Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

5 Content Marketing Questions: Getting readers to take action

Here's a final note in my blog post series about writing good content on the Web that gets results. In Maria Velosa's 2009 edition of Web Copy that Sells, she suggests 5 questions your copy should answer: (Photo Credit: Shutterstock)

1. What is the problem (pain, predicament)?
2. Why hasn't this problem been solved?
3. What is possible?
4. What is different now?
5. What should you do now?

As you answer these questions, you lead readers down a path towards action. Good content on the Web, when it's well written, should:

• Educate
• Entertain
• Engage readers
• Enrich lives

If at all possible, you should strive to enrich the lives of your readers as well. Try to make their lives better by showing them how they can save time, energy or money.

Question #4: What is different now?

How will your product or service make your readers' lives different? This is where you explain who you are, how you know what you're talking about, how your product or service can help them, and what's different about your product or service that will eliminate their problem.

Content Marketing Questions: What's Possible?

Question #3: What is possible?

In Maria Velosa's Web Copy That Sells book, there is a 5-step blueprint for writing on the Web. This is really what content marketing is all about. When you answer the following 5 questions, your writing tasks are simplified and your copy becomes clear.

1. What is the problem (pain, predicament)?
2. Why hasn't this problem been solved?
3. What is possible?
4. What is different now?
5. What should you do now?

First answer question #1, what's the problem. Then, answer questions #2, why hasn't the problem been solved? Then answer question #3, what's possible?

As you write out several sentences to answer these questions, you'll lead your readers through a path that leads to action. Action is the goal for all good content designed to market your business on the Web.

Content Marketing Question #2: Why Hasn't This Problem Been Solved?

I'm reviewing Maria Velosa's Web Copy that Sells, 2nd Edition, recently released. Her 5 simple steps for writing on the web are:  

1. What is the problem (pain, predicament)?
2. Why hasn't this problem been solved?
3. What is possible?
4. What is different now?
5. What should you do now?

Question #2, Why hasn't this problem been solved? This is a great opportunity to address the challenges your readers and potential customers face.

You have a chance to show you understand your readers well, and you have an expert's understanding of the subject matter. You can delve into the history of the problem, providing insights they may have never thought of.

5 Questions to Ask for Writing Great Web Content #1: What's the Problem?

Organize and simplify your Web writing by asking 5 important questions:

1. What is the problem (pain, predicament)?
2. Why hasn't this problem been solved?
3. What is possible?
4. What is different now?
5. What should you do now?

As you write your copy, you should cover each of the answers. This will keep you on task, and lead your readers through to action. I suppose it depends on what you're writing, but I can't think of many web pages, blog posts, newsletter articles where these 5 questions wouldn't be appropriate.

I've been re-reading Maria Velosa's Web Copy that Sells this week. Her blueprint for creating simple copy that works to market your products and services is clear. There's a reason it's organized this way.

A Simple Blueprint for Writing Web Content that Gets Results

The rules haven't changed, but it's surprising how many people start writing on the web without regard for the basics. Many people focus on the medium, the latest shiny tool: the blog, the Twitter tweets, and Facebook updates, without regard for the basic rules of writing copy for the Web.

Content marketing is a buzz word because marketing people like new buzzes, and it sure beats writing advertisements that get ignored. But smart marketers know the rules and never forget them. Even if the Internet changes at lightening speed, the writing basics for copy are the same.

I'm a newbie, I've only been writing marketing copy for ten years. Before that, I was a journalist and a psychologist so I wrote feature articles and academic papers. Writing content for marketing is different. It's designed to produce an action, most often sales.

Every once in a while, I go back to the basics. A standard learning tool for many copywriters is Maria Veloso's Web Copy that Sells, originally published in 2004. The 2nd edition is now out and I've been reviewing and re-reading it. Good stuff.

Here's a recap of some really key nuggets from this book:

Great Options: How to create a no-brainer

I just read something in Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely that blows me away. The Economist offered 3 options on their website for subscriptions:

1. Economist.com subscription - $59 for online access
2. Print subscription - $125 for printed issues
3. Print & Web subscription - $125 for both print and online editions

Wait a minute. Logically, this makes no sense. From a potential subscribers point of view, it's a no-brainer to choose option #3. Which is precisely what the magazine wants you to do.

This is really good marketing. It seems as consumers, we don't really understand the value of something unless it's relative to something else. When you can see options in context, it's easier to make a decision.

