What’s worse: Fat or sugar?

The diet hype has propagated a theory that fatty foods and fat in general is the main cause for obesity in people across the world. The general advice to those who wish to lose weight seems to be something similar to, “Just cut out fat from your diet, and exercise regularly.”

But is this advice sound? Does it correspond with the newest studies done on the problem of obesity? The short answer is “No!” Let’s take a look at how the no-fat fallacy has crept into our thinking and what the real culprit in obesity is.

 

The no-fat revolution and its side effects

Fifteen years ago you’d be hard-pressed to find a diet book that told you eating fat was fine. And yet there was not enough demonization of sugar either. Fat was considered to be the main cause of obesity while sugar was left mostly unchecked.

But with newer studies we now understand that depriving your body of fat will make you… you guessed it; FAT! What so many people fail to recognize is that not putting fat into your body will cause your body to frantically store the fat it already has. This is a basic survival mechanism your body has.

Now let’s turn our attention to sugar. Eating foods that contain processed sugars causes a vicious cycle which you will soon see. Sugar in the body that is not burnt up will eventually be stored as fat. Now because you’re not eating fat, your body is holding on to those fat reserves for dear life. The result: obesity, as well as a multitude of other health problems.

 

Hidden sugar everywhere

What’s worse about this vicious cycle is that it sneaks up on people without them realizing it. You may be trying to avoid sugar as much as you can, but there are a multitude of foods that contain sugar. If you aren’t educated about what certain foods contain, you may be consuming a lot of sugar without even realizing it.

Something as simple as commercial bread is packed with processed sugar. Yoghurt is thought to be a healthy snack, but almost all flavoured yoghurts contain some form of sugar. Cereal is another culprit that is sadly consumed by children and adults every day. These are just a few.

 

Added sugar is not a food – it’s a chemical

There are many forms of raw sugar that come across in nature. These include fruit, honey, corn, sugar cane, and starchy vegetables and grains such as potatoes or rice. However, once these sugars come into contact with processing plants, they take on a new property. They are chemically altered into things like processed sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, etc. These sugars are then added to the everyday food you consume and then wreak havoc on your health.

Something else to consider is that when companies add sugar to their products, they are doing so for one reason: to make more profits. They know that adding chemically altered sugar is a sure way to sell more of their product by getting people to crave it more.

 

The dangers of cutting fat out of your diet

Add to this the fact that you have been told by your dietician or doctor to stop eating fat. Fat plays an important role in the healthy functioning of your body. Cholesterol from eggs has been shown as an essential ingredient in brain function. Omega fatty acids are also important for a healthy heart, while other oils are excellent for joints and cartilage function.

As already mentioned, eating fat is also a good way of losing weight. By letting your body know that it gets regular amounts of fat, it will release the fat it already has instead of holding on to it as a survival method.

 

Conclusion

Imagine the disinformation out there saying that fat is bad and sugar is good. According to many tests, the opposite is now believed to be true by reputable nutritionists. Unfortunately, this information seems to have escaped modern South African nutritionists who are still peddling the no-fat fallacy. It’s time to get the most up-to-date information on the subject and start telling people the truth about why they are unable to lose weight.

7 Copywriting tricks for SEO-focused landing pages – by Olivia Colville

A well-crafted landing page can drive more traffic to your website. But visitors have to find your landing page before you can direct them to your website. SEO copywriting is the art of writing copy that helps your content to rank well in searches. This is how copywriters in South Africa get your company in front of potential customers.

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  1. Attention-grabbing headlines

Without a headline that ticks all the boxes, your visitors won’t click on the link to read the rest of your content. Studies have shown that headlines with a number in the title tend to attract more attention.

 

If you want your whole headline to show up in search results, keep it down to 65 characters or less. Include at least one of your keywords in your headline for best results.

 

  1. Crisp and clear copy

Your visitors are busy people, so keep your content short and sweet. Remove adverbs and use the active voice to hold their attention. Delete unnecessary details and don’t explain the obvious.

 

  1. Answer every question

Don’t be afraid of including as much information as you need to answer all your prospects questions. While your copy shouldn’t be bloated, there’s no limit to the length of your landing page. It may depend on your product or audience, but always take the opportunity to provide visitors with all the information they need to make a decision.

 

  1. Speak to your customer

Don’t be tempted to rattle on about your company or your product. The focus should be on the prospect and what benefits they’ll get from using your products and service. Use the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ before ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’. This is a tip that can be applied to any form of copywriting.

