How Good Copywriting Services Can Help Boost Your Marketing

Copywriting is quickly becoming one of the most powerful web-boosting tools.

With good copywriting, you can effectively:

• Define and enhance your brand identity.
• Convey your message to your ideal client.
• Nurture lasting relationships built on loyalty and trust.
• Transform your product from an option to a #1 must-have.
• Differentiate your brand from competitors.
• Rank higher on Google SERPs.
• Position yourself as an industry expert.
• Influence and persuade your audience to take action.

Suffice it to say, it’s well worth the investment!

Interested in learning more about how copywriting services can benefit your business? Keep reading!

Words Hold Incredible Power

Words hold incredible power, potential and opportunity. They can influence, persuade, warn, prompt and call to action!

But more than that, they can also affect feelings and emotions.

For example:

Kind words can help foster camaraderie and friendship. “Hey! I loved your presentation today. You’re a great public speaker!”

Harsh words can easily tear down and destroy a relationship. "You're the worst friend!"

Emotionally charged words can even bring a person to tears! It’s one of the reasons why films like the Titanic became such classics. “I’ll never let go, Jack!”

The Notebook is also a great example of this! Have you heard this famous Nicholas Sparks quote?

“I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough...”

Pretty gut-wrenching stuff, right?

It’s incredible how words can influence our emotions in the moment and stay with us for days or years to come!

They are so powerful, in fact, that marketers use words to help structure their marketing campaigns. AKA copywriting!

Here are some examples:

Have you ever felt that urgent need to pick up your phone during a radio ad? “Be caller number 1 to win lunch for your whole team!”

Have you ever clicked “show more” on an Instagram post that got you hooked in the first 4 words? “Don’t read the caption👇👀”

That right there is the power behind good copywriting. And it’s yours for the taking!

Copywriting vs. Good Copywriting

Today, consumers look for relationships, answers, knowledge and trust. 

They look for solutions to the problems they face. They look for brands that they can trust to be up-front and honest with them.

But above all, they long for connection!

Why?

Because according to a recent article by Business News Daily, “consumers show similar emotions in relationships in brands as they do with other humans”.

In other words, consumers personify brands.

They build a relationship with that brand, just as they would a human - with trust, conversation, experience, etc.

This is where copywriting and good copywriting can differ.

Copywriting can easily come across as fake, fluffy nonsense that’s only purpose is to make a quick sale.

Good copywriting conveys your message clearly, uniquely and effectively. But, first and foremost, it’s relationship-driven - one of the most crucial factors of a successful brand in 2023.

Click here for our Top 5 Content Writing Tips!

Utilizing Good Copywriting In Your Marketing Strategy

The world of digital marketing is constantly evolving. But the one thing that’s become clear is the need for quality content.

Let’s be honest. With the internet at their fingertips, consumers don’t need to go far to find a great product.

But how do you ensure that customers find and choose your product over the masses?

By using your newfound power of words!

Step 1: Capture Their Heart!

Whether it’s a blog, landing page, social media post or Facebook ad, your content should,

a) Capture the heart of your audience,

b) Show them the truth of who you are.

Click here for 7 Reasons To Start a Blog in 2023!

Capture The Heart of Your Audience

According to a Microsoft 2015 report, you have 8 seconds to capture your audience’s attention.

While it’s a little sad to admit, apparently our human attention spans have shrunk to that of a goldfish. If not shorter!

So when we say it’s imperative to get your audience’s attention fast, we mean it!

Thankfully, good copywriting gives you the power to do just that!

But to catch their attention, you'll need to do your research.

Target Audience Questions:

• What makes your audience tick?
• What motivates your audience?
• How does your audience think?
• How does your audience communicate?
• What does your audience care most about?
• What challenges does your audience experience?

These questions enhance your content approach - ensuring it effectively reaches your audience.

Be Yourself

This is an age-old message you've probably heard since you were three. But the truth of the statement stands the test of time.

There is incredible value in simply being ourselves, staying true to who we are and standing firm in our beliefs. 

But have you ever used that same mentality in your brand messaging?

Your brand is a part of you. And with good copywriting, your brand voice can become an extension of the powerful voice you bring to the world!

As mentioned above, humans personify brands. And while this is helpful knowledge, we can take it one step further.

We can personify our brand first!

Brand Personification Questions:

• What does your brand stand for?
• What are your brand’s core values?
• What is your brand about?
• What makes your brand stand out?

These questions take your brand to a whole new level!

Step 2: Get The Message Out, Loud and Clear!

Now that you’ve thought of your customer, you can begin the construction of your messaging.

First, you’ll want to consider the benefits and features of your product. How can you relate these benefits and features to what you know about your audience?

