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31 questions to ask your new copywriting client

July 21, 2011 • posted by

Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to ask a lot of questions….

Why? Because that’s how I learn. Whether I’m chatting with a new friend or a new client, I ask a bunch of questions. Then, I shut up and let them answer (yes, I know, this is more easily said that done sometimes!)

When you’re working with a new copywriting client, asking lots of question is the key to success. Sure, that means that you’ll be spending an hour (or more) on the phone. But just as you wouldn’t enter a marriage without a pretty solid “getting to know you” process, you shouldn’t start writing without a solid customer interview under your belt.

After all, how can you write specific, action-oriented content if you don’t have any specific information?

(As a side note: If you plan to work with a copywriter, but she doesn’t ask you any of these questions before she wants to start writing – find another copywriter. This is such a foundational step that she literally will not be able to write good copy without it.)

Here are 31 of my favorite questions to ask a new copywriting client – enjoy!

Reporting questions

  1. Can I review your analytics?
  2. Do you have any customer persona documents? Can I see them?
  3. Can I see reports outlining your SEO/content marketing success, to date?
  4. How are we measuring success? Conversions? Page positions? Social media love?
  5. Can I review your per-page keyphrase strategy?
  6. How did you arrive at your keyphrase choices?

Marketing questions

  1. Who is your online competition?
  2. What is your unique sales proposition?
  3. Why should a prospect purchase from you rather than your competition?
  4. What are your company benefit statements?
  5. What content approach has worked in the past?
  6. What approach has not worked – and we want to stay far away from?
  7. Do you like your site’s “voice” (how it reads and sounds.)
  8. If not, what’s an example of what you would prefer?
  9. How do you follow up with prospects?
  10. How do you follow up with current clients?
  11. Can I see your other marketing materials (autoresponder emails, print materials, etc.)
  12. Are there any keyphrases that you’re not currently positioning for – and you want to gain a stronger position?
  13. How do you currently promote new content (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
  14. Who is your “perfect customer (s)”?
  15. What benefit statements are important to those customers?
  16. What customer profile would not be a good fit for your business?
  17. Can I review your customer testimonials (or better yet – can I chat with a few of your happy clients?).
  18. What are the most common questions that customer service answers? How do they answer them?
  19. What are the most common objections to overcome?
  20. Has your product/service been featured in a book, endorsed by an organization, etc.?

Process/procedure questions

  1. Who else will I be working with (for instance, an external SEO company.)
  2. Who is my main point of contact?
  3. Who will review the content?
  4. How long will it take for content to be approved?
  5. Is there a preferred way that the content is delivered?

What would you add?  Please “like” this post, and add your favorite customer question below – thanks!

Filed under Tips and techniques,Working with clients

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5 steps to building a powerful SEO copywriting business network with LinkedIn

July 5, 2011 • posted by

Guest Author, Pam Foster

After 2-3 years of trying several different social networks for my SEO Copywriting business, I had a breakthrough in the past 6 months where most of my biggest web projects came from one source: LinkedIn.

I’ve come to realize that my LinkedIn connections have been more fruitful for my business, BY FAR, than any other marketing method I’ve tried. Here’s why I believe it’s a terrific resource for you too:

  • Your LinkedIn connections are truly business-focused connections.
    People are using LinkedIn primarily for business conversations, sharing business tips, finding business contacts and opportunities, and asking questions about business success. I have not found this to be true with the other social media.
  • LinkedIn connections are often from companies with decent marketing budgets.
    The clients who reached out to me via LinkedIn were mainly from companies looking for a skilled SEO Copywriter to help improve an existing website or launch a new site. This work was in their marketing budget for the year and they were ready to go. They were happy to find me and were willing to pay my fees for quality SEO Copywriting. The same can happen for you too.
  • Linked connections represent all types of opportunities for your business. Over the last couple of years, I’ve connected with more than 600 people I know personally from my career and my school days. I have connections with former colleagues, associates I met through business groups, college classmates and friends, high school friends, graphic designers, web developers, ad agency people I’ve met, fellow copywriters, industry leaders like Heather, and many, many other types of people. Any one of them can be a great source of referrals or business. You never know!

