The Smoking Foot

Web Content Development: Defining Roles and Managing the Process

by Kelly Goto
December 7, 2004

Whether responsible for the success of a Web site or merely
contributors of content, marketers must understand the skills and
processes required for achieving the site’s communications objectives.

Yet the role of a content manager and the processes for creating a
Web site are often unclear and mismanaged. Sometimes, content simply
“appears” when someone realizes the task is left undone. Other times, a
copywriter is hired and given a daunting task that he or she is
incapable of executing.

Generally, when a company decides to redesign its site, it does not
fully include the task of content creation and management into the
scope of the project—and it rarely understands the nature of the
role, the work process or the necessary deliverables.

This article first defines the role of content manager and clarifies
the qualifications. Then, it delves into the details of the content
management process and workflow and how they fit into the big picture.
It also provides a list of resources to aid in the quest for clear
content creation.

Defining the Role

The role of content manager is difficult to define. Applying for
that job is like applying for a position that not does not
exist—and the need for it isn’t even apparent to the company.

Many clients think we’re talking about a copywriter, but it is much
more than that. The role consists of several categories of work, from
marketing to information design. The content manager will work between
the client (the company) and the Web development team during the
process.

We usually confront one of the following three scenarios when developing content:

1. Client Magic. The client company thinks its people will
   magically produce the content for the site, on time, using existing
   marketing resources, without hiring an expensive copywriter. After all,
   don’t they already have brochures and existing site copy they can
   repurpose for this new launch? And, if there isn’t enough time, isn’t
   this a virtual environment where you can add any unfinished pages after
   the site is launched?

2. Copywriter to the Rescue. The client has worked with a
   copywriter who has written company white papers and marketing or
   collateral materials. The catch: usually, this copywriter writes for
   print, sometimes just technical manuals, and has little understanding
   of how the Web works. He/she does not understand online linking and
   navigation—how Web content differs from print or advertising. The
   person can learn, and his/her experience is valuable, but sometimes the
   learning curve is painful for all involved.

3. Design Team Knows All. The client assumes that the
   newly hired Web design/development team has the answers—after
   all, they have done this many times before. Surely the design team must
   be able to take the copy from the old site and massage it into updated
   content for the new site. Also, there is a ton of existing marketing
   materials in both print and digital format. So all the client needs to
   do is provide some updated bios and product page information. Isn’t
   this what we are paying the design team to produce?

There is also a rare, fourth scenario: the client gets it, and hires
a competent content manager who has the background and experience to
get the content organized, written and delivered in a timely manner; or
the company has a system in place with internal workflow and approval
processes and a staff of writers (or contractors) in place for ongoing
updates.

Most companies assume, when we tell them they need to hire a content
manager, that we are telling them to hire a copywriter. Not so. You do
need someone who can write well, but he or she may need to manage a
copywriter or a team of writers. Content managers must be well rounded
and self-running: They might have writing skills, but do they also have
Web knowledge? They might have management skills, but do they also have
industry expertise?

Finding the perfect resource is extremely difficult. But to find the
best person to manage the content process for your Web site, you need
to know what you are looking for. He or she should have (some of) the
following characteristics:

• Self-Running: The content manager should be self-running and
  must understand what it takes to develop Web site content. Each project
  and situation is different. This person will need to manage a daunting,
  deadline-driven process. Digging for information, pushing to make
  deadlines and running solo without much guidance is par for the course.

• Organized: The content manager should have the
  organizational and management skills to manage the content-development
  process. This generally requires a project management or producer
  mentality—the ability to set and make deadlines, manage resources
  and the budgeted time, set expectations and communicate effectively.
  This person needs to be detail-oriented and able to handle multiple
  deliverables at one time.

• A writer or editor: The ability to write and edit is a
  critical component of the role; however, this person may hire other
  copywriters to actually produce the final content if his or her style
  or writing ability does not match the needs of the project. Editing
  skills are necessary to help conform the style and tone of various
  marketing materials or previous site copy. Having a background in
  marketing is helpful but not mandatory.

• Web savvy: The content manager doesn’t need to know the
  ins and outs of HTML but should have some basic level of awareness. He
  or she should also understand how Web writing differs from regular
  marketing copy. Navigational copy (some call it “navitorial” copy)
  needs to be addressed, along with descriptions of images and page
  titles. Paragraphs need to be short and action oriented.

• Versed in information design: The content manager
  and/or copywriter should work very closely with the information
  designer on the Web team. The content manager may be the one to
  actually produce what will become the outline content and the initial
  wire frames for the project. Therefore, he or she needs to understand
  the nuances of navigation, labeling and action-oriented copy.

• Knows the client’s industry: Such knowledge is
  preferred, though not required. A smart individual can interview,
  research and gain insight into the client’s industry fairly quickly. It
  is a bonus if the content manager has background in the client’s
  industry and the audience that will be interacting with the site.

This list of characteristics represents a best-case scenario for a
Web project—especially one with no existing content and a tight
deadline. If you invest in the right resource, you can also expect this
person to help write and manage the creation of content for marketing
efforts (on and offline), product documentation, site updates and more.
Screening and hiring the right individual is a worthwhile effort. Be
aware, though, that you might need to go through one or two people to
find an ideal fit.

This job is generally either a contract position or a side
responsibility for someone already on the Web team or in the marketing
department. Copywriters or content managers charge a premium for their
time (between $65/hr to $125/hr). Because this person will be working
closely with the client during the process, it is recommend the client
hire this person directly.

The Process

There is no single perfect way to manage the process of content
development. Every Web project is different, and so is the way you
address the process. The following discussion outlines a framework for
managing the content development process in tandem with the development
of a Web site. Use this four-phase methodology as a starting point and
a guide:

1. Discovery and clarification—gathering data

2. Setting framework—outlining content
3. Writing—creating the copy deck
4. Publishing—posting, reviewing and editing

Phase 1: Discovery and Definition—Gathering Data

Generally, the content manager does whatever is necessary to gather
data and produce the deliverables necessary for the site design and
development. In the discovery phase, the content manager should spend
time talking to the key stakeholders in the company to (1) learn what
their business goals are and who the audience is and what it wants; and
(2) strategize about how to merge the two sets of needs.

