No. Really. It is. And Google is proving it again. They have changed their search algorithm to yield better, more relevant, more useful results for searchers. The bottom line here is that it is more important than ever to focus on the quality of your content. In her article New SEO Rules: See what you are missing Sharon Tisdale Rice writes:

The days of producing lots of content for content’s sake are over. Now content quality matters. Content must be thoughtful, well-researched and unique. Ranking is also affected by whether the writer is judged as an authority on a topic or not. Consequently, you do best by creating truly original content that is not scraped or paraphrased from other sites.

Many subject matter experts don’t like to write, don’t have time to write or just don’t feel that they are very good at putting their thoughts on paper. So when you absolutely positively must create the best content possible, partner up with a skilled writer that can listen and then craft the content that will inform and engage the reader. If it grabs your readers, it will grab Google.

I say “begin with a website” because that is only the start. There are search engine optimization tactics and traffic driving strategies. There are inbound marketing tools and email list building. All of these methods are simply ways to attract potential customers and then engage them.

It’s like a farmer’s market. Exciting displays of the freshest produce, colorfully spilling over the crates stops you from wandering by. It looks so good! You are overcome by the desire to squeeze and sniff the fruit, to fondle and thump the cantaloup. Then you ask the farmer “how much…?”

That display is your website. The keywords help them see you. Your content is the bushels of beautiful fruit that entice potential buyers to stop their mad clickfest and actually learn about the value that your company offers. The single common key to making this whole thing work is CONTENT. People come to your website for the useful and clear information – just like shoppers stop by your stall for the freshest fruit and vegetables.

Your content could be video, audio or photos. But the type of content that will do the bulk of the heavy lifting is your writing. The copy. The text. The words.

Your visitors will quickly size up your website and make a decision about whether it offers them the information they seek or not. If your content is clear, compelling and accessible, there is a good chance they may spend a few minutes listening to what you have to say.They will watch your video, look at your photos. They will spend the bulk of their attention on your text. If they like what they read, then you have an opportunity to continue to engage their attention. This is where you offer twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. This is where you provide free articles in exchange for their email. This is where they may even pick up the phone and call you. Perhaps they will even act to place an order there and then.

It all starts with the usefulness and clarity of your content.

It ends there too, because it’s the rest of the content that continues to move them down the buying path.

Invest in quality content. Spend good money for the best writing possible — writing that informs, excites and most of all, writing that sells.

Here is the concept in a nutshell. Any buying experience consists of several “moments of truth.” The classic is the customer standing before the shelf of laundry soap deciding which to put in her basket. Her decision is the culmination of advertising, word of mouth, brand awareness, packaging, shelf positioning, price and a list of other factors. The point of decision is the first moment of truth.

The first moment of truth is followed by another when she actually uses the product. And then another when she talk about it with her friends. Each moment of truth is a pivot point for that product’s success.

Today, however, we face an additional MOT. This is when we go to the web – on a computer, by a mobile device or some other way – and research. This commonly takes place before we actually go to any store or visit any merchant site or make a phone call. That’s why Google has termed it the Zero Moment of Truth.

Moreover, it takes place with both consumer driven businesses and in the business to business environment. Think of how many times in the last month you did research on the web before actually engaging with the vendor or retailer.

The question this raises is “how are we dealing with the ZMOT?” Are we engaging with the customer where they are, at the point where we can have the most influence, or are you still hoping to jump that train only after it has already left the station?

I think the significance here is not that traditional forms of promotion are going away – although some may be. It is clear, however, that we need to be engaging prospective customers at that ZMOT point if we hope to make the most of our marketing efforts.

What these solution-seeking people need most at the ZMOT is information that is

• Clear
• Relevant
• Compelling
• Easy to find

Content. That’s what the pundits mean when they say “it’s all about the content.”

The quality of your content, therefore, will have more and more impact on the quality of your marketing results. Pay attention to that. You customers (and those who decide not to be your customers) surely do.

I encourage you to download the ebook. Read it. Then figure out what you can to do engage your customer at the ZMOT.

A trend that has been going on for more than 5 years now is that consumer copy is getting longer, while business-to-business copy is getting shorter. Why?

1-Business prospects are busier than ever and have less time to read.

2-Consumers are more skeptical than ever so need more proof before they buy.

I often run into this question when dealing with clients.

• Some are adamant that copy MUST be as absolutely bare bones short as possible.
• Others want to include everything from soup to nuts — why use 1 word when 5 will do?
• Still others have some arbitrary number — 500 words for example — that their copy must fit, regardless of other factors.

None of these address the real question that must be answered – What is the right length to accomplish the job?

As Bob indicates here, a direct response sales letter directed at a consumer prospect will typically need more text because you have to include more reasons to buy. You can, however, make a 2000 word sales letter seem short by placing BUY NOW buttons throughout the letter. That way your prospect can click over immediately upon going over that buying line.

In this way, sales letter copy becomes self-adjusting. The reader only reads what she needs to read to make the decision. Once she has gone far enough, she stops reading and clicks. Some will need to read all the way to the end, others will read a few paragraphs and take action.This is similar to the salesperson who reads the prospect’s buying signals, skips ahead in the sales presentation and goes right to close.

In a B2B scenario, I can’t imagine that the total amount of copy is really getting shorter, but I can see how business people feel more pressed for time. So keep that landing page or introductory letter brief. Summarize with the most potent benefits and support material and then give the prospect a chance to move to more detail if they wish. Again, you may still have to write longer copy that provides the detail. After all, just because your prospect runs a business doesn’t mean they don’t need all the information to make that expensive purchasing decision.

