Presentation to Media of BirminghamLisa Harris PR & Communications

lisaharrispr@bellsouth.net

WRITING FOR THE WEB:It’s all about results.

Direct Marketing Magazine verifies: Content Is King

Eighty-three percent of those surveyed said:Content marketing complements and works in tandem with traditional marketing communications,

OR

Content is replacing traditional marketing as the primary selling tool.

Yes, people DO still read copy.

In a survey of marketing managers, the two most valued skills were content marketing and copywriting.

Who is your audience?

• Paying customers and clients• Prospective customers• Opinion leaders• Press and media• Your competition• Students working on research papers

Questions, vivid words, key concepts grab attention

Home page copy should be concise.

Identify your target audience

• Education level• Interest in your business or service• How can you help them?• Other audiences besides customers/clients:– Competition– Industry leaders– Press and media

“Optimizing Your Site for Maximum Lead Flow” webinar Tim Ash, President and CEO of SiteTuners.com, and Mike Volpe, VP of

Marketing at HubSpot.

“Your buyer persona is should drive the content you're creating.”

“The title should be keyword rich. You want to use keywords that your personas would be searching for.”

Think like your audience. This site is aimed at the “little guy” who is in financial trouble.

More personal approach – use “You” to speak directly to reader.

Ask questions. This engages the reader and also mimics how they might search for you.

“Write clear headlines, just a few bullet points and don’t wrap them. Keep your thoughts concise and tight. Less is more. Cut down on the amount of text and increase readability and recall.”

“Optimizing Your Site for Maximum Lead Flow” webinar Tim Ash, President and CEO of SiteTuners.com, and Mike Volpe, VP of

Marketing at HubSpot.

What do you want them to do?

• Buy something• Order something• Ask for more information• Join your email list• Engage with you on social media• Call you if they need a quote or a story idea

1. What's the difference between grassfed and other types of beef?• Conventional - I believe that the conventional grassfed beef that is available to consumers today is a safe product as described by today's sense of the

word. There is a large market for this product. However, conventional grassfed beef is generally a commodity and has typically lost the identity of the animals from which it is made. The product commonly contains: Imported beef trimmings from Australia or New Zealand Dairy animals that are frequently given hormone injections to increase their milk production. High fat trimmings from feedlot cattle that have had the higher value cuts marketed separately. Beef from cattle that have had growth promoting hormones utilized or given antibiotics.

• Natural – This product is derived from source verified cattle that have not been exposed to added hormones or antibiotics. Preservatives, additives, or irradiation are not used. The cattle typically have been fattened in a feedlot on a high grain diet and their higher value cuts are marketed separately.

• Organic - The cattle that go into this product are raised with a protocol of pesticide free farming practices. No preservatives, additives, or irradiation is used. The use of supplemental hormones and antibiotics is prohibited. However, these cattle may be fattened in a feedlot on a high grain concentrate diet and their higher value cuts are marketed separately.

• White Oak Pastures All Natural Grassfed Beef – We put all of the steak, roasts, and other high value cuts into this product. None of the higher value cuts are robbed off to increase our profitability at the cost of lowering the quality of our grassfed beef. The animals are grassfed. This means that the beef is healthier than conventional, natural, or organic beef as described in the next pages. No preservatives, no additives, nor irradiation is used. Grassfed beef is naturally lower in risk of carrying e-coli because the animals do not have the acidic rumen that is commonly found in feedlot cattle that are fed a high grain concentrate diet. These cattle are raised, fed, and humanely handled in accordance with White Oak Pastures "all natural protocol".

• The colored box indicates the protocol that is used in raising the cattle that go into the beef types listed.2. Your label says that your cattle are raised without antibiotics, what if a cow gets sick?• If antibiotics are necessary to save an animal's life, we administer them. However, this animal is tagged and dropped from the all natural program.

