by Pamela | Oct 13, 2014 | Small Business Marketing, Website Content
Photo courtesy of seeveeaar (CC No Derivatives)
If you’re considering website content writing services for the first time, you may not know what to expect. While each content writer or service provider will have their own processes and requirements, here’s what you can expect when outsourcing website content writing: benefits, communication, and commitment.
Benefits of Using Website Content Writing Services
You’ve hired a content writing service for a reason, and you should expect to benefit from that arrangement. Below are a few of the benefits you can expect:
- More time to focus on other areas of your business. Writing takes time, especially if you have a big project or require regular content. It takes even more time if you’re a perfectionist, a procrastinator, or unsure of yourself.
- Content that communicates your message appropriately for the medium selected. Not sure how to format a white paper or write a blog post? Let the pros communicate your messaging using the right medium and format.
- Timely and professional service.
Keys to Success: Communication and Commitment
- A good writer who understands your company, your customers, and your goals. This may involve several phone calls, email exchanges, filling out a questionnaire, sharing examples of websites like yours, and so forth.
- Guidelines. Your content writer will need guidance from you. For example, do you prefer a fun, lighthearted tone written in first person or would you rather have the writer use a more academic approach? Do you prefer short, 200-words-or-less pages or longer pages packed with information?
- Commitment. Commitment runs both ways. You deserve a writer that’s committed to making your project a success. At the same time, most website content writing services want you to be as invested in the process as they are. Writers understand that you’re busy, but they often need your input before they can begin. If you’re committed to making your next website content writing project a success, be prepared to supply your writer with the information needed to understand your company, customers, and goals along with any other specific guidelines.
- A deposit. Most website content writing services require a deposit to begin and then the balance due upon completion. This common arrangement shows the writer that you are committed to the project’s success and will not disappear once the work is complete. If you work with a reputable content writer, you shouldn’t have to worry about the writer taking the money and disappearing. If you’re not comfortable with such an arrange, use PayPal or a third party escrow service. Another option is to start with a smaller project with a smaller deposit requirement. Most website content writing services will be happy to work out a series of smaller deliverables and corresponding payment dates if that makes you more comfortable.
- Revisions. When your content is delivered to you, read it promptly and communicate any change requests you may have with your content writer promptly. Writers are used to revisions. Minor changes are expected and usually included in the total cost of the project. Changes in scope or direction after the fact, however, may result in additional charges.
As you can see, outsourcing website content writing can be beneficial, and success comes from two-way communication. Start that conversation by contacting Celestial Content Services.
by Pamela | Oct 4, 2014 | Website Content
Last year, I switched from Windows to Mac and immediately faced a huge dilemma: Microsoft Word or Apple Pages? Having used Word for decades, I knew it inside and out. I also knew the Mac version would be just different enough to mess me up. Pages looked okay, but I found it frustrating. As I searched for the perfect word processor for my writing business, I stumbled on Scrivener.
What the Heck is Scrivener?
Photo courtesy of Joe in DC(CC No Derivatives)
I like to call Scrivener a beast of a word processor because it is. It’s intimidating with all of its panes, toolbars, and hidden features. It’s not super pretty, either. In fact, it’s kind of ugly. The learning curve is steep. The more you use it, the more beastly it becomes.
That said, Scrivener is beastly in a good way. It’s a shape-shifter, transforming into whatever you need it to be. For example, if you want a clutter-free writing environment, Scrivener has a “composition mode” which transforms the beast into a thing of beauty.
Many writers use Scrivener for their manuscripts and screenplays, and I can see why. Me? I use it for all of my website content writing projects.
How I Use Scrivener for My Clients’ Website Content Writing Projects
Each client gets their own Scrivener file. This allows me to keep everything related to a single client in one place including:
- Current website content writing assignments
- Proposals
- Special instructions
- Notes
- Research
- Bibliographies
- Content style guides
- Marketing personas
- Templates
- Completed assignments
- And more…
For agency clients, I create individual folders and subfolders for each of their projects and/or clients. This keeps everything neat and organized, yet all of their project work is located within a single file.
