When do you need to use great Headlines?

• Blog Posts
• Web Pages
• Email Newsletters
• Marketing Messages
• E-Books & Reports
• Product Sales Pages (and for the products themselves)

The Headline is and always has been, the single most important part of all articles, blog posts, or other web pages. Strangely however, in view of its importance, it’s often the part that receives the least attention. In fact, it’s often treated as an afterthought, which is a terrible shame. To quote the late legendary ad man David Ogilvy:

“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar. “

The headline or title is the most effective way to get people to read the rest of your post, page or article.

If you don’t understand and more importantly, put this principle into action, you’re going to miss out on a lot of readers and potential business.

Headlines draw people in, whether they see them in search results (also an important place to include your target keywords), on Twitter, in RSS feeds, or on your blog itself.

Ogilvy is well known for his advice on this: the purpose of your headline is to get people to read your first line (and the purpose of your opening line is to get people to read the next one, and so on, step by step). So we encourage you to invest time and energy into writing your titles.

So, what are the 5 secrets to writing great headlines?

Following hours of study and research, these formats seem to perform consistently well:

Arouse Curiosity – I hope that you clicked on the headline of this article because you were curious to find out the 5 secrets.

Provide Practical How-Tos – People who are keen to learn how to do things for themselves might click through to read: ‘3 Step-by-Step Ways to Get More Business from Social Networking’

Appeal to Pain Points – Identify and include a pain point or problem your target market wants to cure. ‘How to get rid of unsightly fat in time for your beach vacation’

Copy what the ‘Greats’ do – The best headlines written by the great copywriters are there to be copied, so you don’t have to struggle (we’ve included an excellent free resource below). Be sensible when copying and don’t get sued for plagiarism.

Refer to Celebrities or Trending News – with our obsession for the famous (and infamous!), quoting their name in a headline is another tried & true method. Similarly, tagging onto current events can work well to increase clicks to open.

However, remember that the headline is also your ‘promise’ to the reader of what they will find within your content, after clicking through. Don’t deceive them or you will not only lose credibility in their eyes, but more importantly you’ll lose their trust.

We are most definitely students of copywriting and don’t claim to be experts. For further reading, and to learn from a couple of the ‘real’ greats at headline writing, we suggest you try:

Headline Hacks ‘A “Cheat Sheet” for writing blog posts that go viral’ by Jon Morrow, Associate Editor of CopyBlogger.com (this is a free pdf download so is wonderful to keep for reference)

http://www.copyblogger.com/magnetic-headlines/ – This web page contains links to a series of 11 excellent free articles to read and learn from.

It’s very easy for copy to be nicked and passed off as someone else’s. Not only do you need to be aware that it could happen to you, but what to do about it if it does happen. Don’t be tempted to plagiarise other people’s articles either – using other people’s content is fine as long as you go about using it the right way.

Copyright is a huge legal area and we’re certainly no experts. However, we have taken steps to try and protect ours as much as we can. We’ve also heard stories of blatant plagiarism and the other way around too – someone copying someone else far too closely that they infringed on their copyright.

Firstly, protecting your own copyright

The steps we’ve taken to protect ours include a copyright notice on our website. Make sure you have one on yours and that it’s up to date. The UK Copyright Service has an whole page dedicated to this, so well worth reading. Make sure you take their advice when writing one for your website: Fact sheet P-03: Using Copyright Notices

Creative Commons – You can sign up to the Creative Commons and include their logo on your website. This tells people how they can use your content. There are different options to choose from, so choose the notice most appropriate for your business. If you use photo sharing sites such as Flickr, you will see that the images there are categorised under different sections of Creative Commons, you can decide how you want your images to be shared. The Creative Commons isn’t not just for images, but covers written content too.

My Free Copyright – This is a useful free tool we use for Savvy Marketers, basically it puts a time and date stamp on your new content. For example, when you publish a new blog post, the tool will automatically email you with the time and date of when the post was published, which you could use to prove that your content was there first, if it was ever copied.

