Posts from — October 2008

Here is something I sent to our writing team today:

I justed wanted to make the point that the unique content articles and blog posts we write are essential elements in creating sales for the customer that owns the website for which we are writing. I really like it when I hear back from the SEO company I work with that their customer has commented they have so much new business from the website we did for them they had to hire more staff to handle the volume of incoming calls. (This customer just signed up for a second website yesterday, which means you and I just landed a new paying contract.)
 
The information we provide through the unique content we write makes the first impression on a reader and makes or breaks a sale.
 
The bottom line is that we, as writers must keep this in mind at all times when creating the unique content. We have to make it real and applicable for the reader. We have to talk to their situation and create a real image in their minds where they see themselves already with the product, reaping the benefits of the product. Use words to help them feel the difference. Infer the assumption that they already have the product. Talk to them using terms of present time. Once they get a taste (a feeling) for how it satisfies a need they had, their interest will skyrocket. That’s when we tell them who, where and how to purchase the product right now.
 
The more skilled we are at doing this, the more sales will result for the website owner. Their sales stats go up, they are happier than ever with the website we built for them, our reputation as marketing writers goes up and our stats go up because we sell more of our unique content writing services. That’s how we stay viable as writers.

Here are some things I have learned about writing unique content for websites that may help you….

The balance between creating a keyword rich article and valuable information is a constant challenge when writing unique content for the internet. We have to make sure the keyword is there enough times for the search engines to find the website, but with millions of other websites out there on the world wide web, the unique content must be compelling enough to make people want to stay and read more. The longer a person stays on a website because of the quality of the information, the more likely they are to buy a product or service from that website. The unique content must offer a solution to their problem, put you (the owner of the website) in the position of being the authority and therefore a trustworthy source, and it must be REAL to the reader.

In other words, the unique content needs to talk directly to them about their real life situations and what you can do to make it better for them. Put yourself in the shoes of the readership for a moment and consider what you would like to be said to you in a given situation. What would strike a chord in you and convince you that this company has what you need? What unique content would resonate strongly enough with you to make you pay your hard-earned money for the product or service offered on this website? Does it appear the company that owns this website understands your personal or business issues and do you believe they can help you?

The end result for a website offering products and services is customers. As writers of unique content we need to keep this in mind – our words must be a constant nudging of the readers toward becoming customers. We have to be able to convince them in the first couple sentences that we understand their problem and we have their solution. As they continue to read our unique content, they must begin to feel relief because they know they can trust us to make it better for them. When the words in our unique content have conveyed this message and they begin the process of coverting from a visitor to a customer, we have done our job well.