I am in the content business, not the website coding business. My blog posts on this site rarely address elements at the back end of a website. However, any small business owner who hopes to gain business via the Internet needs to understand the basics of search engine optimization and its importance in getting you found on Google, Yahoo! and Bing, among others.

One of the best ways to build your online credibility — and your site’s visitors — is to use inbound links. These are links from other websites that link to yours. If the other site has a large number of regular visitors and they link to you, your placement in the search engine rankings will surely go up.

Within days, my little Red Sox blog was found on Google among big-shot websites like ESPN, SI.com and The Boston Globe sports section. That’s the power of one very strong inbound link.Let’s say a writer links to your website in an article from The Huffington Post, which has a gigantic daily readership. Let’s also say they properly linked to you using solid anchor text within the article itself (as opposed to the comments section, which diminishes the strength of the inbound link). When the search engine bots crawl around the Web and see that the Huffington Post linked to your article, it’s a major endorsement from an established online presence, which therefore makes your site the go-to place for that particular topic. Do this a few times and you’ll be climbing to the top of the SERPs (search engine result pages) faster than you could imagine.

Now I know you think it’s probably impossible to get links of that quality to point to your small business website. The answer is yes and no. You see, the Internet is starved for content in a world where Facebook rules and sharing content is America’s new pastime. If you continuously provide good, original material, people will find you and link to you. A few years ago I wrote a Red Sox blog just for fun and one day Slate linked to my site as one of the blogs to read about Opening Day. Within days, my little Red Sox blog was found on Google among big-shot websites like ESPN, SI.com and The Boston Globe sports section. That’s the power of one very strong inbound link.

So what happens when you’re not as lucky as I was with my blog? You don’t have to aim for websites like Slate or the HuffPost for success. My friend, Susan Weiner, is a powerhouse investment writing blogger. She’s also got a strong, loyal readership and has built her reputation as a speaker and instructor. I can’t tell you how much I admire her work ethic and her clean, crisp writing ability. Last year, Susan asked me to be a guest blogger to help her readers out with some easy SEO tips. I jumped at the chance, knowing that Susan’s readers would find their way to my site (which they did) and my Google street cred would get a boost (which it did).

So when Susan asked me for another article, my answer was yes, of course I would. As a follow-up to my guest blog, she asked for something on adding links for SEO, and I provided a post on how to strengthen your website with internal links. I’ve always found internal links to be the great oversight of SEO, so I thought that would be the perfect post for Susan’s readers, who probably aren’t nearly as tech savvy as they are in the world of finance. I’m hoping for a repeat of the spike in web traffic I received after posting on Susan’s site last year as well as another leg up on the competition when it comes to finding me on search engines.

To review:

1. Create great content that readers will appreciate.

2. Try your hand at guest-blogging for someone with a popular site. It doesn’t have to be CNN or some other major outlet, but someone with strong credibility in a particular industry. Ask for a link to your site in your bio or introduction.

3. Make sure the anchor text is strong and accurate to maximize your success with search engines.

4. Check out HubSpot, the authority on inbound links. Tons of amazing information about maximizing your web presence.

Have questions about inbound links or internal links? Put them in the comments section below or email Steve.

A new client called recently to discuss hiring me to handle some content writing. I assumed it might involve a newsletter or company blog, but the assignment was for a print ad for her company. In our phone call she had used the terms content writing and content marketing, but she would have been correct in using the word copywriting in this case.

Later in the conversation she said she had “read up” on marketing trends and wondered why I hadn’t dropped the term copywriting from my business name. “Isn’t that an antiquated word?” she asked. The best content marketers position themselves as experts in their field.

Now I understood. My client assumed that content marketing had replaced copywriting when in fact they are two different terms.

So what’s the difference? It’s all business writing isn’t it?

Yes, it is. Both are used today, though the rise of social media has dramatically changed the way we communicate with our customers. This is probably why my client thought the term “copywriting” had become obsolete, like vinyl records and VHS tapes.

Copywriting uses persuasive language to compel your readers to take action. You see this writing in advertisements, brochures, direct mail and press releases. It can be a catchy company slogan, like Nike’s “Just Do It.”  You hear it in radio and television scripts for car dealerships and department stores. Copywriting can also be found in sales letters, website landing pages and case studies.

