According to Forbes, having a blog on your website increases search engine traffic, humanizes your brand and increases leads.
But a blog will only achieve those results if it’s written properly! Here are five of the best blog copywriting tips we suggest you follow when writing your small business’ blog.
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Your small business’ website copy is important – crucial even. It’s how your audience learns about your brand, products and services and it’s one of your best opportunities to convert customers.
Although website copywriting is arguably one of the most important types of copywriting, other types of copywriting shouldn’t be ignored! Press releases, media kits, product descriptions, and more will all benefit from having effectively written copy, too.
Social media is another great opportunity to build your brand and grow your audience. But determining how to write copy that will create a solid following can be a challenge! Here are three highly effective methods that work best when completing social media copywriting.
To save time, it can be tempting to post the same copywriting to multiple social media platforms. And although it’s possible, it’s not really effective. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn each have their own audience, peak time, style of writing and character limit. In order to get optimal results from your social media marketing, your copywriting needs to consider all of these factors.
When you use the same copy for more than one platform, it can produce incorrect formatting. For example, the number of characters allowed on Instagram is much less than the number allowed on Facebook. You can see how this can quickly lead to problems when the same copy’s used on both platforms!
Consistency is key when it comes to building a recognizable brand. The voice that you use on your website’s copy should be extended on to your social media platforms, too.
Are you a trendy, fun company? Then use copy that’s light, engaging and interesting.
More of a B2B? Write copy that conveys a professional, business-like image.
Your business will have its own unique voice that resonates well with your target audience. Use copywriting that reflects this on social media as well.
Think about when you scroll through your social media pages: Is it before bed? In a waiting room? While at your son’s soccer game?
Most social media users are scrolling at moments when they’re bored and are trying to fill time.
Keep that in mind when creating your social media posts. Create copy that’s going to grab the attention of social media users enough that they stop scrolling.
Then, think about what type of response you want to create from a social media post. Do you want to focus on increasing brand awareness? Funnel followers to purchase a product or to use one of your services? Attract new followers interested in your industry?
Your social media copywriting should have a goal in mind, while at the same time be interesting enough to pause and read.
From your small business’ website to your social media channels, the copywriting you use throughout your marketing matters.
It doesn’t have to be a challenge! As copywriters servicing Toronto, Hamilton, Burlington and the surrounding areas, we make it look easy. Contact us today to learn more about outsourcing your website, blog and other copywriting needs to us!
Your website must be attractive enough to draw the reader in and be clean enough to facilitate easy navigation. But without effectively written copy, it won’t be accomplishing either.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when completing great copywriting for your small business’ website.
Remember your target audience while completing website copywriting. Think about the who, what, where, when, why and how when it comes to your product and service offerings. That way, web visitors can quickly determine whether your company can fulfill their needs or not.
At the same time, use a conversational, relatable tone throughout your writing. Too much industry jargon can quickly drive away a potential buyer.
When you’re on a website, you want to find the information you need quickly and easily. So when you complete your website’s copy, make it easy to skim. Do so by incorporating some (or all!) of the following into your website’s copywriting:
Using clear, second-person narrative can make the reader feel like you are having a conversation directly with them. When addressing the reader, use “you” and when speaking about your business, use “our.” This creates more relatability between your reader and your business and shows that your company can answer your reader’s problem.
You don’t like reading boring copy. I don’t like reading boring copy. Your web traffic won’t like reading boring copy.
Sure, there’s important information you need to discuss on your site – but it doesn’t need to be done in a stilted way. Try to keep your copy as interesting as possible. Some pages, like your About Us, can be even more informal depending on your business. Have some fun with your website’s copywriting!
Is there anything more off-putting to you as a web visitor then when you contact a business about a listed product or service, only to find out it’s no longer offered?
Oh wait – there is: how about if you show up at a business during its advertised hours of operation, only to find out that it’s no longer open at that time?
Every so often, check your website’s information to ensure it’s still relevant and reflects the business that you are today.
Your website’s copywriting has a big job to do: it has to increase brand recognition and convert customers, but remain interesting to the reader, too. Choosing a web design template can be challenging enough for many small business owners – but writing effective website copy? That’s a whole other ballgame.
It’s not a challenge when you hire us to complete your website copywriting! Let our 10+ years of website copywriting experience work for you! Contact us today to learn more about the services we provide as Toronto copywriters.
It’s getting more and more difficult to be successful as a small business owner without effective web copywriting.