We almost never have to administer antibiotics because:• Our herd has been closed to outside animals for many years. It is difficult for disease causing pathogens to infect our animals because we don't bring

these problems onto the farm.• We have a stringent biosecurity program that closely monitors our herd health.• We have a very aggressive preventative vaccination program that keeps the disease resistance of individual animals at a very high level.• We have had each of our cattle screened to eliminate "persistently infected animals" [carriers] for the most troubling diseases.3. Why is your beef more expensive than other beef?• Our cattle are raised under the "White Oak Pastures all natural protocol". This production system was not designed to deliver the cheapest beef

possible. It was designed to produce a healthy, nutritious, and better tasting product. Further, it requires management practices that are good for the environment [land, water, and air]. These practices also ensure the humane treatment of the cattle. This is a farm; we will not operate it as though it were a factory.

• Cheap industrial food is cheap only because the real costs of producing it are not reflected in the price at the checkout. Rather, those costs are charged to the environment, in the form of soil depletion and pollution (industrial agriculture is now our biggest polluter); to the public purse, in the form of subsidies to conventional commodity farmers; to the public health, in the form of an epidemic of diabetes and obesity that is expected to cost the economy more than $100 billion per year; and to the welfare of the farm- and food-factory workers, not to mention the well-being of the animals we eat. As Wendell Berry once wrote, the motto of our conventional food system should be: Cheap at any price!

This business markets to retailers. An FAQ page is useful for media inquiries and to answer questions retailers might have. This page could be improved with short sentences, keywords, targeted copy and links to technical information.

1. What's the difference between grassfed and other types of beef?• Conventional - I believe that the conventional grassfed beef that is available to consumers today is a safe product as described by today's sense of the

word. There is a large market for this product. However, conventional grassfed beef is generally a commodity and has typically lost the identity of the animals from which it is made. The product commonly contains: Imported beef trimmings from Australia or New Zealand Dairy animals that are frequently given hormone injections to increase their milk production. High fat trimmings from feedlot cattle that have had the higher value cuts marketed separately. Beef from cattle that have had growth promoting hormones utilized or given antibiotics.

• Natural – This product is derived from source verified cattle that have not been exposed to added hormones or antibiotics. Preservatives, additives, or irradiation are not used. The cattle typically have been fattened in a feedlot on a high grain diet and their higher value cuts are marketed separately.

• Organic - The cattle that go into this product are raised with a protocol of pesticide free farming practices. No preservatives, additives, or irradiation is used. The use of supplemental hormones and antibiotics is prohibited. However, these cattle may be fattened in a feedlot on a high grain concentrate diet and their higher value cuts are marketed separately.

• White Oak Pastures All Natural Grassfed Beef – We put all of the steak, roasts, and other high value cuts into this product. None of the higher value cuts are robbed off to increase our profitability at the cost of lowering the quality of our grassfed beef. The animals are grassfed. This means that the beef is healthier than conventional, natural, or organic beef as described in the next pages. No preservatives, no additives, nor irradiation is used. Grassfed beef is naturally lower in risk of carrying e-coli because the animals do not have the acidic rumen that is commonly found in feedlot cattle that are fed a high grain concentrate diet. These cattle are raised, fed, and humanely handled in accordance with White Oak Pastures "all natural protocol".

• The colored box indicates the protocol that is used in raising the cattle that go into the beef types listed.2. Your label says that your cattle are raised without antibiotics, what if a cow gets sick?• If antibiotics are necessary to save an animal's life, we administer them. However, this animal is tagged and dropped from the all natural program.

We almost never have to administer antibiotics because:• Our herd has been closed to outside animals for many years. It is difficult for disease causing pathogens to infect our animals because we don't bring

these problems onto the farm.• We have a stringent biosecurity program that closely monitors our herd health.• We have a very aggressive preventative vaccination program that keeps the disease resistance of individual animals at a very high level.• We have had each of our cattle screened to eliminate "persistently infected animals" [carriers] for the most troubling diseases.3. Why is your beef more expensive than other beef?• Our cattle are raised under the "White Oak Pastures all natural protocol". This production system was not designed to deliver the cheapest beef

possible. It was designed to produce a healthy, nutritious, and better tasting product. Further, it requires management practices that are good for the environment [land, water, and air]. These practices also ensure the humane treatment of the cattle. This is a farm; we will not operate it as though it were a factory.