It’s not just me that’s having better luck with LinkedIn than some other social networks when it comes to finding business clients. HubSpot’s 2011 State of Inbound Marketing report shows that, “the effectiveness of particular social media channels varies according to the type of business.”

In a survey of over 600 professionals, they found that “LinkedIn is clearly more effective (than Facebook) for B2B businesses.”

So why not try it and see for yourself? It’s incredibly easy and it’s FREE. Try these 5 ways to dive in and create a powerful network for your business, all from the comfort of home:

1. Create an optimized profile of yourself.

For example, include the phrase “SEO Copywriter” in your SUMMARY and in the description of current business. Include all past work you’ve done as a virtual resume under EXPERIENCE, but be sure to showcase the work you’ve done that’s relevant for today’s potential clients. You don’t need to do it all at once, but eventually you’ll want to create a robust profile with relevant content in each prompted section.

2. Start connecting with the most obvious folks on your list.

This will include current employers (if you’re still working at a company), current colleagues, past colleagues, college friends, local business folks you know… anyone who comes to mind. You might make a big list on paper and then search for those people in LinkedIn’s SEARCH area. When you send a request to connect, always add a little personal note to say HI and let the person know what you’re doing. Here’s an example, “Hey Bob! Great to see you here. Just letting you know I’m now a Certified SEO Copywriter focusing on improving website performance for clients. Perhaps you know someone who could use my help? In the meantime, I’d love to add you to my LinkedIn Connections. What are you up to these days? Cheers, Pam”

3. Continue connecting with “People you may know.”

As you begin building a network of connections from all your past jobs, etc., LinkedIn feeds you a list of people who you may know based on your new connections. This list is a goldmine, so make the most of it!  You’ll find people you completely forgot about or you haven’t seen in years. With a quick invitation to connect, you suddenly strike up a new relationship that could lead to a great referral or project. I check out the “People you may know” at least once a week and send out at least 10 invitations each time. It adds up quickly.

4. Join Groups that are relevant to your business.

If your SEO copywriting work is for a particular niche market (which I highly recommend), join groups in that market. For example, I’m focused on the pet industry, so I’ve joined Pet Business groups and Veterinary groups. Joining groups helps you keep track of questions and topics that are important to your specific market, and when it makes sense, chime in on a discussion (without promoting your business of course, because no-one likes spammy participants).

5. Be an amazing contributor.

Whenever you can, use the “Share an update” box on your home page to post helpful tips, links, ideas, questions, answers, sources, industry news, etc. that your connections may find helpful. Try not to be overly promotional. Just be helpful. That’s the simple rule of thumb for all your social media efforts. And don’t forget to use relevant keywords in your posts! This helps potential clients find you in LinkedIn search.

Bonus tip: Ask for Recommendations and Give Recommendations.

LinkedIn makes it very easy to reach out to folks and ask for a personal recommendation of your work. By clicking on the Recommendations button, you can send a simple request via email. Be sure to add a personal message and offer to return the favor. Not everyone will stop and write a recommendation, but it’s great when some people do take the time. I’ve accumulated a nice list of testimonials through this feature.

This gives you a solid start on making the most of LinkedIn. There are many other ways you can make the most of this free resource once you get your foundation going.

Have you experienced any LinkedIn successes. … or heard about any from other SEO Copywriters? Please let us know. Also let us know if you have any other thoughts or findings related to LinkedIn.

Keep linking and good luck!

Pam Foster

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Author, The Web Copywriter’s Clear Path to Profits
SuccessWorks Certified SEO Copywriter and Sr. Content Marketing Consultant
ContentClear Marketing and PetCopywriter.com


 

Filed under B2B SEO copywriting,Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques,Tips by Industry,Working with clients

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Are you making your clients fire you?