Questions such as these should be asked: how the Web site fits into
the larger corporate strategy; how the current (soon to be ousted) site
meets or fails current measurable goals; whether the new site will be
using the old content; and so on. Research into the competition and
overall industry should also be conducted. These do not have to be
formal endeavors; however, having a solid overview of the company’s
industry, Web site strategy and audience is the goal for this stage.

Before continuing, clarification of the overall goals, audience and
strategy should be produced as a “Communication/Marketing Brief.” The
content schedule and list of deliverables should be clearly outlined
and approved by all involved. Make sure to add time in for QA (quality
assurance) of copy prior to project launch.

Don’t depend on last-minute online editing of copy and content.
Although some of this is inevitable, it is often what leads to sloppy
mistakes and accidental overwriting of pages and layout.

Phase 2: Setting Framework—Outlining Content

The next phase of the content development cycle is creating the
content framework. This is created in the form of a content outline,
which captures the main sections of the site (I, II, III, IV, V, etc.)
and then adds in known secondary and tertiary pages (a, b, c, d, etc.)
with placeholder titles.

This may be as easy as using what currently exists or it may involve
several meetings (with conflicting results) to generate a new or
modified framework and outline of the site. This outline may also
change during the site structuring process. But putting together the
framework for the site via a content outline is the best way to
determine the scope and depth of both the site and the content writing
and acquisition process.

Some content managers (in their copywriting role) prefer to start
writing copy for the main pages of the site and move on to secondary or
additional pages of the site after the main pages are completed.
Sometimes it is difficult to glean the entire site’s content without
first working on the high-level marketing messages and overall goals.
This is acceptable as a stalling point for a short time (to allow the
copywriter to truly get his or her head around the project), but the
first deliverable must be a comprehensive site outline.

Content Audit. Sometimes it is necessary to conduct a
complete content audit of the outgoing site to determine what stays and
what goes during the content development process. For a site with
several hundred pages, this can be a daunting and painful task. Someone
needs to go through the site, starting with the main pages, and then
cull. This someone might be client side, or the content manager. This
is a necessary step for some projects; plan time and patience for this
task.

Phase 3: Writing—Creating the Copy Deck

The next step in the process is to begin putting the content
together. Remember, content is not just copy—it is text,
graphics, quotes, advertising and active links, title tags and more.
Understanding how to approach the creation of the actual content takes
experience.

A good way to start is to determine the readiness of the content:
What content will be ported over in its existing format from the
current site? What content exists in digital form and needs little or
no editing? What content needs to be created from scratch?

Divide the content into chunks of deliverables that make sense, and
attach due dates and review cycles to each chunk. Plan for enough time
to review and edit the copy offline, and then to review and edit the
copy once it is integrated into the HTML of the site itself. Paper does
not screen copy make.

The copy deck can be developed in stages, starting with a
description of what will be on the page (a short paragraph or two) and
the call to action on the page—shown by an actual HTML link or
some other graphics. Also consider sidebar information and other page
elements, such as quotes or advertising. The Web design team will need
to plan for these elements as they work out the wireframing of the page
in their own site-structuring phase.

Working collaboratively during this stage is a must. Potential
confusion and frustration often occur during this timeframe, when the
client and copywriter just want to start writing directly into the HTML
of a page, and the Web design team needs to know what goes on the page
in order to start the design process effectively.

Content Management Systems (CMS) and XML-based Sites. The
development for a CMS site differs from that of a static HTML site.
Most large CMS-driven sites still rely on a top layer of straight HTML,
with most of the second level pages and portions of the HTML pages
populated by an object-oriented content management system. This means
that the site is built using a series of templates. These templates are
set up with a header, footer, titles and areas for body copy, sidebars
and navigation. It may be necessary for a content manager to help
define these areas in advance of writing the content outline, or
getting into the main navigation, which can change on the fly due to
the flexibility of a robust CMS system. This also means a separate
workflow not directly addressed in this article. Think of your site’s
content as components of information—objects placed on individual
pages such as news, ads, special deals and more.

Phase 4: Publishing—Posting, Reviewing and Editing

The final step in the content-development process is finalizing the
copy deck and integrating the copy into the development process
following the building phase of the site.

If templates have been created by the Web design team, the
integration team should be building out the entire site and pouring in
the content from the final deck. This allows the copy and linking
structure to be viewed and tested in HTML. The navigational copy,
links, invisible copy (see below), graphics and images should all be in
place. This is the final run through before show time!

The truth is, generally, at this stage not all of the content is
completed—and the client has a well-intended but poorly timed
plan of eliminating the pages that aren’t yet completed. This causes a
lot of trouble from the development side, as these pages have been
built and linked to.

Proper planning and estimating time and resources from the
framework/site-structuring phase would help solve this problem earlier
in the process. At this stage, have a solid plan for content revisions
because editing online, on the fly, may cause issues with version
control if the site is still in production.

Invisible Copy. Whether search engine focused or
not—every HTML page needs a descriptive title tag—the most
highly ranked component of a page’s search engine results. Keywords are
also important, although lately it has been shown that meta data is
less critical than it has been in the past. ALT tags are descriptions
accompanying images that preload the image. This allows individuals
using text readers to view the site, as well as helps them if they are
viewing over slow connection speeds or using a browser with images
turned off. Setting the preferred format (e.g., img: setting sun or
nav: about us) for ALT and title tags and metadata should be done well
in advance of pages being built in HTML. However, often it is left up
to whoever is doing the HTML, which is not the ideal thing to do.

Summary

The most successful Web site redesign projects have this in common:
a content manager who was identified in the beginning of the project
and worked through the proofing of developed HTML Web pages.

Hopefully, awareness of the critical need of the content manager,
plus familiarity with the content development process, will become the
norm among companies. Thus, everyone’s job—especially the content
manager’s—will be more understood and appreciated.

