Vikki Maver: How to Write for an Online Audience

With so much emphasis on a website’s look and feel, content is often nothing more than an afterthought. But to truly engage with our audience we need to create content that is clear, simply, succinct – and human. Special writing techniques are needed. This presentation will help people create more persuasive and effective online content.

Transcript

1. Wri$ng  for  Your  
    
   Online  Audience
    
   Vikki Maver
   @vikkimaver
   vikki@refreshmarketing.com.au
   

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2. Welcome  to  our  site,  we  hope  you  
   will  find  our  new  and  improved  
   design  helpful.  
   

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3. This  change  will  allow  us  to  better  
   leverage  our  talent  base  in  an  area  
   where  developmental  roles  are  under  
   way  and  strategically  focuses  us  
   toward  the  upcoming  Business  System  
   transition  where  Systems  literacy  and  
   accuracy  will  be  essential  to  maintain  
   and  to  further  improve  service  levels  
   to  our  customer  base  going  forward.  
   

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4. Go  to  the  top  of  this  page,  click  on  
   application  form  on  the  right-­‐hand  
   side,  download  it,  and  then  fill  it  
   out.  
   

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5. Please  click  here  to  contact  the  
   Holistic  Massage  Therapy  team  or  click  
   here  to  submit  an  online  enquiry.  
   

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6. Outline
    
   1.  Knowing  your  audience  
   2.  Three  facts  about  your  online  audience  
   3.  Six  pillars  of  web  wri=ng  
    
    
   

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7. Knowing  your  audience
    
   Wri=ng  good  
   content  
   doesn’t  start  
   with  typing  
   words.  It  
   starts  with  
   finding  out  
   about  your  
   audience.  
    
   

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8. Ques$ons  to  ask  about    your  
   audience
    
   •  Demographics      
   •  What  do  they  value?  
   •  What  mo=vates  them?  
   •  What  are  they  saying?  What  words  
   would  they  use?      
   •  What  problem  or  pain  are  you  
   trying  to  solve?  
   •  How  are  they  feeling?  
   •  How  much  do  they  know?  
   •  What  do  they  already  believe?  
      
   

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9. Three  facts  about  your  
    
   online  audience  
   

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10. They  don’t  want  to  
     
    read  your  content
     
    •  Eyes  move  at  amazing  speeds  across  your  precious  words.    
    •  People  read  about  28%  of  the  text  on  a  webpage  at  most.  
    But  20%  is  more  likely.    
    •  The  longer  the  text,  the  less  they  read.  
    

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11. They  don’t  care  about  you
     
    •  People  don’t  care  about  
    your  organisa=on  -­‐  they  
    just  want  to  know  how  it  
    will  benefit  them.  
    •  A  good  quick  check:  does  
    the  word  ‘you’  appear  
    more  than  the  word  ‘we’?  
    

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12. Our  vision  is  to  craft  quality  apartments  and
     
    homes  in  bright-­‐life  places,  places  where  
    there’s  a  vibrancy  of  people  and  a  hum  of  
    energy.  We  create  to  inspire,  free  and  enrich
     
    lifestyles.  Our  creations  are  brought  to  life
     
    by  brilliant  architects  who  embody  our  ideas  
    in  their  cutting-­‐edge  design,  exciting  
    architecture  and  quality  finishes.  
     
     
    

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13. Do  you  want  more  time  to  enjoy  life?      
    We  offer  apartment  living  with  all  the  luxury  
    and  convenience  you  could  wish  for.    
    • Action  and  entertainment  on  your  doorstep.  
    • No  time  wasted  on  long  commutes  or  domestic  
    upkeep.  
    • A  quality,  modern  new  home  you’ll  adore!  
    

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14. They  don’t  believe  you
     
    Today’s  consumers  
    despise  hype  and  
    anything  else  that  
    insults  their  
    intelligence    
     
     
    

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15. The  6  pillars  of          
     
    web  wri$ng
     
    CLARITY
     
    SIMPLICITY
     
    BREVITY
     
    HUMANITY
     
    SCAN-­‐ABILITY
     
    CREDIBILITY
     
    

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16. Pillar  1
     
    CLARITY
     
    

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17.    Clarity
     
    •  Clarity  is  the  goal  in  
    wri=ng;  the  main  prize.    
    •  It’s  surprisingly  hard  to  
    achieve  because  so  many  
    sentences  as  they’re  first
     
    wri`en,  tend  to  come  
    out  just  a  li`le  wrong.  
    

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18. A  significant  percentage  of  the  
    youth  sector  are  [sic]  
    prematurely  disengaging  from  
    educational  opportunities.
     
    

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19. A  lot  of  young  people  are  
    leaving  school  early.
     
    

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20. Pillar 2
    SIMPLICITY
    

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21.    Simplicity  
     
    Get  rid  of  clu`er:  
    •  unnecessary  words    
    •  meaningless  jargon  
     
    •  pompous  frills    
    We  are  not  wri=ng  
    for  the  sake  of  
    wri=ng  
     
    

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22. Replace  long  words  ...
     