Using other people’s content

Despite people protecting their copyright, it doesn’t mean you can’t use other people’s images and content. The UK Copyright Service has a statement about using other people’s content, from Factsheet P-12, Writers Copyright, as follows:

If you include quoted passages, illustrations, images or other items in your work which are not of your own creation. It is important to ensure that you have permission to use these before any publication or sale. If permission is given as a personal agreement, (rather than a formal contractual or licensing agreement), you should still ensure that you have some documentation, signed by the owner of the work to prove that permission has indeed been given.

You must have permission to use other people’s content before arbitrarily adding it to your site. Most people won’t mind if you cite them as the author, include their bio and a link back to their site. If using someone else’s images, again you must ask and cite the source of the photos.

What do you do if someone steals your content?

Firstly, ask them to take it down. If being polite doesn’t work, then you’ll need to seek legal advice, possibly sending them a ‘cease and desist’ type of letter. You can find templates for these on the web, but we would recommend seeking the advice of a solicitor who specialises in copyright first.

There’s a useful article about this on the University of Cambridge website & on the UK Copyright Service website.

Have you ever had your content stolen? What actions did you take to enforce your copyright? Please share any advice you have in the comments! 

Image: Large copyright sign made of jigsaw puzzle pieces by Horia Varlan, on Flickr

If you’ve only recently started exploring social media marketing tools to promote your business online, the terms ‘Content Marketing’ and ‘Copywriting’ may not mean a lot. They could just be terms you’ve heard of or read about. The aim of today’s post is to define what they are and suggest how to use them both to get better results from your online marketing.

And if you’ve been blogging and networking online for a while, there may be still be tweaks you can apply and benefit from.

Sam and I recently gave a short talk to the Chichester Chamber Breakfast Group where we shared an overview of the importance of Content Marketing, what it is and suggested quite a few different ways to create it.

Our definition of Content Marketing is this: it means moving way beyond having a brochure or other way of offering information about your products & services. It means delivering best practices, case studies, success stories, thought leadership – anything that will help you become a trusted resource for your customers and prospective customers. 

Content marketing will help you build credibility – as someone who knows what they’re talking about; build trust – as you share tips and successes; build your brand reputation – as you’re seen to be a part of the online networks and communicating with other respected persons.

Content marketing will help you generate leads for your business and nurture them until the point of conversion. But only if the content you provide is of high quality and useful to your prospective clients.

So where does Copywriting come in?

My definition of Copywriting is that it’s the way you put together your content in order to encourage the consumer to take the action you want them to. This means that online Copywriting can apply not only to webpages and blog posts, but also to podcasts and videos. After all, you still need to put together the words to record.

Professional Copywriters command very high fees because their copy is so effective. They’re the people who write the sales pages you read on websites – the ones that have you reaching for your credit card – and taking exactly the action they want!

But most content should not be a blatant sales pitch! If it is you will quickly feel the cold draught of people leaving your blog, unsubscribing from your newsletter, unfollowing and defriending you. That’s yet another skill of a great copywriter – their copy is very subtle indeed.

However most of us can’t afford to hire a professional copywriter. So we need to learn how to write (create) the content ourselves, in such a way that we get good results too. Copywriting areas to pay particular attention to include:

Headlines – these are possibly the most important part of copywriting to learn to do well, and we’ll be devoting a new post to this topic very soon.

Structure and readability – you want to guide your reader and present content in a way that is easy for them to understand. Doing this will encourage blog visitors to stay on your site for longer.

Relevant Content – Give your newsletter readers and blog visitors the kind of good quality content they’re looking for and keep them happy!

Rapport Building – Your online articles and updates may be the only way you connect with some prospective clients, so the tone of your copy is an important part of forming a relationship with them.

Call to Action – This is the part of copywriting so many people either forget or get wrong. What do you want your reader or visitor to do next?

If you found this post interesting, don’t forget to register for next week’s free webinar : “How to Write so Your Web Visitors Do What You Want Them To!” 

