The Numbers Say, Take Social Media Seriously

What's social media worth to your business? Do you need a blog?

Consider this scenario:
A business has an overall bounce rate of 44% - but the bounce rate for visitors coming (to the same website) from social media channels is 18%.

Stats from the same business, same month:
(Overall) average page views from organic traffic: 1.7
Average page views from traffic referred by Facebook: 2.8
Average page views from visitors referred by blog: 4.4

Old-school sales people like to talk about priming the pump and filling the funnel...and there's a reason social media and content managers use the same phrases.

Sales and marketing have always been about relationship building. Only the tools have changed.

Prospects are referred, customers are educated, leads are nurtured, relationships are developed and sales are made...when people connect with your content.
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Get Writing that Works, and grow your business with excellent content. 

3 Basic Business Communication Tips

Super easy things you can do to improve your business communications, now. Oh, and they're free.


How to Close an Email Message

If you spend more than a nanosecond thinking about how your email will be received when your intended recipient reads it, you're my kind of person.

Hence, I enjoyed this article and agreed with most of its message.

Bonus points if you spot the typo/grammatical error in the list.

               Read before you send. 

                          'Nuff said.

                                     Keep the content coming. 

Blog. Post in forums. Update your website. Email your customers. Ask for (and share) referrals and testimonials. 

Leads from inbound marketing cost WAY less than those generated by traditional advertising/outbound marketing. 

I'm not making this up; it's 62% less if you ask Mashable. HubSpot says companies that increase their blogging from 3x-5x/month to 6x-8x/month see leads double and B2B companies that post 1x-2x/month get 70% more leads than those that don't blog. 

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What do you mean you don't have time to post to your blog? This didn't take long! If you'd rather spend time on your business instead of managing your website or blog, ask somebody* for help. 

*somebody like me :D

When You Don't Need a Blog

Do you think I should have a blog? 
Not unless you'd enjoy writing it. 

Not the sort of advice you'd expect from a blogger, copywriter or content manager?

Do I Need a Blog? 

When a (successful) owner of a jewelry business who has a great website and an active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest asked me I thought she should have a blog, too, I said no.

Why? In my opinion, she doesn't need a blog, because the online "face" of her business was already attractive enough. And, because she's selling (nice, but inexpensive) jewelry - not home improvement services.

Think About it From the Buyer's Perspective

If you're in the market for a fence to corral your dog and/or kids, or considering buying new windows or siding, you're looking at a significant investment and there are a lot of options. A fence has a much longer buying cycle than a necklace.

That's why Invisible Fence has a blog, and Sterling Jewelers doesn't.

When you're looking to pick up a charm bracelet for a sweet 16 birthday gift, or even a nice pair of earrings for an anniversary present, how long are you going to spend considering your options?

You're going to go to a website (or two), look around, and make a purchase. Ergo, if you're selling jewelry for 16-year-olds, you probably should spend your time on something other than a blog (like rocking your social media posts and maximizing your profiles).

You Probably Need a Blog If...

...your buying cycle is fairly long
...you have a lot of direct competitors
...you have a truly unique or new product or service
...you have something to say about your business on a regular basis

Maybe You Shouldn't Call it A Blog, Though

Do your customers really want to read your blog? Maybe they'd be more interested in Insights or Resources from you.

Alternatives to Blogging

To say 'you don't need a blog' flies in the face of a lot of general marketing advice for small and medium-sized businesses. And sometimes your small business will need to publish new content for your prospects and customers - content that doesn't fit in a tweet, or something that needs to last longer than the average Facebook post.

Good news: there are alternatives. Maybe the information belongs on your website's News or About Us page. Maybe it would be appropriate and useful if you created it as a Facebook note. Or a press release, or a brochure. (Which can live online too, you know - it's 2016 after all!) The point is, you don't need a blog just because the marketing content world says you need a blog.

It's your business. Do what works for you (and your customers)! As an article published by Entrepreneur stated so well, you don't want to create content just to have content. You want to create content based on consumer (and prospect) behavior.
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If you value common sense marketing advice, and want help with your website, blog, social media accounts or any other business communications, I'm it. Get in touch, and we'll find out what you need, and the best way to make it work for you. 