• Cheap industrial food is cheap only because the real costs of producing it are not reflected in the price at the checkout. Rather, those costs are charged to the environment, in the form of soil depletion and pollution (industrial agriculture is now our biggest polluter); to the public purse, in the form of subsidies to conventional commodity farmers; to the public health, in the form of an epidemic of diabetes and obesity that is expected to cost the economy more than $100 billion per year; and to the welfare of the farm- and food-factory workers, not to mention the well-being of the animals we eat. As Wendell Berry once wrote, the motto of our conventional food system should be: Cheap at any price!

Why is grassfed beef better that other types?Grassfed beef is rich in healthy Omega-3s. The meat is naturally leaner because the animals spend their days in pastures outside.

KeywordsBenefit statement

Our meat comes from cattle that are verified to not be exposed to added hormones or antibiotics. Our organic beef farming practices mean no pesticides, preservatives or additives.

• Sequatchie Cove Farm is a diversified farm of 300 acres nestled in the shadows of the Cumberland Plateau, located 35 minutes northwest of downtown Chattanooga. The farm is bordered by the Little Sequatchie River and is surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine Tennessee wilderness. The farm is run by Bill and Miriam Keener, their children Ann, Kelsey and Ashley Keener, Miriam’s parents Jim and Emily Wright, Nathan and Padgett Arnold and an assortment of seasonal helpers from our community and beyond.

• The health of the land, water, air, livestock, ourselves are all linked inextricably. We make decisions and work with this basic philosophy close to our hands and our heart. You can be sure that all of our products arrive at your door with this level of integrity in mind.

• How we raise our animals is very important to us. Our animals spend their entire lives grazing in open pastures. They graze, scratch, root, and roam the way the animals were designed to. We use no pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or growth promoting hormones, just earth, water, compost, and careful management.

• We raise healthy, content animals in order to provide a product healthy for our consumption, our environment, and our whole human ecology. Each day we learn a bit more about what each animal needs to live stress-free and productive. If an animal is stressed, the whole farm, including the farmer, is stressed. They know us, we know them and we treat them with respect.

• What We Produce : Sequatchie Cove Farm/Westmoreland Beef »• In partnership with Westmoreland Farm, we raise beef on the pastures of east Tennessee. Our

beef cows are able to roam freely, eating healthy grass and enjoying fresh air and sunshine.

Sequatchie Cove Farms sells meat and other products direct to consumers. The copy is interesting, but needs a benefit statement to engage readers, and more links & keywords for search engine results.

• Sequatchie Cove Farm is a diversified farm of 300 acres nestled in the shadows of the Cumberland Plateau, located 35 minutes northwest of downtown Chattanooga. The farm is bordered by the Little Sequatchie River and is surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine Tennessee wilderness. The farm is run by Bill and Miriam Keener, their children Ann, Kelsey and Ashley Keener, Miriam’s parents Jim and Emily Wright, Nathan and Padgett Arnold and an assortment of seasonal helpers from our community and beyond.

• The health of the land, water, air, livestock, ourselves are all linked inextricably. We make decisions and work with this basic philosophy close to our hands and our heart. You can be sure that all of our products arrive at your door with this level of integrity in mind.

• How we raise our animals is very important to us. Our animals spend their entire lives grazing in open pastures. They graze, scratch, root, and roam the way the animals were designed to. We use no pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or growth promoting hormones, just earth, water, compost, and careful management.

• We raise healthy, content animals in order to provide a product healthy for our consumption, our environment, and our whole human ecology. Each day we learn a bit more about what each animal needs to live stress-free and productive. If an animal is stressed, the whole farm, including the farmer, is stressed. They know us, we know them and we treat them with respect.

