Most business owners are stumped when they are asked to write some content for their website. They don’t know where to start. They don’t know what to write. Their fingers freeze on the keyboard and they sit staring at the monitor, unable to type even a sentence.
It sounds funny but it is true. It happens to most people because writing is one of the most difficult tasks for any normal person. Speaking/talking is easier. You just shoot your mouth off. It doesn’t need much thought.
But writing is a different kettle of fish. You need to assemble your thoughts. You need to logically think through it all before tapping out something on the keyboard. You cannot lie through writing because you can read and re-read those sentences and find yourself chuckling or writhing in embarrassment. And the word lives on even when you’re long gone.
If you are tasked with the unenviable chore of writing something/anything for your business or company website, here are some ideas on how to make the task as easy and as pleasant as possible.
1. Collect all materials which can provide you with information. This can include flyers, brochures, reports and even news bits written about you or your company.
2. Read through all these materials to get an idea of what the business is about. Jot down some ideas as you read through. It’s always good to have pen and paper beside you as you do this. You don’t want to lose your ideas when you’re hunting for paper!
3. Think like a customer. What would a CUSTOMER look for when he or she arrives at your website? What type of problem does he or she have? If you say that there is no problem, then you need to find one. The customer is looking for a solution to his or her problem. If you can’t find one, you need to re-read your business materials! When you find the problem, it means your product or service is the solution. otherwise, you need to look harder.
4. Start writing. It can be on paper or it can be on your PC. Either way, just write. Don’t worry about spelling mistakes or grammar. This will be your first draft. You can polish this later.
5. If you are still unsure of writing, look at samples of writing from your competitors. I do not recommend this unless you really do not know how to start writing because you would probably end up with your competitor’s style and lingo. That’s not what you want. You want to be yourself. You want to write from the heart too. You don’t want something which even you yourself would not read.
6. Stay away from your writing once you’re done. Take a day off. Come back to your work with fresh eyes and then you will see that your draft needs to be improved. It could be typos, grammar… maybe even additional information you missed out.
7. To further polish your writing, read it aloud. First to yourself, then to a friend. Be critical. Does it sound like you? Or does it sound fake? Do you understand what you’ve written? If you can’t, it’s time to be merciless and trim the fat. Cut out unnecessary information. Rewrite if you need to. Stop only when you are completing satisfied!
As you can see, writing is about writing and re-writing!
Note: If the above still sounds like gibberish to you and you just want your life to be easier, we can help you to craft the words you need for your business website. Just
email us and let us know.
Related articles: “How to make sure your website gets read!” Click the link below to get to this article which I wrote back in April 2005.
http://www.redboxstudio.com/blog/?p=42