 

  1. Include long-tail keywords

Did you know that 40% of searches consist of phrases made up of four words? Copywriters know that while long-tail keywords may only be searched for every 2 – 3 months, it’s still important to include them.  Your landing page should draw qualified leads to your website. If a visitor has used a long-tail keyword to find your landing page, chances are they’re interested in what you have to offer.

Quick tip: Managing the data of short-tail and long-tail keywords can be challenging at scale. Use a tool like Linkio to keep your various keywords organized.

 

  1. Use the language your customers use

Blog comments, social media sites and product reviews are all places where you can get a feel for the language your customers use. Learn how to speak to them in a language they understand and your landing page will resonate better with new visitors.

 

  1. Make your content original

Search engines don’t appreciate duplicate content. Make sure the copy you use on your landing pages is original and unique. While you can copy style and content, don’t be tempted to copy and paste words directly from another page on your website.

 

If you’re battling to write your own landing pages, consider hiring a South African copywriter with the skill of writing landing pages that deliver. It takes time to produce a well-crafted landing page, but it’s worth the effort. A landing page that’s SEO-focused will drive qualified leads to your website and increase your profits.

7 commonalities between junk food and drugs

There are some glaring similarities between illegal drug use, and food addiction. Certain food are actually designed to make you crave them again and again. As a society, we have no qualms condemning drugs as dangerous and reckless. Shouldn’t we start adopting a mindset that condemns dangerous foods that contain addictive and damaging properties?

Here are seven similarities between drug addiction and food addiction that must be recognized.

 

  1. Wanting more and more

One thing that’s evident about junk food and sugar is that the more you eat, the more you seem to want to eat. You can do an experiment at home and eat food that contains high sugar. Even if you don’t crave more right away, chances are your body will crave more later on. After a while you will feel sluggish—and maybe even a little guilty—resulting in the desire to eat more sugar.

The sugar in food increases serotonin in the brain (a hormone that makes us feel happiness and comfort). This same hormone is aggressively stimulated by hard drugs. The problem with over stimulation of serotonin is that at some point, your brain hits a low because of depletion. The only way to get that ‘high’ back is by eating more of the same foods that caused the stimulation in the first place.

 

  1. A lack of satiation

There are two different types of enjoyment when eating.

  • The on is the satisfaction of hunger. Your body gets hungry for certain nutrients that it needs, and you satisfy the hunger with nutritious food. This in turn helps you to enjoy your food and feel good about eating.
  • The other is eating because of the way the food makes you feel. It tastes good, and therefore makes you think you are satisfying your hunger.

The problem with the second type of enjoyment is that it can easily override the natural feeling of hunger. Basically, you are feeding yourself with food that is satisfying a craving, but not the actual hunger. This results in a nutrition deficiency and if unchecked, full blown food addiction.

Drugs work in very much the same way as the second form of eating. Your brain tells you that it needs the chemical, but in actual fact your body is being damaged by it. When you crave sugar or junk food, your body doesn’t need it at all. The chemical is fooling your brain into thinking you do.

 

  1. Damage to the body

That brings us to the third similarity. The very food that is triggering your brain’s serotonin is actually causing very real damage to your body. Like drugs, if you continue to eat unhealthy food, you will incrementally damage your health and cause irreversible side effects.

In addition to the dangerous chemicals entering your body, you are also depriving your body of the nutrition it does need. This of course causes further damage.

 

  1. Conditioning of the brain

If a habit is formed where eating in a certain way becomes the norm, then breaking out of that habit is extremely difficult. Because of the chemicals involved, the brain will continue to signal for more of the substance.

Now to be fair, for some, breaking off a food addiction is relatively easier than breaking off a drug addiction; but the science remains the same. There has to be a cold turkey effect—a breaking off of the substance in order to replenish balance.

 

  1. Replacing the ambitions

A scary part about food addiction is that is can consume you as much as any other substance abuse problem. In a sense, the food addict lives for his or her next ‘fix’. The only thing some people look forward to is their next meal or snack.

This can lead to a serious lack of drive and ambition. Instead of working on their careers or achieving their goals, they develop an obsession with eating. This of course is not due to the eating itself; it stems from the chemical reaction certain foods have on the brain.

 

  1. Secrets and lack of self confidence

There is a strong emotional attachment to junk food binging as well as drug use. Many people who struggle with their weight are ashamed to eat in public. Why? Because actively partaking in the action that is causing the problem creates a sense of guilt.

Drug use is also done in secret. The association we have with a drug user is someone who locks themselves in a dark room and partakes of their guilty pleasure. Food binging is no different.

