Telling your story online through carefully-crafted web content can be tough. You’re a professional. You run your own business, and you’re great at what you do. But explaining why your products or services are useful to potential customers, and why they should pay for them, can be a real challenge.
Walking that kind of tightrope is generally best left to the professionals, but you’re extraordinary, so let’s talk about how to pull it off!
In this article, we’re going to share with you 9 of the top tips from those aforementioned writing professionals, and teach you how to put together polished written web content for some of the best revenue-generating marketing tactics out there.
Website Content Tips
Be Human
What is the best way to earn someone’s trust (and their business)? Listen to them. Show them that you understand and relate to their problems. Then convey that you have the right tools to fix them, easily and effectively.
You want to explain, in simple, easy-to-digest, conversational language exactly what you are offering, the process they will go through to get it, and what sets you apart from your competitors. Show them the value of working with you.
Example:
Caring for an aging loved one is never easy. Sometimes, the responsibilities become more than you can bear. Our company understands, and offers the facilities, services, and compassionate, round-the-clock care they need to continue to thrive during their golden years.
Be Specific
Eliminate the “fluff.” It’s not enough to say your customers love your company because of your dedication and exceptional services. You have to address specific issues they run into every day and lay out detailed solutions to make their lives easier.
Example:
Clients continuously turn to us for experienced legal representation because we have essential experience in state and federal court cases, plea bargaining, settlements, and so much more.
Use Small Paragraphs
White space on your webpage is not the enemy. Blocks of text are.
Separate everything you write into 1-3 sentence paragraphs and don’t be afraid to experiment. The easier it is for your users to skim the information on your site and find what they need, the easier it is for them to take action.
Example:
We’ve all been there. A pipe bursts at 3:00 a.m. and there’s water everywhere. What do you do? Try cleaning it up all night? Hope the flood stops? Cry?
Those in the know call our company for fast, effective 24/7 service.
Email Content Tips
Have a Killer Headline
Your headline is the true heart of your email, even though it’s only a handful of words. It’s the lure that hooks the lunker, the fantastic 5-second boardroom pitch, the bright and shiny wrapping that hides the gift beneath.
When crafting your headline, be sure to include a clear offer, and stay away from words like “free,” “guaranteed,” and “urgent.” (Source: Prospect.Io), and use 10 WORDS OR LESS.
Example: Achieve Perfect Hearing in 60 Days or Less
Use Short Powerful Words & Phrases
You may remember Billy Mays as the infomercial icon who touted such unforgettable products as Mighty Putty, The Hercules Hook, and, of course, OxiClean. His enthusiastic sales approach made you excited about buying items that were more useful bauble than essential hardware. But the point is, you got excited.
When writing email content, you must make your readers just as excited. Use concise, powerful sentences to advertise your product, service, sale, or event so it becomes irresistible. And don’t forget a call to action.
Blog Content Tips
Be Casual
When composing a blog post, pretend you’re talking to a friend. Your blog post should serve as an informed, well-sourced, yet casual conversation piece that is simple to understand and useful for the reader.
Express your ideas without a lot of backstory or insider references, keep distracting links to a minimum, and optimize each post for specific keywords related to your business.
Break Things Out
Readers skim blog posts for the ideas and points that are most relevant to them. In order to have the highest impact and facilitate your readers’ desire to find that relevant information, break out your posts into sections using headings, long-tail keywords, media, and more.
Social Media Content Tips
Speak Your Followers’ Language
Your followers have to see you as “one of them” on social media, or at the very least a company that’s willing to listen and communicate. If you’re not speaking to them using the modern language of the day (complete with the occasional slang term, meme, acronym or even emoji), your brand message is being lost in translation and much less effective.
Learn the language and style of the specific social media platform you are on, and make the most of it. Adults ages 18-29 (Millennials) use social media the most. Factor that into your communications when posting just about anything.
Related post: Examples of Engaging Social Media Posts
Maintain Tone
It’s important to maintain the tone of your brand when employing social media marketing content. If your company is laid back and casual, don’t upset your followers with all-caps sentences, a lot of exclamation points, or confusing/serious topics.
Deviating from the type of posts your followers love – even for the sake of untested innovation – can be disastrous. In short, if your tone works, don’t fix it.
Whatever your industry, knowing how to communicate via written web content is an essential aspect of marketing and overall web design. Following these tips to improve your writing can only lead to higher levels of traffic and more online sales for your business.
