nick usborne's guide to online copywriting
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Excess Voice Newsletter
Mar 2009, Issue # 173
In this issue:
>> Intro: Good networking...
>> Review: The Pro Resume Writer Program
>> Article: 2 ways to identify the website content your visitors are really looking for.
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Find out about my COACHING service for freelance writers and copywriters.
"Work with Nick. He will help you to transform your doubts into dreams and your most difficult challenges into lasting life-altering change."
Susan Rice
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Greetings,
In the last issue I asked whether or not you were using Twitter. For those you who are, and who started following me, thank you.
For those of you not using Twitter, maybe check it out one more time. I’m not a big networker and barely use my Facebook account, but I do find Twitter to be immensely useful.
You can follow my thoughts about Twitter at PopcornContent.com.
In this issue the article looks at a couple of ways to really figure out what it is your website visitors are looking for. The closer you get to giving your visitors precisely what they want, the more often you will convert them to buyers or subscribers.
Nick
Nick Usborne
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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REVIEW: The Pro Resume Writer Program
As you can imagine, the demand for quality resumes right now is huge and growing fast.
That's terrible news for people who are losing their jobs, but good news for people who can help them with new, quality resumes.
Even if you only want to do this part-time, writing resumes can add some welcome income to your bank account each month.
The Pro Resume Writer Program not only teaches the craft of resume writing, but also shows you how to turn it into a business.
Read my review at FreelanceWritingSuccess.com
POPULAR PRODUCTS AND REVIEWS:
#1. Nick Usborne's Million Dollar Secrets to Online Copywriting
This is a "professional-grade" course written to address the full complexity of writing online. It is a strictly how-to course in which I go through the process of writing all kinds of web pages, emails and newsletters. Take this course and you'll know everything I know about writing for the web.
More details here:
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#2. Writing Rituals + BONUS Teleclass on Overcoming Writer's Block.
My productivity guide for marketing writers and copywriters. This set of 5 rituals will help you stay focused on your writing tasks, avoid the perils of procrastination and writer's block, and make a lot more money in less time.
Now includes a bonus 60-minute teleclass on overcoming writer's block.
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#3. Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting
Other than my own, this is the only copywriting course I wholeheartedly recommend to any copywriter who wants to write copy that drives results.
Learn more :
http://www.thewriterslife.com/bb/nuf4/
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ARTICLE: 2 ways to identify the website content your visitors are really looking for.
When it comes to deciding on new content for websites, all too often the decision is made by people within the company.
In other words, various stakeholders will identify the information they want to place in front of their visitors.
Granted, any company or organization needs to present information about itself, its products and its services. But not all the content on your site should be company-centric.
A significant proportion, or even the majority of your site’s content should be focused on what your visitors want to find.
Why? For two reasons.
One, when visitors find what they are looking for, rather than what you want them to be looking for, they will immediately feel more engaged with your site.
Two, you’ll get more visitors simply because when people use the major search engines, your site page content will be more likely to match the search phrases they use.
So how do you know? How can you figure out which topics and questions are at the forefront of your prospective visitors’ minds?
Put simply, you need to listen.
Here are two specific ways:
1. Just ask.
There is no excuse any more for not interacting with your customers and prospects.
You call use polls, surveys, blog comment fields and even Twitter.
All you need do is ask people what is most important to them. What their biggest problems are. What their most urgent needs are. Which questions they need answered.
Compile the results and you’ll soon figure out what it is your readers really want you to be writing about.
2. Use Wordtracker’s Keyword Questions tool.
This is a free tool and I think it’s great.
You simply type in a keyword or phrase relating to your business and click the Search button.
Wordtracker then finds related questions and tells you how frequently they are being asked online.
For instance, on the topic of coffee, the question most often asked is, “Where did coffee originate?”
Type in Obama, and the most frequently asked question, by far, is “What nationality is Barack Obama?” Strange, but true.
Concluding thoughts…
There are now so many different ways to find out what your audience wants to know.
To me, it just makes sense to address those needs by creating content that answers people’s questions.
Think of it as stage one in the relationship.
First you answer the question that is most important to someone.
Second, you suggest a product or service that might match the needs that lie behind the question.
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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