It's Marketing Content Management, Not Online Wizardry

Some marketing "gurus" like to use clever, proprietary brand names for products and services they offer. Don't get me wrong; I like clever as much as the next guy. Certainly, some of those products/services, particularly ones developed for specific industries or niches, are unique and very helpful.

Others make me say "hmmmm."

I'm into plain language and common sense marketing. While I constantly try new tools and apps and stay on top of SEO best practices, it goes against my nature to jump on a new trend just because it's new or worse, because everyone else is doing it.

Online Marketing is Still Marketing

I read a lot (too much?) about social media and content marketing, and I'm annoyed when a hyped-up headline sucks me in to read about a "new approach to online marketing" that's not really new at all. It's basic marketing.

That said, even after 20+ years of playing in the marketing communications sandbox, I've found excellent advice in some of those articles - often buried in hyperbole, but never the less useful.

Here are three I've been glad I read lately. I hope you find them useful as well.

1. NAP consistency is important! 

In this case, NAP= Name, Address, Phone. And heavens yes, it's important - you can miss listings, create duplicates that will confuse prospects, and over-spend because you're paying for the wrong (or too many) listings or ads. In the dark ages (pre-internet) we managed such things with a tool we called a Style Guide. You can call it barbaric; I say it's rudimentary.

I truly recommend a style guide, and can usually create 

one for your company in just a few hours that will help 

keep your content marketing efforts on track - no matter 
who handles your social media posts. Want one? 
Get in touch. 

2. SEO Still Matters, But Site Visitors (Readers) Should Come First 

Newsflash: you don't sell to search engines. You make sales to people, AKA site visitors, AKA readers. So, you need to write copy and design for them first. In this article, Jeff Bullas does a nice (if slightly hype-y) job of highlighting some current SEO trends and how to work with them. I can't help but point out that they're on the common-sense side. The fact is that SEO algorithms are getting smarter and more in tune with human thought (search) processes every day. That's a good thing. 

3. Write Good Headlines 

There are hundreds of ways to write bad headlines - and just as many ways to write good ones. Write good ones. Please. While MOZ does a good and thorough job with the details, I take a more personal approach to headlines. I ask myself, Would I click on it if I were looking for this particular article or product? And, If I clicked on it, would I be disappointed or feel tricked or cheated? If the answer to the first question is yes and the second question is no, it's probably a pretty good headline. Only then do I run it through the keyword check and try to wordsmith it a bit to garner extra (qualified) clicks. 

Old-Fashioned Marketing & Common Sense

Know your product, craft a good message, and get it in front of the right prospects. Yep, once upon a time we called that "marketing." Then the internet came along and we fell in love with the tools, almost forgetting that we're still trying to reach people. Readers. Site visitors. 

Whatever you call 'em, people buy stuff, and they're the ones you need to talk to. If you'd like help crafting a common-sense marketing plan and delivering an on-target message to your best prospects, please contact me. 

White Papers: More than Just Sales Brochures. Or Not.

Ah, the current darling of content, the revered White Paper.

I've written quite a few and have read a lot more.

You know what? Some of them are outstanding. A lot of them are ... well, they're kind of like baloney. Not entirely bad, but not very meaty.

White Paper or Sales Brochure?

Apparently, the term white paper was derived from a type of government document that was intended to explain and solicit opinions on a particular policy or process. Depending upon the weightiness of the reading material, the cover was either blue or white. (To read about the Winston Churchill connection, see Wikipedia.) 

White papers have been through a lot since then - and the term blue paper is all but extinct - but the bottom line is that white papers are hot. What are they exactly? There seem to be a lot of different answers.

Once upon a time - in the early days of "content marketing" -  a white paper was a lengthy, heavily researched and fairly balanced report intended to help readers make thoughtful purchasing decisions (about high ticket goods or services).

Today they're marketing tools to be sure, and they've morphed a bit - but I think they're still long-form journalism at heart.

Purdue's Online Writing Lab offers a nice description of today's white paper formats.

White Paper or Report?

Content has been morphing just about since movable type started moving. Case in point: did you ever research a auto purchase by studying Consumer Reports magazines?

