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2. Writing for the Web

3. Content is key to digital marketing success!

4. Digital copy must: Provide information Be engaging Convince readers to take an action Convey brand ethos Provide context and relevance to search engines

5. And it mustn’t look like it’s trying too hard!

6. Digital copy = everything you read on a screen, from websites and iPhone apps to emails and tweets.

7. Know your audience Holly Buchanan’s three questions: Who is my audience? What actions do I want them to take? What information do they need in order to feel confident taking action? (www.futurenowinc.com)www.futurenowinc.com

8. The audience of

9. Digital audiences are used to being addressed as individuals.

10. Identify that ‘individual’ Investigate what they want Speak directly to them

11. This ‘individual’ could also be called a persona.

12. A persona... A profile that embodies the characteristics of your target audience.

13. Sex: primarily male, female or a mixture? Demographics and psychographics Income bracket

14. How do they make purchasing decisions? Do they compare many service providers? Do they call in for assistance?

15. Best practices

16. Digital copy must be: Clear and concise Easy to read Well written Well structured

17. Think about layout and legibility Use: Bulleted and numbered lists Short paragraphs Clear and concise headings Bold and italics Descriptive links

18. Consider language Tone must be consistent with the brand Use the active voice Consider the reader when using neologisms and buzzwords

19. Use features and benefits Feature - what the product does Benefit - what the user gets out of the product But focus on the benefits!

20. Enjoy cinema quality movie nights in your own home with a surround sound home entertainment system.

21. Use logic to structure information: Most important information at the top of the page – online readers scan Start with a summary of the main idea

23. SMOG Use the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) formula to calculate the reading level of content: www.harrymclaughlin.com/SMOG.htm www.harrymclaughlin.com/SMOG.htm

24. Use basic HTML to layout copy. Hypertext Markup Language – the foundation of documents on the Internet – it’s worth understanding it to make sure your copy’s correctly formatted.

25. Some HTML basics Bold: phrase you wish to bold Italicise: phrase you wish to italicise Underline: phrase you wish to underline List: lines you wish to list Paragraph: paragraph text Line break: Link: phrase you wish to link

26. Types of copy

27. 1. Long copy Use it to: Foster relationships with readers Inform and educate Create and build a voice and personality for your brand

28. Seldom longer than 800 – 1000 words. Users scan pages quickly.

30. News releases… The stalwart of PR But often read without going through journalists.

31. Online articles Use articles for online syndication to provide valuable information to readers. Not a direct promotion of your site!

32. Steps for writing articles: Step 1. Choose your topic Step 2. Write about it Step 3. Get the article out there Step 4. Monitor its progress

33. Publish the articles to directories Use ORM tools to monitor them

34. Email newsletters can be used to build relationships and deliver: Humour Research Information Promotions

36. Blogging Fosters a community around a brand.

37. What’s it all about? Writing posts Replying to comments Monitoring and commenting on other blogs Keeping up to date with the latest industry news Building relationships with other bloggers Building relationships with readers

38. Ensure your blog’s content is: Relevant Appealing Honest Entertaining Engaging Regularly updated!

39. Use SEO in your copywriting Blend keywords into your copy and use them with HTML tags and meta data.

40. A word of caution… Remember that while SEO is important, you’re not just writing for the search engines. The reader’s experience should never be sacrificed!

41. Search engines crawl websites with web spiders Read more: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ internet/basics/search-engine1.htm

42. Key phrases Searchers use multi rather than single word keywords – key phrases.

43. Optimise each page Use a mixture of primary and secondary key phrases in your copy.

44. Use the key phrases in: Page URL e.g. www.mainkeyword.comwww.mainkeyword.com

45. Page title

46. Meta descriptions and meta keywords

47. Headings and sub-headings page heading Sub-headings Information under the sub-headings

48. Body copy o Link text to other optimised pages o Alt text and title tags on images

49. 2. Short copy – limited space and time

50. Calls to Action (CTA) Use active verbs Instruct the reader

51. Subscribe for free Buy yours now Click here for more information

52. Titles and subject lines must be persuasive and enticing.

53. Consider... Guide to digital copywriting vs. Ten steps to digital copywriting that sells

54. PPC adverts Heading www.DisplayURL.com Two lines of advert copy, Which can be displayed on one line

55. Dynamic keyword insertion means different search terms can be added into one version of copy. Brand New {KeyWord:Phones} www.BestDealer.com Huge selection of phones. Great prices. {Keyword:phones} in stock. Free shipping!

56. E.g. Ad 1 - Keyword: nokia n90 Brand New Nokia N90 www.BestDealer.com Huge selection of phones. Great prices. Nokia n90 in stock. Free shipping!

57. E.g. Ad 2 - Keyword: samsung d500 Brand New Samsung D500 www.BestDealer.com Huge selection of phones. Great prices. Samsung D500 in stock. Free shipping!

58. Some tools Online dictionary and online thesaurus: www.dictionary.reference.com www.thesaurus.reference.com

59. Get the full skinny www.quirk.biz/emarketingtextbook