The first rule of copywriting, be it web copy, blog copy, social media copy (you get the drift) is to talk to your audience. Not at them, not at the search engines, but directly to the audience you’re trying to engage with.
What’s happened to the idea of stuffing your copy with as many keywords as possible, so it’s picked up by the bots? Don’t get us wrong, keywords are still important, but the search engines have grown up a little.
We all hear this phrase bandied around a lot, especially in the context of websites, but exactly what is *SEO? At a basic level, it’s the key words and phrases people use to find your website. They need to be dotted around your copy so Google and the like pick up your site when certain combinations of words are entered. But of course, it’s not as simple as that; there are several other factors you need to consider, such as the age of your site, platforms people are searching on, the increasing sophistication of search engines...check out our SEO Workshop
Once you’ve established your keywords, what do you do with them? They need to form part of your digital marketing strategy – part, not all. You can’t rely on bots to push your site up the rankings, you need customer interaction to do that. Make sure you are engaging with your customers as if they are actual people. Which they are. The best way to do this is to give them what they want to read; copy and brand messaging that holds interest and will encourage them to interact with you.
Consider the daily bombardment of online ads, messages and offers, not to mention those on the TV, radio, billboards… What makes you click on an ad, a web page, take a second look? It’s unlikely to be hard sell, clunky and laboured. That’s what you need to employ in your copy – speak directly to your customer, tap into their needs and wants and give them copy that’s appealing, relevant and engaging.
Social media is continuing its stratospheric rise – why not utilise the platforms more? No doubt you already have a presence on various platforms, whichever of the several that work best for you. It’s more difficult to stuff your social posts with too many keyboards as it quickly becomes obvious what you’re trying got do – an instant turn off. Talk to your customer, understand the different uses of the different platforms and pitch to the right demographic. Then let them forward, repost, share your content for you. You can provide the groundwork but engage with your audience and let them do the leg work.
In essence, proceed with keyword caution. Undoubtedly you need them but take the time to understand how and where to use them. Don’t lose sight of that fact that your customer is a real person, like you, who deserves quality, organic and perceptive information about your brand.
*linked article 'What is SEO Marketing? The Ultimate Guide for Beginners' - Andriu Barreto
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