Links to Resources on Effective Writing for the Web

• www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/—Jacob Nielsen’s research on how users read on the Web and how writers should write for the Web

• www.sun.com/980713/webwriting—A summary by Jacob Nielsen and Sun’s Science Office of how they improved Web site usability by rewriting content
• www.gotomedia.com/resources_structure_content.html—A Macromedia and gotomedia coauthored resource on Web site content structuring and development
• usableweb.com—A collection of links about writing and editing Web content
• www.newarchitectmag.com/archives/2001/02/kilian—Kilian’s thoughts on Web writing and molding information to the Web
• www.webwiseone.com—A company of former technical writers offering humorous, conversational and instructional content solutions
• Hot Text: Web Writing that Works—A book that provides a summary of current thought on “user-centered” writing for the Web

Eleven Search Engine Optimization Tips

by Gerry McGovern
April 26, 2005

When it comes to optimizing your site for search and the search
engines, it’s important not to overcomplicate your design and technical
approach with things such as Flash, Java, frames and dynamically built
Web sites.

Here are 11 tips for design that works:

The title tag is critical

The title tag is the single most important piece of content for people who search.

1. Keep it short: Don’t have more than 60 characters (with spaces), which is roughly 8-10 words.

2. Lead with the most important “careword” for that particular
   page. Always start off with what is specific about the page and move to
   what is general. Many Web sites begin their title with their brand or
   organization name, and then follow with what is unique about the page.
   (This is a very common mistake, so check out your own site.)

The description tag is recommended

The description tag is not nearly as important as the title.
However, it does have some value. Write it as a summary and keep it
under 30 words. It should be written in a compelling, clear manner.

Light pages and lean, quality HTML

The less HTML code you have, the better, as it makes it easier and
faster for the search engine to index your page. Aim for a total page
weight of 50 KB for any page (that’s including graphics). Certainly,
anything over 100 KB is going to be slow, and some search engines don’t
like pages that are over 100 KB.

Have a site map/index

People like site maps/indexes, and so do search engines. Make sure
that the site map is available from the home page, presented in a
text-based format, and kept up to date.

Avoid Flash

I’ve nothing against Flash design except for the fact that I
generally detest it. It’s a waste of time; it’s fourth-rate TV
advertising by people who will never get the chance to do a real TV ad.

Search engines don’t like Flash, either, and find it very hard to index Flash-based pages.

Build your Web site in static HTML

You don’t need a “dynamic” Web site unless you have dynamic content,
such as airline seat availability and pricing, which needs to be
dynamically published from a database because it constantly changes.

You may store your Web site in a database, but you’re better off
publishing it as a static HTML site. It’s cheaper, the pages will
download faster and search engines will find it easier to
comprehensively index your Web site.

Avoid PDFs

One of the sure signs of a badly managed Web site is that it has
lots of PDFs. Publishing content in PDF is usually a shortcut. Search
engines are now better at indexing PDFs but I still recommend that you
publish a heading and summary in HTML.

Avoid frames

Simply said: Frames are a very bad idea.

Watch your JavaScript

Any links that you have in JavaScript should also be published in
HTML; otherwise, the search engine won’t be able to follow those links.
Rollovers are cool, but they cause nothing but problems, so avoid them
unless you have a brilliant technical team.

Alternative text

As a rule: you should have alternative text for every single image.

However, the only alternative text that search engines recognize is
for images that are linked. Make sure you use descriptive,
careword-rich text.

Keyword tags

Over the years, some sites tried to trick search engines by stuffing
keyword tags with lots of popular words. Because of this, most search
engines give very little value to keyword tags.

Before You Write: Your 10-Point Checklist

by Jonathan Kranz
September 20, 2005

In his book, Mysterious Stranger, magician David Blaine
reveals the most important secret behind Harry Houdini’s extraordinary
death-defying escapes: obsessive advance preparation. While his
audiences never saw the months of practice and planning, they would
have found no magic to applaud if Houdini hadn’t invested so much
effort in his non-magical preliminaries.

Likewise, the secret to successful copy is in the all the thought, work and research you do before
you write a single word. In the following 10 tips, I lift the curtain
to reveal the backstage mechanics you can leverage for more effective
copywriting.

1. Gather your proof points. These are all the
tangible pieces of physical evidence, such as research statistics,
units sold, customers satisfied and performance figures that reinforce
your promises. Without this proof, broad claims for “innovation,”
“commitment,” “quality” and “excellence” ring hollow and shallow.
Innovators must be prepared to describe new products or features; those
committed to quality should be able to measure their performance and
show the results.

This tip comes first, not necessarily because it’s more important
than the other nine, but for the amount of time it may require to
assemble the proof points you need within your organization. Start
making inquiries now, then mull over the following nine points as you
collect responses.

2. Answer, “What do you want readers to do next?”
There’s no point in communicating, whether through a Web page or a
direct mail piece, if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want
prospects to do as a consequence of reading your work. Do you
want them to buy something, register for an event, attend a workshop,
remember a brand, shop somewhere, order an item, request more
information… or something else?

The answer’s important, because it will dictate both the form of
your writing and its content. Even a marketing tactic as oblique as a
bylined article has an intent: You want the reader to regard the author as an expert worthy of future consideration as a partner or vendor. Be sure your purpose is crystal clear.

3. Make an offer. Tell customers to do “x” to get
“y”: That’s an offer. Yeah, yeah, I know—offers are germane to
direct response marketing and not necessarily anything else. But good
old-fashioned direct response methods are gaining ground even as its
hipper cousin, brand advertising, is finding it ever harder to attract
customer attention.

Learn from direct: Don’t get so lost in the weeds of “creativity”
that you fail to blaze a path to the sale. In mail, ads, Web pages,
email or what have you, make your offer explicit—”Save $25 when
you renew today”—and be sure you tell customers exactly what they
have to do to get it.

4. Listen to your customer’s voice. Pretend you’re
eavesdropping on different conversations among investment bankers,
whole-grain bakers and Harley-Davidson bikers. I think it’s fair to say
that you’ll hear different vocabularies, different tones, different
ways people articulate themselves. When you write for a specific
audience, you’re joining their conversation; imagine their voices when you’re ready to work, then write the way they speak.

5. Look for testimonials and endorsements. You can
take the previous tip and take it to its literal extreme by directly
quoting customers themselves. After all, their opinions carry far more
credibility than yours or your company’s. In many cases, organizations
are sitting on testimonials or endorsements they forgot they have
collected. Ask for them—you might just find a few precious
nuggets you can weave into letters, collateral, Web pages and more.