Detailing the best and worst of recent car models, it had everything a savvy shopper could want - crash test reports, average repair costs, the most-common problems with specific models, owner satisfaction information, recall history, pages upon pages of well-researched, detailed information. From a (mostly) unbiased source.

The first white papers I wrote were along those lines. At the very end of the annotated report was a lovely two-to-three paragraph summary, gently guiding the reader to ask for more information, or a demo, or a sample of a (typically high-ticket) product or service.

Few reports published today are so thorough. Or subtle. Who has time, right? Today's decision maker - for better or for worse - is more likely to want a link to an infographic than a report. And a call to action? If it's missing, everyone's confused - including the reader.

Don't get me wrong - the old school white paper still exists. But there's a broadening middle ground, which I argue is packed with sales brochures masquerading as white papers.

I'm not sure what we should call them, but that doesn't matter much, because they do what they're designed to do. They're intended to explain more about a product and get leads and email addresses from prospects in the early stages of the sales cycle. Whether you call them light white papers or long-form sales brochures, they're part of the landscape in today's content-marketing world.

Most importantly: they work.

What Does Your Marketing Content Need to Do for You?

As a copywriter and business writing consultant, I've found the first challenge in most client relationships is understanding what the client wants and needs.

Duh, right? In any professional relationship, you have to understand your client's expectations and goals. But when you and your client have two different ideas about what a white paper is, someone is bound to be disappointed.

If by "white paper," you mean that you want a few blog posts and web pages rewritten into a 3-to- 7 page 'report' on your industry, I'm not going to argue about what you call it. I might think of it as a long-form sales brochure, or a customer education piece, but if you want to call it a white paper, I'm fine with that. And if what you're looking for is a 3-to- 7 page finished product, chances are it will be ready sooner, and for less, than the first white papers I wrote way back when.

If you're hoping to get a longer piece, covering research from several different sources, it will take longer, and cost more.

So What Kind of "White Paper" Does Your Business Need?

Your business may not need a "real" white paper. If your business model, product or service isn't truly new or unusual - or highly technical - perhaps what you need is an introduction to your prospects or customers.

If your business has a broad base of established customers, but only a relatively few are taking advantage of certain services you offer, a case study or customer spotlight can spur interest in your business's broader offerings.

A case study, long-form brochure or customer education piece can be very useful. It can, for example:

• Highlight a product or service currently misunderstood (or underused) by current customers 
• Introduce a new product or ballyhoo research putting your company or product in a good light
• Generate great PR - particularly when a customer highlighted in your case study (or "success story") shares the piece with other business associates
• And customer profiles make great story pitches to trade magazines...

The point is that every long form piece of business copy is not a white paper. And what you call it matters little. What matters is understanding what your business needs, and getting that in front of your prospects.

Want to talk about your content needs?

Free 30 minute consultation when booked by May 5, 2016.  < Sorry; I've been swamped since this offer expired. I may re-issue this offer in July 2016. Please check back then. Thanks ~ Diane

Press Releases: So 1995 or still important in 2015?

I love it when something I wrote a year or more ago sounds fresh. (OK, sometimes I hate it.)

I last wrote about press releases in October 2013. I'm tempted to simply re-share the whole piece; it still works.

But that wouldn't do my blog any favors, now would it? (Wink, wink)

Press Releases Still Matter. 

Press releases are sort of like phones. They still matter, we still need them, but the way we work with them has changed a little bit. Here's how to think about them, and how to use them effectively, in 2015.

Press releases were built to do a job: that is, to let the press know about something that maybe it (the press) should tell the world about. Closely related: press releases were the original spin machines.

They can be read at a press conference when something bad has happened, for example. They can announce that something good has happened. Or they can ballyhoo a new product.

Press releases once worked pretty well at getting the press's attention. Has that changed? No, not really. What's changed is the press, which is a rather archaic word, so let's say "media." Roughly eight billion channels and the internet have appeared since the dawn of the press release.  Each news outlet has its own agenda.* So, how well do they work? Ah, that's a good question. The answer is, they work great, when you have a great plan. (See Marketing 101, specifically as it relates to goals, audiences, targets, testing, and - well, you get the point.)

At some point, press releases got a little too big for their britches. Or maybe that was a mixup at the office party when PR and Marketing got confused and tried on each other's job descriptions and everyone went home in the wrong hat.