May 26, 2011 • posted by

I’ve heard the same complaint from small businesses as well as larger agencies:

“Why don’t more freelance writers have a sense of urgency with their clients? I can barely get someone to email me back, much less make a deadline.”

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.

When I mention this issue to freelance SEO copywriters, they talk about how much business is coming through the door. They’re trying to ramp up, write faster and keep up with the growing demand. Yes, that may mean that it takes some time to get back to the client. But the client understands – right?

Here’s the problem:

Clients pay you to make their problems go away. If you want to keep clients, you need to convey a sense of urgency at all times and make the client feel like they’re your first and only priority. Otherwise, the client will get squirrelly, consider YOU a problem and move on to another writer.

You may say, “Well, this isn’t about me, I’ve never been fired.” But have you ever heard, “Sorry, we don’t have any more work for you. We’ll call you when we do” (and you notice that the client is still uploading new pages?).

Yup, you’ve been fired. It’s just a softer way to hear the news. :)

If this sounds like you, it could mean that changing how (and when) you communicate with your clients can transform your client retention rates. Here’s how to do it:

  • Respond to emails in a timely manner. You don’t have to email the client back five seconds after they contact you, but you should get back to them that day.
  • Tell your client if you have set times when you read and respond to email. Clients love this because (1) they know when you’ll be reading their email and (2) when to expect a response.
  • If it’s a time-sensitive project, email the client right away. Tired of emails that ask, “Did you get this?” Here’s how to prevent them:  Immediately email your client back and tell them your timeline. They’ll relax once they know you’re “on it.”
  • Give frequent status updates. Rather than going completely silent, send an email that says, “I don’t have any new information, but I wanted you to know that I’m still working on it.” That prevents the client from thinking you dropped the ball.
  • Do what you say you’re going to do. If you tell the client that you’ll have something to them “in a couple hours” – don’t email them later in the day and say “something came up.” That response will send your client to Crazytown, guaranteed. Especially if they set aside time to review your work.
  • Don’t send emails that start, “Wow, sorry it took so long to get back to you. I’m just really busy.” We’re all busy. Your client doesn’t care.  Send a fast note if you’re crunched for time,. Even something simple like, “Just a quick note to say that I received this.  I’ll respond by my end of day”can make a huge difference.

Are you a SEO copy freelancer? What are some of your favorite client management tips – especially when you’re busy.

And if you’re an end client who hires freelancers, what would you add to this list?

 

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques,Working with clients

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What does an SEO copywriter do, anyway?

April 25, 2011 • posted by

Welcome back!  In today’s video post, Heather answers a question from the LinkedIn SEO Copywriting group:  What does an SEO copywriter do, anyway? It is an excellent question, as many folks are somewhat mystified by the words “SEO copywriting.”  Whether you’re in the Web writing profession, or are considering hiring a SEO copywriter,  you will learn a lot in just a few minutes,  as Heather tackles this question in her second Q & A video post.

By the way, do you have a question about SEO copywriting or content marketing?  Zip it to Heather at askheather@seocopywriting.com, and it may well be answered in her next video post!

What Do They Write?

  • An SEO copywriter may create content for blogs, Facebook posts and tweets (often know as a social media writer), or…
  • She may create sales and informational copy for Websites, writing content that helps people take action and buy the product or service offered.

The common denominator is that in SEO copywriting, all writing is “wrapped around” keyphrases.  The SEO copywriter knows how to research those keyphrases, or knows what the keyphrase research means, and she also knows how to skillfully incorporate those keyphrases within the page copy in a way that they fit and flow smoothly.

SEO Copywriters Are a Crucial Part of the Equation in a SEO Campaign

The image of the well-known marketing expert, Seth Godin, is shown because he is quoted as saying that “the best SEO is great content.”

How he meant that is, when you have a really well-written page, people will want link to it, because they want to link out to good quality content.  Well-composed, high-quality pages tend to attract more readers, and keep them on the site longer.