Content marketing, on the other hand, is the creation and sharing of original material to build brand awareness and lead generation. The best content marketers position themselves as experts in their field. You see them posting regularly in LinkedIn groups and on their own social media pages, commenting on industry-related websites and publishing fresh content to their blogs. It’s not necessarily persuasive writing, though it can be in its own way. Content marketing is like an informative conversation. It can occasionally take a formal tone, but more often it’s casual, like a chat between friends.

Sometimes copywriting and content marketing overlap. If you’ve been writing well, you’ve carefully sprinkled just a dash of each into the mix. Not too much, of course. Experienced consumers with delicate reading palates will lose their taste for your writing if you’re not careful. Specifically, your blog and Facebook business page readers will tire easily of sales pitches and promotions. Conversely, brochure readers and potential retail customers will expect you to quickly and efficiently make them an offer they can’t refuse.

Since this blog post falls under the category of content marketing, I’ll start a conversation by ending this post with a question. Please respond in the comments section below.

Between copywriting and content marketing, which do you think is more effective and why? 

Back in the ’70s and ’80s, Johnny Carson was the undisputed king of late-night television. A funny thing happened, though, when Johnny took the night off. Joan Rivers, who would eventually be named his permanent guest host, often garnered higher ratings than Johnny himself. Was Joan a better host than Johnny? Probably not. Her own late-night talk show tanked after less than a year.

Why was Joan such a big hit on “The Tonight Show”? She was different. Her humor was outrageous compared to Carson’s breezy style. People made it a point to watch her to find out what she would say and which celebrities she would skewer in her biting monologues. She was a proven commodity, a real pro in the world of comedy. It made “The Tonight Show” better by adding some variety to the usual nightly fare. Johnny’s built-in audience tuned in out of habit and Rivers brought her own fans along for the ride.

This same philosophy applies to your blog. Pick the right “guest host” and your site may very well see a rise in traffic — including those all-important unique visitors. Wondering what the ideal qualities are in the perfect guest blogger? I’m glad you asked.

1. They Should Be Different. If you bring in guest bloggers who write like exactly like you, your readers may not notice the difference.

2. They Should Have a Following. Let them bring their fans to your blog. They may come for the guest blogger, but they’ll stay if your site is worth exploring.

3. They Should Comment on Your Blog. If they’re already reading your blog and adding comments, they’re probably going to write a great guest-blogging article. After all, they’re familiar with your site and you can see where their passions lie by what they say in your comments section.

4. They Should Understand Social Media and Content Marketing. Guest bloggers aren’t hard to find. They should be active content marketers who “get” social media and understand that every blog post should be a conversation starter containing relevant information.

Summer’s almost here. Now’s the time to line up your guest bloggers. Starting early will give your “guest host” time to prepare smart, comment-worthy content that your clients will love.

Those are my top 4 qualities in a guest blogger. Can you think of others? Add them in comments below.

Want to be my guest blogger? Email me and be prepared to put your own twist on copywriting, grammar, editing, social media, blogging or anything else you can offer the visitors and readers of this site.

A client of mine, satisfied with the website pages I had written for him, once asked if I would update his company’s brochure. “Just throw some stuff from the website on it and send me an invoice,” he said. Now I enjoy invoicing as much as the next freelancer, but if my client wanted a brochure that read well and produced results, I knew I would need to put in more effort than a simple copy-and-paste of his Web copy.

Good brochure writing is a lost art. Thanks to information-dense websites, the lean-and-mean, six-panel folded brochure has lost some of its prestige over the past decade. But that doesn’t make it any less an effective modern sales tool when written properly.

The brochure is a surprisingly versatile marketing piece. You can:

• hand it to prospective clients at sales presentations.
• mail it to interested parties following sales calls.
• insert it into marketing folders at trade shows.
• leave a stack of them in the community area of a local coffee house.

6 Panels to Perfection

Let’s look at the elements that go into writing a traditional, six-panel tri-fold brochure. We’ll assume you’re working with a talented graphic designer and printer that will transform an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper into a brand-strengthening, deal-closing secret weapon.

Panel 1 – The Front Cover. When folded, this is the first thing the reader sees. Don’t blow it. This panel usually fulfills a few simple goals: identify the company, the need and the product or service. It should be strong enough to get the reader to open the brochure, but not so full of content that he or she won’t need to. This panel is sometimes used as a teaser and may not include a company’s name or logo.

Panel 2 – What’s In It for Them? Here’s where you’ll list the benefits of your service. Remember that clients don’t care what you’re selling unless you communicate the benefits to them. Will their work or personal lives improve? Will they profit from it? Is it fun? Can they afford to live without it?

