Posted by: candice
on Feb 20, 2012
With 800 Million users already registered, Facebook is the premier social media website. With this opportunity to reach prospective clients, many businesses are creating Facebook pages to promote their products and services and build their social media presence. If you’re thinking of joining the ranks of these Facebook entrepreneurs, remember the golden rule: your page is only as good as the number of visitors it attracts.
Make your page magnetic
If you want your Facebook page to keep clocking up the ‘likes’, here are some strategies you can apply to establish your presence and generate new leads – by making your page a magnet for visitors.
Use Widgets: By embedding your Facebook page in your company website or blog, you’ll draw more visitors who will ‘like’ what they see!
Add your Facebook web address to your email signature – everyone you correspond with by email will be able to visit your page.
Link your personal Facebook page to your company’s page. Your friends and colleagues will easily be able to visit and ‘like’ your page, or recommend it to their friends.
Link your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts to your Facebook page by tweeting the link regularly and adding your page to your LinkedIn profile.
Use Facebook Ads – they are a great way of directing people to your site, and if you can get fans to ‘like’ you in the ads, all the better!
How to be liked a lot
Once you have 25 likes or more, you can create a page which contains your company name in the title. After you’ve done this, keep the likes coming by making your page attractive and enticing. Don’t direct fans to your wall where other fans’ messages may bore them, instead make your landing page the focal point, with a great design and regular videos, links to other sites, and competitions to keep your fans returning.
Don’t forget regular status updates, which will keep your page in sight and very much in mind. It’s also important to interact with your fans by replying to comments, and offering answers and solutions to questions they may have.
Posted by: candice
on Jan 24, 2012
Writing ‘compelling’ copy is one of the trademarks of any good copywriter. By compelling your readers, you are encouraging them to act, convincing them of the value of something (usually a product or service), and informing them in an entertaining way – without ever being pushy. If this is your goal as a writer, here is a great tip – don’t write for a demographic, write for a person.
Persuading the Individual
Every business has a target market, be they young professional men under 35, women approaching retirement age, or married couples in their 40s with one child. When you receive a brief that includes demographic information, try to look beyond the dry numbers and imagine the type of person you want to compel – it’s easier than you think!
No matter what demographic you’re dealing with, you probably know someone who fit the description in your brief to a tee. Plan your writing with that person in mind, and ask yourself the following questions:
- What does this person like to do in his or her spare time?
- Does this person have a lot of time on their hands or very little? This will influence your writing style.
- What stage in life is this person at?
- What kind of everyday language does the person use?
- What goals and dreams lie ahead for this person?
- What would make this person laugh, or make their day?
If you can answer most of these questions confidently, you’re well on your way to knowing your target market. Armed with this information, you’ll be able to write copy that is truly compelling – in other words, copy that speaks to the reader, copy your reader can relate to like a chat with an old friend.
Once you’ve established a comfortable tone with your reader, you’ll find your copy goes down extremely well with the target market. With compelling copy like this, you’ll see the results you really want!
Posted by: candice
on Jan 18, 2012
Using copyright material without permission is one of the mistakes copywriters try to avoid the most. While it’s understandable that copyright holders should be protected by the law, we often don’t realise that there is a wealth of material we are permitted to use – as long as we credit the copyright holder. This is known as ‘fair use’.
In the words of internet marketing guru Seth Godin, “copyright is not an absolute. Potato chips are an absolute”. In using this witty expression, Godin is explaining an important fact: I may not be able to take a potato chip from you without your permission - it’s yours after all, not mine. However, copyright does not work like this.
The key to understanding fair use is to remember that you are allowed to quote someone else’s work as long as you give the author credit for what he or she has written. Fair use allows comparisons to be made and permits the free flow of information. Here are some useful facts about what online content you may use:
- You may provide a link to any website without asking the site owner’s permission. You may also freely use a website screenshot in a directory or piece of writing.
- When it comes to written material, you can quote many pages of a book without the publisher’s permission. However, songs and poems are not so free to use – you should obtain permission when reproducing these in full.
- Photos are a tricky subject. If you are commenting on the photo itself (for example, if you write for a photography journal) you may be free to use it. However, when selecting images for your website or blog posts you should be very careful that the image you are using is in the public domain.
Finally, always remember that once you’ve written any original document in a tangible form – be it a Word document, a printout or on a website – it is immediately copyright material. Adding a small © is a useful way of telling others that the material is copyright, but no special registration is needed.
Posted by: candice
on Nov 29, 2011
Ask any writer what his or her greatest challenge is and you’ll probably get the same answer: writer’s block.
If you sometimes feel a little apprehensive looking at a blank page or computer screen, you aren’t alone. In fact, difficulty in starting a piece of writing is one of the three most common problems that all writers face. After starting the piece, the other two challenges are writing the body without too much waffle and ending the piece correctly.
Each writer has his or her own style, adapting the content according to the type of copy that is being written. Nonetheless, there are several tips that all writers can apply to beat writer’s block. Next time you are struggling to get those words down, ask yourself the following statements:
What is the goal of my copy?
Once you’ve decided on a theme for your piece of writing, or have been given one, you should ask yourself what the copy’s purpose will be. Generally speaking, content marketing copy should aim to both educate and persuade the reader. Once you have a goal in mind, your writing will start to take shape.
Ask the right questions
To a reader who may be interested in the subject you’re writing on, nothing could be better than an article that answers the most common questions he or she may have. To guide your reader through a new and interesting subject, give a brief introduction and then ask – and answer – several questions. Remember to answer them all, because an unanswered question can become a barrier to education and persuasion.
It’s all in the headlines
Before you get down to writing think of a catchy headline and some sub-headings, remembering that these have to be catchy and relevant to the subject you’re writing on. They should also correspond to the questions you are setting out to answer.
Fill in the rest
Once your basic writing skeleton is laid down, fill in the gaps and let your creativity soar! Since you know what questions to answer you won’t find yourself waffling and a focussed writer is always a good writer. Don’t forget to edit your piece, reading it as if you are seeing it for the first time and making changes accordingly.
Posted by: admin
on Feb 07, 2011
On January 19th a new alliance was signed into existence which will change the copywriting industry, amongst others, forever. The Alliance of Language and Media Practitioners (LAMP) is the result of months of discussions between the Professional Editors Group (PEG), the South African Translators Institute (SATI), the Writers’ Guild of SA (WGSA) and the South African Freelancers’ Association (SAFREA) – to join forces officially to support and publicize the rights, talents and general recognition of language and media practitioners.