6. Maintain brand identity. Just as graphic
designers have to constrain their efforts within the color templates
and design schemes that are part of an organization’s visual brand
identity, writers have to stick to the brand’s fundamental marketing
messages and positions. Otherwise, conflicting messages will dilute the
brand—and your boss (or client) will throw you out on your ear.
If the company’s brand identity is built on “authority” and “years of
experience,” don’t waste time with cheeky copy or irreverent humor.

7. Focus on one thing. I recently worked with an
engineering company that has many talents. They do design. They
supervise construction. They serve as expert witnesses in litigation.
In fact, they do so many things so well that it was hard to craft a
coherent message that wouldn’t confuse potential clients. In the end,
we agreed on a common theme: They solve problems that stump other
engineering firms. In doing so, we had to elevate some elements of the
message, such as “problem-solving,” while subordinating others, like
“design.”

This winnowing process may be painful—we all prefer to say as
many good things about ourselves as we can—but it’s absolutely
necessary. Messages that are too broad disintegrate like powdery
snowballs and never reach their targets. But a focused message is like
a rifle shot—powerful because it is precise.

8. Anticipate objections. Put yourself in your
prospects’ shoes and consider the obstacles between them and the sale
(or your message). If your company is unfamiliar to them, they may
proceed with distrust. If they’ve been burned before, they’ll be
hesitant to act again. If they can’t understand the topic at hand,
they’ll turn away from you in frustration. And if the message is
confusing, they’ll simply stop reading.

Your job is to anticipate these and other potential
objections—then create countermeasures to correct them. When your
product is unfamiliar, perhaps you can use testimonials to reinforce
your credibility. Where there’s a whiff of risk, emphasize your
money-back guarantee. Is the topic complex? Simplify it. For every
possible hurdle, apply the rhetoric and marketing tactics you need to
get customers over the humps.

9. Understand your limitations. Marketing is the
art of the possible, of doing the best you can within predetermined
budgets and timeframes. Your idea of a pop-up, gold-leaf beagle that
leaps out of a box to the strains of Elvis’ “Hound Dog” might be just
the thing to sell a “Gold Level” veterinary health plan—but,
chances are, there’s no money for it. Be sure you work with the
necessary people, such as designers, marketing directors, account
executives and so on, to develop ideas that can actually be executed.

10. Set your benchmarks. What are you aiming for?
Responses? Sales? More Web visitors? Requests for more information? You
have to know your targets before you aim your copy. Otherwise, it’s
impossible for you to measure the success of your efforts. And to make
the adjustments needed to improve your work.

In sum: Ready, set… stop. Before you write a single word, make the advanced preparations that make marketing magic possible.

How to Identify the Right Copywriter for You

by Jonathan Kranz
August 16, 2005

With September on the horizon, vacations are coming to an end and a
new wave of marketing initiatives may be about to begin. For many
organizations, ’tis the season to shop for talent, especially
copywriters.

It looks easy enough. Just scroll through Craigslist or tap your
talent agency, and you’ll attract loads of well-scrubbed writers
carrying handsome leather portfolio cases packed with clever, catchy
copy.

But it’s awfully hard to look beyond the leather to identify the
talent who will really work for you. Too often, the new writer “just
doesn’t get it,” cannot cooperate with your other talent or otherwise
simply fails to articulate messages that really resonate with your
audience.

Given human foibles, there are no fool-proof formulas for finding
winners. But you can take measures—right at the start of your
relationship—that give you a much greater probability of success.
Here are some things you should look for in a writer at your very first
meeting:

1. Connects creative work to underlying objectives

Face it: All the samples the writer proudly slides across the table
to you are going to look pretty good. After all, your would-be writers
cherry-pick their best work. Unless they’re truly incompetent (most
professionals are not), everything you read is going to be clean,
smooth and attractive.

Your job is to dig deeper, to uncover the “why” behind each creative
decision evidenced before you. Why was one benefit highlighted over
others? Why use a particular catchphrase? What was the reasoning behind
the diction, tone, point of view of the piece?

Good writing is never arbitrary, and every writer worth her salt
should be able to connect her creative decisions to the underlying
objectives of the project or the overall strategy behind the marketing
campaign. Consider this your opportunity to expose the writer’s
thinking.

2. Wears many masks

Writers are like actors—they must be prepared to assume the
voices and mannerisms of people who may be completely unlike
themselves. As you flip through the samples, look for variety. You
should “hear” different voices—manifested through changes in
tone, rhythm and vocabulary—appropriate for different audiences.
You should be able to guess the target demographic from the copy voice
alone. The annual report for investment bankers should sound completely
different from the direct mail pitch to porcelain doll collectors.

That’s why industry experience may not be a significant criterion
for selecting a writer. If a writer has the chameleon-like ability to
match his voice to your audience’s, chances are he can write
effectively for your market. If not, no amount of industry knowledge
will compensate for the inability to connect.

3. Asks questions—lots of them

Good copy is built on a foundation of understanding: who your
customers are; what your prospects value and fear; how they shop. Also,
what your product or service is; what makes it different; what role it
plays in the purchasers’ lives. Without this underlying knowledge, the
resulting copy may be clever, but it won’t be effective.

The only way a writer can reach that level of understanding is to
dig for it by asking questions. Beware the passive writer who nods at
everything you say and assures you she has everything she needs to
proceed. Instead, look for the writer who pursues your comments with
questions, then follows your answers with further questions. You want a
writer willing to do this kind of spade work before writing a single
word.

4. Listens well

Your interview should not become a dog-and-pony show for the
writer’s talent, limited to star-spangled presentations of beautiful
brochures and self-adoring revelations of awards won, honors claimed.
Sure, writers should be prepared to talk about themselves and their
services. But, more importantly, they should be actively listening to
you, taking pains to uncover your needs.

Do they ask questions (see preceding point) that logically follow
your comments? Do they show genuine interest in what you do and how you
work? And when you’re speaking, is their body language reassuring? Do
you see the kind of eye contact and body postures that indicate
attentive listening? If they’re not really listening to you now, when
they’re seeking your business, they probably won’t when they’re
executing it.

5. Plays well with others

Ask anyone if he’s a “team player,” and you’ll get prompt
reassurances of the affirmative. No one will admit to being an arrogant
prima donna, so you’ll have to use indirect methods to gauge the
writer’s ability to work cooperatively with your team of designers,
strategists, product managers and other marketing staff.

