). However you’re taking the news, what’s important is what you do next. Here, Heather shares 10 actions to take to move on when you don’t get the gig.
As a freelancer and small business owner, you know that your hours are precious. But you may be stuck in a place, especially if you’re new to the online writing market, where you don’t dare charge more than mere peanuts for your hard work. Heather declares: stop it! And encourages you to consider if you’re perhaps not selling yourself short with 5 clearly illustrated scenarios – and dares you to believe in yourself.
In this post, Heather warns you to remember that your clients’ needs come first: they are paying you to make their problems go away, and timely and responsive communication is the way to keep them happy and yourself employed. If you’ve been “fired” by a client, here are some things to keep in mind so that it doesn’t happen again.
Sales slow? Don’t be too quick to blame your SEO, link builders, competitors or Google. It’s your content. All the marketing and optimization in the world can’t save you from bad content. Here, Heather discusses 4 common bad content issues, and suggests to be highly mindful of them when writing your site copy.
Bad, fluff-stuffed marketing subscriptions got you down? Cheer up! Sign up for the SEO Copywriting’s free daily or weekly newsletter, lean with industry news, expert interviews, and otherwise meaningful content, and receive Heather Lloyd’s How to write for Google whitepaper free!
photo thanks to Better Than Bacon
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques,Working with clients
Comments (2)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
A slice of Heather’s best: freelance copywriting
May 29, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
Today we’re introducing a new feature to the blog, highlighting the “best of Heather” under various themes. Today’s theme is small business freelance copywriting.
If you’ve been following Heather’s blog posts, then you know that she often discusses the challenges facing the small business freelance copywriter. Digging into her own experience and sharing her own stories – good, bad, and everything in between – Heather helps us gain a perspective on our own struggles, offers counsel and practical advice to help us through them, and joins us in celebrating our triumphs. And perhaps most importantly, she reminds us that we are not alone.
Enjoy this collection of five posts penned by Heather, on small business freelance copywriting:
Heather shares her own experience with those dark times, where the money isn’t flowing despite your investment of mondo hours, and you’re wondering whether you should just close up shop. Noting that “running a business – like everything else – is cyclical,” Heather defines specific strategies for surviving the business dark times, and encourages struggling business owners to hold true to their passion and to their dream, because like all things, the dark times do pass.
Starting off with her own confession of laughing at those headlines that scream, “Imagine the freedom you’ll have being your own boss!” Heather discusses the common freelance copywriter’s conundrum: rather than owning a business, it quickly turns into the business owning you. Here she shares specific ways to break free of being a slave to your own creation and reclaim your life.
In a very intimate post, Heather discloses how a personal tragedy shaped her business, SuccessWorks, when it was barely two years old and SEO copywriting was a brand new concept. In a state of grieving, “psychologically comatose,” and deeply in debt, Heather had to “suck it up” to keep her business running. Here, she shares the lessons she learned from this awful experience, which shaped her business “more than any book, conversation, or mentor” could.
Noting that “adversity is one of life’s constants, like death and taxes,” Heather talks about how paradoxically, her most successful times have proven to be the direct result of “crappy things happening.” Understanding that there may be times that you’d rather give up than fight when adversity is weighing down your world, she shares ways she found to deal with it – and ultimately kick its adverse ass.
Sometimes, building a successful freelance writing business or becoming an in-demand employee can be a double-edged sword. The experience of achieving mastery may eventually bring on boredom, dread, and a feeling of being trapped. Heather relates her own experience with surviving career burnout, and notes those warning signs that you’re approaching “the big crash.”
Of Panda’s and Penguin’s: learn how to write for Google and avoid a bamboo spanking! Just sign up for the free SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter for lean, no-fluff industry news, either daily or weekly, and get Heather Lloyd’s “25-Point Checklist on How to Write for Google” free!
photo thanks to psd (Paul Downey)
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques
Comments (0)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
Ignite your copy with this hot strategy
May 21, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
So what is AIDA? Glad you asked. It’s an acronym for: “Attention, Interest, Desire, Action” and is one of those tried-and-true, powerful copywriting strategies that when skillfully applied, can take your Web writing from lukewarm to smokin’ hot!
Tune in as Heather reveals the magic and mojo of this old-school copywriting strategy:
What’s AIDA?
AIDA is an acronym created in the late 1880’s by an advertising executive, describing the common phases most people go through when viewing an (effective) advertisement: attention, interest, desire, then action.
So the elements that you want to have in your copy move people through the sales funnel, from “Oh, this is kinda interesting” to “Oh! I need to buy this right now!”
AIDA is an “oldie but goodie” and still highly relevant today, especially in terms of your landing pages. When people do that search and click on your SERP listing, and then hit your site’s landing page, you want that page to be completely relevant to their needs – particularly if it’s a sales page!