Think about it: the majority of consumers head to good old Google for information and answers. And if that consumer lands on your website and finds a lack of engaging, relevant copy, guess what they’re going to do next?
That’s right, they will choose another website – probably your direct competitors’!
All but ten percent of organizations are using copywriting in their marketing efforts. But not all copywriting is the same! Only quality, error-free, SEO-friendly copy gets people to hang around your site, build interest in your brand and eventually create more customer conversions.
Learn more about small business copywriting with these interesting facts!
As Toronto copywriters, we can get you results you deserve from your small business’ copywriting! Arrange a free consultation with us today.
As a small business owner, you feel like you work constantly.
Even on your ‘off-time’ (what is that?!), the wheels of your mind never stop turning. You’re constantly thinking about how to improve your business, get more customers and increase your sales.
But no matter how many hours you work, you can never seem to get to the end of your to-do list.
When you’re working in this manner, it’s only so long before you suffer from burn-out. And as a small business owner, you definitely can’t afford that to happen!
That’s why it’s important to start working smarter. Here are five small business management tips that can help you accomplish that!
Improving the productivity of you and your team starts with getting organized.
Take some time at the beginning of each week to review your business’ projects and goals. Then create a master list of all the tasks you need to accomplish.
Next, estimate how long each task would take to complete and prioritize each task. Open up your calendar and schedule a suitable time to focus on each specific priority.
Trying to remember things that need to be completed is an energy drainer. Instead, write down any item that needs to be done so that you no longer have to remember it yourself.
Solution: Make a list of three tasks that you want to accomplish each day.
Many times, meetings that are held with the goal of increasing efficiency end up doing the complete opposite. They can quickly get off track, drag on for hours and create confusion for your staff about what still needs to be done.
Even worse, they can leave employees feeling mentally exhausted which can affect the rest of their workday.
Solution: Before scheduling a meeting, think about whether the information can be shared in an email or memo instead. If a meeting is still necessary, try to limit your meeting to a half hour or less.
It’s easy to get into a habit of putting off certain business tasks by telling yourself you’ll complete them tomorrow.
But then tomorrow happens and they remain on your to-do list.
Apply the Nike philosophy and “just do it” when it comes to tasks that need to be done! For any task that takes you less than two minutes to complete, stop putting it off and do it immediately. If a task requires longer than a couple of minutes to complete, either schedule it to be completed at a later date or see if it can be delegated to someone else on your team.
Solution: Begin your day with the task that you least prefer before you accomplish anything else. This helps set the tone for a more productive day!
Our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Receiving constant alerts for new emails and social media comments isn’t helping.
How many times have you started completing a task only to abruptly stop it when you receive a new email notification?
When was the last time you took a few minutes to scroll through social media?
Regularly pausing your work to start a new task causes you to start and stop a different train of thought – creating more work for you in the end.
Solution: Schedule a maximum of three times each day to check your email and respond to social media comments. Ignore (or stop) phone notifications otherwise! When sending emails, use short, efficient messages and only include necessary parties.
You only have so many hours in each day. Wouldn’t you rather spend them focussing on key business aspects that you excel at rather than ones you struggle with?
Outsourcing is one of the best ways to get tasks accomplished that require the skills you lack.
Was math never your strong suit? Then outsource your company’s payroll to a bookkeeper.
See the benefits of a regular e-newsletter but regularly experience writer’s block? Then check out a copywriter.
Need a new website that you can drive traffic to? Look for an affordable web designer.
Sure, outsourcing may initially seem like a luxury for small business owners. But when you use an affordable one, it actually isn’t! Plus, hiring an expert to complete a task that your skillset isn’t suitable for can bring savings in time, stress and productivity.
Solution: Decide what business tasks you dislike the most or are least qualified to complete. Then find a freelancer to fulfill that role.
As a small business owner, it doesn’t take long to get overwhelmed. But by implementing the small business management tips above, you can quickly experience an increase in productivity and a decrease in your stress level!
For more information about the services we provide as Toronto copywriters, contact us today!
Even if your website is currently getting lots of traffic, there’s no time to sit back and relax.
For your site to continue to rank well in search engine results, you need to keep it updated and be posting regular content. That’s why having a blog is key!
You also need to stay on top of the latest proven methods when it comes to creating website copy that will bring leads that convert. To make things easier for you, we’ve incorporated the most recent website copywriting best practices below.
How do you create great copy without knowing who you’re targeting?