 Further Reading:

What’s the Difference Between Content Marketing and Copywriting?

Copywriting vs. Content Writing: What’s the Difference?

But what if you’re not short of brilliant ideas, but struggling with writing style and putting new content or blog posts together?

When I first started blogging, which is a good few years ago now, I really struggled with my writing and looking back at some of our early Savvy Marketers posts, there was also room for improvement! We may not be perfect now, but we have learnt a few things over the years and I think our writing has improved a lot, mostly from practice, but also from reading and learning about copywriting techniques. There’s plenty of information around the web and some excellent sites with great advice.

Today I want to share some of those resources and hope that you also benefit from their expertise!

Copyblogger  – probably the best known copywriting blog on the net, with excellent resources. Sign up to their ‘Internet Marketing for Smart People’ for more tips by email.

Sunfish – Andy Maslen is an excellent copywriter and has his own agency, ‘Sunfish’. Sign up to his free resources with more great advice in his monthly newsletter.

Men with Pens  – some excellent copywriting tips on this popular blog.

Nick Usborne has been writing about copywriting for years. There are some excellent articles on his blog.

Sonja Jefferson’s popular blog has some great advice on writing for the web, for social media and copywriting.

Problogger – a leading resource on professional blogging, there is also lots of regular advice on how to write better blog posts. The writing content category is the best place to start! 

Happy Writing!

What tips do you have on writing for the web? 

Whether you face a blank computer screen or a pristine sheet of paper

You sit there with the cursor blinking mockingly, or perhaps doodle hopefully in the margin of your notepad….. 

Sometimes, in spite of diligently keeping an Editorial Calendar, you cannot think of a single word with which to begin your article. And with newsletter and blog post deadlines looming, it’s no fun at all to find yourself suffering from the dreaded ‘writers’ block’, as it is commonly referred to. This condition can also affect the production of audio podcasts and videos, so could perhaps better be named ‘creative block’.

If you’re stuck for topics to write ABOUT, then there are plenty of sources for ideas some of which we covered recently.

What I’m talking about today is a bit different. It’s when you have ideas and topics galore, but the words won’t form into intelligent phrases for you to type or write down.

Some people say that you need to ‘just start writing’ which may work fine for them. And if you’re determined to stick it out, then have a go at mind-mapping or doodle some more, both activities have been known to break through the block.

But there are other times when I suggest the best solution is to stop struggling and walk away from your desk

Literally go for a walk! Let your mind switch off from business for a while. Just being in nature can trigger the inspiration which was absent all the time you were sitting dutifully at your desk. Capture those ideas either in a notebook or as an audio note on your smartphone.

If a walk isn’t possible, then relax and listen to some music, or read a couple of chapters from a (non business) book. I often find that once I stop forcing myself to write and rest for half an hour or so, my subconscious will continue working away on the task in the background. And when I return to my desk, the article outline will form in my head and the words start flowing again.

I realise that what works for me may not be the answer for you. But it’s a good idea to have a few different tactics to try out when writer’s block strikes.

Do you have any suggestions that have worked for you? Please type them in the comments below so they can be shared – thank you

Further articles you may find helpful:

Writer’s Block – Try this Quick Tip

Overcoming Writer’s Block

I have a couple of e-commerce clients who are reluctant to blog

Blogs work really well for e-commerce sites and according to Hubspot’s latest ‘State of Inbound Marketing’ report for 2012, 73% of retail and wholesale businesses acquire business through their blog, second from Facebook (92%). This has increased from 55% in 2011, so by almost 20%. Customer acquisition is therefore one good reason why retailers should blog. Added to that, the posts can easily be shared on the social networks, and with Facebook being the top of the list for inbound marketing for retailers, sharing your blog posts there will give your store further exposure to the masses.

So what could an online retailer include in their blog?

We’ve posted many blogging ideas for businesses, but quite a few of those relate to the B2B sector. It’s unlikely a retailer will be writing white papers or do many presentations! The blog needs to add some personality to the store, talk about the products and the people behind them. Perhaps give customers ideas as to how the products could be used.