Take it as a good sign when a writer, without prompting, shares
credit for a given project with other people who participated. Or
openly admits that the driving concept came from someone other than
himself. Or describes a project as a cooperative venture and
articulates the value of the myriad roles that accomplished it.
Conversely, regard the self-serving writer, the one who consistently
hoards all credit to himself, with suspicion. Chances are, he’ll make
you and everyone who works with him miserable.

6. Demonstrates self-respect

We all want a bargain, and no one can fault us for desiring more, for less. After all, everything’s negotiable.

Be careful what you wish for, however. A good writer may be willing
to cut you a discount, perhaps in exchange for a guaranteed volume of
work, but only the bottom-feeders will bite on rock-bottom project
fees. Good writers respect the value of their work and expect to be
compensated accordingly. If you insist on making price the most
important criterion for selecting a writer, you may end up with a lot
of grief you didn’t bargain for.

In sum, it’s not enough to review the resume, client list, samples
or portfolio. You need to mind your prospective writer’s behavior in
the course of your first encounter. When you see curiosity, respect,
intelligence and a healthy ability to listen carefully to others,
you’ll find a writer who’s likely to work productively with you.

Copy and Content: Avoiding What’s Familiar

by Nick Usborne
June 20, 2006

Sometimes, copywriters and content writers write in clichés.

They say things like, “Company X offers an integrated end-to-end solution.”

To a reader, the line has barely any meaning, and certainly no
impact. Why not? Because it is too familiar. Because he or she has read
the same phrase too many times before, in too many other places.

In other words, when a phrase or sentence has a very familiar ring
to it… it has very little impact in the new copy you are writing.

But this isn’t just about clichés…

Hopefully, most of us avoid using clichés in our copy. But there is a second shade of the same problem.

Even when we avoid clichés, we often use phrases that still
sound familiar. We slip into using tried and trusted ways of saying
things.

For instance, here are the closing lines from an email I received recently from Network Solutions:

“Once again, thank you for choosing Network Solutions. We are
committed to providing you with the solutions, services, and support to
help you succeed online.”

There are no clichés there. Bu there is still a problem.

The problem is in the message. The message is too familiar, too
tired. We have all read a hundred letters and emails that say largely
the same thing.

The “thank you and we’ll always be here for you” message is an easy and lazy way to close a letter or email.

There are three problems with familiar messages…

First, when you begin or finish an email with a sentence or
paragraph that readers feel they have read a hundred times before, you
are undermining any sense that this is a letter from YOU.

How can this be a personal letter to the reader when they recognize so much of the message, tone, and language from elsewhere?

Too many emails sound like they were compiled from the equivalent of
a paint-by-numbers kit. Writers just vary the details of the opening,
body, and closing paragraph.

Second, the use of familiar phrases and messages undermines your
company’s brand. “Hey, these guys sound just like everyone else.” You
can’t afford to sound like everyone else. You need to find a unique
voice for your company.

Third, and this ties back to the other two, when you fall back on a
familiar message, pace, length, and tone in your emails… you are
missing out on a huge opportunity.

Unique language, used to express a new message, will make all the
difference in engaging a reader’s attention and interest. Familiar
messages just put people to sleep.

Be specific and relevant

If you have something to say, skip the fluffy opening and closing
and make every line of your email specific to the topic at hand. And
write every sentence in a way that is new. Avoid comfortable phrases
and ordinary ways to start and end emails.

Here is an example of what I think is a strong opening to an email:

“Dear Nick, A regular customer of ours contacted us regarding a
recent doctor’s visit. Her Bone Mineral Density (BMD) levels suggested
that she was suffering from severe osteoporosis.”

Not one word is wasted. It is specific and relevant from the first
few words onward. There is no fluff, and no familiar phrases are used
to pad the content.

Concluding thoughts

When we are in a hurry, or under pressure, it’s all too easy to
write a quick “form letter” or email. We have written them dozens of
times before, and we fall into repetitive ways of handling the opening
and closing. We even have favorite tricks and phrases to connect one
paragraph or thought to the next.

The trouble is, these kinds of emails also sound very familiar to
your readers. And when that happens, you lose their attention.

Try to write each new email in a different way. Make each one
unique. Be specific. Be useful. And avoid saying things in the same way
you have said them before.

Five Advanced Web Writing Secrets

After months of work and weariness, your company Web site is
designed, search-engine optimized, and packed with rich, interesting
content. The building blocks are all in place. Your next challenge is
to tweak the structure you have to attract more of the business you
want to get.

The following are five simple yet powerful ways to squeeze even more
value from the site you’ve invested in. Most can be accomplished with a
simple text editor, such as Contribute; almost all of them exploit
content you’ve already created. Yet they can all make a substantial
contribution to your site’s success.

Move out of the content ghettos

Yes, client testimonials can go a long way toward establishing your
credibility. But your prospects won’t go and read them if they’re all
cluttered on a separate page marked “Testimonials.” Instead of
corralling them onto one page, spread them out among relevant pages
where they’ll have greater relevance.

For example, you can reinforce your customer services page with a
testimonial singing the praises of your service team. Or if you promise
that your product saves time, drop the testimonial about how your
client “cut time-to-market from six months to six weeks” right under
the body copy about speed.

Same with case studies and reports. Instead of burying them in the
“Case Studies” and “Reports” content ghettos that few are willing to
visit, place them one by one in appropriate content areas. Offer the
case study that highlights a successful compliance story in the section
that shows how your software helps companies master regulations, for
example.

It’s all about timing and reinforcement—you want to place your content where and when visitors are ready to read it.

Create descriptive navigation tabs

When thousands of corporate Web sites have navigation bars with the
same labels—”Products,” “Services,” “About Us,”
etc.—there’s no way a visitor can immediately distinguish one
“Products” label from another.

Why not make them less generic and more descriptive, more germane to
your specific business? Such as, “Excavation Tools” or “Conflict
Resolution Services.” Or “Data Mining Software” and “Distance Learning
Applications.”

The space restrictions that constrained Web tabs years ago no longer
apply. And the more visitors understand what lies ahead, the more
likely they are to click-through.

