 Careful word choice builds trust among your ideal customersOne of the companies I write for is in the process of rebranding at the moment, and part of that process involves a reworking of the tone of voice principles they apply to customer communication. It’s a large company with an international presence, so this is no small undertaking – and yet an objective observer might conclude that the tone-of-voice change they’re implementing, which involves changing just one adjective in the keywords they use to describe the kind of copy they want us to write, is minimal.
An objective observer might conclude as much, but they’d be wrong. This one tiny tweak represents a seismic shift for the copy I’ll be writing. That’s how important it is to make sure you’ve got your tone of voice principles absolutely on point. Whether you’re considering a TOV re-think, starting from scratch, or worrying that you haven’t given yours enough thought, read on for some key principles that you can apply to help move you in the right direction.
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 Why your word choice might be costing you salesOne thing you will never find me doing is making blanket statements about the passive voice. In addition to copywriting, I’m a published novelist, and I know perfectly well that the passive voice is a respectable, functional and necessary element of the English language. There are some sentences that simply don’t work as intended in the active voice (“She was elected by over 50% of voters,” for example, transposes inelegantly from the passive), and I have little time for the kind of advice that suggests this particular construction should be avoided (see what I did there?) at all costs.
However. Copywriting is not like novel writing. There are crossover points, for sure – both involve telling a story, both strive to activate the reader’s imagination, and both involve evoking the reader’s senses in the service of an overall goal. But the key difference is that the goal of copywriting is to sell: an item, a service, a company, an idea. That’s where the passive voice makes things more complicated. Here’s why. Four things every website needs Website not converting? Try these four tipsIf you’ve ever stared in resignation at a woeful month’s website stats, you might be wondering if an online presence is actually worth the time and money. The short answer is yes – you definitely do, as several studies have shown. Websites build brand credibility, they increase your visibility and – unlike a Facebook page (which is very definitely an “as well as” and not an “instead of” when it comes to your online footprint) – you have control over metrics, algorithms and display format on your own site.
So, what can you do if your website doesn’t seem to be earning its keep? The answer is very likely that one or more of the key pages aren’t doing what you need them to do. And that’s not always as obvious as you might think…  SEO – or Search Engine Optimization – is huge: both in importance to your online business and in complexity. For a business to find its online market, it’s got to rank highly on a search engine page, but in a crowded marketplace, that’s increasingly difficult. And with the algorithms behind SEO constantly evolving, it can feel like an absolute nightmare for the technically disinclined to keep up with the dos and don’ts of optimization. Fortunately, help is at hand, and it’s plentiful, accessible, and a lot of it is free. So, read on if you’re searching for resources to help you get to grips with the constantly changing world of SEO – there are some absolute blinders out there, and I’m going to list a few of my favourites below.
 As a copywriter, I see it all the time: a beautiful, well-crafted, visually impressive website. Professional photos. Easy to navigate. Trustpilot stars or Amazon reviews — sometimes both. Testimonials from past clients. And, yes, this is all great and really important, but do you know what’s missing? The heart of the organisation’s online presence. The one big thing every website needs in order to build brand rapport with its users.
An About page. Now, I’m not going to claim that your About page is as critical as your homepage in that 0.05 second (yes, that’s 5 milliseconds) window that you have to catch the attention of a casual visitor before they decide to navigate away. Your homepage is your front door: it’s where new arrivals size you up and choose whether or not they want to step over the threshold. But think of the About page, in this analogy, as the family room of your brand’s house. Sure, you could have stark, white walls, no furniture, and no decoration save a professional headshot tacked to the door, but does that encourage your guests to stay? Or does it possibly make them wonder if there’s something you don’t want them to know? |
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