Posts could include:

Features of new products, with a bit about where they came from or how they were made if appropriate.

Styling ideas – one of my clients, when she does post on her blog, often comes up with some nice styling ideas for her range of womenswear. The same could be done with a homeware retailer, how the items can be used in the home. Showing people how the products can be used will help convert more visitors into sales.

Video demonstrations – if your product lends itself to video, why not make one about your products. Espares does this well.

Photos – a gallery of products, perhaps you’ve had a stand at a fair or exhibition. Show how you displayed your products.

Customer Service – answer questions you get about your products on your blog. We do this for Savvy Marketers. If you’ve received any criticism about your products you could also use a post to respond.

What goes on behind the scenes of the business.

Hopefully some of these ideas will help get your creative juices flowing!

Do you have more ideas? Please share them here!

Here are a few of the benefits we’ve discovered and hope will encourage you to set up your own Editorial Calendar.

1. Avoids the “What Shall I Write About Today?” syndrome and helps you stay motivated to sit down and produce new content.
2. Enables you to tie in your blog post and newsletter topics to specific marketing campaigns.
3. See at a glance if you’re focusing too heavily on a particular topic or category, and also if you’ve been neglecting others.
4. Enables you to produce content ahead of publication time to allow for breaks, taking holidays, and any unforeseen circumstances which may get in the way of regular content creation.
5. Planning ahead means you can target special events and holidays, as well as refer to forthcoming product launches and special promotions.
6. Gives you the opportunity to forward plan and schedule tweets and updates to Facebook & LinkedIn and other networks, because you know what to put in advance.

How to Create Your Editorial Calendar

As with most business processes, the simpler it is the more likely you are to use it.

The humble Spreadsheet is ideal for creating and using as an Editorial Calendar. If more than one person is involved in creating content, then consider using a Google Docs spreadsheet that you can share and jointly contribute to (as Sam and I do).

A useful PlugIn, if you use WordPress, is WP Editorial Calendar

For more ideas & further reading:

The Right Content Strategy Tools Create Better Content

How to create a successful Editorial Calendar

You may be thinking that keyword research is just for search engine optimisation purposes, but it should be used for far more than that. After all, when it comes to SEO, you are limited as to how many target keywords you can use on a web page, so there are bound to be keywords that you can’t use on the existing pages on your site, but which could be used for new content and information, based on what people are searching for! This is really important and shows you know what information your target market wants, what problems they want solving. It also means that some of your keyword research doesn’t go to waste and your website gets found for additional keywords.

So how do you go about researching these keywords and finding out what people are searching for?

Well there are a couple of methods I use which I have found to be quite effective judging from the rankings gained for some of our blog posts.

Google Adwords Keyword Tool
I’ve written about this tool several times before, and have also created a video on how to use it which you can view here.

I use the Google Adwords keyword tool for keyword research as about 90% of UK searches are performed on Google so the monthly search volumes will give me a good indication of how popular/unpopular certain search terms are. The tool should be used as a guide to show how popular a search term is relative to another rather than any exact number of searches.

Google Search
Once I’ve done some research into my keywords and selected some which could be used for new content, I then go to Google search to see how people may be searching on these keywords. When you type a query into Google, as you type, suggestions appear and this can be very useful in finding out how people are searching for information. You can use to target your keywords even more. The image below shows how this works.

Google Insights for Search

Google Insights for Search is a neat tool which gives you trends for keywords over a period of time. You can also view the trends by geographic area and categories and different Google search properties. The resulting graph shows on a scale the popularity of the search terms.

How do you find new ideas for blog posts? Please share them here!

The term ‘Content Marketing’ started being talked about 2 or 3 years ago

In today’s post we’re going to share a few of our favourite tips from the experts: those online marketers who we admire and whose expertise has helped us develop our own content marketing strategy and practices.

