Writing For Your Client – And Getting It Right

“The best way to persuade people is with your ears – by listening to them.” – Dean Rusk, Former U.S. Secretary of State”

In a world where we are constantly presented with a thousand different ways of doing something, a thousand different types of equipment and a million other choices it can be hard to choose one product or one brand out from the crowd. As a content writer it’s your job to work with any client and make their product the one that people want to buy, make their service the best one available and make their website really stand out from the crowd.

So… how do you do this?

Well it’s not easy, but there are a few ways that you can make life a lot easier for yourself and one of the best places to start is at home, with a good solid knowledge about your clients.

RESEARCH what you need to know about them and make sure you do your homework:

• Who is their target market?
• What are their aims and long-term goals?
• Is there a part of the market that they haven’t considered?
• What are the best forms of promoting their products?
• Does their website effectively target this market?
• Why do they do what they do?

By asking just a few simple questions you can learn so much about a company before you even start working on their website, so make sure you take your time to really look through what they have to offer and start focusing on your target market accordingly.

WRITE copy that appeals to their target market, if it’s young skateboarders then you will be writing in a far different style than that of a more laid back elderly person so make sure that you tailor your style of writing to meet their needs – and this isn’t just reflected in your writing it can also be seen in the size and style of font that you use as well as the colours on the website.

REMEMBER Google. It’s all too easy to get carried away with what you are writing to remember the basic rules of SEO copy-writing and ensure you headers and keywords are all in the right place. Also ensure that you develop a good content strategy throughout the website which not only stays in line with the company’s needs, but also that of what Google is looking for.

EMBRACE modern technology. We all know that Facebook and Twitter are a lovely way to whittle away those hours on end that we seem to lose out of our regular 24 hour days, but all the time that you spend on social networking sites is time that potential customers could also be spending there. Target ads and social media campaigns are a great way to bring in new clients to a website and help to increase your brand profile and image at the same time.

DON’T assume that pretty pictures and flashing images will draw your clients in. With increased competition more and more consumers are starting to look through content to see what one competitor might have over another – so make sure that it’s there! Make your content clear and concise and you will not only benefit your client, but you will also impress Google and hopefully push your client further up the search engine rankings.