Simply put, you can’t.
It’s super important to first complete market research so that you can come up with a buyer persona.
Determine who your target audience is, their demographics, their pain points and more.
Only then can you craft website copy that will be relatable to the reader. This helps influence them to take action on your website!
In only a matter of seconds, your website’s visitors will decide whether to stay around on your site or not.
To stop them from exiting and going elsewhere, you need to keep your copy interesting.
Pay attention to your headlines and make them compelling so that readers want more. And don’t forget about the importance of your graphics selection!
Above all, you need to write in a way that will captivate your audience, leaving them eager to read the following line of text.
Think about what you want when you visit websites:
When your customers have to start searching your website for information, they will quickly become frustrated.
That frustration will soon lead to an exit from your website.
Avoid that from happening by using the following tips throughout your web copy:
You can’t afford to have poor content on your site.
But even if you have the best content, it won’t produce results if it’s not search engine optimized.
You need to complete some keyword research, but avoid keyword stuffing. Most importantly, always ensure that your copy is high quality!
Don’t forget about including effective call-to-actions (CTAs) throughout your copy. Encouraging readers to share your information on social media, sign up for your email list or download an e-book are some effective CTA examples.
Website copywriting can’t be learned overnight. To be honest, it requires lifetime learning. There are always new ways of writing better, of ranking higher in Google and of increasing customer conversions.
We work hard to keep informed of them – and will pass that knowledge on to you, too. Be sure you stay informed by signing up for our blog emails!
It’s no longer a choice to have a blog as a small business – it’s a necessity.
The majority of shoppers seek advice from the Internet before making purchases these days. According to WordPress, over 409 million people view blogs every single month.
At first glance, this seems like a huge potential audience base for your small business to reach.
However, this outlook changes upon realizing how competitive the world of blogging really is. With an estimated 505 million blogs on the Internet, how do you make your blog stand out?
Wondering how to write blog posts that will get noticed by the right audience? Looking to grow traffic on your already established blog? Follow these five tips to start getting more views and traffic to your blog – starting today!
Blog content that an audience will want to read in full and share with others is the best way to build and cultivate an audience.
In order to do that, you need to create content that will be useful and appealing to your audience.
Let’s say, for example, that you’re the owner of a plumbing company. Instead of only writing blog posts about your products and services, craft topics from the viewpoint of your customer base. What type of questions does your company frequently get asked? What is your most requested service?
Sharing tips about how to unclog a sink on your own may be more likely to be shared to others than a blog devoted solely to self-promotion.
When you need an answer to a product question or advice about a service, who do you turn to?
More than likely, it’s Google.
Google is still one of the key ways of generating traffic to your blog. But in order for Google to rank your site in search engine results, you need to be crafting content with SEO in mind.
Keyword research, optimized meta descriptions, engaging headlines and more all contribute to an effective SEO strategy.
Have no idea what we’re talking about? We can help.
So you’ve spent the time crafting engaging, informative, error-free blog copy. Now you need to get it in front of the right audience!
Social Triggers’ Derek Halpern insists that you should be following the 80/20 rule. Blog writing should only take 20% of the time; the remaining 80% should be devoted to promoting the blog.
Besides ensuring your blog’s SEO friendly, you should be promoting it on social media in every way possible. Include social media sharing buttons on the bottom of each blog post so that readers can easily share your content with their networks. Start a Facebook page for your business and tweet your new blog posts.
Engaging and interacting in online discussions with other bloggers is another great way to promote your blog. Oftentimes, the author of the blog you comment on will check out your own work – and may even become a subscribed reader.
Every once in a while, send a link to your email list that includes a link to your blog. Include it in your email signature as well!
When comments are generated on your blog, be sure to respond to them. Whether they’re positive or negative comments, they can help improve your site and provide content that your audience wants to read.
Be sure to blog regularly, too. You have a better chance of developing an audience quicker if you blog frequently using a regular posting schedule.
Building a successful blog that has a lot of followers takes time. But if you put in the work to develop great content and promote it effectively, your hard work should soon pay off.
For more marketing tips for small business owners, be sure to subscribe to our blog by using the link in the sidebar.
So you’ve had “create a blog post” on your to-do list for a few days now.
But each time you sit down in front of the keyboard, you end up looking at a blank screen…unsure of where to begin.
Sometimes starting a blog post can be the most difficult step of the entire blog writing process. But normally once the pen gets flowing – errr keys get pushed – the content seems to flow!