"In the case of the Economist, the decision between the Internet-only and print-only options would take a bit of thinking. Thinking is difficult and sometimes unpleasant. So the Economist's marketers offered us a no-brainer: relative to the print-only option, the print and Internet options looks clearly superior."

How can you apply this to your content writing? Well, if you're writing to get people to take some sort of action, give them options. Then make one option vastly superior.

How to Write for the Web - Copywriting Intensive

 Here's an opportunity to immerse yourself for three days and learn how to write great content for the Web. This is important for any small business professional, even if you hire a copywriter for your big projects.

Why? Because everything you write on the Web, your blog posts, your Twitter messages, your email broadcasts, should do all of these things:

1. Grab the attention of your ideal prospects
2. Keep them interested to read your entire message
3. Connect with them on a human level
4. Provide useful information that appeals to learning styles
5. Move your readers to some sort of action

Otherwise, your content will not market you, or build your brand, it won't attract the right people, and your business won't grow using the magnetic power of the Internet.

No other skill is as important than writing for the Web. Okay, delivering your products and services is important, but if your writing doesn't interest prospects, you won't have customers!

The American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI) is teaching what you need to know about web writing:

AWAI Web Copywriting Intensive:
Words That Work - Converting Your Web Traffic to Cash!
Austin, Texas, February 15-18, 2009

How to Write an Email Promotion Message... 6 Rules to Guide You

This is my follow-up to yesterday's post: How NOT to Write an Email Promotion Message. It's so easy to pick out what's wrong with something; the real crux is in correcting an email to make it sizzle.

Pat McGraw of McGraw Marketing contributed a great comment which sums up what is wrong with the previous email message: "This laundry list of stuff has no clearly stated benefits and is more about the Famous Guru that it is about the recipient of the offer(s)."

I agree with Pat about what's wrong:

1. No greeting, nothing with my name
2. No reason given why this is important to me
3. Only give me one thing to think about at a time, otherwise too many choice, no action will be taken.

There are others, but clearly the biggest one is not addressing the needs or wants of the reader. What's in it for me?

Even if I know who is sending me a message, I still need the reasons to care to be spelled out. Why? We're all busy with our own stuff. So if you don't spell it out for me, fuggitaboutit, I delete and move on.

Rule #1: Grab my attention. Here's a clue. I scan email headlines to decide what needs to be read. If your subject line isn't compelling, I ignore your email.

How NOT to Write an Email Promotion Message...

I opened his email because I like to know how famous consultants are marketing themselves. I was expecting some words of wisdom and maybe to pick up a nugget or two. But I got the following promotion message. See if you can understand what's wrong with it, then we can look at how to make an email promo message better:

From: [Name of Famous Best-Selling Author/Guru]
Subject: End of Year Reminder from "Famous Guru"

The discount for the 2009 teleconference series expires on December 31, so register NOW if you're interested in this very popular series at a huge discount:
[link]

There is a new XYZ program scheduled for Spring, only six people... two spots are already taken. Register on the earlier course site until the new one is up, this is brand new:
[link]

ABC scheduled, beginning to fill:
[link]

Last call for $0 to $300,000, turbo-charge the start of your year, four seats remain:
[link]

Have a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous New Year.

You know what? I'm going to open this up to you readers to dissect. Give me 3 things you think are wrong with this from a marketing perspective. Tell me why you think this message falls flat, or isn't effective in getting people to take action, or in getting any kind of positive reaction.

Keep in mind this guy is really famous in his niche and has a large following of fans and then tell me if you think this has any bearing on the quality of the message. Personally, I think he should know better, or hire better people to write his email messages.

Content Marketing Interview with Allison Nazarian, copywriter and founder of Get It in Writing

Allison Nazarian is a young copywriter with a lot to offer. She uses content to market her services on the Web, and helps her clients to do so through her company Get It in Writing.

In our continuing series of interviews about content marketing, we share her experiences here:

1. Tell us what your profession is, and who your typical clients are.

The core expertise of my company, Get It In Writing, is copywriting. This branches out into more broad marketing consulting for certain clients. Typical clients run the gamut from one-person entrepreneurial ventures to Fortune 500 and publicly-traded corporations. 

All need WORDS (ie copy) for websites, blogs, newsletters, print pieces (though print is less and less popular, I must say), press materials, sales kits, etc.