How I Use Scrivener for My Own Website Content Writing Projects
Whether writing a blog post like this one for my own website or creating a marketing plan for my business, if it involves words, it involves Scrivener! My marketing plan is in Scrivener, my ebooks are in Scrivener, assignments for courses I’m taking in are in — you guessed it — Scrivener.
One of my favorite features is the ability to change each folder’s icons. I used to use the status field to mark projects as either to do or complete (and I still do). Now I change the icon to either a checkmark (complete) or the information alert (to do) so that I can see at a glance what needs my attention.
I also love the word count target feature. For example, right now I can tell I’m getting close to my target. I set a word count target for everything I write in Scrivener and monitor it regularly.
These are just a few of the dozens of features I love. Scrivener is a beast, but it’s also a beauty. I will never go back to a regular word processor.
by Pamela | Sep 28, 2014 | Content Marketing, Website Content
Whether you’re doing your own website content writing or have hired a freelance web content writer to do it for you, it’s important to include benefits. Your website visitors are greedy in a way. They’re less concerned about how wonderful your company is and more concerned with their problems and needs. They want to know, “What’s in it for me?”
The Difference Between Features-Focused and Benefits-Focused Website Content Writing
First, let’s look at the difference between features and benefits. Many people confuse the two or use them interchangeably. A feature is something that your product or service has. For example, in a car, a moonroof is a feature as is a satellite radio, a well-placed cup holder, leather seats, or USB port. Features may or may not be desirable. They’re usually tangible, and they tend to get the most attention. You can imagine a car salesman pointing out the moonroof and all those cup holders, right? However, have you ever bought a new car because it has amazing cup holders? Think about it. You might have been impressed by the cup holders because they can accommodate your extra large coffee mug which will mean no more spilled coffee when you slam on the brakes. Satellite radio might interest you not because it has three rows of preset buttons, but because your kids will quit bickering on trips thanks to an endless stream of commercial-free Disney programming. What’s in it for you? Benefits.
Like the car salesman who points out features, website content writers tend to do the same. After all, if you’re selling a widget online, you need to let potential customers know what’s unique about that widget. Oftentimes, that means describing its features. Benefits-focused website content writing goes beyond features and explains the benefits.
So, What Exactly is a Benefit?
According to BusinessDictionary.com, a benefit is an actual or perceived factor that satisfies what a customer needs or wants. For example, actual factors might be cost effectiveness or performance whereas a perceived factor might be image or popularity. If your widget has a feature that automatically shuts the unit off if it overheats, that feature delivers a benefit: peace of mind that a malfunction won’t cause a fire.
Incorporating Benefits-Focused Website Content into Your Writing
Once you understand the difference between a feature and a benefit, benefits-focused website content writing becomes much easier. Go through your text and identify features and benefits. Ask yourself if you’ve answered the reader’s burning question: What’s in it for me?
Source:
BusinessDictionary.com,. (2014). What is product benefit? definition and meaning. Retrieved 28 September 2014, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/product-benefit.html
by Pamela | Nov 7, 2012 | Website Content, Website Content Theory
I received an email with a link to the U.K. government’s content style guide. Since I don’t plan on writing content for U.K. government websites, I wasn’t going to read it.I couldn’t help myself and clicked the link. I was pleasantly surprised. For example, the U.K. government advocates plain English (it’s mandatory):
“Use plain English – don’t use complicated or long words when easy or short ones will do – use ‘buy’ instead of ‘purchase’, ‘help’ instead of ‘assist’, ‘about’ instead of ‘approximately’ and ‘like’ instead of ‘such as’.”