This means that you’ll have to write your content in a certain way that grabs their attention and compels them to take that next conversions step.
So, let’s talk about what AIDA means:
A = Attention
The first “A” is for Attention: you want to immediately grab the reader’s attention. A lot of times this is done with a compelling headline, although certainly your body copy has to be really powerful, too.
To be truly effective, you need to write something that resonates with your target audience. Heather’s discussed the importance of developing a customer persona and creating content that clicks with your target market many times before, via the SEO Copywriting blog and her YouTube SEO Copywriting channel.
So instead of writing this generalized copy that appeals to everyone, you need to think about the person who is actually going to be visiting your site and looking at your products and services: you want to be sure that your copy speaks to her, directly.
I = Interest
You’ve got their attention: you’ve written that killer headline and drawn them into the copy – now, you have to grab their interest.
This is where your precision benefit statements and targeted “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) messages come into play. You’ll notice Heather’s got her WIIFM guy in the screenshot, because again, you’re writing content in a way that is going to resonate with the specific folks who are coming to your site: your target audience. Your benefit statements have to be directed towards them.
So when you’re developing your customer persona, think about who these people are and what is important to them, and make sure your content speaks to that.
D = Desire
So you’ve got their attention and their interest: now it’s time to get your prospects really thinking that they want your product or your service.
http://www.seocopywriting.com/content-marketing/direct-reponse-copywriting/does-your-copywriting-convert/
Special pricing offers, bonus goodies and testimonials can be highly effective in nudging your prospects towards making the buy decision. What you’re doing is moving them along the conversion funnel, from “Yeah, you’ve got my attention” to “Yeah! I think that this is something I’m really interested in!”
You want to help your prospects to picture working with you, or using your product.
And finally, it all comes down to….
A = Action
This is where that main conversion happens!
Your prospects are now ready to buy, to convert, to do whatever it is you want them to do – the key is to make it easy for them.
And this is where a lot of sites fall down: they want people to buy that product, but they make it hard to do so, or they want people to contact them, but then they bury that contact information so it’s really difficult for folks to take that next step.
So make sure that it’s really clear what your prospects need to do to take action, and make sure that it’s really easy to do so!
Some e-commerce folks have that “add to cart” icon on the upper right corner of their home page, which is great. But you can also consider adding a call-to-action to your content.
Another mistake some site owners make is assuming that since their prospects are ready to buy, then it’s an opportune time to throw a bunch of other things at them. This is not the case: you don’t want to confuse or overwhelm your would-be buyers by cluttering up the page. Keep it clear, clean and simple.
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s SEO copywriting how-to, and have a great week (and for U.S. folks, a great holiday weekend)! We’ll be back with another hot SEO Copywriting video tip on the Monday following Memorial Day – June 4th. See you then!
Related reading: Angie Nikoleychuk wrote a fantastic guest post for us about AIDA as it relates to link bait. Check out How to seduce readers and woo – bait – links. Thanks for the inspiration, Angie!
Want to learn how to Google-proof your Web copy post-Panda & Penguin? Sign up for the free SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter, either daily or weekly, and get your free copy of Heather’s How to write for Google whitepaper!
photo thanks to EvanLovely
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques
Comments (0)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
What’s holding you back?
May 17, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
After the post, I received a bunch of emails and blog comments like this one:
Ugh. This writer is obviously in misery. Writing bad copy for low wages can’t be fun – at all.
But here’s the deal: If you’re in an uncomfortable situation, the only person holding you back is you.
That’s not an indictment. I have certainly been in scads of situations where I felt hopeless. Every day, I would wake up with a knot in my stomach. Instead of feeling excited about my day, I’d feel a huge sense of dread. Sometimes, I’d hear my father’s voice asking, “How long are you going to put up with this?” There were times that I immediately snapped to and quickly changed my situation. But there were many more times that I didn’t.
Why? I may have hated where I was – but I was comfortable. The misery I knew was better than “putting myself out there” and doing something else. That seemed way too scary (and in my depressive way, I figured that it wouldn’t work out anyway.)
In short, I was stuck.
If this is you, I encourage you to change your outlook right now. There is always something you can do to change your situation and exercise your “control what you can control” muscles. That power is always available to you. You may not be able to do much…but you can take baby steps towards a goal
For instance, let’s consider the “I’m writing stuff I hate for hardly any money” situation. Here are some steps that person can take:
- Figure out his copywriting niche. What type of client does he want to work with?
- Figure out his value proposition. How can he demonstrate to his prospects that he produces extremely valuable work (hint: testimonials, case studies and testimonials can certainly help.)
- Determine his income goals. Steve Wilkinghoff does a great job during the Copywriting Business Bootcamp discussing how to figure out your yearly income goals – and how to break them down into attainable bite-size chunks.