Using the knowledge you have of your audience to write clear and compelling messaging is the key!

For example:

When a customer searches for ‘headphones’, you need to strategically position your headphone brand as the #1 must-have.

But how do you do that?

Maybe your headphones have the “best all-around sound”. Communicate this to the customers looking for the best quality sound. 

Maybe they’re easy to pack in a suitcase, making them “the perfect travelling buddy”. Communicate this to your avid travelling customers.

Maybe they’re packaged with 100% eco-friendly materials. Communicate this to your environmentally conscious customers.

Or maybe they’re the only headphones designed for sensitive ears. You guessed it…communicate this to your customers with these sensitivities!

Whatever the truth of your product is, good copywriting communicates the message loud and clear. 

Invest In Professional Copywriting Services at OSM!

A good copywriter ensures your message is crystal clear and reaches your target audience effectively.

Ready to take your marketing efforts to the next level?

Contact our team today for professional copywriting services.

You can reach us at 613-969-0626 or contact us online!

7 Reasons Why Starting a Blog Is Essential to Growing Your Online Presence

Writing unique, valuable and optimized website content has never been more of a priority for businesses than it is today. 

The ever-growing popularity of the internet and the widely acclaimed use of web browsers like Google to find local and relevant answers, products and services is incredible. 

What better way to penetrate this modern, digital landscape and gain traction in our online world than by becoming a part of it?

By sharing your answers to popular questions...

By digging deeper into your niche...

By offering unique value to an already information-hungry audience...

That is the power of blogging!
 

Where Did The Concept of Blogging Originate?

Blogging has evolved drastically over the years. Especially since the alleged first-ever blog platform launched in 1994! 

Justin Hall created this platform, called Links.net, to share his writings. He would write short articles about his life and then publish them on this online platform for others to learn more about him. 

Over the next three or so years, this way of sharing information online became known as an online diary or personal page. And, although most of these posts were code-heavy technical articles, they soon evolved into a journalistic approach.

At this time, the word blog wasn’t even a thing! 

It wasn’t until around 1997, when Jorn Barger described these sites as Weblogs, that the term came into play.

Then, just two years later, Peter Merholz introduced the simplified term we know today - blogs!

From then on, the world of blogging has gone through many phases. From early code-heavy blogs to inspiring mommy blogs to the search-engine-optimized articles that businesses share on their sites today. 

Now, you can learn how to knit a scarf, build a shed, fix your air conditioner, bake sourdough or choose the right insurance plan. All from a blog article!

With a wide selection of tools, blogs have evolved from simple renditions of personal thought to in-depth articles designed for web traction, lead generation and brand credibility.

With good content and the right tools, you can increase traffic to your website, build your brand personality and position yourself as an expert in your specific industry. 

Who knew words could do so much? 
 

Boost Your Digital Presence With Blogging!

Now that you know how blogging has progressed, you can learn how to use it as a resource in growing your online presence!

When used correctly, your blog has the potential to:

1. Position Yourself As An Expert In Your Industry.

Whether you are an electrician or a seamstress, you want to be considered an expert in your trade. You want people to trust you, rely on your expertise and continue coming to you for leading industry information. 

With a blog, you can achieve all of these things! 

You can increase your credibility and inspire trust in your audience simply by: 

1. Knowing your stuff (aka. researching and gaining hands-on experience),
2. Sharing your knowledge in an easy-to-read fashion, and
3. Being the best answer at the best time!

Picture this:

You are an HVAC company that sells heating and cooling products. With recent inflations, your audience is looking for the most cost-efficient air conditioning solution for this coming summer. 

Because you understand your audience and have been researching their questions, you know their concerns and are ready to offer them a solution!

Your tactic? 

To write optimized blog content on the most energy-efficient and budget-friendly cooling options.

Not only can this content position you as an HVAC expert, but you will be advertising your products at the same time - without seeming pushy or having to give a sales pitch! 

You are simply offering an easily-accessed answer to the question your audience is already asking.

2. Increase Your Social Exposure. 

Your blog content is usable for more than just added content on your website.

Try reusing, repurposing and recycling your content on your social media platforms too! You can use these other media platforms to spark interest and gain momentum for your blog article. 

Here’s an idea:

Post a sneak peek in your newsletter or even a link to the article on Facebook or LinkedIn. These shares can help increase traffic to your site and increase the social exposure of your blog too.

3. Generate Potential Leads.

Would you prefer to take a shot in the dark or take careful aim at a reasonable target with the right tools in your hands?

Blogging is that tool, and Google is your clear target. As long as you learn to aim right, reaching your audience is easy!