Need some help with thinking of a blog topic, a headline, or a great intro? Wondering how to write a blog post that will bring traffic to your site?
Below are some blog writing tips that we follow ourselves at Sarah McKenzie Copywriting Services!
Whether you’ve been blogging for years or have just started, coming up with fresh topics that will resonate well with your audience can be difficult.
Creating an effective blog post takes plenty of time (and sometimes sweat and tears, too!)! What’s the point in spending your (already limited) time and energy on an article that won’t be read by your target market?
Spend some time researching your audience and conducting market research to learn about their needs. This can be as simple as generating a question on your social media sites asking your audience to post industry-related questions that they want answers to.
Taking the time to fully comprehend your readers helps you create copy that won’t just get read, but shared, too.
Now that you have a better understanding of your audience, you need to brainstorm some topics that would interest them. What do they want to read?
Check out your competition and see what type of topics are getting shared and commented on regularly. Perform keyword research to identify what search terms are most frequently getting searched in Google related to your industry.
Don’t forget about using the power of social media for your topic research, too! Follow industry leaders and read informative articles to remain up-to-date on industry trends and news. These can be great sources for time-sensitive, trend-related blog articles.
It’s time to start creating your blog article now! Decide what your spin will be on the topic you’ve chosen. Maybe your competitor did a great how-to article that trended well on social media. Instead of copying that idea, make it your own. For example, change your competitors’ how-to post to an article that discusses what to avoid instead.
Your article’s intro must be engaging enough to entice a reader to continue reading. Make your article’s topic apparent right away. Doing so helps the reader to quickly identify whether your article will be useful to them or not. You don’t want to drive potential traffic away when your article seems to lack focus!
Whenever you get stuck writing, take a step back and review what you’ve written so far. Are you staying focused on your topic? Are you creating content that will keep your audience interested and engaged until the end?
In a lot of cases, experiencing writer’s block is a result of not knowing how to clearly articulate your thoughts. Take a break, and come back to your keyboard with a fresh mind.
We always create our titles after the article writing is complete.
Wondering why? From our experience, we’ve found that generating a topic right away can really roadblock our writing process. You can get so stuck on creating the perfect title that you become too frustrated to write the actual article.
After we start writing the article itself, topic generation becomes much easier for us. It almost seems to write itself! Keep in mind that the title is even more important than the content since it is what compels your audience to continue reading or not.
Don’t forget about your meta description! This helps your article appeal to readers in search results.
Sometimes even with the best intentions, crafting your company’s blog is just not your forte. And that’s okay!
Knowing when to outsource certain tasks to experts can bring a range of benefits to your company. If you’re interested in learning more about outsourcing your company’s blog to an experienced Toronto copywriter, we would love to help!
You’ve come up with a great blog topic and you’re excited to craft your next article.
But how do you ensure it will be your best one yet; that it will generate the website traffic, social media shares and comments/likes that it deserves?
Simple – by including six key requirements.
From the article’s first few lines to its final sentence, here’s what to include in every blog article you create to maximize results!
In a maximum of five seconds, a reader will decide whether they’re going to read your blog article or not. Without an interesting title, the chances of a reader continuing on is virtually zero. Why put all that effort into writing an entire blog article, without dedicating even more effort to crafting the perfect title?
A headline plays an important role. Besides clearly informing people what your article is all about, it gets readers excited to read your entire article. Plus, integrating SEO techniques into your title can compel people to click on your site in search engine results instead of your competitors’ websites.
When writing a blog article, you need to write about what your reader wants to read, which may differ from what you actually want to write.
Blog articles are targeted to a certain audience and must address their needs and wants. Why would they choose your company over your competitor? How can your company’s products/services fulfill their needs?
Coming up with topics can be tough if you aren’t an experienced copywriter. You need to not only generate an interesting topic but one that will be searched on Google, too. Conducting some keyword research is key during this stage and our Toronto copywriting services can help you do that successfully!
One question that we often get asked by our clients is in regards to optimal blog article length: “How long should each and every blog post be that we create?”
There’s no simple answer to that. Blog length depends on your topic, your audience and your intent.
Does your audience enjoy reading long-form copy, or are you targeting people who are already crunched for time?
How much information do you have to discuss while keeping your audience engaged?
Do you want to provide a broad overview of a topic and encourage readers to reach out to you for more information? Or do you want your blog article to address numerous questions so that you only get traffic that is more likely to convert into customers?
