Online Marketing for Local Business
Posts tagged writing
Tips to Becoming a Better Becoming a Better Web Content Writer
12 years
by jhaynes
in Uncategorized
There are always many business owners, marketers and others who wish to improve their writing skills as they create and distribute their web content online, and even for those that don’t plan on making writing a profession, there are still good ways to hone your skills to become more effective with your ability to communicate via the written word. Here are 3 good ways to evaluate your writing skills.
Write the Article, Then Come Back in 2-3 Days
A great way to know if your writing is at the highest level is to write about a topic that you’re passionate about, and then step back and leave it for a bit. Come back later to review what you’ve created two to three days later. You can’t truly evaluate the quality of your written piece if you review it right after you finish writing. The tendency to be emotionally attached to your own web content writing is too strong at this point, and can affect your judgment on the piece. If you write a blog, publish your article or essay, and then come back to it when your emotional connection has subsided. This can allow you to be in a better position to make an honest evaluation of your work.
Take Your Direction From Search Engines
Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing can help to make a rough evaluation of your web content writing kills sometimes. Recent search engine algorithms on all major engines are now equipped with the ability to determine relevancy and quality of web content. Their spiders are constantly sweeping the web to index sites and rank them according to the quality of their online content. When you receive a good Google ranking or Yahoo, Bing ranking etc…this is an indication your content is gaining favor from both readers AND search engines.
Post Content on Social Media
Share your web content with friends and contacts, and gain the extra exposure it brings on sites like Facebook and the many others. If it gets a lot of “Likes” and “Shares”, you can be pretty sure that your article or post is well-liked for its information, quality, and substance.
Objectively Evaluate Your Work
Try not to judge your work as “good” or “bad”, because it can blind you to areas that need improvement. Make an objective evaluation of your work instead. Set a criterion where absolutely flawless equals 100. Then deduct points from every error that you find. These results can assist you in measuring your improvement as you travel along on your web content writing career.
Also remember, being a good writer takes practice! Which means, you need to exercise the “brain muscles” that create your wonderful content often, as you would any other muscle. Sticking to a very regular and frequent publishing calendar for web content creation and distribution can be challenging, for sure. But in the end your business will prosper because of it, as will your confidence in your own writing abilities over time.
And of course, if ever you decide that you’d like a partner to assist you with your web content writing/creation, there are many resources available to you, including Hat Trick Associates of course but also many other experts as well.
And if you do decide to be your web content writer on your own, remember that practice makes perfect. Or maybe we shouldn’t say perfect, as mentioned above…since there is always room for improvement as you continue your journey as a writer!
Encyclopedia Britannica next “victim” to web content
13 years
by jhaynes
in Uncategorized
The forests will benefit. But it was difficult not to feel a pang on hearing the news this week that Encyclopedia Britannica would no longer print the 32 volumes of its famous publication. Especially for those Gen Xers and older folks who used this famous reference piece for countless book reports, class presentations and the like when growing up.
First published 244 years ago in Edinburgh, the Encyclopedia has lined many a bookshelf over the years and used to be shorthand for where to go for information. But the fact that “I’ll Google it” has replaced “I’ll look it up in the Encyclopedia Britannica” is one reason why it will now only be published online.
Britannica, the US company which has published the Encyclopedia since 1902 and is owned by Jacqui Safra of the Swiss banking family, has been right to embrace modernity. Long gone are the days of 1771, when the Encyclopedia defined “woman” as “the female of man”. It claims it was the first encyclopedia to go online, launching on Lexis Nexis in 1981, on CD-ROM in 1989 and on the internet in 1994. And it is easy to see why shifting to online only is the logical next step. As a private company, Britannica’s numbers are hard to come by, so it is not clear how much revenue it is generating from online subscriptions and advertising. But the business rationale behind this week’s decision reflects swift-moving trends with which all publishers are grappling.
The rise of the iPad, and the declining prices of the Kindle and other ereaders, not to mention the relative cheapness of ebooks themselves have led to a surge in their sales. In May last year, Amazon said ebooks were outselling hardbacks and paperbacks for the first time. PwC, the consultancy, expects global spending on ebooks to grow at 35 per cent annually for the next three years, and that they will make up a tenth of all consumer and educational book sales by 2015, up from under 3 per cent in 2010. The trend is particularly marked in the US where, says the Association of American Publishers, ebook sales last December were a staggering 72 per cent higher than a year earlier.
Of course, the Encyclopedia Britannica is not just facing competition from ebooks, but also from other sources of information on the web. Wikipedia says it attracts 400m unique visitors a month. Britannica, whose online versions have 100m users, tries to compete with Wikipedia, as do other online encyclopedias, by allowing users to contribute images or videos and has recently launched an app.
But the struggle between all content providers on the web to attract readers, and thus revenue, appears to be moving decisively away from availability to quality. The fierce competition between information sellers on the web may, hopefully, only serve to encourage Encyclopedia Britannica’s traditional commitment to scholarly authoritativeness.
Even if it does result in an even better Encyclopedia in the future, though, a nostalgic tear still seems merited. In 1998 the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards suffered cracked ribs from a falling set of Encyclopedia Britannica. Well, it’s all over now.
The Many Benefits of Content Marketing
013 years
by jhaynes
in Uncategorized
Content marketing is becoming one of the most widely used forms of promotional strategies on the web today. It is cost-effective way to reach a wide audience base, yet it is not as easy as submitting a simple pay per click ad.
Content marketing is relatively cheap compared to most other options, but it requires you to invest your time, effort and a lot of patience before you can reap its returns. This is one of the reasons why many people are not sold to the idea that using content online is a good way to market their products and services. For those that do understand the true long-term value of web content, they have found ways to create it themselves or work with someone who can.
For those who are still uncertain about the advantages of content marketing, here are five factors that make content marketing such an effective online marketing strategy:
It’s cost-effective
Other forms of marketing need you to invest your fortune. In content marketing, it only needs time and effort to have your website, products or services promoted online if you are doing the work yourself. Working with an outside writer to create your content can also be very cost effective.
It lasts FAR longer than other advertising methods
On top of its being economical, your content stays on the web for an indefinite period, and continues to drive traffic long after your content has been published. Other methods of marketing get exposure as only for as long as you have the finances to support it. This is huge benefit when considering ROI for your marketing dollars.
It helps to build credibility
By consistently sharing helpful information on the web, you are actually making your content work for you because it gradually builds your reputation online. Over time, people will see you as an expert in the field that you are writing about. As your credibility grows, you will be able to establish trust. Trust is a big thing in business, as credibility matters very much in marketing.
It attracts traffic
Content marketing is intended to attract an audience with a certain degree of interest on your niche. These people will also be the ones who will visit your website to know more of what you have in there for them. Content which is focused on facts and solutions pertaining to the products or services it promotes will surely attract traffic.
It builds up your site’s SEO
By consistently publishing content, you are actually attracting search engines too. Search engines are always on the lookout for fresh content they can rank. Content which are infused with effective keywords will always catch the attention of search engines, moving you up in the rankings and bringing quality visitors interested in your services and products to your website. Great content also creates good links back to your site as other people share your information.
These are the primary reasons that web content marketing is so effective in promoting your business.
If web content writing and posting isn’t something you can (or want to!) do for yourself, consider hiring someone who can help you build your online content to reap the many rewards detailed above.
Contact me if you’d like to know a bit more about the potential content solutions that we provide, or conduct your own searches and see what options are available to you.
Whatever route you choose, for the health of your business – begin creating and sharing high-quality web content today!