Ah-um, yes; that belongs in another post too. Back to press releases.

They can't do everything. But, when you design them to do a specific job, they do it well.

Who needs press releases in 2015? Large organizations

One way to characterize a large organization - whether it's a public university, foundation, hospital, or everyone's favorite corporation - is as an information center. Most large organizations produce enough internal news to publish a daily newspaper. And the people who work there might, at some point, be expected to know what's going on in any given department. Which is silly, because people who work in a university's biology department really can't know everything that's going on over in the agriculture department (although it would be nice) or public health (that would be nice too) or history departments.

One thing press releases do really well is serve as a news archive of sorts for accomplishments. And other things that happen. And not just in public institutions, but also in corporations. Particularly since employees often are also shareholders, I hope that many of them read their company's press releases regularly. Hint: If I were in charge of a large organization, I would require employees to read every press release the company issued, the PR department would be stellar, and very well paid.  ;)

Who needs press releases in 2015? Small organizations

Remember that party I mentioned, where marketing and PR got a little too cozy? Yeh, well, it's not exactly an incestuous relationship. The fact is there's a huge gray area where Marketing and PR both need to work closely together. We could say they're cousins. It might be a good idea for me to kill this analogy now.

To clarify, when I said "press releases got a little too big for their britches," what I meant was we all got confused about how much a press release can do. Press releases by themselves simply cannot replace sales, marketing, and paid advertising.**

Small organizations rarely have healthy marketing/pr/ad budgets. And while press releases can't make up all the difference, when used well, they can garner a lot of attention. Not "a lot of attention" in a headline news kind of way, maybe, but that's not necessarily what a small business or organization needs.

As PR and marketing both know, the right kind of attention, from the right audience is priceless for a small organization. (And some large organizations.)

A well-targeted press release can function as a productive cold call, generating awareness, interest and when you're lucky, leads.

Why bother with press releases in 2015? 

If you have a message to share, press releases are one way to share it. Whether or not a press release is the best, most effective way to share it...is questionable. But sometimes, under some circumstances, press releases are a perfect fit, britches and all.

~Diane Stresing

*Sadly, none that I know of are out to purely inform us minions with "all the news that's fit to print;" but that rant belongs in a different post.
**Gasp! Can we still say "advertising" in 2015? I may never run out of blog topics...

LeBron Looks Good on Paper

This is personal. It's my response to a letter LeBron wrote to me.

OK, he didn't really address it and lick the envelop himself. Of course I'm referring to the "letter" he dictated to Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins.

His words won me over. And I wasn't exactly rolling out the red carpet last week, or anytime, since his rather overblown decision a few years back.

While Cleveland columnists spent oodles of time last week screaming "COME HOME, ALL IS FORGIVEN" I tweeted twice about the dude's contract options and made a rather concerted effort not to care because, hey, why should I? I'll never meet the guy, let alone know him, and in 10 years they'll be another "King." Insert eye-roll here. I'm just not into celebrities, and don't get me started on the absurdity that is pay scale in professional sports.

But that letter was really nice. If he means half of it, I'll join the chorus. Welcome home, LeBron. If you really are back to live YOUR dream - of being a better man in Northeast Ohio, well, more power to you. (If that's even possible.)

What won me over? The overall tone was good. You sound more accessible than you used to. And this part in particular, I really like:

"I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously."

I believe words can make a difference, like you apparently believe gestures can. So, OK: You show little boys and girls in NE Ohio that "making it big" doesn't necessarily mean leaving town. I'll be hoping you live up to those - and other- promising words in your letter.

A championship, plus a little respect for my adopted hometown, would be a terrific bonus.

Signed,

A somewhat reluctant, newfound-again fan 

PS: I hope you'll be #23 again. My son kept his jersey, and he's almost grown into it. So let's do this!

Content Matters? When Everything Old is New Again

And in today's news, SEO best practices are changing. Industry analysts say they are expected to change more.

Time to dust this off and pull it out again:

Is content still king?

Look me up in a few years. We can do this again. ;)

How to Write Short, Crop Well a Matter of Practice

I'll admit I've thoroughly enjoyed How to Write Short by Roy Peter Clark, and it's served as a great refresher course in copywriting. (Actually, it applies to all forms of writing. Copywriting just happens to be what I do the most.)