- Develop a fantastic Website. If he wants Web clients, he’ll need to have a killer site with compelling copy. ‘Nuff said.
- Figure out how to reach his desired market. Is his target market on Twitter? LinkedIn? Or is direct mail better?
- Develop an airtight sales strategy. What will he say to prospects? What’s his process?
Is this easy? No. Will it take some time? Yes. Could it mean some hard decisions and sacrifies? You bet. But it’s taking action. It’s moving forward towards a goal. It’s using smart planning and baby step momentum to propel him in the right direction.
In short, it’s exercising the power he already has.
So, next time you’re feeling stuck, consider what you want the end goal to look like.
Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to make more money?
Do you want to take a long vacation?
Do you want a better relationship with your partner?
Then, consider the things that you can do that are within your control. That could be signing up for an exercise class. Or working with a consultant to help you improve your income. Make a list of all the little tasks you can take towards your goal – big and small.
Then, start taking those baby steps towards your goal. Every day. No negotiation. No “Well, I don’t feel like it today.” Do it. That’s when you’ll start seeing results.
I guarantee that taking action – and reclaiming your power – will make you much happier.
Plus, you’ll make so much progress towards your goal that you’ll start feeling in control. You’ll know that you pulled yourself out of an uncomfortable situation and made it better. You’ll have exercised those “control what you can control” muscles and made them bigger and stronger. Next time you face a challenge, you’ll be that much better prepared to deal with it.
And that’s a wonderful thing.
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques
Comments (1)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
Which should it be: Pinterest or Google+?
May 15, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
Both of these social networks have broken up the Twitter/Facebook monopoly. In the last year, Google+ has gained 100 million active followers and Pinterest has expanded rapidly to become the 3rd most popular social network.
Not surprisingly, marketers have taken notice. Making Google+ and/or Pinterest part of your social media strategy is a smart move. Based on their early performances, these social networks will be an integral part of an effective social strategy from here on out.
Choosing one or the other isn’t necessary – but it’s a smart move if you want more targeted social media marketing. Each social network has distinct user groups, specific benefits and a few drawbacks.
Taking a Look at the Stats
Understanding the difference between Google+ and Pinterest is as simple as looking at the stats for each social network:
What to know about Google+:
What to know about Pinterest:
The growth of both social networks has been impressive – but they clearly have different audiences and different benefits. In order to use one or the other effectively, you need to evaluate your goals.
Know What You Want from Social Media
Knowing your organization’s needs and capabilities for social media marketing will help you select between Pinterest and Google+.
Is your business targeted specifically toward a particular industry, job or gender?
Use the social network that your ideal clients are using. For example, if your target market is developers and other marketers, Google+ is a natural fit. For crafts based businesses, food related companies and products for a female audience; Pinterest would be a much better choice. Speak to the crowd by picking the right platform.
What Type of Traffic are You Seeking?
Google+ has some unique search engine optimization benefits. Sharing your own links and resources can improve your quality score for your entire site. Having Google+ can enhance your chances for a higher search engine ranking.
Alternatively, Pinterest is a terrific referral traffic generator. If you have some interesting visual elements, product pictures or infographics that you want to spread across the social web, Pinterest is the way to go. Sharing visuals and images can bring more targeted visitors directly to your website.
Can You be Involved Enough to Make an Impact?
Before diving in, do you have the resources to manage another platform effectively? Although Google+ users spend less time on the site than Pinterest users do on their social media platform choice, both require investment and community involvement.
You can’t expect to start a profile, update it infrequently and reap any benefits. It’s better to be involved on a few platforms effectively than spread your resources too thin.
Pinterest vs. Google+ isn’t an issue that will go away anytime soon. With their meteoric rise in users and traffic potential, one or the other is worth your businesses’ time. It just depends on your target market, your traffic goals and your resources.
Do you use Google+ or Pinterest? Or both? Why?
Courtney Ramirez is a proud graduate of the SuccessWorks’ SEO Copywriting Certification training program, and CEO of Six Degrees Content. She is passionate about helping small businesses compete with the big boys with skilled SEO copywriting and content marketing. You can connect with Courtney at her brand’s Google Plus page, Facebook, LinkedIn, and on Twitter @CourtneyRamirez.
Today is it: the SEO Copywriting Certification training program – the only online training independently endorsed by the SEO Copywriting watchdog, SEOpros.org – is raising its price! Grab some huge savings and sign up now! Tomorrow will be too late.
photo thanks to TheBusyBrain
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques
Comments (5)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
Why do freelance writers hate SEO copywriting?
May 3, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
“SEO copywriting is synonymous with unethical projects”
“[Much of this] SEO content is written by non-native speakers”
In the words of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, “What the what?”