This is important to consider when hiring or working with a SEO copywriter, because you need to have solid, quality content on your site.  The writing needs to be good, and read smoothly.  You want to steer clear of clunky, keyphrase-riddled copy.

The Words SEO Copywriters Use Help Drive Traffic and Make Money

SEO copywriters are also crucial to the equation from a sales and conversions perspective, because their incorporation of keyphrases within the copy helps to drive traffic and income.  Their skilled writing will help visitors take that next conversions step, whether it’s going to another page in the site, or buying a product, or requesting more information.

SEO Copywriters Work in Conjunction with a Great SEO/Social Team

The chart by Matt McGee aptly demonstrates the many components that make up a successful SEO campaign.  The SEO copywriter plays an essential role in the overarching campaign, as noted, and may work with a number of team members such as programmers, web designers, social media and content strategists.  Ultimately, it is the SEO copywriter that creates the content that attracts traffic, engages the audience, and encourages site conversions.

Thanks for tuning in!  And remember, if you have a question for Heather, don’t hesitate to shoot her an email:  askheather@seocopywriting.com.  Check back in again next week – your question may well be featured!

 

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques,Working with clients,Working with freelance copywriters

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Are you asking the wrong question first?

April 14, 2011 • posted by

I cringe every time I hear this question before anything else is discussed. Maybe you do too.

“How will (insert SEO copy idea here – usually a bad one) help with the search engines?”

On the surface, it doesn’t seem like such a bad first question to ask. After all, “SEO copywriting” stands for “search engine optimization copywriting.” Good writing = higher rankings has been a common mantra since the beginning of SEO time. It makes sense that folks would be considering the search engine implications.

But it also ignores a major part of the equation.

Aggressive SEO copy techniques don’t mean a thing if your audience isn’t buying from you – or taking whatever action step you want them to take. If your online content isn’t resonating with your audience, it’s failing your company – even if it has a top ranking.

Instead of focusing on search engines, there’s another question to consider: How does this content (or SEO copy technique) serve your customers? When that piece of the puzzle is solved, then you discuss how to maximize the SEO opportunities in a way that doesn’t detract from the message.

Not the other way around.

See how this changes the discussion? When you’re asking, “How does this serve our reader,” certain spammy SEO copywriting techniques don’t make any sense. You don’t think about bolding and hyperlinking every keyword (and making sure that keyword is on the page 20 times or more.) Writing a keyphrase-slammed post sounds like a stupid idea.

Because you know that wouldn’t work for the reader. Even if you could get those pages to rank, you couldn’t make the readers buy. Or read. Or even stay on your site.

Plus, focusing on your readers first provides a good reality check for other SEO content ideas. You may think that Twitter is fun and a fantastic free marketing idea. But if your customers aren’t on Twitter – and your carefully-worded tweets aren’t getting read -  it may not be the best marketing channel for you.

So consider your target audience the next time you’re examining a SEO content technique. Ask yourself if your idea serves any purpose other than possible search engine juice. If the answer is “no,” reexamine your technique.

Your readers will thank you.

Filed under Blog writing,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques,Working with clients

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Stay true to your SEO content marketing passion: word from the trenches

April 12, 2011 • posted by

Guest Author, Marjorie Steele

When we freelance copywriters/independent web ninjas first started out, any business was good business. Most of us – myself included – finally quit that hated job with one, two months’ savings in the bank and a stack of incoming bills that wouldn’t wait. Any paying gig was cause for celebration!

For those of us who have been blessed with success, however, it doesn’t stay this way for long. The list of clients and projects grows, our calendars fill up farther and farther in advance and our rate structure evolves. Many of us find ourselves working 80 hour weeks to keep up, wondering why on earth we thought being independently employed would be relaxing!

These growing pains can be a great opportunity to improve – to carve out a shorter workweek and a higher income. Finding a good assistant and outsourcing tasks like bookkeeping and taxes can be a big help, but the strategy that has been most helpful to me in building a more efficient, profitable business has been learning to say no.