I would suggest that you design the copy to accommodate the reading style of the business prospect. For instance, but if you place the additional information on a different page (accessible by a link) you give the prospect a feeling of control over their time. Or offer the phone number multiple times throughout the copy so they can stop reading and call you. You helping manage their time rather than being intrusive. You give the prospect the choice of how to read the information and that makes the copy self-adjusting. Of course, just as with the headline on a sales letter, you have better make that first page compelling if you are going to make your case that the additional information is worth the time.

The same principle holds true for marketing collateral, website pages of all kinds, white papers, case studies, direct mail postcards — everything. Every piece of sales, marketing and advertising copy is at some level about direct response. So make sure you answer the question — What is the RIGHT length to get the job done.

Perhaps you don’t write copy, but…you do

If you find it valuable, please pass these on to others who might benefit. All I ask is that you include the blurb at the end so people know where to find me.

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Weak headlines make weak copy. Strong copy is infused with strong headlines that grab the readers’ attention and compel them to read on.

Newspaper headlines are familiar to us. In journalism, a good headline transmits the key idea of the story in brief form, and makes you want to read the rest of it. Form marketing copy, the theory is similar but the purpose is different. Journalism informs. Marketing headlines are about selling.

Headlines must be compelling

The first job of a headline is to grab attention. Your reader is likely skimming quickly through your material. Therefore your copy must quickly and efficiently deliver core of the message. The best headlines use words that are simple and direct, simple subject predicate constructions with strong active verbs.

To grab attention, a good headline focuses on benefits. Rather than a headline that merely describes the product, the best headlines highlight what your reader (your customer) wants. If you are writing for a B2B company, you may want to highlight increasing profit, reducing expenses or saving time. If the copy is for a B2C company, it could be about whiter teeth, fresher breath or greater sex appeal.

Headlines must be clear

Clarity is far more important than being clever. Don’t us use a headline simply to amuse or to display clever word play. There is a danger that the joke can completely distract from the main purpose. Use puns and double meanings sparingly if at all. Construct them carefully so that the reader is in no way confused or distracted. If it does a BETTER job of grabbing attention and a BETTER job of communicating the story, then go ahead. Just make sure it’s not a private joke.

It’s all Headlines

Finally, good copy is infused with headlines. The headline is not only that single line of large print on top of the story. It is each subheading that compels you to read the next section. It is the first sentence of every paragraph. If every sentence is as brilliantly lucid and forceful as a good headline, you have some fine copywriting in front of you.

A final note — headlines for print advertising differ from online headlines. In online articles and stories, keywords have become more important and length is less important. Using the right keywords in your headlines and headings will make it easier for searchers to find your web page, article or blog post, so consider SEO when crafting your headlines. Also, since online items do not have the same kind of space restrictions that the print media must deal with, you can use more space to get those keywords in without worrying about it as much.

As the old saying goes, “Eschew Obfuscation.” Good headlines make it easier for the reader to make sense of the story. Make sure your copy makes good use of them.

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This article is written by David Denis of Rock Solid Writing. Visit the website at http://www.rocksolidwriting.com
David is a freelance writer for hire offering powerful web content,marketing copy,sales letters,white papers,case studies,newsletters,sales scripts,and more.
To learn more,or request a free consultation click here or visit http://www.rocksolidwriting.com/schedule-your-free-copy-consultation/

A Suit? If a suit, then tie or no tie? How about just a shirt and nice pants? Thankfully, sneakers, jeans and shorts were clearly a no go. Apparently a sense of propriety does still survive somewhere in the 21st century.

Choosing the right Outfit

If I had been in his place, I probably would have worn a sport jacket with a tie, minimum. It was an awards dinner, for goodness sake. A celebratory event. An event where you dress to honor those being awarded.

But I am an old man of 47. I generally favor dressing a little more up than down. I still wear a suit and tie to church even though it is considered odd by the majority of the sandal-footed Hawaiian shirt crowd that seems to dominate certain types of churches these days. But my tendency toward dressing better and not worse isn’t about showing off. It’s about respect.

Dressing properly is very much about respect for other people (the ones who have to look at you).  A slovenly casual appearance, while fine for many things, is inappropriate for many public occasions. It displays a lack of respect for the moment or for the people, or for both.

Nevertheless, the rule for our current culture seems to be “How bad can I dress and not actually be mistaken for a homeless person? ”

I suggest that a better standard is “how can I dress to raise the level of the event just a bit without going so far that it seems that I am merely trying to attract attention?”

Tailoring your Copy

I look at writing in a similar way. I’m not a huge fan of the “write for the 4^th Grade Level” approach to writing. On the other hand, I have little patience for those who attempt to write everything on a post-doctorate level.  Neither am I a stickler for correct grammar. I appreciate the skillfully bent rule — as long as it actually improves the message rather than detracting or distracting from it.

So what is the guide for writing? How can one decide on the best tone and style when writing? It’s just like dressing. One should write for the occasion.

If you are selling, write in a manner that will sell. If you are teaching, write in a manner that will teach. If you are telling a story, write in the way that best tells the story.

If your audience is 4^th graders, by all means, write on a 4^th Grade level (although I think stretching up to a 5^th grade level wouldn’t hurt anything). Whether your audience is gray haired ladies, long haired PhDs, the crew cut or the carefully coiffed, write in whatever style is right for the audience.

Good writing is neither about being showy, nor about dumbing down. By writing at the appropriate level and tone you treat your audience with respect. Every person and group is different. To treat them all to the same lowest common denominator will ultimately do your message more harm than good. So take the time to do the alterations your specific audience requires, and if you don’t know your audience well enough, you had better get out your measuring tape and figure it out.

Good content makes sure all the pieces coordinate perfectly. Good content lets it out where it’s too tight, and takes it in where it sags. Most of all, good content suits the occasion. Write content that really fits, and just like when you dress right, you will always come out looking great.