 

  1. The need for rehabilitation

There is a series of symptoms that officially determine whether or not a person is addicted or not. These symptoms are not physical, but behavioural. They include:

  • Wanting to quit but not being able to
  • Not quitting despite negative physical symptoms
  • An addictive mindset that uses the substance as an escape

As many therapists will tell you, the best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a new one. When it comes to food addiction, good habits like exercise, healthy eating, self confidence, etc. can become strong motivators in curbing destructive behaviour.

 

These similarities are actually quite frightening. It shows that we have come to a point where we must unapologetically view sugar as a drug. If you have recognized these symptoms in yourself or anyone you know, it may be time to confront binge eating for what it really is: An addiction.

5 Mistakes I see in South African advertising

All Copywriters will tell you a similar story. From when they were young, they noticed silly little mistakes in ads. Whether they’re TV ads, radio ads, or billboards (okay, ESPECIALLY billboard ads!) For me, nothing has changed. In fact, it’s gotten worse. While I appreciate a good advert, the bad ones irk me. And it’s not only adverts themselves. It’s the WAY companies market themselves.

 

  1. Still handing out pamphlets? Seriously?

This probably happens everywhere, but in South Africa it is falsely believed to be the main way of advertising. Handing out flyers, pamphlets and catalogues is one of the most ineffective ways to market your company. If you’re still doing this, YOU MUST STOP NOW!

New businesses fall into this trap so easily. They see it as cheap, easy and effective. The truth is you are giving your marketing efforts less than a 1% success rate. You are annoying potential customers, wasting paper and making yourself look desperate. Again: STOP NOW!

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  1. The ‘WE-OUR-US’ mistake

Another big mistake I often see (and notice straight way) is the use of “We” or “Our” at the beginning of a sentence. Do you really think the customer cares about you or your team? No! An advert is not an interview. It’s a message telling people that they can benefit; they are missing out; they will enjoy something…

A good ad always starts with the words, “You” and “Your”. If it’s not possible to start with these words, at least use words that won’t make the reader instantly lose interest.

 

  1. Failure to adequately grab attention

These are the factors that can win or lose your customer in the first few seconds. An unfriendly face handing you a pamphlet. And the pamphlet is all about YOU—instead of the customer. No way, you haven’t got a chance…

Grab that customer’s attention. Speak to him/her. Ask them questions. Bombard them with benefits. Be relevant. Be exciting. This is what real copywriting can bring to your adverts!

 

  1. Colour confusion

Colours can often speak louder than words. Companies are using colours they think are either nice or relevant to their business. Again, it’s not about you. It’s about the customer. The colour you use is subconsciously telling your customer something about what they are getting if they bite. An insurance company that uses orange or purple? Facepalm!

 

  1. Too much emphasis on the name

Companies in South Africa have a tendency to place their name right above the advert. We see this on billboards, street pole ads and trailer posters all the time. The customers are actually surprisingly disinterested in your name. All they really want to know is what you can offer them.

While branding is important, always place your company name at the bottom of the advert. If you catch their attention and entice them, they’ll look for it eventually.

 

I’ll leave you with the words of Seth Godin. Feel free to contact me if you’d like any more info on how to make your ads stand out from the rest.

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The 6 most important SEO tips for 2016 – Copley Sutton

Anyone can make their business EXPLODE on the internet. Google search holds the key to website traffic and if you know Google’s secrets, YOU’RE IN! Fortunately for all of us internet marketers, a team of SEO experts have done a super important study and found out 170 factors that influence your website’s rank.

I’m not going to give you all of them—because that would be crazy! But I am going to give you the top six that you simply must do RIGHT NOW.

 

  1. Write longer blogs

The study showed that blogs reaching an average of 1890 words ranked higher than shorter blogs. Gone are the days where 400 or 600 words was enough. It seems that blogging will explode over the next year because now the 2000 word blog is the only way to cover everything that needs to be said about a particular topic.

 

  1. Cover all aspects of your topic

And that’s exactly what your blogs should aim to do. When a blog covers various aspects of your topic, people are more likely to click on it via Google. Why? Because the more questions you cover, the more likely it is that someone will find the answer by reading your blog. It just makes sense, right?

 

  1. Get website security

One aspect Google has never been shy to mention is that an “https” prefix in your URL ranks you higher. It’s that simple! Get website security and make sure you’re generating trust for your customers. It’s a small step that clearly makes a big difference.

Editor’s note: I personally did all the content for https://www.trustthesite.com/ and believe them to be the best vendor for website security.

