Ordinarily, technical writers rely on clients to come to them with writing work, and hope that one assignment might turn into a regular gig. Those opportunities turn into the bread and butter of freelance content writing work. I’ve never had an experience where a client’s visionary assignment would transform my writing life. I never could have imagined – even in my wildest dreams, that a client’s super simple project, could have such an inspiring impact on my thinking about writing, and my approach to everything I do. I decided that what I learned was too important and life-changing not to share.
The Power of Engagement and Connecting
Online marketing has changed a lot. Successful, red carpet worthy marketing campaigns have to connect with their target audiences on a more personal level. That means giving them valuable information, ideas, tips, or anything else that speaks to them and is useful enough to make them come back for more. Capitalize on the power of engagement by figuring out what people want from different industries. Then deliver it with kindness and authority and let people know that you value their support.
To be a successful online marketer in the second decade of the 21st century, you need to have more than engaging content; you need content that connects with people. It has to drive discussion, conversation and make people think about it long after they read it. Convince customers, buyers, clients or readers that you care enough to talk to them!
What Does This Have to Do With Web Content Writing?
Think of the way you approach your writing. Whether you’re working with private clients, or a buyer who came to you through a content marketing service, you want to attract readers with content that’s so groovy, it hits readers like a breath of fresh air. Ordinary writing is boring!
Don’t obsess about the details of the assignment! That doesn’t help us focus on the real purpose of our writing – to ENGAGE readers. If we’re going to engage readers through our writing, we have to nurture them. That means, putting ourselves in the shoes of anyone who finds our content when looking for helpful ideas to mull over.
Using Online Marketing the New Way to Market Your Services
Think of your assignment not just as the topic you’re given, but as a challenge to forge a relationship with readers you hope to turn into fans. Your writing needs to nurture their need for engagement and connection and fortify their hunger for knowledge. Recreate your vision of yourself as a writer.
Envision yourself on a battlefield where you’re engaged in a war on the web. You’re not just a soldier, you’re a warrior evangelist, fighting to turn skeptics into believers. You’re trying to prove that you’re different because you dare to go where no writer has dared to go before – into your readers’ heads!
If you change your approach to writing and think about writing something you’d want to read, you’ll see a major transformation in the quality of everything you create, and those dreaded moments where coming up with a delightfully perky angle won’t seem so insurmountable.
Susan B is a full-time freelance writer and researcher extraordinaire. When she’s not working or having more oral surgery, she’s taking care of tropical plants, looking for new ones to lure hummingbirds, or obsessing about ways to bring more hummingbirds to the small garden outside her apartment.