Make your story their story

Take a second look at your “About Us” content. It might be a plodding tale that begins something like this:

Founded in Boise, Idaho in 1987, DistroPet began as a pet store supply warehouse serving retailers in…

Still awake? If your visitors are, it’s because they’ve moved on to
another page—or a different site. In addition to being boring,
most “about us” stories also come across as narcissistic. The
alternative? Position your company as a meaningful response to a
challenge your customers share or an opportunity they’d like to
embrace. For example:

Many pet store owners face frustrating limitations in their choice
of products, often limited to what their regional distribution centers
are willing to supply. These limitations give retailers less market
flexibility—and may impose unnecessary costs.

That’s why DistroPet opened in 1987 with an entirely different kind
of inventory and distribution model. By applying the advantages of new
data management technologies and overnight freight services, DistroPet
gave, and continues to give, pet retailers a wider selection of product
offerings at more competitive prices…

Create more descriptive lists

Some items, such as press releases, naturally lend themselves to
bulleted lists. Unfortunately, too many of these lists consist of
little more than titles with hyperlinks, like this:

• September 8, 2006: BunkCo Announces New Product Release

There’s simply too little information there to encourage a visitor
to read more. Instead, annotate your lists with just enough information
to illuminate the content and whet the reader’s appetite:

• September 8, 2006: BunkCo’s new LawnMagic composting tool makes it
  easier for to turn dead leaves and grass clippings into rich new soil. Read more…

Make offers!

No one in her right mind would send out a direct mail that consisted
only of a company description without an offer, an invitation to
respond. Yet too many Web sites present mere information without a call
to action. And without a call to action, even your most interested
prospects have little idea what to do next. Worse, you’re losing
opportunities to draw prospects deeper into your sales funnel.

Consumer and e-business Web sites make offers all the time. B2B
sites can do the same. No, you’re not going to ask people to call up to
purchase a multimillion dollar ERP system for their global network. But
you can, and should, make offers that move prospects closer to you and
your value proposition.

Offer meaningful content, such as white papers, industry reports,
how-to guides, instructional webinars, and live seminars, like so:

How are today’s leading manufacturing executives mastering
complex supply-chain demands? We surveyed thirty Fortune 500 COOs and
compiled their responses, with expert recommendations and comments, in
our new guidebook, Securing the Supply Chain: Best practices for
increasing speed and lowering costs. Download your complimentary copy here.

Caution: If you create an intermediary registration page to capture
contact information, be aware that the more you demand, the greater the
drop-out rate. Balance your need to collect information with your
desire to build credibility and good will by getting your content into
as many hands as possible. Consider eliminating the requests or
simplifying them to just a name and email address.

Four Critical Keys to Writing a Web Site Home Page

by Nick Usborne
October 3, 2006

Over the last few months I have written quite a bit about writing
landing pages and offer pages. But I haven’t said much about the
challenges writers face when writing a homepage.

Homepages can be tricky, simply because your page not only has its
own job to do but also has to support a group of second-level pages.

Here’s how I approach writing homepages… whether a site has a total of 10 pages or a thousand pages.

1. Use your principal homepage headline to communicate your site’s underlying value proposition

This is job one. When first-time visitors arrive at your site, they have a purpose in mind. They are looking for something.

The job of your principal headline is to communicate quickly and clearly the primary value proposition of your site.

That is to say, you need to let people know what your site is about,
and why it is better than all the competing sites that offer similar
products or services.

This is a tough job in the best of times. But it gets harder when you burden your headline with extra duties.

So stay focused. Understand what your visitor is looking for. Communicate your promise and value quickly and clearly.

2. Use some short introductory text to clarify and expand on your headline

Not every value proposition can be communicated completely in 10 words or less.

You may be able to get close. But if you have a business that offers
a number of different product or service categories, you are better off
keeping your headline simple, and then using some short introductory
text to expand on your message and clarify.

Place this text directly beneath your headline, so there is a
natural flow from one to the other. Don’t make your readers have to
search for this clarifying copy.

In other words, be aware of the eye-path of your readers. If you
want someone to read a block of text immediately after reading your
headline, place it within the same column, with the same margins, one
following directly after the other.

3. Help visitors find what they are looking for

Unless you have a single product or single service, you are going to
have to help people find the second-level page that best matches their
immediate interest.

If 80% of your visitors end up going to just three or four of your
second-level pages first, make links to these pages easy to find on
your homepage.

This sounds obvious, but homepages are often cluttered with too many featured links.

Use your navigation links to provide access to all areas of your
site. But make a feature of the links that best serve the needs of the
majority of your visitors.

4. Make your first-time visitors feel comfortable and confident

When visitors come to your site for the first time, they will feel
unsure about you unless you are a nationally recognized brand.

They will need reassurance. They need to know they can trust you.
And they want to know that you really can give them what they are
looking for.

There are numerous ways to build trust, including the use of
third-party seals from organizations like the Better Business Bureau
Online.

But a major factor in building trust will be the tone of your headline and other text on the page.

Your home page is rarely a sales page. The selling will take place on the second or third levels.

So on your homepage, avoid hype. Write simply, clearly, and honestly. Make your page and your text useful and helpful.

Concluding Thoughts…

Clearly, there is a great deal more that can be said about writing
homepages. But these four points cover what I consider to be the most
important issues.

Whenever I write a homepage, I aim for clarity and simplicity. In my mind I stay focused on helping each visitor.

I want people to quickly understand what the site is about. I want
them to be able to find what they want without having to work too hard
to find it.

And I want them to feel comfortable and confident that they have come to the right place.

Five Positive Thoughts That Will Turbocharge Your Writing (and How to Channel Them)

by Daphne Gray-Grant
November 14, 2006

Flip a coin and you get either heads or tails. Point your compass
North and 180 degrees below you’ll see South. Go turn on the water tap
and you’ll have a choice between hot and cold.

Happy/sad, dirty/clean, hungry/full. Our brain, and maybe even our
world, seems to like the symmetry of a perfectly matched set of
opposites.

A few weeks ago I wrote an article for Marketingprofs.com: “Five
Negative Thoughts That Can Sabotage Your Writing (and How to Shake
Them).” The piece generated an enthusiastic response from readers, but
now it’s occurred to me that the mirror image of this topic is just as
important.