 

  1. Increase your anchor text

Anchor text DOES make a difference to your rankings. Don’t let anyone tell you different. Add at least two anchor text links to each of your blogs which link back to your own website. Then, add at least one exact match anchor text link to that same blog so that you get a double score for mentioning your primary keywords. There’s a lot of stuff out there about this being bad—but that advice is grossly outdated.

 

If you’re reading this blog after 2016, these anchor text rules are still valid today. If you’re looking for a more updated article on anchor text, this great post by Outreach Mama is super comprehensive!

 

  1. Link to established websites

Linking your content to websites that are authoritative, popular or well established will also put you in Google’s good books. But don’t settle for the YouTubes and the Facebooks alone. Find out what the authoritative websites are in YOUR industry and link to them as well.

 

  1. Add images to your blogs

Blogs with at least one image were shown to rank higher that other posts. People want to see images on your website. Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook prove that images speak louder than words. Besides, if you want to use an image to relay content, use a MEME or an INFOGRAPHIC to do so. You won’t be disappointed in the results!

 

These are small changes you can make immediately to improve you ranking. If you’re looking for more advice on how to boost your Google ranking, contact our team of copywriters from South Africa and we’ll be glad to help. Good luck!

How to be better at ANYTHING

The story goes that the fussiest customer EVER was an elderly man who lived in a small town south of Dubai. He was cranky, unfriendly, hard to satisfy, and a bad tipper. Service workers in the area would bend over backwards to make him happy, but nothing worked. Soon, everyone stopped trying. After all, what was the point? Nothing was good enough for this guy. Their efforts were met with nothing but contempt, sneers and disapproving comments.

But a youngster at a fruit & vegetable shop simply wouldn’t give up. The fussy customer was a regular there. Every day he would pick up two apples and a bottle of grape juice. Determined to satisfy this man’s need for perfect customer service, the youngster ran to him every morning.

“Good morning, sir. “ How can I help you today?

The question made the man more disgruntled. “Pffft. If you don’t know that by now, you shouldn’t be working here!” he snapped.

And with that, he grabbed two apples and a bottle of grape juice—but not before shooting the look of death back at the youngster.

Unaffected by the customer’s brash attitude, the youngster made a mental note of the man’s grocery choice and readied himself for the next day.

The following morning saw the fussy customer making his way to the fruit stall. As usual, all the staff ignored the man, knowing that he was too much for them to handle. But to their surprise, the youngster ran towards the customer—two apples in one hand, and a bottle of grape juice in the other.

“Here you go sir.” He said, half out of breath. “Your usual.”

But his smile was received with a sneer and an irritable sigh. “You damn kid! LOOK! This apple is bruised and the grape juice isn’t cold anymore. Useless!”

The youngster hardly had a chance to apologise while the grumpy old man walked off to do it himself.

The days went by and each time the man found something wrong with the youngster’s efforts. Either the goods were faulty. Or the boy did something to annoy him. No matter how hard he tried, the customer never reached satisfaction.

Then one day (I think it was a Wednesday), the young man walked up to his grumpy customer. In one hand he confidently held two apples, and in the other a cold bottle of grape juice.

“Sir,” he said as the old man looked up. “Here’s your usual. Two apples that have been cleaned, shined and checked for bruises. And your bottle of grape juice was just brought in this morning and is still cold.”

The staff at the fruit and vegetable shop snickered at the young man’s attempt. ‘Was this guy a sucker for punishment or WHAT?’ They must have thought. They watched with interest at what the old man would retort next.

But instead of saying a word, the fussy customer looked at the young man with a slight grin. Taking the goods slowly, he walked over to the owner of the shop who was counting stock near the back. No one heard what was said between the two, the fussy customer pointed towards the frozen youngster at the front of the shop. The owner shook his head, the old man raised his voice, and the owner finally nodded in agreement.

The fussy customer left shortly afterwards—two apples and bottle of grape juice in his shopping bag. The owner walked over to the youngster and put his hands on his shoulder. “Young man, you are the only person in this store who was able to give that man EXACTLY what he wanted. Your days as a cleaner are over. How would you feel about managing my staff—starting today?”

And with those words the young man emptied out his dirty bucket of water, put away his mop, and accepted his promotion with a smile.

 

Be better than what you think you can be. It’s NOT about how many times you mess up. It’s about how many times you stand up and try again. Obstacles are nothing more than heavy weights you lift to get stronger. If you want it badly enough, it WILL be yours!