Specializing in Your Strengths

When I started my web marketing gig, I cast a wide net to get more business. I offered everything, from PPC management to social media consulting. As my calendar began to fill up, I realized that some of these services were much more profitable – and enjoyable – than others.

My AdWords PPC management projects, for example, were time intensive and stressful, with a very small profit margin. Most importantly, I didn’t enjoy doing it. So I axed it from my catalog, informed my clients that I would no longer be offering this service and cringed, waiting for them to tell me that they hated me. They didn’t. They understood, and some even thanked me for the work I’d done. The sky didn’t collapse, my client base didn’t disappear and my business had more time to dedicate to my higher paying services: SEO and copywriting!

Everyone has a niche in which they really excel, whether it’s writing for a certain industry or consulting on a certain topic. When we’re working in our areas of expertise, we tend to enjoy our work more, and when we enjoy our work, we tend to be faster, more efficient and more effective – with happier clients!  When our work is at its best, we can justify charging better rates, allowing us to work less for more pay.

Matchmaking Clients with Your Business

It’s a hard lesson to learn, but at some point we all learn that not every client is a good fit for our business. Maybe the client’s business philosophy clashes with yours, causing you to feel like you’re “selling out.”  Maybe the client isn’t respectful of your time, continually asking for unbillable hours on the phone.  Or maybe the client is simply asking you to provide a service outside of your specialty.  Saying “no” to these ill-fitted opportunities will free up your time and energy for projects which are more enjoyable and financially rewarding.

Ways to Say “No” to a Client or Project (Graciously)

It’s not personal – it’s business. When you’re upfront and honest about the reason behind your decision, most clients and leads will understand. Some may even respect your honesty and provide future referrals. Being gracious and honest (read: not an emotional, stressed-out basketcase) about your decision can go a long way in strengthening your reputation.

Whenever possible, refer leads/clients to a known service provider. This is a common courtesy that allows you to let clients down without leaving them in the lurch.

  • “This really isn’t my area of expertise. Let me refer you to someone who’s better qualified to help you.”
  • “After careful consideration, I’ve decided my services aren’t the best fit for your business. Let me refer you to someone who might be a better fit for your business model.”

Negotiating Those Unbillable Hours

If your problem with the client is too many unbillable hours or that you’re simply not making enough money from their projects, the simplest thing to do is to reorganize your rate structure until you are making a decent profit.

  • “After analyzing my profit margin on project xyz, I’ve decided that in order to continue offering the same level of quality, it’s necessary for me to raise my rate from $xyz to $xyw. Please let me know if we can continue working together at this rate.”
  • “I’ve reviewed my timesheet for the past X months/weeks and have found a high number of unbillable hours spent on project X. In order for me to continue working on this project, I will need to begin marking phone conferences and X hours spent on monthly project management as billable.”

The client may decide to accept the new rates/billable hours, or they may walk away and find another service provider, leaving you room for a new, higher-paying client. Either way, you’ve done the right thing for your business.

Marjorie Steele is a poet turned copywriter turned web business ninja who specializes in small business. When not battling a hectic schedule or building links with great content, Marjorie dabbles in organic cooking and idolizes Tina Fey. Follow Marjorie’s daily Twitter rants and check out her blog at Creative Web Business.

 

 

 

 

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques,Working with clients

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What to do when you don’t get the gig

April 7, 2011 • posted by

It happens to all of us. But people don’t talk about it.

Sometimes, you don’t get the gig – and your “hot lead” goes somewhere else.

Depending on how you’re feeling, it may be hard to face this kind of “rejection.” You may have spent hours carefully combing through a client’s site and creating a highly detailed proposal. Maybe you spent a couple hours with the client going back and forth about her specific needs. Heck, sometimes the client almost promises you the gig and says something like, “The proposal is only a formality. We love your work.”

No matter what – or how – it happened, the emotions range from mildly irritated to deeply devastated. No matter how OK you are with the decision, there’s always a little part of you that wonders what happened – or what to do next.

Here’s what to do.