When it comes to blog length, we always tell our clients that it’s the quality that matters. A 1,000-word long blog post is useless if nobody will want to read it!
Your blog needs to be easy to read which is why you need to make readability a priority.
Keep sentences short, avoid flowery phrases and edit, edit, edit! Target your writing to your audience – ie. depending on who your blog’s intended for, it may be okay to use acronyms.
Don’t forget about the power of subheadings! They help break up your content so that readers short on time can skim to the exact information that interests them.
The world of Google is constantly changing and it can be difficult to keep up.
Staying on top of the newest algorithms and SEO techniques helps your content get found by search engines. SEO cannot be learned overnight – and even the most experienced copywriter is constantly learning new tips.
Title length, keyword research, meta descriptions and more help get your content in-front of the audience you’re targeting.
Each blog article you write should include a CTA that encourages some sort of action by your reader.
Maybe it’s to sign up for your e-newsletter, email you for an estimate, or download your newest e-book. Whatever you decide on, including a CTA in each of your blog articles will help grow your audience base and convert more customers.
Many company owners think that blog writing will be a very simple task. But in order to get the best results, your blog needs to include the six items above.
At the end of the day, you want to increase website traffic and get more sales. Your blog is a great way to help you achieve these goals!
For the greatest chance of blog writing success, hire a Toronto copywriter that’s experienced with writing effective blog posts. Contact us today for a free consultation!
So you’ve finally made the leap and have decided to outsource your company’s copywriting needs? Good for you! Not only will this move free up time in your busy schedule, but hiring an expert should bring you more web traffic – and a higher customer conversion rate, too.
However, getting results from your copywriting is only possible if you hire a copywriter who knows what they’re doing. Here are five important questions that will help you hire the best copywriter for your needs.
Experience matters when it comes to writing copy that will be engaging, informative and accurate. Only experienced copywriters know how to make that happen.
Choose a copywriter who has been in business for at least five years. Doing so means he/she has been around long enough to establish a reputation, plus there should be plenty of work samples.
The world of copywriting – especially SEO copywriting – is constantly evolving. Someone who has been copywriting for a while will know this and should be well versed on current best practices.
As much as we hate to admit it, we’re not good at everything.
And that’s not a bad thing! At Sarah McKenzie Copywriting Services, we are firm believers that we should “do what we do best and outsource the rest” ourselves. (That’s why we don’t do our own accounting!)
The same logic applies to copywriters. Not all writers are familiar – or even interested – in writing about certain industries, so asking this question can quickly screen out unsuitable candidates.
Working with a freelancer can be a challenging relationship if both parties aren’t honest with each other from the beginning.
Since most freelancers are remotely based, there isn’t a chance for many face-to-face meetings. Instead, emails and phone calls are the main communication methods used.
Freelancers likely have multiple clients and competing deadlines. If it sounds like your client already has a lot on their plate, ask how they will be able to accommodate you as a client. For example, we request that our blog clients submit their topic requests to us a minimum of two weeks in advance. Otherwise, they risk not getting their copywriting completed on schedule.
If you’re more of a last-minute person, be upfront to potential copywriters and see if this would work for him/her.
More than likely you’ve already checked out a potential copywriter’s website by the time you reach out to them for a consult. But if you haven’t, now’s the time! Seeing for yourself what type of copy they have created in the past can give you an idea if their writing style is suitable for your company.
Asking for testimonials or references from past clients can also provide huge insight into a particular copywriter’s strengths. Getting him/her to complete a test project first (before signing a contract) can provide you with an even deeper understanding of their writing style.
A great copywriter takes the time to research each piece of copy they produce. To find out if your potential copywriter has this skill set, ask them to tell you what they already know about your company. Find out what he/she thinks your target market is and what style of writing should be used throughout your copy.
A copywriter who is able to answer these questions accurately means that he/she has done research prior to your interview and is genuinely interested in getting your business.
You’ve decided to outsource copywriting to make your life easier and get more results for your company. That’s why hiring “just any copywriter” won’t do!
If you’re going to outsource your company’s copywriting, make sure you do it right. After you’ve found some potential copywriters using these tips, be sure to ask them the five questions above. And if you’re considering hiring us as your Toronto, Hamilton, Burlington SEO copywriter, then know you’re choosing a company who is highly experienced, professional and affordable.
See for yourself! Contact us today for a free consultation about your blog, web, press release, or other copywriting needs!
