Click Media Works

Here are 5 quick-and-easy tips guaranteed to help you with your web writing

Yes, when you write for the web, search-engine optimization (SEO) is important. And yes, search-engine marketing (SEM) can be critical to the success of your overall marketing plan.

Most important, however, is your writing.

It has to be clear and compelling and resonate with your audience. Your writing has to engage your readers. It has to communicate with them effectively and then convince them to take some sort of action.

What's the point, after all, of taking the time and trouble to have people search for and find you if they won't be bothered to read what you've written? That just seems like a lot of wasted time, energy, and, ultimately, money.

Here are five quick-and-easy tips guaranteed to help you with your web writing:

1. Know your audience  Sounds simple, yes, but how many people actually take the time to figure out their audiences before committing pen to paper, or in this case, keyboard to screen?
2. Write to express, not impress  Because really, you're writing to inform or persuade, not show off. Right? Emily Carr, celebrated Canadian author and artist, said it best in her autobiography, Growing Pains: "...get to the point as directly as you can; never use a big word if a little one will do."
3. Adopt the YOU attitude  Make your readers the main attraction and draw them into the action. I'm sorry, but folks want to read what's in it for them, not that you're the very best at this or that.
4. Use active instead of passive language  Active language is direct and interesting, while passive language is easy to forget because it doesn't stand out. When you use the active voice, your readers feel like they're part of the action. And as a bonus, active language typically uses fewer words!
5. Say it out loud  If it’s easy for your audience to say, it’s easy for your audience to read. If it’s easy for them to read, then it’s likely easy for them to understand. If they understand it, you are more likely to get buy-in from them. And isn’t that what you want?

Questions? Feel free to ask us. Remarks? Feel free to tell us.

All you have to do is leave a comment or write to us here.

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Re:Focus: The Visionary's Dilemma

Here's an article that clearly demonstrates the importance and power of language...

"Let me tell you about my vision. It's all about the convergence of technology. We're developing applications that combine any portable device with a desktop computer. Now the nightwatchman can become a world famous recording artist.  What we're doing is better than YouTube and better than anyone else out there. It's revolutionary!!!"

Click here to read the whole article.

via sinekpartners.typepad.com

Click Media Works: happy to engage with community

By Kathleen Rake

MISSION, B.C., April 24, 2010 – Poets Andrea MacPherson and Barbara Nickel stole the show with readings Saturday during the third annual Mission Writers and Readers Festival at Hertage Park Centre Cafetorium.

Click Media Works enjoys community engagement and was delighted to lend media specialist Rick Rake as part of a squad of experts providing participants with five minutes of one-on-one speed networking.

Also participating in that section of the festival were Rhett Nicholson, Marion Queadnau, Anthony Hutchcroft, and Ken Herar.

The late Kuldip Gill—our dear friend, local writer/poet, University of B.C. anthropologist and the first UCFV poet in residence—was honoured in a tribute in tandem with National Poetry Month.

Workshop sessions on various forms of writing were led by writers Ronda Payne, Nickel, Helen Littmann and Rajneesh Dhawan.

Spotted in the crowd at this year's festival was Neville Cox, former Mission mayor and hospital administrator who has written more than 100 compelling features on noted Mission personalities over the years.

Download Writers and Readers 2010 Brochure

Have questions or comments? Write to us. 

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Copyright © 2010 Click Media Works. All rights reserved.

Click Media Works and the case of the misplaced modifier

By Kathleen Rake

Some weeks back, a fellow writer and former journalist-colleague of Rick's pointed out to him (on his Facebook page, not here on our website) that the post below, the one talking about using active instead of passive language, had a misplaced modifier in the very first line.

The thing with limiting modifiers (limiting words) such as often, just, and only is they have to be right beside the word they're modifying, not someplace else. When they are in the wrong place, they can change the whole meaning of a sentence.

I thought the best course of action to take with this particular modifier was to eliminate the word altogether, not because it was misplaced; rather, because it wasn't needed.

So that's what I've done.

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Have questions or comments? Write to us.