But How to Write Short isn't a breakthrough method or a new spin on anything - rather, it reminds you of the rules, and how experts employ them.

If you're a copywriter, it's a definition of the tools you use daily. Without thinking about them. Maybe, it reminds you of a few of those tools you don't use often enough. Probably, it will occur to you that you overuse a few of them. Almost certainly, it will teach you that those tools actually have names.

Whether you write novels or catalog copy or blog posts, your writing improves with practice. (I'll wait while you file that under Well-Duh or Obvi.) And the thing is, you learned by being taught in boring classrooms and by seeing your first efforts marked by a red pen. If you became a professional writer or copywriter, your practice paid off - and you forgot how you do what you do. You just do. (Hello, mastery.)

Aside: I don't want to draw the analogy out to brain surgeons and nuclear physicists; 

I'd like to think they regularly re-read all of their college textbooks. 

(Oh, the great luxuries of a Liberal Arts degree...)

And so I believe it is with photography. Practice of the basics becomes your "natural instinct." What you forget - or the rules you fail to follow - becomes your "artistic signature." Of course I'm not knocking photographers; I kinda consider myself one. I bring it up because just after I'd begun reading How to Write Short, I was sucked in (I meant that in a good way) to an article titled "How to Crop Images Like a Pro."

Honestly, I thought it would be a great example of an SEO-grabbing headline backed up by disappointing content. It wasn't. Instead, it's a solid article listing the basic tools that professionals employ in framing, cropping, and restyling images.

My point? Professional communication and writing, like photography and many other things a person is supposedly "talented in" - or not - are greatly improved by, and probably even made through, excessive practice.

So write on, my friends.

Great Advice, If You're Going for Ironic

I love the advice from a Forbes blogger on being more effective.  Especially item number eight. It would be better if it were clear that the typo was intended to be ironic.

Sigh.

Please Don't Tell Anyone: Free Marketing/PR Advice

Hey, you do marketing/publicity/press release stuff, right? Would you have any tips for me on publicizing my crowd funding appeal? Hey, I've got a Facebook page. I could make you a manager and you could write something for it! Can you tell me how to use the 'boost post' feature? That's advertising, right? Want to help me write a grant? ...business plan? ...employee manual? 

Funny thing is, professional marketing/advertising/copywriter types are good at what they do because they stay current on industry and audience trends, write, rewrite, and practice their craft. They even attend seminars and stuff... sure, it's all available online. So is everything you'd need to drywall your basement. So, why don't you Google it and go for it?

Sorry for the snarky 'tude - I've been asked for free advice one too many times already this week. All right; if you came here to learn all the tricks of the trade, I'll dish. 

Whether you're crafting a business plan, press release, Facebook or email campaign, customer or employee newsletter, white paper or case study, here's what you need to know: they all start with the same basic ingredients.

All you need to do to write great copy

• Look at likely prospects. What do you know about them?
• Where are they, what do they read, what do they care about?
• Why would/how could you appeal to them more than competitors would?

Once you answer those questions, you have all the raw material you need to craft your message. When you have the nut of what you need to say, you go back to the first step, which is understanding your prospects. Then, just tailor the message so that it's most likely to hit the target. To do that, all you have to do is hone the message to fit into the appropriate format (structure, length, tone, etc.) and stand out just a little.

Yep. That's it in a nutshell.

Please don't tell anyone about this post. The next thing you know, everyone will be creating great copy. And pretty soon, we'll have a glut of finished basements, too.

# #

Here's another secret: good copywriting only looks easy to write because it's easy to read. Effective copywriting doesn't get noticed because its job is to get your message noticed. I specialize in writing that works. Contact me so we can start getting your message out. And yes, my Website Reality Check is still available at the posted price. You'll find it here under "Looking for a Deal" 

~Diane Stresing

Good Copywriting Goes Beyond Typos

Who needs an editor, right?

I have a funny feeling that was the governing principle that allowed these three ditties to be published last month:

1. Did you know #coloncancer is one of the most common types of cancer? If detected early, it's also one of the most preventable.
2. ....many of us know there are hashtag and social media Nazi's out there. 
3. You know the people who are self-righteous know-it-alls that have an over-confident view and proclamation of the what’s, when’s and how’s of hashtagging properly.