• What We Produce : Sequatchie Cove Farm/Westmoreland Beef »• In partnership with Westmoreland Farm, we raise beef on the pastures

of east Tennessee. Our beef cows are able to roam freely, eating healthy grass and enjoying fresh air and sunshine.

Farm raised, grass fed beef and pork is healthier for your family and your environment. Our beef cows roam freely, eating healthy grass and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Our organic family farm is managed without pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or added hormones.

Keywords, personal. First sentence shows up on search results.

Creating Content

• Factual• Accurate• Interesting• Establishes credibility and trust

Readability

• Shorter sentences• Shorter paragraphs• Links to other pages• Highlight keywords with link or typeface• Conversational tone• Try to make keyword use as unobtrusive as

possible

This copy might be suitable for a brochure, but for a website it needs…

Shorter sentences

Links! Maybe to Orange Beach or a photo site.

More “You” statements or questions.

Bullet points or call-outs.

What can be changed to improve this copy?

Break up copy into two or three graphs

Don’t recite statistics – create a picture in your reader’s mind

Create headings or bullet points, like “We stop polluters.”

What are some examples of good copywriting on this website?

Use of keywords

Good descriptive words without “buzzwords”

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): help people find you

• Keywords and phrases• Add something unique• How would your ideal client or customer try to

find you?• It’s OK to repeat yourself.• Bullet points are a good way to add keywords• Questions grab attention and reflect the way

people search• SEO is important, but it is only part of the picture.

How Google & Bing Keep Spam Out of Search March 10, 2011 Mashable.com by Jolie O'Dell

Bing:

“Bing is able to easily detect pages consisting of machine-generated spam, keyword stuffing, redirect spam or malware [and] effectively remove such sites from results…. Bing has also developed several ranking signals to help weed out spam results and better understand the intent of the searcher.”

How Google & Bing Keep Spam Out of Search March 10, 2011 Mashable.com by Jolie O'Dell

Google:

“You can expect sites with shallow or poorly written content, content that’s copied from other websites, or information that people….don’t find that useful will be demoted as a result of our recent algorithm changes…. [H]igh quality pages — pages with original content and information such as research, in depth reports or thoughtful analysis — will get a boost.”

Make sure keywords are on your page, but do not rely on them for search results.

Only one ACTUAL business coach on first page of search results. The rest are either content farms or rank high for some other reason.

Example of a “content farm” designed to “game” search results.

Another example of a “content farm” designed to look like legitimate site.

Use keywords in descriptions and meta copy

Keywords are in description, not on home page which is in Flash.

Note paid results and content farms

Do your own searches to see what keywords are most effective.

1. You cannot rely entirely on SEO – your prospects need a little more data, like a name.

2. LinkedIn rocks!

Unless you are in a unique line of work, you will

have to do some old-fashioned prospecting.

“business coach birmingham alabama” had only one good result. Add a name, and you come in first.

Tech and design tips

• Avoid semicolons. This will keep your sentences short.

• Use basic punctuation. Some browsers do not render ‘ or & or –.

• Flash sites are on their way out. If you must work with one, be sure to put keywords in your meta copy.

• Keep your pages simple.• Include a response mechanism on each page:

contact us, sign up here, click here to order

Copy on flash website might not be found by

search engines. Meta copy is important.

Throwing a wide ‘net’

• Blogging• White Papers• Free guides• Make sure they are searchable! PDF is a good

format.

Truth or Dare: Discovering the Secrets behind Better Lead Generation, by Nancy Pekala

Make sure the website is communicating to your prospects and clients as effectively as it possibly can. How do you get more page views and keep visitors on the website longer?

Blogging is earned marketing. You are earning the respect of your target audience and building followers. Blogs are a great way to improve your search engine optimization rankings as well maintaining a dialogue with your market.

Presentation to Media of BirminghamLisa Harris PR & Communications

lisaharrispr@bellsouth.net