  1. Take a deep breath and relax. If your cash flow is touch and go, losing a gig can put you in a panicked tailspin. If you need to, take time away from the computer and do something physical (and no, that doesn’t mean punching your prospect – it means taking a walk.) You won’t be able to do anything real until you clear your head, so get yourself back on track.
  2. Know that the decision has nothing to do with you personally. It’s business. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have a personal lesson to learn. But what it does mean is the company isn’t rejecting you as a person. Easy to read, but hard to remember when you really, really thought you had the gig. Speaking of which…
  3. Never act like you have the gig until the contract is signed and the check is cleared. Attaching yourself to an unsure outcome sets you up for a major emotional crash later.
  4. When your head is clear, contact the prospect and ask them for feedback. Do not do this within 30 seconds of learning that the job went somewhere else. No matter how “centered” you think you’re acting, you’ll come across needy and desperate. Waiting until your head clears allows you to ask intelligent questions like, “Was there something I didn’t address in the proposal that you needed to see?” That helps get the dialog ball rolling, and you’ll hopefully receive some quality feedback.
  5. When you receive the feedback, consider it carefully. Did the prospect say that your price was “too high?” Either you didn’t qualify the prospect correctly, or you didn’t showcase your value. Did they like another firm’s work better? Why do you think that is? Don’t get defensive (or blow off the comments because you don’t agree with them.) Merely consider them.
  6. Know that the decision has nothing to do with you personally. I know I said this already. It bears repeating. :)
  7. Consider how you should change your sales process based on the feedback. Look at your case study/marketing materials and see what could be improved. Ask yourself if following up more (or less) would help conversions. Consider different ways to showcase your value. What could you do differently?
  8. Considering how you should change your proposal process. Do you find yourself spending hours creating detailed proposals? Think of ways to streamline your proposals so they’re not such a time suck – and your prospect still gets the exact information they need. A fast road to Bummerville is thinking, “Well, that’s 20 hours of my time down the drain.”
  9. Consider if you should focus on a new target audience, too. If you consistently hear that your prices are “too high” and you’re working with mom and pop retailers, well, you probably are priced too high. Changing your target audience could change your cash flow, too.
  10. Shake it off and move on. Just like there are many men in the sea, there are many clients swimming around the Web.  Throughout your career, you will be “rejected” many times – yet, have many, many more successes. When you’ve learned what you can, set your sights on a new client. The lessons you’ve learned from “losing” the gig will make your next victory that much sweeter (and more profitable, too!).

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques,Working with clients

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How good pick-up lines can help you write better B2B Web copy

March 31, 2011 • posted by

When you were single, did you use the same pick-up line every time?

If you were talking to the smart guy (or girl,) you probably led with a brainy comment. If a hockey fan caught your eye, you’d chat about the Stanley Cup and the Bruins. If you thought an outdoorsy-looking person looked hot, you may mention your love for everything REI.

The key is, you’d change what you’d talk about depending on your, um, target audience. I bet it even came naturally. You’d do it to make a a better connection, faster – and move him or her to your next conversion step (asking them out.)

Why don’t we take the same care with our Web copy?

Many B2B Websites use the same pick-up line, expecting it to work with every audience they work with. Rather than personalizing the reader pitch, their Web copy is the equivalent of “Hey, baby. How YOU doin’?”  It’s general. It’s untargeted. It’s all about them. And it doesn’t show that the company understands anything about their target audience.

Sure, this approach may work some of the time. But it won’t work most of the time. Here’s what to do instead:

I’ve talked before about creating vertical-specific landing pages for B2B copy. This gives companies two distinct advantages:

  • You can speak specifically to what’s important to a defined customer persona. For instance, dental offices and real estate agents buy mailing lists. However, the benefits to a real estate agent (finding possible home buyers within a certain demographic group,) is different than dental offices (finding families within a certain zip code.)
  • Splitting your pages up by vertical allow you to capitalize on less competitive (but still highly targeted) keyphrases. For instance, it could be tough to gain a competitive ranking for the phrase “mailing list.” It’s a heck of a lot easier to position for “real estate agent mailing lists.” Plus, searchers entering your site off that phrase would be highly targeted.

