Facttactic
Corporate and technical writers
MailChimp — the well-known, online, email marketing service — has its style guide for online content available online.
It’s a great resource for anyone putting words up on the web, in emails or on social media.
You can find it here: http://styleguide.mailchimp.com/
Looking for a style guide for a different type of writing? Here is an extensive list of style guides.
More search requests are now being made on mobile devices than on personal computers — in the U.S and many other parts of the world, Google said yesterday.
So, the tipping point to mobile search is here, and earlier than some pundits thought.
All the more reason to ensure your website is mobile friendly, otherwise it is likely to be demoted in Google’s search rankings.
This site is mobile responsive now and so is its sister site www.technical-writer.co.nz.
We made the upgrades in response to Google advising that mobile friendly sites would benefit from changes to its search algorithms released yesterday. If your site is not mobile responsive, it will still rank the same in desktop and laptop searches, but will suffer when people search from mobile devices.
[Read more…] about we’re mobile responsive now, did you make Google’s deadline?
Podcasts — like a DIY radio show but delivered via the internet — provide another way of connecting to your customers and social media audience: but are they worth doing and do they get results?
This month a Kiwi-made podcast, IMTalk — which is solely about Ironman triathlons, posted its 400th episode. The podcast has more than 20,000 listeners in around 100 countries. It’s a great example of how to be successful with podcasts — choose a niche topic you know heaps about and keep publishing!
According to online comment from IMTalk producer and fitness instructor Bevan James Eyles, the podcast makes money through advertising and is praised by its advertisers for its effective returns.
Bevan was commenting under a Stuff blog post a year or so back that asked if the podcast trend was dying. He disagreed, and — funnily enough — while that blog post no longer seems to be on the Stuff website (so I can’t link to Bevan’s comment), the IMTalk podcast is going from strength to strength.
Bevan said that with 20,000 listeners his podcast show would be “a waste of time” to mainstream media, “but for myself and the other guy I produce the show with we have been able to make good money from the show. Being niche is our advantage… our advertisers know that they are talking directly to people who love the sport. All of our advertisers have told us that we are where they get the most effective return from the advertising they do with us”.
I think, that like IMTalk, podcasts have the potential to deliver business owners real immediacy and cut-through with targeted audiences. Below, to give you more information, we’ve pulled together a range of tips for successful podcasting from a bunch of clever, online experts.
If your website sells stuff or promotes a service, the words you use have to be focused in a way that works in cyberspace. It’s totally different to writing a hard copy brochure or article.
For a start, your writing should be short (some people say make it short, then go back and edit it back 50% shorter again!), clear and benefits-focused. Below are links we’ve compiled to some knowledgeable people who explain it clearly.
So, you have decided to commit to writing a blog for your business. A blog can be a great tool — it lets you communicate directly with your customers and can really boost your online presence.
But it does take time and effort, like all good things; and I know well that it’s not always easy coming up with fresh ideas.
I’ve been writing this blog for four or so years now. I don’t update it as often as I should but it is an important part of my communicating with clients about what my business does, what we know (this is important for a service provider) and a bit about who we are.
So, where can you get ideas for regular and effective content? Brainstorming will bring up a few, but it pays to have some resources on hand for when you hit ‘blogger’s block’.
Here are some thoughts on what to do to keep those creative juices flowing and to stop you heading off on the wrong track.