I pulled (and didn't edit, in case you were wondering) each of these gems from articles intended to educate readers on the finer points of content marketing. It's OK to laugh; it's better than crying. 

A buddy makes your writing better
You don't need a rocket scientist to write web content (or anything), even a manual on rocket science. You need a second set of eyes. It's nearly impossible to effectively edit your own writing. 

So, what's wrong with the three items above? 

1.  If cancer is detected (early or anytime) it's not preventable. I'll admit this one is picky; however, it's wrong, if not grammatically, at least logically.  

2.  I tell clients (and friends, and my children) not to use the word Nazi unless they're writing about history or a fictional piece where it may be appropriate in dialog. If you use the offensive word with an apostrophe when you intend it as a plural, you look doubly bad. Repeating the word "there" in the last sentence just adds to the sloppiness.  

3. This one isn't picky; it's icky, for several reasons. First, don't take writing advice from a writer who writes something like that. (Again with the apostrophes!) Second, if your writing isn't clear, at least make it fun to read. This is neither. Third... well, I think "icky" covers it. 

I'm putting away my red pen now and am off to make mistakes of my own. Then, I'll heed my advice and ask someone else to take a gander before I press "send," "post," or "publish."

Looking for a second set of eyes or a second-guesser? 

I offer proofreading, wordsmithing, ghostwriting, and content management services.
I'm using Google Pages  +Diane Stresing and Twitter regularly while I revamp my website.

~Diane Stresing

Regarding Fair Use: You Still Need a Lawyer

Recently, I found an interesting note on The Ohio State University Press site. Interesting, that is, if you've ever wondered, 'should I use that?' when you're writing. Here's what the press tells its current authors:

Copyright and Permissions

Questions often arise whether an author needs permission to use certain material in his or her manuscript. The following links are offered to help make that determination, but none of this information is intended as specific legal advice. Note that in your contract, you have guaranteed us that you have taken care of all necessary permissions and forwarded copies of those permissions to us. Nevertheless, just because something is not your own does NOT automatically mean that you need permission to use it. A tremendous amount of material is in public domain and needs no permission. Your use of works still under copyright protection may fall under the fair use exception—especially when it is for scholarly work or research—and may therefore need no permission.. This schema is designed to help you ask the right questions. In order to answer the first question, whether a work is under copyright protection or is in the public domain, this site (not an OSU Press site) offers reliable information on when works are protected by copyright and when they are not. If you get to the second question and need to determine whether your use of the material falls under the fair use exception or not, you may consult this document, prepared by the University of Chicago Press, or consult the paragraph in the copyright law itself that explains the fair use exception. Text for the entire U.S. Copyright Act can be found here. If you are still unsure, we recommend that you consult an attorney. Illustrations are often the source of significant confusion, so we offer two additional observations to help you determine your legal obligations in using them. 1. It is tempting to confuse copyright of an original image with the potential copyright of a modern reproduction. For instance, an image from the 15th century is clearly in the public domain. But if a museum takes a photo of the original for you to use in your book, is this new photo covered by its own copyright? An influential law article argues that a simple reproduction that “merely repackages or republishes the original” does not meet the criteria for a copyrightable work. In other words, a photo made in the 21st century of a work in the public domain does not carry any copyright in and of itself, and its use is governed by the copyright status of the original. See “Toward a Fair Use Standard,” by Pierre N. Leval (103 Harv. L. Rev. 1105 [1990]). 2. Please note that the question of whether permission is needed is entirely separate from the necessity of providing us with images of suitable quality that we can reproduce adequately in print. Your use of an image may be fair use or the work may be in the public domain, but you may still have to pay the owner of the image for the reproduction that we need. In these cases, you are purchasing access (see point 1 above) not paying a copyright permission fee. There may be a variety of sources for a copy of the image that meets our requirements, and you may be able to shop around for the best price or find a free source. Or there may be only a single source, and you will then be subject to whatever terms the owner may want to impose on your purchase. ~Diane Stresing

Another Dream Writing Job: MachinePorn

Last week, as I was killing time (trolling for a job and procrastinating on a content-farm article deadline) I stumbled on to MachinePorn, which I promptly added to my growing list of Dream Writing Jobs.