For instance, let’s look at this example from Constant Contact:

You can see how the company was able to customize the copy (and the application list) for the target audience.

Compare this to another Constant Contact page targeted towards consultants:


 
See what they’re doing? Their pick-up lines are personalized for the audience. They know what real estate agents and consultants want to hear – and it’s addressed in the copy. The “voice” is personal and friendly, not the B2B equivalent of “How YOU doin’?”

In short, the way they wrote their copy helps them make a better connection, faster, with their audience.

And I bet their copy converts like crazy, too.

What do you think? What’s your favorite way of connecting with your target audience?

Filed under B2B SEO copywriting,Direct reponse copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques,Tips by Industry,Working with clients

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The Veg-O-Matic approach to SEO copy development

March 17, 2011 • posted by

One of the areas where many site owners get “stuck” is content creation. There are more SEO copy opportunities than ever before, including:

  • Tweets
  • Facebook posts
  • Product/service pages – new pages, as well as updates to existing pages
  • Case studies
  • Blog posts
  • White papers
  • Videos
  • Webinars

(I’m sure you could add more to the list.)

The challenge with “content overload” is that nothing gets done. Planning an editorial calendar seems impossible. There’s too much to write in too little time.

That’s when you bring in the SEO content Veg-O-Matic to slice and dice your content into little bits.

For those not familiar with Ron Popeil’s Veg-O-Matic, it was a hand held appliance that made slicing and dicing vegetables easy. You could cut a carrot into small pieces. You could shred it. You could even create thin julienne slices. Cutting it up was effortless – and one carrot could take many different final forms.

You can do the same thing when you plan your SEO content. Rather than thinking, “Oh, man. I have a month’s worth of tweets to plan,” think of how you can “slice and dice” existing content many different ways. Here’s what I mean:

Say that your company creates one white paper a month. Once the white paper is complete, you could:

  • Pull out tasty 140 character tidbits and use them as tweets
  • Transform some of the main topics into 500 word blog posts. Each week, send out an email newsletter featuring the posts.
  • Create a video based on a white paper topic (I’ve been creating YouTube SEO copywriting video tips, and they’re pulling in great traffic.)

You see? You’re taking existing content and working backwards. You’re doing what you can with what you already have. Granted, you’ll still want to plan bigger projects (like another white paper or a product page revamp.) But, finding time for big projects is much easier when you’re not reinventing the content wheel every time.

Instead of looking at your editorial calendar and thinking, “It’s mid-March, what do I write/tweet/blog about for the next 30 days,”it shifts to, “We just completed a blog post/case study/video. In what ways can we slice and dice it into tasty content tidbits?”

Once you’ve figured out how to leverage what you have, the content creation process seems much more effortless.

You can accomplish the same goal even if you don’t have one “big” content piece a month. For instance, say that your company blogs five times a week. You could probably pull a couple – maybe more – good tweets out of every post. You could track popular blog topics and develop a Webinar (which could even be an additional profit center.) Heck you could even produce a monthly “Twitter tips” list that you could offer as a downloadable .pdf. The possibilities are endless.

You don’t need to solely focus on existing Web content, either. Do you have an old how-to guide that you could dust off and transform into blog posts or tweets? Did you write an article years ago that you could repurpose? Have you written a book? As long as the content is updated and valid, looking to “old” content sources is a smart idea. Recycling is good for the environment, and it’s great for your content, too!

Consider taking a cue from Ron Pompeil and see how you can Veg-O-Matic your content. You may find that you’re releasing more quality content than ever before – and creating your monthly editorial calendar is easier than ever before.

Filed under Blog writing,Direct reponse copywriting,Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques,Twitter,Working with clients

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15 headsmacking SEO copy ideas

March 10, 2011 • posted by

I love “headsmacking” SEO copy opportunities. You know, ideas that are so simple, easy and obvious that they make you hit your head and say “Doh” when someone points them out.