So, looking at writing from the opposite perspective, I’ve now
assembled “Five Positive Thoughts That Will Turbocharge Your Writing
(and How to Channel Them). Read on to find out how this look at the
“flip side” can help you write faster and better.

1. Writing is simply talking on paper

Imagine sitting in a coffee shop and chatting with a good friend. Do
you stumble for words? Do you struggle to express yourself? Of course
not! Now picture yourself standing in front of a room of 500 people
without any notes. Can you talk easily now? Probably not—even if
your subject is something with which you’re very familiar. What’s the
difference? It’s perception.

With a friend, you are relaxed. In front of an audience, you’re worried about being judged.

And that’s the problem when we write. We imagine people judging us.
We worry about making mistakes. About being boring. About not
succeeding.

But writing is not a mysterious, difficult process. It is simply
talking on paper. Have you ever heard of anyone with talker’s block? Of
course not! It may help to imagine you’re writing to just one person.
It may also help to talk into a tape recorder for awhile. Or to type
with your screen turned off (so you can’t see what you’re writing.)

But, mainly, you need to write. Just like you talk.

2. Writing can be done quickly, in little bits of time

You don’t need great big gobs of time to write; you need snippets.
This is contrary to everything you learned both in school and at work,
where you were likely advised to clear massive blocks in your schedule
for those big essays or important reports. (And then felt like a
failure because you didn’t get the work done in the allotted time.)

Writing needn’t be an item on your to-do list; it can be something
that accumulates, like snow. One minute the ground is bare, then
there’s a dusting like icing sugar on the road. Next thing you know,
the snow is piling up in drifts.

Use the “hidden” time in your day to get that snowfall started. As
you’re walking to the elevator, or waiting for a return phone call, or
waiting for a meeting to start, start jotting down words. When you
become accustomed to “writing” this way, you’ll find that whole
sentences start springing to mind almost unbidden. Grab them!

The big secret here is to make sure that you have a good system for
capturing your writing when you’re not actually in front of your
computer. Keep a digital recorder in your pocket. Or, if you’re a
non-techy type, use small notebook or even a set of index cards
attached with an elastic band or bull clip. Whatever you do, don’t let
those precious words escape!

At the end of the day, those sentences will have added up to
something substantial. If you’re not over-thinking things, you can
pretty easily produce 300 words in 10 minutes. And if you can manage
just three 10-minute writing sessions in one day, you’ll have 900
words. Almost without trying.

3. Writing is easy to change

If a chef forgets the baking powder, the cake needs to be thrown
out. And pity the poor architect. He or she designs a building, and any
mistakes—that ugly roofline, that awkward window—will
linger for decades, if not centuries. And worse still, if a surgeon
messes up, the patient can die. You? You have it easy. You’re a writer.

If you write quickly (as you should), then you simply need to
allocate enough time for self-editing—that is, making your
writing better and more coherent. This may mean choosing different
words, moving around paragraphs, rethinking your opening, and even,
shudder, deleting text.

Sure self-editing can be tiresome and sometimes time-consuming work.
But it’s not impossible. It’s not even as bad as it used to be, before
computers, when you had to use scissors and paste to move around text.

Count your blessings. Writing is really, really easy to repair.

4. Writing always gets better and easier with practice

When we’re learning to do something, it’s easy to feel tired and
overwhelmed. But after a while even hard-to-do tasks become second
nature. Remember the first time you rode a bike, or tried to
parallel-park a car? You had to concentrate really, really hard. You
couldn’t talk while you did it. You needed to think through all the
steps, slowly, one at a time. Now? It’s easy-peasy.

The problem with writing is that most people don’t do enough to get
really good at it. How much is enough? I’d say that anyone who really
wants to improve needs to write for at least an hour a day.

But guess what? Even 15 minutes a day will help. The bottom line is
that you will improve with practice. Writing gracefully and effectively
is not about “magic” or “talent.” It’s about practice.

True, writing every day may not turn you into a
Pulitzer-prize-winning novelist (just as running every day won’t make
you an Olympic athlete), but I guarantee that you will become an excellent writer if you do it regularly and pay attention as you’re doing it. You won’t be able to help yourself!

5. Your writing “voice” is unique

We often set up unnecessary barriers when we compare ourselves to
others. Perhaps you aspire to be Seth Godin or Malcolm Gladwell. Fair
enough. But when you’re writing, you should aspire to be yourself.
That’s because your style is unique and will attract customers who are
ideally suited to what you have to offer.

“Voice” is really another word for writing style, and it refers to
the myriad small ways you reveal many aspects of yourself. You do this
through your choice of words, your sentence length and tone, and the
basic architecture of your writing. Of course, you can learn by copying
other writers—an excellent strategy for improving—but be
sure not to lose yourself while you’re at it.

And, most of all, don’t lament that you’ll never be as “good” as
your marketing or writing idols. (After all, Bob Dylan isn’t James
Brown. And lots of people thought Dylan couldn’t sing, period. But he’s
still a star.)

You’re you. You’re unique. And there’s great value in that.

Creating Momentum: Guide Site Visitors Forward to the Next Page

by Nick Usborne
November 28, 2006

All too often, Web pages, even homepages, provide readers with a
variety of choices, but don’t really provide a clear way forward.

This is particularly true when a site has multiple products or services to sell.

But this lack of direction is also evident on some sites that have just a single offering.

Help your visitors move forward…

If visitors read your homepage and become interested in something you are selling or offering, what should they do next?

Where should they click? Are they ready to go directly to the order
page? Would conversions be higher if visitors first read a full sales
page?

One way or another, you need to make it simple and obvious to the reader what he or she should do next.

I have seen pages where you read and read down the center column for
two or three screens, but then there is no link forward at the end of
the text. You have to scroll back up and actively look for links that
might advance you toward buying the products.

I have seen pages where you read and read, but then have to scroll
back up to find the “Next Step” link further up the page, sometimes
even in another column.

I have seen pages where you read the text and find three or four
different hyperlinks within the text… but no primary link at the end
of the page. So which of those links should I click on?

The more you make your readers struggle, the lower your conversion rates…

To optimize any sequence of sales pages, you need to make it blindingly obvious what the reader should do next.

Of course, it is not always the case that you have just one pathway
available. It may be that you have several, or even hundreds of
products or services people can choose from.

