Dear “Almost” Small Business Client,
I understand why you back-burnered my copywriting proposal. I really do. The recession has hit your business hard, and maybe you got cold feet.
You figured, shouldn’t I save a buck and just do this writing myself?
You know how I feel about this subject, of course. What might take me a few hours to write could take you days. Weeks, even. You’ll labor over it, solicit the opinions of many, second-guess yourself, then chuck it all and start over. Sure, it’ll get done and you’ll feel proud of your work. But at what cost?
While you were sweating over sentence structure, who was minding the store? Who was making money?
OK, I made my point. But since you’ve made the decision to write your own marketing copy, I’d like to offer some basic tips to increase your chances of success.
- Less is more. Face it — we writers fall in love with our words, and it’s hard to let them go. But the truth is, people don’t have time to stop and appreciate your deft use of the English language. In fact, they’re not even reading it — they’re skimming. They need to determine whether they want what you’re selling — quickly. Be ruthless, take out unnecessary words. Get to the point quickly and compellingly. Then stop.
- Edit, edit and then edit some more. Rewriting is good for the soul, and great for your copy. I find that reading it aloud is great for testing my copy’s flow and tone. I’m also a big fan of putting it down and coming back to it later, if your deadline allows for it. It’s amazing how a little bit of time affects your perspective on a chunk of copy.
- Use short sentences and paragraphs, especially for the web. Ask any usability expert — to deliver your message quickly and impactfully, make it short. Long sentences and paragraphs are off-putting for readers (skimmers). Be succinct, or lose them forever.
- Avoid keyword stuffing. SEO is vitally important for your web copy, no doubt. And knowing your most profitable keywords is, well, key. But remember that you’re writing not only for search engines, but for human beings. Show some personality, pay attention to how your words “sound” when read aloud. Don’t play the keyword “stuffing” game — your copy (and your results) will suffer for it.
- Don’t trust spell-check. But please use it. In this texting world, we’re becoming all-too-accustomed to its shorthand communication style. I think it’s also partly responsible for our tolerance for typos and other usage errors. (Do YOU know when to use “its” vs. “it’s”? “Your” and “you’re”? Do you understand the difference between “regimen” and “regime”?) When it comes to representing yourself professionally, errors like these are unacceptable. Yes, we’re human, and we make mistakes (especially when we’re rushed or overwhelmed). But if you proofread carefully, you can avoid most of them. (Besides reading something aloud, another trick I use is to read a piece backward, one word at a time. And of course, enlisting another set of eyes also does wonders.)
I hope this helps you, dear client. I wish you the very best in your DIY copywriting endeavors… and remember, I’ll be here for you when you need me.
Respectfully,
Lea
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