Panel 3 – The Product or Service. This panel often precedes Panel 2 and that’s fine—it’s a style choice, but I enjoy a slow, deliberate buildup. It’s a classic selling technique that was used frequently by the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs at his product launches. What have you got to say? Why do I need something new? And, oh, by the way, what is it?

Panel 4 – How It Works. Good job! You’ve piqued the reader’s interest in the first half of the brochure. Now what? This is your chance to give additional details about your product or service. You may also talk about the ordering process or any aspect of the sales cycle that will slowly persuade customers to buy from you.

Panel 5 – The Testimonial. One of the most effective sales strategies is the testimonial. Until a client buys from you, you’re still a gamble in the eyes of the consumer. You need help to close the deal. Choosing unsolicited, smartly-written recommendations from “raving fans” may be the difference between winning and losing business.

Panel 6 – The Call to Action. Whenever a client tells me their brochure doesn’t work, I immediately flip it over to the back panel and look for the call to action. More often than not, it doesn’t exist. So let’s review: You teased them, you told them they need it, you described it, you explained it, you gave them a client’s gushing stamp of approval and then you left the back panel blank so you can mail it. Huh? Are you kidding? You’ve left out the most important part. Make the client pick up the phone, drive to your store or log on to your website. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of room for mailing information. A call to action may consist of one simple sentence, but it drives sales like nothing else.

Some examples include:

• Call now for a free consultation.
• Act now! Limited time offer.
• Bring this coupon and save 20% off your first order.
• Register today to guarantee your reservation.

Those are the parts of a perfect brochure. It’s not simply “stuff” culled from your website. There’s a strategy involved. Does your brochure contain all six elements listed above?

Now, for my own call to action:
You need a brochure that closes customers as efficiently as your best salesperson. Call Tannuzzo Copywriting today for a free consultation.

Writer A: Those of a certain mind who believe that writing endlessly long, phrase-heavy, clause-jammed sentences chock-full of adjectives, prepositions, metaphors and—of course—adverbs, are doomed to fail miserably, because they simply don’t see that while grammatically correct, these bloated sentences are completely drowning the writer’s primary message under a tidal wave of unnecessary clutter and bluster.

Writer B: Shorter sentences deliver clearer messages.

Ever read a long editorial or a comment on a website where someone writes like Writer A? It’s hard to endure. Sometimes you leave the page before you’ve understood the point. Writers attempting to show their education, vocabulary or expertise often fall into this trap. OK, we get it: You’re smart. But you’re also losing the interest of your readers. Limited space and time constraints force writers to compress their copywriting coal into gleaming, polished diamonds.

Pass these tips along to your friends who use 40 words where 10 will do:

1. Long paragraphs were meant for novels, not business writing. You only get a few seconds to capture a potential client’s interest. Pare down your sentences to show one big idea. It should be crystal clear. Suppose the people at Nike proposed the following in place of their “Just Do It” slogan:

“We would like to suggest—somewhat boldly, we might add—that the world would be better served if its inhabitants moved from a sedentary lifestyle to that of a more active, productive and healthy one.”

ZZZZZZZZ. Boring. Each sentence on your website or brochure is like a quick jab that leads to a knockout.

2. It’s OK to split your sentences in two. Even if it breaks the grammar rules you were taught in fifth grade. (See what I did there?)

3. Take a lesson from Twitter. The 140-character limit will force you to make your point succinctly.

4. There’s nothing wrong with drafting a long, information-packed sentence. But once you’ve finished writing, it’s critical to go back and edit your work.

5. Read billboards, blogs and brochures. Pay close attention to TV commercials and radio ads. Limited space and time constraints force writers to compress their copywriting coal into the gleaming, polished diamonds that get attention and make people buy your products and services.

Effective writing takes time—especially when you’re trying to persuade a potential client to buy from you. Factor in how long it takes for the reader to decide if they’re interested. Sometimes you only get a few seconds.

Here’s your homework: Go through every piece of your company’s marketing collateral, from your brochures to your business cards. Is the material confusing to the reader? Is your message buried so far down that your readers will give up digging for it? Are you saying in pages what could be delivered in a few potent paragraphs? If you can identify these issues, your readers have, too. It may have lost you their business.

Make the conscious decision to edit and strengthen your writing. If you need help, ask for it. The return on your investment will be worth the extra time or money spent on marketing your business.