Copley Sutton

Copley’s Customer Diary #1 – Just not a good fit

Sometimes you get the opportunity to deal with clients who teach you a lot. Although negative feedback can be a sensitive issue to a freelance copywriter, it must be embraced if we are to improve and grow.

 

Recently, I had dealings with three customers who showed me that my writing was not up to scratch. Of course, I first went through the typical ‘writer’s denial’ before accepting this. Here’s what happened.

 

Client #1

My first client asked me to write an article as a test. He asked that the writing be conversational in tone. If he was happy, I would get more work. This client had already checked out my profile. This was not a job I applied for—he sought me out.

 

Feeling chuffed with myself, I set out to deliver a factual, well-researched article. But wait, that wasn’t what he asked for, was it? No; he asked for a CONVERSATIONAL piece. I skipped this instruction and delivered the article—facts and all.

 

Needless to say, the client thanked me for the work and paid me. But I didn’t hear from him again. Worst of all, the feedback was positive. But the fact that he didn’t come back spoke loud and clear.

 

Client #2 and #3

In a slightly different situation, I had two clients who needed content written. The one needed blogs, and the other needed web content. After doing these jobs, both did the same thing.

 

Both clients re-wrote my work! This is not a minor edit—this is a complete rewrite. They stated that the rewrite was the style they wanted. They also added that I was a great writer, but that they wanted me to follow the tone provided.

 

At first glance, the style seemed less appealing than what I had done. Besides, I’m the one who studied copywriting. Don’t I know what I’m doing?

 

A question of style

Of course, it’s not really about what I write; it’s about what the client wants. They are paying me to do it THEIR WAY.

 

In the instance of the one client, I tried my utmost best to write according to his style. He paid me for the job and left me a decent rating with the message, “We just weren’t a good fit.”

 

I don’t want to make the same mistake with the other client. So I’ve asked him to highlight the sections he feels I should redo. Hopefully I won’t have to work double time on his project.

 

What can you and I learn from these clients?

First, let me just say that my attitude was wrong with all three of these clients. I was over-confident with the first, lacked confident with the second, and was apprehensive with the third.

 

So how should a copywriter handle clients like these? Here are my suggestions:

  • Recognize that your style may not be what the client wants and accept it without taking it personally.
  • Be willing to learn a new style. You may get another client in future who wants the same thing.
  • Ask the client for specifics. If they send you their version of the writing as an example, insist that they highlight specifics they want you to change.
  • Once you’ve identified style changes, read up on them and learn how to switch to a different style when needed.

 

Yes, I’m just a freelance copywriter from South Africa, but I want to grow on an international level. Clients like these help me to do that. How about you?

When in doubt about what to write

Times often come when you have simply drained your creative juices and are not sure what to write anymore. That unfinished paragraph is just staring at you and no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to squeeze meaningful content out of your brain and onto the screen.

 

Here are some quick-fix ideas on how to give your content a new dimension and make it more conversational:

 

  1. How-to in action

A great way to showcase your description or point is to describe it in action. For instance, if you are writing about how to create compelling essays, describe a scenario where the student receives the essay. The student then hits writer’s block, get’s stressed, and eventually reads your blog to get the much needed advice. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and empathize with his or her situation.

 

  1. A list

Sometimes it’s easier to say something by breaking it up into multiple points. Consider creating a list of features or benefits to describe your subject better. This not only makes it easier to read, but will arrange your content in a neater, comprehendible way.

 

  1. Benefits instead of features

You may very well be stuck in the rut of only describing the features of your subject. Try taking a different approach by discussing how the subject can benefit the reader. People always respond better to benefits than features. Therefore, if you mention a feature, be sure to elaborate on how it will better the circumstances of the reader.

 

  1. Slip in a joke

Sit for a minute or two and think of a way you can add humour to a sentence or a paragraph.  A well-positioned joke can re-capture the attention of a reader and lighten up a dreary article. It also adds a touch of humanness to your writing—and people respond to human writing. This doesn’t mean you should be crude. It also doesn’t mean you should make a joke at someone else’s expense—unless it’s you. Exaggeration is a good example; or simply elaborating on what’s going on in someone’s mind when they are frustrated. Use your imagination.

 

  1. Make an analogy

A real lifesaver in writing can be an analogy—especially when you are struggling to explain a concept. Simply compare your concept with something that clearly represents it well. Make sure you use an analogy that the reader can relate to, or you run the risk of further confusing the issue.

