How to Plan Your Copy

Having great website content is a must in today’s crowded Internet arena. You always need to write well, and present a lot of information in a manner that will not only allow people to learn, but give them some amusement and entertainment as well. This latter part is very important: amusement and entertainment keep people glued to a website and can keep them coming back.

Therefore, you need to plan your website content so that it catches your prospective visitors’ eyes. In particular, you need to plan your copy: this is what will meet your visitors when they get onto your website, and you need to hook them at first glance.

You may be raring to put pencil to paper or start typing your website away. However, the problem with writing for the web is that it is built for people who do not read word for word: web writing must be done with the thought in mind that the target audience will skim through the sea of words and look for something interesting. You must be of the mindset, therefore, to attract your customers’ attention.

When you are starting off your plans, you also need to remember that you are after a certain segment of the market, or your target audience. This member of the target audience is going to be far more focused than any ordinary person hopping onto your website out of curiosity: this member of the target audience is expecting something, and has specific questions that need answering. You are to provide those answers.

When planning your copy, you need to practice targeting: this means that you have to fashion your statement so that visitors of a specific demographic and with specific needs can have these same needs filled by the products and services that you provide. You need to have this target market in mind: when you know what your target market is like, you will better know how to fashion your statement. How is this so? When you know your target market, you can step into its shoes better. You will know where to look for it online. This includes going to the proper online forums and mailing lists in order to see what your target market wants, how much money it’s willing to spend for certain products and services, and the language that it speaks.

It is this language and attitude that is especially important for you. You need this information in order to get a profile of your market, and know what your prospective customers should be like. When you have this profile, you can better make web copy that is targeted toward the needs and tastes of this target market. So now that you have the target, you can start sharpening weapons: you can outline your plan for making that precious web copy.

Remember: you need to catch attention within seconds, so get straight to the point. Keep your tone even, and make sure that it adheres to the tastes of your target market. This will make you appear as though you are engaging them in convincing, enlightening conversation. Moreover, don’t beat around the bush: be straightforward and easy to understand. The key is to talk to your target market and meet its needs, and to be in this specific mindset at the very beginning.

If you plan your copy right, you will be able to come up with great content that will not only get you visitors, but have you keep them coming back to your home online.
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