The style guide also listed government buzzwords and jargon to avoid because they can lead to distrust. Some of the words listed (and why) include:
- Agenda (Unless it’s an agenda for a meeting)
- Collaborate (The government prefers “working with”)
- Dialogue (The government prefers to “speak to people”)
- Key (Use only for keys that open locks; important topics should be labeled as “important”)
- Facilitate (Say what you’re actually doing)
While much of the style guide is irrelevant to U.S. writers, it’s worth reading. If you write for U.S. and U.K. markets, you’ll definitely get some good insight into language differences and style preferences.The U.K. government’s website content style guide is located at: https://www.gov.uk/designprinciples/styleguide
by Pamela | Oct 1, 2012 | Content Marketing, Website Content
The Value of Original Content
As the saying goes, “content is king.” While this saying is an Internet marketing cliche, it continues to be true. The Internet is a crowded place and your articles and blog posts can help you get noticed. When loaded with useful, relevant, and informative original content, your website or blog becomes as unique as your business.
Benefits of Original Content
Website content gives you a voice and it positions you as someone who knows what you’re doing. When you consistently deliver high quality, original content, you are also sending a subtle message that you are passionate about what you do and that you care. Not only can your website content do all of the above, it can also attract traffic to your website.
However, generating unique articles, blog posts, webpages, newsletters, social media posts, and special reports requires skill and commitment. It’s easy to lose focus or procrastinate. Use these tips to stay focused:
- Do a little every day – Adding content to your website or on article directories doesn’t need to be an all or nothing task. Schedule 30 to 60 minutes each day and do something. It could be writing an article or blog post, adding a couple of questions to your FAQs page, adding a bio section to your About Us page, and so on.
- Mix it up – If you dislike writing articles, sitting down to write one every day wouldn’t work for you in the long run. However, if you mix it up by posting tips one day, adding a photo or infographic the next, embedding a video the next, and writing just one article each week, you may find that adding content to your website is easier and more fun than you thought.
- Create a simple content plan – Figure out what type of content to work on each business day and identify several core categories. Add these tasks to your work calendar and cross them off as you go. By the end of your first month, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve accomplished.
- Get help – Who says you have to do it all yourself? Outsource some or all of the content writing.
by Pamela | Sep 26, 2012 | Content Marketing, Website Content
Words. © by ninasaurusrex
Whether you’re putting the finishing touches on your business’s website or want to use article marketing to drive more traffic to it, you’ll inevitably need to start writing. Outsourcing website content is one option, and it’s not just for people who hate to write. However, before you start your search for a Web content writer, it’s important to understand the pros and cons involved in outsourcing writing.
Advantages of Outsourcing Website Content
Having a professional writer create informative articles and website content that conforms to the latest usability and search engine optimizations practices can result in content that attracts readers, engages them, and prompt them to perform a desired action.
In addition to understanding the nuances of Web content writing, professional Web copywriters also have top-notch grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills. Clean, easy-to-read content gives your site or article a credibility boost.
Even if you have outstanding writing skills and know how to craft content that appeals both to readers and search engines, you may not have the time or desire to do it yourself. Your time may be better spent working on other projects. Outsourcing writing projects free you to pursue other, more profitable options.
Hiring a freelance writer or using a content writing service can also bring a fresh perspective to the final product.
Disadvantages of Outsourcing Website Content
Outsourcing content writing has its disadvantages as well. For example, what if the writer you pick doesn’t deliver, turns in shoddy work, or misses deadlines? What if the writer copies and pastes content from other websites and then claims it as his own work?
Another disadvantage is the process of finding a writer to do the work can be time-consuming. If you use a freelance bidding site, not only must you write a project brief, you could be inundated with lengthy proposals.
After you find a writer, you lose some control over the project and your work may not be completely done. Depending on the quality of the finished product, you may need to edit the content – or worse – rewrite it completely.
Leveraging the Advantages and Minimizing the Disadvantages
To get the most out of outsourcing website content, you’ll need to find an excellent content writer who has demonstrated expertise in the Web copywriting field.
- Spend time reading the writer’s own website, blog, and articles
- Set clear expectations
- Provide enough information for the writer to understand what you’re looking for
- Run submissions through Copyscape or another plagiarism detection tool
- Ask for revisions if necessary
An article about outsourcing content on SeoMoz.org suggests that “… the more information you can give your writers, the better the copy they’ll produce.”
Finally, when you find a great content writer, treat that writer well by ordering additional articles, paying a decent rate, and paying your bills promptly. When you do, you’ll become that writer’s top priority.