    Frequently  
    Alternatively  
    Regarding  
    Reiterate  
    Accompanying  
    Converse  
    Aspiration
       
         
             
               
    Indicate  
    Definitive  
    Construct  
    Expiration  
    Fundamental  
    Requirement  
    Endeavour    
           
     
     
    

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23.    [Company  X]  has  remained  faithful  in  its  
    commitment  to  producing  unparalleled  
    entertainment  experiences  based  on  its  rich  
    legacy  of  quality  creative  content  and  
    exceptional  storytelling.  Today,  [Company  X]
     
    is  divided  into  four  major  business  
    segments...Each  segment  consists  of  
    integrated,  well-­‐connected  businesses  that  
    operate  in  concert  to  maximize  exposure  and  
    growth  worldwide.  
    

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24. That’s  a  lot  of  jargon  to  
    describe
     
     
    

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25. Pillar 3
    BREVITY
    

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26.  Brevity  
     
     
    •  Short  words  
    •  Short  sentences    
    •  Short  paragraphs  
    

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27. Situated  in  cosmopolitan  Macrossan  Street,  just  140  
    metres  from  magnificent  Four-­‐Mile  Beach,  divine  views  
    of  rainforest,  mountains  and  blue  seas  can  be  enjoyed  
    in  absolute  privacy  from  a  choice  of  33  glamorous  
    holiday  apartments  that  come  complete  with  their  own  
    outdoor  entertaining  terrace  –  extending  seamlessly  
    from  sophisticated  living  areas  –  so  self  contained,  
    you  will  never  want  to  leave.  
    58  words
     
    

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28. As  the  year  draws  to  a  close  and  we  anticipate  what  
    2013  will  hold  for  us,  hopefully  we  will  all  have  some
     
    time  to  ponder  our  circumstances  and  reflect  on  what  
    has  gone  well  for  us  this  year  and  how  we  can  perhaps  
    capitalise  further  from  these  opportunities  in  the  New
     
    Year,  and  then  to  also  consider  what  hasn’t  turned  out
     
    as  we  hoped  and  how  we  can  learn  from  these  
    disappointments  or  failures  and  apply  these  
    experiences  into  the  future.    
    81  words
     
    

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29. No. of
    Words
    Level of
    Comprehension
    8 or less Very easy
    9 – 11 Easy
    12 – 14 ` Fairly easy
    15 – 17 Standard
    18 – 21 Fairly difficult
    22 – 25 Difficult
    26 – 30 Very difficult
    Beyond 30 Don’t go there!
    

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30. Brevity  makes  things  clearer
     
    In  a  timely  manner            
    During  the  course  of          
    The  vast  majority  of          
    In  the  normal  course  of  events        
    At  this  moment  in  time    
    On  a  daily  basis              
    The  month  of  September              
    In  the  not  too  distant  future          
    We  are  of  the  opinion  that
             
    Perform  an  analysis  of            
    Prior  to  the  commencement  of          
    It  would  be  appreciated  if      
         
             
    

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31. ‘Get rid of half the words on each
    page, then get rid of half of
    what's left.’
     
    Steve Krug
    Web Usability Guru
    

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32. Pillar 4
    HUMANITY
    

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33. Humanity
     
    Be  more  natural  –  write  more  like  how  you  
    would  speak  to  a  friend  or  colleague  and  less  
    like  how  you  would  for  a  brochure.  
    

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34. Clare  Valley's  Youth  Counselling  Service  
    provides  counselling  for  young  people  
    aged  12-­‐25  years  who  live,  work,  study  or
     
    recreate  within  the  municipality.  
    Counselling  is  a  free  and  confidential  
    service  available  to  young  people.  As  
    part  of  this  service,  a  youth  counsellor  
    can  provide  information  and  referrals  to  
    other  services  for  the  young  person.  
    

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35. Would  you  like  someone  to  talk  to?  
    Someone  you  can  trust  and  confide  in?
     
    If  you're  between  12  and  25  and  live,  work  
    or  study  within  the  local  area,  then  our  
    Youth  Counselling  Service  may  interest  you.
     
    Counselling  is  free  and  confidential.  
    

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36. Pillar 5
    SCAN-ABILITY
    

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37. Scan-­‐ability
     
    1.  Get  to  your  point  
    quickly  
    2.  Use  headings  and  
    subheadings  
    3.  Use  lists  
    4.  Emphasise  keywords  
    and  phrases  
    5.  Descrip=ve  linking  
    

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38. Pillar  6
     
    CREDIBILITY
     
    

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39. Credibility
     
    •  Don’t  market,  communicate  
     
     
     
    •  Don’t  exaggerate    
    •  Ditch  the  jargon,  clichés  and  
    corporate  waffle  
    •  Fight  the  fluff  –  subs=tute  
    general  descrip=ons  with  
    specific  facts  
    •  Proofread    
       
    

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40. Thank you!
    Vikki Maver
    @vikkimaver
    vikki@refreshmarketing.com.au
    

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