One of the differences between copywriters and creative writers is that creative writers use fiction skills in their writing. Using the five senses in their writing is one of those fiction skills.

Don’t panic with the thought of using “fiction” skills. Using the five senses isn’t hard to do. Let’s try it.

For example, it’s fairly easy for a real estate agent to describe a home for sale by stating that it has hardwood floors, a winding staircase, and an impressive entry way.

But let’s add in the five senses:

Before you ever step foot in this turn-of-the-century home, you’ll realize you’ve found a true work of art.

Inside the entry way, the crystal chandelier lights up the newly refinished hardwood floors. You can almost envision Clark Gable crookedly grinning at Scarlett O’Hara as she glides up the winding staircase, the sounds of her girlish laughter and the swish of her green velvet gown echoing behind her.

The smells of the home are a mixture of old and new. Fresh paint and hardwood floor stain mix with the smells of antique furniture and old rooms.

As you walk up the winding staircase yourself, feeling the solid banister under your fingertips, you almost feel as if you’re taking a step back in time. Better yet, you’re going on an adventure.

* * *

We were able to add in sight, sound, smells, and touch, but not taste. We could have had Clark smoking a cigar.

You don’t have to add characters to your content to add in the five senses. They just  seemed to fit in this scenario.

Try using the five senses in your Web copy and you just might discover that your content is much more vivid and alive, bringing your potential customers into the content with you.

And that, my friends, is your goal.

Robin

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Many people believe that visitors don’t read the contents of a Web page.

Wrong.

Buyers read content if it’s written and laid out properly on a page.  

Try these simple tips and see if they work for you.

1. 1. Avoid long paragraphs that few people will take time to read. Short paragraphs that people can skim will work much better.
2. 2. Use numerical or bulleted lists.
3. 3. Try bolding certain words to make your content easy to read.
4. 4. Use mini headings to separate the content into sections.
5. 5. Start with an introductory paragraph that draws the reader in and end with a closing paragraph that ties up all loose ends.
6. 6. Focus on the benefits of your products and services to your buyers.
7. 7. Don’t use images gratuituously. White space is your friend.
8. 8. Keep your word count to around 400-600 words per HTML page. You need enough words to accurately describe your product, service, or company.
9. 9. Keep everything on the page focused on one topic. Move other topics to another page.
10. 10. Pull your readers into your content by describing your products and services using the five senses. Give your readers a sense of how they would feel when they use the product, as opposed to making the experience totally impersonal.

Take time with your content and don’t just toss it on a page, and you’ll help to increase your conversion rates.

Write content that flows, and it will “float” (or flow) to the top of the engines. Think in terms of LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing), or well-rounded content, and use supporting words as you write your content. The power of LSI is astounding.

Good luck!

Robin 

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I was reminded today of a familiar term for writers: writers block.

When I think of writers block, I think of a frustrated writer waiting for a spark of inspiration as he or she stares at a blank piece of white paper stuck in an old manual typewriter.

As search engine marketers, we all know how important content is to a Web site. Content can take many forms, from the nostalgic angle of your products to the history behind your restaurant or city and even to the descriptive text you use to describe each of your products.

It’s the beginning of 2008. We’re all on the Web, the Content Capital of the World. Without content, the Web would cease to exist. Yet, some SEOs, Webmasters, and Website owners refuse to add additional content to a Web site.

Why? Could it be that they get writers block every time they sit down to write? They just don’t know what to write about.  

Yet on the Web, do you realize you can write about almost anything, as long as you’re knowledgeable about your topic? (Let’s face it: some people don’t even fulfill that basic requirement!)

Here’s a little trick to help you get started.

Instead of staring at a blank sheet of “paper,” type your topic on the page as the title, then start typing. Just type. Don’t lift your fingers from the keyboard. Type.

Type for 30 minutes without stopping. Don’t edit or stop to correct misspellings. Type anything that comes to your mind.  

After 30 minutes, if you’re in the middle of a thought, keep going until you wind it down. Save the page.

Read over the content but don’t make any changes. Give it a day or two, and then look at it again. This is the time to edit it.

For 2008, let’s see if we can get past the piece of white paper by trying this little trick. Let me know how it works for you.

Good luck!

Robin Nobles 

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As you know if you’ve been reading this blog, there are many, many types of content. In fact, I just finished writing an e-book that offers over 100 content ideas, and I’m still thinking of more ideas. The ideas just won’t stop.

When you write content, however, you can either “tell” your site visitors something, or you can “show” them something. The same goes for articles. When I judged Andy Beal’s contest, many of the contestants wrote articles that told me facts, whereas other contestants showed me how to do something.

There’s nothing wrong with either form. We need the news that “tell” us facts. We need to know what’s going on in our respective industries. We need to know the latest toys being introduced by Google, Yahoo!, Live, or Ask. We need to know when Google buys out another company. These are all “tell” content or articles.

However, “show” content takes it a step further. This content explains how to do something, such as how to use one of Google’s new toys in a step-by-step fashion.

Some writers tend to adopt one form or the other. For me personally, I use the “show” method. I’m an instructor, so I naturally want to teach or help in everything I do. If I personally can’t show something, the content doesn’t seem right for me.

However, content that show is more difficult to write. You have to delve into the various steps it takes to achieve the results. You also have to decide how much information to give. If you’re a professional Web designer and you’re writing content about one of your specialties, you want to give away enough information to prove you know what you’re doing without giving potential customers too much information so that they can do the work themselves.

How can you turn a “tell” article into a “show” article?

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I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the little Boy Scout who was missing in North Carolina recently. He was missing for three or four days before the searchers found him.

After three days, the parents agreed to be interviewed by the press. One brilliant journalist asked the parents how they felt about their child being missing.

The father’s tone completely changed. He said that when he agreed to the interview, he made it clear to the press that the interview would be totally about his son and the search and not about how he or his wife were feeling. They were on an horrendous roller coaster ride, and they wanted their private feelings kept private.

It’s always blown me away how seemingly caring journalists always ask grieving families that same question. Their son is missing or their daughter has been brutally raped, and the journalist wants to know how the family is feeling.

If it were my child, I’d scream, “How the hell do you think I feel? How would YOU feel if it were your son or daughter? Don’t you even think before you ask questions?”

Why do journalists ask these questions? Because they believe their viewers want to know, and they want to sell more newspapers.

But I believe their readers are intelligent enough to know how the victims’ families and friends are feeling at that point in time. I believe readers would appreciate the professionalism of journalists who wouldn’t ask such insensitive questions.

I know that sensationalism sells, but do insensitive questions sell?

To me, it insults my intelligence when journalists asks these stupid, horribly insensitive questions, because we all know how the person feels.

Keep in mind that I’ve been a journalist in the past, so I stood on that side of the fence for ten years.

How does this translate to the online environment?

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