Why it is a dream job? If only to have the chance to write phrases like, "Humans for scale." 

Five Questions to Ask Before You Write

Every writing project should start with these 5 questions: 

1. Who is this directed to? 

This determines your audience. Who should read it? Who else might read it? 

What do you know/what can we assume about them?

2. Why are you talking to them? 

Why might they listen? Why might they care? 

3. What do you want them to do?

Be specific. This is the reason you're writing, after all.

4. When do you need it, and...

5. How do you want it? 

Will a Word document suffice? Can it be emailed in the body of a message, 

or should it formatted for your blog or website? 

Do you need photos or illustrations?

Save time, get the words you need 

Answering these five questions usually takes less than 30 minutes, and on the average project, having the answers will save both of us about a gazillion hours. Roughly.

Want help getting your writing project started? Let's get together, and make the words work for you.

~Diane Stresing

Beyond the Keyword Stuffing Discussion

When drafting copy for a client's site as it was in the wireframe stage* I asked what's the 'ideal' length & style for ALT image tags. Nobody seemed to have "the" answer,* so I read a few articles on the subject, many of which contradicted each other. A couple rang true, notably one by Chris Rand and another from the University of Washington.  

Alt Tags and Animal Mix-ups

While both articles were written before Google released its Pandas and Penguins (but after Apple released its Lion, oh my) I suspect (ok, guess) the advice is still pretty sound. Here's what I gleaned:

• The ALT image tag should describe the image AND what it means to site navigation (e.g., would you like to design a bookcase like this? something taller? click to use our free bookcase designer.)

• KW stuffing is bad. Very bad. 

• Accessibility readers generally agree the focus is on the first 125 characters (not counting spaces). For humans (who never agree) the tag should be a max of 7 words long, not more than 12 words long, 16 words of 7-8 characters each, and as long as it needs to be. Don't worry, there won't be a quiz later. There will, however, be infinite changes to the rules. 

• The Hobo blog is worth following. 

Definitive Word on ALT Tags? 

Anybody want to offer the definitive word on the subject? Wanna guest blog about it? I'd love to hear from you! Twitter is one of the best places to reach me. 

~Diane Stresing

*In case you're looking for a good exercise in frustration and general confusion, writing copy while a website is in the wireframe stage is a great place to start. Creativity is running high, the possibilities seem endless, and it's almost impossible for anyone to make a decision and stick to it for more than 10 minutes. At that point in the process, I find it's best to keep a "leftovers" document, full of good ideas bound to fall during the editing process. Later, that "leftovers" document is a gold mine, where you can dig up oodles of blog posts, fodder for landing pages, and other content that didn't quite fit on the site - at first. 

What to Blog About Next? How 'bout Now? part 2

I heart evergreen posts. Now and always.

Blogging got off to a suspicious start. Even auspicious, maybe. But I'm not blogging about run-of-the-mill, run-off-the-mouth blogging. I'm blogging about corporate/business/ghost/marketing content blogging.

Which means your blogging efforts will probably require meetings. Schedules. A plan. 

Yeah, I know. Borrrrr-ing. But do it right and you'll be hearing ca-ching!

Here's the good news about planning your blog posts: it doesn't have to be hard, they don't have to be long, and variety is the spice of blogging.

In other words, sometimes you can blog about what you're doing right now.

We're having a sale! is a great way to start a blog post.
Hurry to renew your contract before the price increase! works too. 

Seasonal tips make for great blog content. Got a landscaping business? Why not blog about liability as it relates to snow plowing contracts?

But wait, it's not exactly snowplow season, you're thinking. And we're not having a sale this week. So what do you mean, blog about "now?"

I mean, time is of the essence. You will have to spend some time planning and writing and scheduling your posts to make sure they're always timely. Get it? Blog about now means now, AKA your publish date. You want your content to be very timely ... or very evergreen. And sometimes, in-between.

I'll address evergreen posts (I love evergreen posts!) later, and tweeners too. Meanwhile, if you're wondering what to blog about now, I suggest you plan now to blog about something that will feel like you wrote it just now when the reader reads it... later.

Later! 

~Diane Stresing