By inputting valuable SEO (search engine optimization) strategy in your blog - up-to-date keyword research, quality headlines, proper readability, credible links etc. - you can design your content to be seen by the right people at the right time. 

You can attract people to your website via your blog content!

Then, once you have brought your target audience to your website, you can begin converting that website traffic into potential leads. 

4. Show Up Where Your Audience is Already Searching.

One of the best things about blogging is that you do not have to look for your customers. Google is one of the only media platforms where your consumers search for you! 

For the answers to their questions. For the most up-to-date industry information. For the best of the best!

And all you have to do is show up with valuable content that satisfies their search!

5. Direct Your Target Audience To Your Website.

Did you know that there are roughly 4.95 billion internet users worldwide? And that the average user spends almost 7 hours on the internet EACH DAY?

People are consuming more digital content than ever before! 

But if you are not producing content for these users to engage with, your site will miss out on this valuable web traffic.

Like we said before, people are already searching. It is up to you to show up, drive them to your site and give them the answers they want.

But quick! 

Research has shown that even goldfish have a longer attention span than humans nowadays. You have approximately 8 seconds to grab their attention and tell them that they are in the right place. 

That means you need to write valuable content that is both readable and skimmable!

6. Revamp Your Search Engine Optimization.

SEO organically improves your credibility and searchability on Google! 

Have you seen the positive results of search engine optimization (SEO) before? If so, then you know what we are talking about here. 

Here are a few ways to improve the SEO of your blog: 

• Focus on the consumer, not your product. 
• Write short sentences and paragraphs that are readable by your audience and Google.
• Use keyword research to your advantage.
• Write optimized meta descriptions. 
• Write headlines that foster intrigue.

7. Inspire a Sense of Camaraderie Online.

Consumers are looking for brands they can trust. They're looking for brands run by real people with real thoughts, real experiences and real information. 

They want to be heard, seen and answered by someone who relates to them.

So start listening to your audience!

Start being the answer to their questions. Start building relationships, involving your clients and caring for what matters to them. 

Because in the marketing world, it's about more than just advertising your product. 

It's about creating a community, becoming a trusted source and inviting your audience to follow along with the story of your business!

Write On! Start Sharing Your Unique Value. 

At OSM, sharing stories has always been a habit of ours. How we got here, where we are going, what our dreams are and how we do what we do. 

But we constantly flip the mic around too. Why? Because we want to hear from YOU. 

We want to understand what makes you tick. What gets you excited. What ignites a passion in your soul. 

We love the WHY of your business. The HOW. The WHAT-IN-THE-WORLD! 

Because digging deeper, sharing unique value and showing up? 

That’s when sharing a story becomes more than an old fashioned code-heavy page of gibberish that most people will click away from. 

Instead, it becomes a reliable source of helpful, relevant information that your niche audience is not only interested in, but engaged with.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to try starting blogging for your business!

TIP:

Use your social media to ask your audience their industry-related questions. Then use those questions to help construct blog themes! 

Pssst… don’t forget to tell your social media followers that you answered their questions over on your blog! 

Book Our Content Writing Services at OSM in Quinte! We Write For You! 

Now, if you’ve been reading this and thinking, “well sure, but I don’t know the first thing about writing!” - don’t worry!

Remember in our last blog article when we gave you 5 Signs That It’s Time to Hire a Marketing Agency? 

We explained how a marketing agency can help: 

• Free up your time, 
• Give you the expertise you need to move your business forward, and
• Secure lucrative sale opportunities.

Outsourcing your blog writing can help you achieve these goals while growing your online presence!

Contact our team at OSM to learn more about our content writing services. You can reach us at 613-969-0626 or learn about our Digital Marketing Services HERE!

5 Content Writing Tips To Increase Your Traffic, Retain Customers and Reach New Clients Online

If you’re an entrepreneur running your own marketing strategy, from the early planning stages to full on execution, then you’ve probably done your fair share of content writing. 

Maybe without even knowing it! 

What Is Content Writing Used For?

• Social Media Posts 
• Blog Posts 
• Articles 
• Newsletters 
• Website Pages
• Landing Pages 
• Paid Ads 
• SEO
• Documentation 
• Email Templates

Hands up if you've written at least one thing off of this list!

See? Whether you knew it or not, you’ve probably been content writing all along. 

And now that you know all of the different faucets that you can write within, you can now begin learning HOW to write the best content for each.

Knowing what to write about is one thing, but knowing how to write is another, more challenging concept. It involves knowing yourself, your audience, your industry, your purpose and your platform. It requires a deep understanding of the topic you are writing about and an even deeper understanding of who is trying to learn this topic (ie. your target audience). 

But why is content writing so important to begin with?

Why Is Content Writing Important? 

