Newcomers to Internet Marketing face a daunting need for content for their site. Yes, you can use 3rd party content and you should but most really successful websters create their own articles and products as well. Are you ready to take the plunge?
Afraid of writing, you say? Can't spell to save your life? That's ok. It's actually pretty easy once you get going and spellchecker is pretty standard these days.
(Hey, where are you going? Wait! Hear me out and don't run away just yet! You can do this...really.)
Alright, I'll start by saying that I am not an English professor, even though I am college degreed. I do, however, have a pretty extensive vocabulary and I do know grammar rules. I also know that I end sentences with dangling participles. And, frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a darn. In fact, I do it on purpose.
Why do I thumb my nose at the rules? Writing to sound conversational is my goal. A lot of "correct" writing is boring and academic sounding, stuffy. No good to capture and hold the interest of the website visitor.
I see writing in the "passive voice" rather than "active voice" as one of the most common contributors to verbose, boring writing. We all (myself included) need to be aware of it and try to improve, so, let's deal with that, ok?
Here's a simple definition:
In active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts. For example:
The dog bit the boy.
The woman planted the garden.
The clown did a magic trick.
In passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon. The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the . . ." phrase or may be omitted. Using the same basic sentences as before, here are some examples:
The boy was bit by the dog.
The garden was planted by the woman.
The magic trick was done by the clown.
Which sounds better to you, the first examples or the second?
Internet website copy is meant to inform, build rapport, and ultimately sell you or your product ("convert"). Your copy needs to be readable and exciting. It needs to be substantial and fun to read. It needs to be engaging.
Active voice writing is much more engaging than passive voice, so re-read and re-write your articles with active voice in mind. I consider everything I write to be a draft. Changing and editing is not shameful. Not being willing to improve, however, is a deal breaker.
If you go too far toward following "the rules" of grammar and academic writing, you will lose the modern Internet reader. Convention isn't necessarily the rule of the day with cutting edge thinkers. They will accept a conversational tone but they aren't uneducated. They appreciate good spelling, for instance, but don't insist on formality of presentation.
If you go too far into the "no rules" arena, you will lose readers too. Some people have trouble looking past the presenter to the message. Haven't you had the experience of watching a brilliant scientist speaking who had crumbs in their beard or who had a tic? It's just hard to get past the distraction.
I definitely want to encourage you to let your personality show through. Like I say so often, pretend you are speaking in person to the website visitor. Web communication is very much like in person communication. How would you talk to your visitor if they were sitting right in front of you? That's a great guide for how you should write too.
Walking the fine line between conversational and "proper" can be done. If you're uncertain, get a sanity check. Ask others to read your writing and be open to the feedback. You may not change what you've written, even if you get criticized, but find a trusted friend or colleague to act as editor of your work. You will become a better writer and you will enjoy more cyber-success.
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Contributor's Note
These are beginner tips designed to inform the complete newbie to the internet. I hope you find them helpful.
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