But the principle remains the same, whether your sales sequence is two pages in length, or five.

Regardless of the underlying complexity of the site, on the surface
you have to make it very clear to every reader what he or she should do
to take that next step forward.

The more passive you are, the more you leave it to the reader to
figure out, the lower your conversions will be. People will become
lost—they’ll lose momentum and give up.

Put another way: It should never be the reader’s responsibility to
have to work hard to find the product or service being sought, and then
buy it.

Instead, readers should find themselves clearly directed along a clear, simple, and short pathway of pages.

How do you achieve this?

Put at its simplest, each page not only has to fulfill its own
purpose but also has to pre-sell the reader on the next page to view.

In other words, every page has to be written and designed not as a
standalone source of information but as part of a dynamic, linear
sequence.

And each page in that sequence has to build momentum in a forward direction.

Ten Key Questions for Your Web Copy

by Jonathan Kranz
November 28, 2006

Today, your Web site is more than just a media source where people
find information about your business; it’s the place where many
customer relationships begin. In your prospects’ minds, their
experience of your site is a foreshadowing of their experience with
your company or organization.

Establishing a favorable relationship is quite a challenge. But you
can improve your odds by challenging your site with these 10 important
questions:

1. Is your homepage empathetic to your visitors?

Be a good host: Instead of confronting your readers with a barrage
of chest-beating, “about us” messaging, welcome them with a rapport
that demonstrates an understanding of their needs, desires, and
challenges.

Hint: Try leading your copy with “if you” type statements
such as “If you’re in a competitive retail market with razor-thin
margins…” or “If you appreciate the unique colors and textures of
hand-blown glass…” By doing so, you demonstrate both an understanding
of who the visitors are and an appreciation of their values and
concerns.

2. Is your site organized on your customer’s terms?

Most navigation structures are organized in ways that seem logical
to the host’s internal audience—by “products,” “services,”
“solutions,” etc. But if your prospect doesn’t already know what your
product or service names mean (“What’s a ‘Data Integrity Analytic’?”),
they’re not likely to find what they need.

Hint: Guide your readers by using rubrics based on customer
challenges, pains, or desires, such as “Planning for Retirement” and
“Reducing Taxes,” for a financial planner, or perhaps “Cold Climate
Lawns” and “Low-Water Landscaping” for a garden site.

3. Are your offers easily accessible?

You have a terrific whitepaper or report that visitors can download
from your Web site. But… they have to complete a 10-question
registration form to get it. And the number of downloads are much lower
than you had expected.

Hint: Yeah, I know you’re trying to capture contact
information as part of a lead-generation effort. You might be better
served, however, by getting your content into more hands, thereby
impressing more potential customers with your expertise and initiating
more relationships. Just two days ago, a client of mine said she had tripled the number of downloads for a whitepaper by removing the onerous registration form. You might want to try the same.

4. Is your content distributed properly?

I know I’ve said this before, but it’s worth saying again: Don’t
dump your testimonials, case studies, and whitepapers into subsections
with those labels. Why? Because you’re making your readers do the hard
work of searching for content that should instead fall into their laps.

Hint: Distribute your content on an individual basis to the
most relevant pages. For example, put the great testimonial about the
helpful representative on a “consultation” page, the case study about a
successful interest rate analysis on a “services” page, and the white
paper about sexual harassment on your “HR Litigation Support” page.

5. Do you offer print-friendly pages?

Many people, such as myself, don’t do like to do any in-depth
reading off a flickering monitor; we prefer to print those pages for
easier reading—and for sharing with others. But thanks to the
“magic” of over-zealous designers, many pages are print nightmares with
cut-off margins, odd page breaks, and frustrating multi-page
segregations of copy, illustrations, and navigation devices.

Hint: Design your pages to be print-friendly. If they
simply can’t be, then do what so many online newspapers do—offer
a print-friendly version that visitors can click to and print out
easily.

6. Is your contact information complete and easy to find?

We like to know that there are human beings behind the Web sites we
visit. And that, when we have questions, there’s a real person who can
help us. Don’t bury your contact information where it’s difficult (or
impossible) to find.

Hint: Consider putting your snail-mail address, primary
email address, and phone number on the bottom of every page. That way
they’re both easy to find and will “stick” to any page a visitor might
choose to print out.

7. Are you generous with your expertise?

The Web is not an interrupting medium, like a TV commercial or a
magazine ad. People come to our sites of their own free will, actively
looking for something. The more you can satisfy that “something,” the
greater their good feelings toward you. That’s why the “short copy” or
“keep it above the fold” arguments are irrelevant.

Hint: Boasts and promises should indeed be kept short. But
you should be generous with meaningful content, such as relevant news,
how-to instructions, helpful guides, industry reports, etc. Don’t be
afraid of long copy—as long as the copy is genuinely relevant to
your visitors’ interests.

8. Does your homepage have a place for timely announcements or news?

Your latest whitepaper. A great news hit. That new product
announcement. Or your next seminar invitation. Why hide them within the
thickets of your site? These should be readily visible to new and
repeat visitors.

Hint: Create a special area on your homepage where visitors
can expect to find the latest important news—or new offers or new
events—from your company. It need not be long. One or two
descriptive sentences with a hyperlink to further information will do
the trick.

9. Do you have a retention device?

You have put up great content and your visitors are loving it. Now
that you’ve attracted them into your orbit, you need a way to keep them
there—within your sphere of influence.

Hint: Offer a subscription to a regular (I recommend
monthly) e-newsletter. They’re simple and inexpensive, and they’re an
easy way to keep your name and message on your prospects’ radar
screens.

10. Do you regularly check your Web stats?

If not, how do you know what people are reading? You need to know
which pages attract and hold visitors, and which are simply not
working. With this info in hand, you know what to dump, what to pump,
and which lines of messaging are connecting to customers.

Hint: Want to know if people are reading, or at least
skimming, important pages? In the middle or bottom of a key page, place
a hyperlink to a new page (perhaps with a testimonial or case study)
that can’t be accessed through any other link placed anywhere else. You
might get a stray hit from a search engine know and again; but, on the
whole, any stats you track for the new page will give you a reasonably
fair indication of how carefully your original source page is being
read.