Being able to write high quality content is a valuable tool. One that is used for a multitude of purposes - brand awareness, search engine optimization (SEO), engagement, education, entertainment and online digital marketing. 

In reality, content writing is one of the most effective strategies in getting your brand out into the digital sphere. It has the power to influence, connect, inspire, motivate, evoke and trigger a multitude of emotions. All driving the audience’s desire to learn, laugh, relate, join, purchase, follow etc.  

Can Content Writing Improve My SEO?

High quality, properly structured content writing can do wonders for your website! If you’re looking for a way to organically reach your audience, encourage connection and drive sales, content writing is quickly going to become your favourite tactic.

How does it work?

Google will crawl your website content, including the links within your content, in order to categorize and rank it on the search engine results page (SERP). 

In order to help Google crawl your content, you want to ensure that the layout is clean, the message is clear, the headlines are clickable and the style is reader-friendly. You also want to keep in mind what’s happening behind-the-scenes - your meta descriptions, page titles, URLs, link titles etc. If you’re looking for a more in-depth SEO how-to, we recently wrote an article on our top 5 SEO Tips For Beginners HERE!

But before you begin optimizing your content for the web, you need to understand how to build out strong, compelling material. 

Here’s how our team does it!

5 Content Writing Tips For Beginners

Before your fingers hit the keyboard in a flurry, there are 5 important factors that you need to consider. These 5 factors are going to help drive your content forward to the right people in order to meet your goals. All while staying in line with your brand identity.  

Tip #1 - Know Who You Are 

When our creative team writes for another brand, we first have to deep dive into their brand identity - their personality, values, characteristics and voice. These are essentially the personifying elements of the brand that make up its unique tone.

Once we have a thorough understanding of who the brand is, we can then ensure that all of the content associated with that brand is cohesive. 

ASK YOURSELF: Does it sound like the same person has written every piece of your content, or does it appear as though a large group of people with different beliefs, personalities and vocabularies came together with their separate ideas? 

If your content is not cohesive, it’s time to sit down and figure out your brand identity!

Tip #2 - Know Who You Are Talking To 

Now that you know who you are, the next step is to figure out who you are talking to - your target audience!

These are the people that relate to you, learn from you, are inspired by you and even purchase from you. The goal? To write quality content that is tailored specifically to these people and entice them to read it. 

When content writing, you should also keep in mind the particular demographics and behaviours that are unique to your specific target audience. This can include age, geographic location, lifestyle, stage of life or even hobbies. 

These are the tools you’re going to use to write content that is relatable, educational and inspiring. 

Tip #3 - Know What You are Writing About

You know yourself, you know your target audience, and now it’s time to get to know your topic.

One of the ways writers SEO their content is to ensure that they are seen as experts within their specific industry. Google looks up to you and will rank you higher on the SERP if you present yourself as a leading industry expert.  

Before we write anything for a client, we always do the research first in order to become this “expert”.

We also have to know the product inside and out and be able to explain it clearly to our readers. 

ASK YOURSELF: Does your content make sense? If your content does not make sense to you, it will not make sense to your reader. Which could cause them to click away from your site and look for their answers elsewhere.   

We always recommend that you do your research well, use reliable resources and ensure that your content is true.

Tip #4 Know Why You are Writing About It

Do you know why you’re writing about your chosen topic? Is it to influence behaviour, prompt a purchase, satisfy a need, answer a question or bring entertainment? 

Whichever goal you have in mind, your writing needs to be custom-made to fit that purpose. 

After all, this purpose is what is going to drive your content forward and motivate the reader to read your material. 

Each sentence should be leading them forward in anticipation of the fulfilled purpose that lies at the end of the content - even if that fulfillment is simply for someone to get to know your brand on a deeper level. 

Tip #5 Know Where You Are Talking

Now that you know the who, what and why of your writing project, your next step is to tailor your content towards its identified platform. 

The style and layout of writing you choose for a blog article is going to look drastically different from that of an Instagram post or newsletter. Why? Because each of these platforms are designed to be operated by the user in a specific way. 

Your job, as the writer, is to understand how the reader operates within that platform and tailor your content to fit creatively within it. 

Remember that within each platform, you must be intentional. Your audience has a limited attention span that is easily lost and your goal is to not only fit your content within that given time frame, but also make it easy to read and purposeful. 

Who knew there was so much to consider, even for a simple Instagram post!

Content Writing Services In Belleville, Ontario

Content writing is such an incredible art to master, but it can also be quite a daunting and time consuming task to undertake. 

Are you looking for a local content writer to help build your brand, boost your online presence and increase traffic to your site? 

Get in touch with our creative team at OSM today!