Content Marketing Institute

Nearly every article on this site is full of great ideas to use in your business. As a starting point, this post has ‘Step-by-Step Templates for Mapping Your B2B Content’. It guides you through exactly what to do to set up a content marketing strategy and the templates are available as free pdf downloads (no sign-ups needed).

Problogger

While the founder (Darren Rowse) writes primarily about blogging, many of his posts are equally helpful for creating other forms of content. This one, entitled ‘Discover Hundreds of Post Ideas for Your Blog with Mind-Mapping’ is one of my personal favourites as it graphically shows how you need never run out of ideas of what to write about!

Social Media Examiner

When it comes to all things social media, this site is one of the best to refer to. There are hundreds of excellent articles and videos to while away an hour or several. The article I’ve selected for you, in keeping with our content marketing theme, is ‘6 Ways to Constantly Produce Quality Blog Content’ by Denise Wakeman, who is extremely knowledgeable on the subjects of blogging and other ways of increasing your visibility online.

CopyBlogger

Sam and I both practically devour everything published by the brilliant & generous Brian Clark and his talented team. This post is by one of my favourite authors Sonia Simone (I can only aspire to write in such an engaging style). I guarantee ‘49 Creative Ways You Can Profit From Content Marketing’ will motivate you to begin your own content marketing right away.

So I won’t hold you up

This is just a ‘starter’ list which we’ll add to in future posts. Who would you include? What are your favourite content marketing tips?

So what type of media could you add to your blog or website, other than written posts?

1. Video
Since video is so popular online, making use of it on your website or blog really makes sense and will appeal to lovers of all things visual. Clever use of video can also help demonstrate your expertise. Louise and I have both created video posts on this blog as tutorials on how to use certain software. You can view one of our posts here. You could do the same if you already produce training material for customers – a video can be a taster of what you offer. If you sell products which need to be demonstrated, then videos will work very well. One site I bought from in the past called espares (they sell various parts for white household goods) have created some excellent videos and tips on their website. Posting on YouTube and Vimeo also means your videos can reach a wider audience than just your own website.

2. Images
Images have been used on blogs and sites for years, and are great for creative or visual professions – photographers, artists, designers, as well as e-commerce and retailers. Blogging software such as WordPress has some very good image gallery plugins, such as NextGEN gallery, which can add much more visual interest and impact to a regular blog. Even if your business isn’t creative, such as this blog, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add images to your posts. It makes posts more interesting visually and will add a bit more appeal to an otherwise bland looking blog post!

3. Audio/Podcasts
If you don’t like writing and prefer speaking then audio could be a much better way of creating fresh content for your blog. And even if you do write posts regularly, then mix them up with audio too. An advantage of audio posts is that people can listen to them while on the move. I often save audios and podcasts for train journeys and commutes and I expect lots of other people do the same. There are some great tools out there, which make creating audio really easy, such as Audioboo, which allows you to create your audio easily with applications on the site or on your mobile phone without having to use special software. As with YouTube & Vimeo, a site such as Audioboo has its own users so your audios will reach more people than just your blog readers.

4. Presentations
We create Powerpoint presentations regularly for speaking engagements as well as our monthly webinars. Rather than let them collect dust on our computers, it makes sense to share the information on sites such as Slideshare, and use this service to embed them onto our blog. We have 10 presentations on our Slideshare account – you can view them here – and they get many more views than we would otherwise have had by not uploading them anywhere. One of our presentations has had over 1000 views and a couple of others about 400-500 views, so it proves that by using a site such as Slideshare, your presentations will reach many more people!

5. Infographics
If you’re good at designing or have a graphic designer you can call on, then why not create an infographic? They’re hugely popular on the web at the moment and can be a much more fun way of sharing research or stats, and in a more digestible format. There are some really good ones out there, such as the following:

Social Media Marketing – 10 Inspiring Infographics- on Jeffbullas.com

15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly – on Copyblogger.com

So as well as working out the type of information you want to share with your readers and brainstorming ideas for your editorial calendar, think about how you could mix up the media on your website for added interest and to reach a wider audience!