It’s easy to have blind spots around our own SEO copy – we either look at it all the time (so we don’t see opportunities,) we wrote it (so we’re too close to it,) or both. Here are the most common headsmacking opportunities I see:

  1. Technically correct, but boring Titles. Remember, the SERP (search engine results page) is your first opportunity for conversion. If you can create “clickable” Titles that read more like headlines, you’ll see more click-through love.
  2. Having a lot of copy without a SEO plan in place. It’s great to have “a lot of quality content.” But if it’s not maximized for search and social positioning, you’re losing impact. Good news: This is easily fixable.
  3. Super-short product copy. You don’t have to write 500 words about every product, but 25 words per product page won’t work. Look beyond your print catalog (and/or the manufacture’s copy) and describe your product in different ways.
  4. Completely ignoring the Title. If your Titles are filled with “Welcome – [company name]” and “Product – [company name]” you are really missing the boat. Fixing your Titles alone can have a huge impact on your campaign.
  5. Feature-rich and benefit-free pages. Are you telling your target audience why they should buy from you? If not, why not? Learn the difference between features and benefits and watch your conversions soar.
  6. “Shallow” content. Google’s Farmer update taught (some) sites a lesson: Good content is rewarded, bad content doesn’t help. Take a cue from BedBethStore.com and create value-added Web SEO content that’s focused on your customers.
  7. Writing for the masses rather than the target audience. Your customer persona should dictate how you write your Web SEO content: What benefits you stress, the tone and feel – even the words you use. General copy gets so-so results. Highly targeted copy helps your prospect feel like you understand her exact needs. It’s well worth it.
  8. Resting on your content laurels. Do your product/services pages have a 15% conversion rate. Well done. Now, how can you make it even better? Testing your copy allows you to see when “good” isn’t “good enough” – and what you can do differently.
  9. Forgetting that “brand identity” and “ecommerce” copy can live together in harmony. Just say no to copywriting silos! If you have brand copy, why not (intelligently) cross promote your products. When you’re writing your product copy, test if linking to a brand page can actually help increase conversion (such as a page discussing a company’s “green” benefits.)
  10. Ignoring your analytics. Reviewing your analytics can provide many headsmacking moments, and clearly show what content is working, what’s not, and how people interact with your content. Learn to love your analytics. You’ll make way more money if you do.
  11. Figuring that people will “just call.” Many sites shy away from having a lot of content because they want to encourage people to call them. Guess what – people want to interact with your site (and your business) their way, so forcing them to call can cause conversions to drop. Allow folks to find your information online and get their questions answered.
  12. Hiding all content behind a firewall to increase lead generation. I frequently see this with B2B companies. Remember, the search engines can’t fill out your lead generation form. And many people won’t want to give up their email address without knowing exactly what they’ll get. Consider making some information (such as a short summary) public and crawlable. It will help you with the search engines, and highlight your content’s value.
  13. Not understanding how to repurpose content. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. Have a great white paper? Use it as a basis for a blog post. Have a great blog post? Pull out some tasty sentences and use them as tweets. Here’s a great post by Lee Odden with other content repurposing ideas.
  14. Forcing folks to sign up for your blog via RSS – with no other alternative. It’s easy to forget that not everyone knows what a RSS feed is, nor do they ever want to learn. Consider sending your blog posts as an email newsletter instead. Besides, sending an newsletter allows you to control the message and add other informational/promotional tidbits – something you can’t do with a RSS feed.
  15. Not having a set SEO content marketing schedule. I know it’s fun to send out tweets when you think of something brilliant – or blog when the Muse visits. The problem is, you can’t do much with a scattershot content plan. If you figure out what to do when, you’ll see a much better response.  (Sneak preview – I’ll be discussing content marketing schedules next week.)

What about you? What headsmacking opportunity would you add to the list?

Filed under In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques,Working with clients

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