I was amazed – truly amazed – to read such angry posts in a LinkedIn group. I knew SEO copy had a bad reputation in some circles. But I had no idea that some freelancers HATED the concept of SEO copy.
The sad thing is, their hatred is fueled by misconceptions. It’s true that spammy copy is out there. It’s true that some clients (still) insist on keyphrase-stuffed content (and will only pay $10 for 500 words.) And if you’re trolling Odesk or job boards for SEO copy gigs, well, you probably won’t find the cream of the money-making crop.
But here’s the thing: SEO content (how it’s supposed to be) is fantastic content. It was never – ever – supposed to be synonymous with spam. (For more information about this, please read my rant “SEO copywriting is dead. Long live SEO content writing“).
Here’s how I responded to the “I hate SEO copywriting” comments…
I’d love to share some success stories with these folks – they’ve obviously only seen the “dark side” of SEO content. Let’s show them the light.
If you’re a business that has benefitted from SEO content, please tell us how you’ve benefitted. Did you make more money? Increase the number of leads coming to your site? How has SEO content helped you?
And if you’re a freelance SEO copywriter, I’d love to hear from you too! These folks need to know that it’s not all $10/page, offshore work. There are real writers making a real living as an SEO content writer.
C’mon guys. Let’s show the haters that SEO content (that is, GOOD SEO content) is a smart business move…
(And I’m looking forward to your comments – thanks!)
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques
Comments (31)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
How to use the rule of 3 to supercharge your writing
April 30, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
Described in detail by Heather in this week’s SEO Copywriting how-to video, once you learn about this tip, you’ll think “Oh my goodness – this is EVERYWHERE!” And it is, because it is a tried-and-true strategy that has stood the test of copywriting time.
Tune in as Heather explains what the rule of three is, and shows you how to employ the rule of three in your Web writing, from creating killer benefit statements to engaging taglines to fantastic web copy…
What’s the “rule of three”?
What we know collectively as copywriters is that grouping things in threes tends to provide a greater impact, and when speaking it tends to roll off the tongue easily. This is something that speechwriters and marketers have been using since the beginning of copywriting time.
So if you think about the advertising messages or slogans out there, you see this rule of 3 happens everywhere:
Heather had to use the little screenshot from “Conjunction junction,” because if you grew up in that generation then you know the lyrics, “Words and phrases and clauses.” Again, the rule of three is used to make something stick in the readers’ or listeners’ minds.
So here are some ways that you can edge this rule of three into your copy….
Use three benefit statements
One of the first ways you can incorporate the rule of three in your copy is to use three main benefit statements. While this is especially applicable to your home page, it is actually something that you can do on your other web pages as well.
The screenshot example shown here is from You Need A Budget (YNAB). As you can see, on their home page they have three main benefits bullets:
So all of the benefits pop! They stand out, and as readers it’s really easy for us to quick-scan the page and see exactly what’s in it for us.
Create a “rule of three” tagline
So here we have an example from GAIAM, with their tagline: “live | learn | grow.” And Mind Body’s tagline: “Love your business.” See how well that those three-word groupings slide off the tongue, and provide a powerful impact?
Again, this is something you can do for your own business and for your clients’ businesses!
Think in threes when you write your copy
The third thing to remember is to think in threes when you write your content:
So for example, here we have 37 Signals, presenting their web content in three main points: “Frustration free web-based apps for collaboration, sharing information, and making decisions.”
Another great example is from Despair, Inc. – Heather loves their demotivational posters. Again, we see three concise main points: “Demotivational Posters. Invented here. Perfected here.”
And even looking at Google’s copy, where they’re promoting Google Drive, they use three main bullet points: “Create and collobarate,” “Store everything safely,” and “Search everything.”
So again, once you’re hip to this rule of three, you will notice that it is everywhere – in advertising messages, in books, in magazines, and in speeches – and again, this is something that you can use in your own copy to help that copy pop and make a greater impact.
Thanks for joining us for this week’s SEO Copywriting how-to! If you have any questions or topic ideas for Heather, let her know: you are encouraged to email her [at] heather@seocopywriting.com or tweet her @heatherlloyd. See you next Monday!
Would you like to know more about writing for Google? (This is especially important since their latest algo update, “Penguin”, just rolled out.) Simply visit the SEO Copywriting Buzz page, and sign up to receive either the daily or weekly newsletter (or both), and receive Heather’s “How to write for Google” whitepaper, free!
photo thanks to lrargerich (Luis Argerich)
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques
Comments (6)
If you liked this post, you might also be interested in these!
Related Posts
© SEO Copywriting, 1999–2013
Home • About Us • SEO Training • Contact SEO Copywriting • Privacy • Members Log-in • Affiliate Log-in • Site Map
Site design and graphics by Erin Kistner, Kistner Group
Recent Posts
Comments
Categories