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Copyright © 2010 Click Media Works. All rights reserved.

If you want your writing to be effective, ditch the passive voice

By Kathleen Rake

Avoid passive language (the passive voice). It is easy to forget and doesn’t stand out. Instead, put a little action into your writing and use the active voice.

When you employ the active voice, your writing becomes more direct, relevant, and interesting, which increases the likelihood your audience will read and absorb your entire message because (1.) they feel as though they are participating and (2.) active writing typically uses fewer words.

Here's a very simple example of the passive vs. active voice:

The ball was hit by Steven. (passive)
Steven hit the ball. (active)

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Have questions or comments? Write to us.

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Copyright © 2010 Click Media Works. All rights reserved.

2010 Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards honours nominees, award recipients

Rick Rake, our resident media relations specialist here at Click Media Works, participated again this year as one of the judges for the Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards.

The nominees and award recipients were honoured Friday night (March 5, 2010) with ceremonies and international buffet dinner at the Ramada Plaza and Conference Centre.

Here are the results as Rick posted them to Facebook:

Abbotsford Deputy Chief Constable Rick Lucy is Champion of Diversity. He received a standing ovation.

 

Other recipients included

*  Inclusiveness: Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts

*  Outreach: Ministry of Children and Family Dev

*  Marketing: City of Abbotsford

*  Innovative Initiative: The Reach Gallery Museum

*  Reflective Workforce: SUCCESS, Fraser Valley SEP

 

Great opportunity for community engagement.

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Have questions or comments? Write to us.

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Copyright © 2010 Click Media Works. All rights reserved.

So, how do you write to persuade and move your target audience to action?

You start by first finding out what's important to your audience and then using those important things to make your audience the centre of attention.

Everything you write should be about your reader, not about you.

For example, if you provide a yard clean-up and maintenance service to home owners, you'd focus on the things that are important to them: more free time or being the envy of the neighbourhood are two possibilities.

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Have questions or comments? We'd love to hear them.

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Copyright © 2010 Click Media Works. All rights reserved.

You want writing that persuades and moves your target audience to action. Right?

If you want to persuade and move your target audience to take action, give them truthful, useful information about the products or services you offer. The more truths you include in your marketing material, the better—for everyone.

That's why, before we start any writing project, we use our Effective Copy Questionnaire to dig for information from you (our client) about your products and services, industry, and competition, not to mention your target market.

After all, you don’t want a bunch of puffed-up meaningless words and expressions that will simply fill up space on a page. They won’t persuade your reader to take that next step because they’re hollow…they don’t inform and don’t connect.

Instead, you want words and phrases that are jam-packed with value. You want words that are meaningful and compelling.

You want WOW!

When you complete the tasks and answer the questions in our free Effective Copy Questionnaire, you’ll help us gather the information we need to write persuasive, fact-filled copy that sings! (Can you hear it yet?)

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Copyright © 2010 Click Media Works. All rights reserved.

Canadian, British, or U.S. spellings in the English language

Karen Bond has put together a great resource for writers of English at her website, Karen's Linguistics Issues. She's identified several words that take different spellings when written for Canadian, British, or U.S. audiences. I haven't yet checked it for accuracy, but will in short order. In the meantime, enjoy!

Content really is critical to marketing

I know it. Content is critical. I'd even go as far as to repeat the oft cited, "content is king." And as much as I know it, I'm also aware that it's really easy to lose sight of content's importance.

So does Joe Pulizzi of Junta42, which is why he's taped this credo of sorts above his desk for easy reference: 30 Content Marketing Truths for 2010.

I agree with most of his points, especially numbers 9, 20, and 30.

There are two, however, I'd re-write. Numbers 12 and 17 should, in my humble opinion, read:

12.  That a media release isn't meant to be picked up by the press alone; instead, it should help customers find your great content on the web, whether by way of the web or through traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, etc.

17.  That the marketing brochure is just one very small component of an effective strategic marketing plan.

Give the article a read and let me know if you agree—or not.

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Copyright © 2009 Click Media Works. All rights reserved.