 

  1. Give an example

Don’t confuse this tip with #1. You aren’t describing a scenario here; you are simply providing an example. Your sentence will start with, “For instance,” or “An example of this is…” It’s a great way to elaborate on your point and further solidify the concept in your reader’s mind.

 

  1. Ask a question. Give an answer

Asking questions in your article is a great way to be conversational. Pre-empt what the reader may ask once you have said something. By showing the reader that you know what they are thinking, they will see your writing as personal and authoritative.

 

Know of any other tips? Let us know on the comment section below. Happy writing!

 

About the author: Copley Sutton is an international copywriter based in South Africa. His services include conceptual copywriting, blogging, website content, proofreading & editing, press releases and product descriptions.  

8 tips on how to create interesting Facebook content for your business

Running out of ideas for your Facebook content? Here are some ways to give your social media interaction a shot in the arm!

 

Write for people, not for your company

You need to add value to the information you’re posting for clients. This means that simply forcing ads in front of their eyes is not going to help you achieve your goal.

 

If you fail to post something interesting to read, your fans are simply going to scroll past your content. Make sure your content is interesting and engaging by using catchy headings and trendy topics!

 

Add a poll

If you have over 1000 LIKES on your page, consider yourself eligible to hold a private little survey for your Facebook fans. People love giving their opinion, so get them interacting with you to build trust and brand loyalty.

 

Make sure your question is interesting—ask around for some suggestions and make it relevant to your industry wherever possible. Also try not to overdo polls: Once a month is more than enough.

 

Diversify your content

If you keep posting the same type of content every week, your fans will quickly lose interest in your posts. Mix it up a little by diversifying between videos, pictures, news events, notifications of specials, blogs, and even a few jokes.

 

Do a service check

Though you may think that getting a public complaint on Facebook is bad for business, it actually helps you in more ways you can imagine. Consider posting a public message asking clients about the service they have received. Benefits to this are:

  • You are likely to get great testimonials which you can add to your website
  • Complaints will come to you instead of being spread secretly by word-of-mouth
  • You can publically handle the complaint to the satisfaction of the client for all to see
  • Other customers will feel at ease dealing with you because they can see that you care about giving satisfactory service

 

Highlight a blog section

If there’s a particular paragraph in your most recent blog that you feel is very relevant, highlight that subheading to your fans when posting. This will serve to entice them even more to read your blog because you’ve sparked their curiosity.

 

Quizzes

A quiz is simply irresistible to Facebook browsers. Ask a question, and offer to provide the question by getting your fans to take a short quiz. This will win you both clicks as well as lots of interaction from participants.

 

Keep up with what’s trending

Base your content on news that’s very popular. Recent examples of this is the Ice Bucket Challenge. To get an idea of what’s trending, spend some time on news sites or even YouTube.

 

Don’t neglect your weekend fans

Did you know that you can schedule posts? If your company is closed on the weekend, it doesn’t mean you can’t still reach out to your loyal fans.

 

Use Facebook to set up a future post and schedule it to go off on a Saturday morning or a Sunday afternoon. Think how good it’ll look to everyone that you’re always open to communicate!

 

About the author: Copley Sutton is a South African copywriter working out of Johannesburg, Gauteng. He specializes in optimized blogs for companies as well as SEO strategies for South African businesses. 

How does copywriting fit into online marketing?

What is copywriting?

Copywriting is the science of engaging consumers on behalf of companies. Any type of writing that is done in the advertising arena should be done by a professional copywriter or it runs the risk of being bland and un-engaging.

 

There’s an art to writing engaging content that compels readers to stay on your page for longer. Did you know that your website visitors will decide within 8 seconds whether your page is relevant or not?

 

Holding your visitors captive for longer

55% of users navigate away from a site page within 15 seconds of landing there. This says a lot about the poor quality of so many website landing pages.

 

A decent copywriter knows how to keep your audience on a website for longer. It’s not just about writing good content, it’s about having a conversation with your potential customers.

 

 

Copywriting for search engines

Why do writing skills matter so much in online marketing? Search engine algorithms have been designed to rank sites that have been written for people. Good grammar, correct spelling, proofreading, and punctuation are all factored in to proper search practices.

 

This is an evolving skill. This is why Digital Direct Copywriters keep adapting to new and unique ways of catching—and keeping—the attention of readers. In fact, what is a copywriter if he or she can’t pull that off?

 

It’s all about content

Copywriting focuses on optimizing online business through blogging, external articles, keyword rich content, and catchy phrases.

 

Find out more about some of the content writing strategies you can incorporate into your online presence.