For optimum website content, you need to achieve a very fine balance between copy and images. This is especially important as web content must be as concise as possible and the temptation to replace words with images can be remarkably strong.

Before giving in to this, you need to consider the drawbacks of losing web copy. You can’t have ‘key pictures’ as you would key words. Images are not picked up by search engines in the same way (although you can add an ‘alt’ tag to tell the search engines what the image is about). This instantly cuts down on your visibility to vital marketing outlets.

If you are worried that your site will appear text-heavy then keep paragraphs short, with plenty of white space in-between. This makes for more memorable writing, allowing your key messages to jump out at the reader.

When selecting images make sure they have an obvious relevance and are not open to misinterpretation. The relationship between words and images is crucial and should amplify meaning rather than confuse it. An excellent but apocryphal example of how not to choose an image comes from a baby food company, said to have put a picture of a baby and no text on their tins, only to see their sales drop in Africa as people assumed they were selling canned babies.

However, when used correctly images can add visual interest to your web content, emphasising key messages of the copy to create a more memorable experience for potential clients.

It can be argued that of your e-marketing armoury, newsletters have to work hardest. Potential clients will actively seek out your website or your blog, but the newsletter goes to them. It pops up in their personal inbox and has to compete with hundreds of other emails for attention.

So it pays to be attention-grabbing, both visually and in your writing. The easiest way to achieve this is to always put the reader first. Always ask yourself whether the content of your e-newsletter is relevant to your readership. It’s great to announce your firm’s new promotion, but your recipient wants to know that this is a move that will safeguard his investment, or develop the product s/he buys to a higher standard. Targeted email marketing is key.

Although you’re sending the newsletter as a way of marketing your business, don’t be afraid to let your personality come through. Humour can be a great attention-grabber when used appropriately and create a personal tone that speaks individually to customers, rather than leaving them to wade their way through business-speak and jargon. Short anecdotes illustrating your point have a similar effect. These tactics create individuality and tend to stick in the reader’s mind long after your e-newsletter has been buried under the weight of new emails in your customers’ inbox.

Finally, if you are illustrating the newsletter then pick a strong image which clearly sums up the content of the piece. A striking visual will be instantly absorbed by your client, encouraging them to delve deeper into your e-newsletter and read the accompanying text. If you’ve followed the points above, they’ll soon be hooked on your e-newsletter and from there it’s only a short click to your company’s website.


Write My Site offers a full e-newsletter management service, encompassing design, content, distribution and reporting. Tariffs are listed here.

Linkedin is one of the most high profile social media platforms that was specifically designed for business networking. It has over 60 million members across 200 countries, so there’s a very good chance a lot of your business contacts are using it. Here are 5 ways to use Linkedin for business:

1)    Connect with everyone

OK so not everyone you’re ever met, seen or heard of, but certainly everyone you know in a business context. Start with your colleagues, and then expand your list of contacts by inviting your clients and suppliers to connect with you. Are you on any other social networks, such as Twitter or Facebook? It’s likely many of your contacts on those sites will also be on Linkedin so connect with them too. Finally, if you attend industry events, such as conferences or networking receptions, invite everyone you meet there to connect with you on Linkedin, including journalists and bloggers. It won’t be long until you’ve built up a strong network of business contacts. Linkedin provides several tools to help you locate people you know who have profiles on the site – try the ‘People You May Know’ column on the home page, and the email address book search tool.

2)    Create a group

Linkedin has a Groups feature, which – if used correctly – can be a great platform for you to initiate dialogue with your customers. Set up a group that is relevant to your industry (for example, we recently set up a group called Content Marketing for SMEs), invite all of your contacts and encourage them to engage in discussion.

3)    Join other people’s groups

As well as setting up your own groups, sign up to other groups that are populated by your target customers and join in the conversation.

4)    Answer questions

Search for relevant questions using the Linkedin answers tool and provide free, helpful advice. You’ll be surprised how frequently this can turn into new business for your company.

5)    Set up a company profile

It is now possible to create a separate Linkedin profile for your company in addition to your individual profile. You can brand the page with your logo, write a description of your company’s products and services and link to your company’s website and business blog. Make sure you take full advantage of this feature by including your keywords throughout the profile: this will boost the chances of it being listed in both internal and external search results.

Remember Write My Site offers social media management services, and this can include running your Linkedin activities. Get in touch for a free consultation if this is of interest.

What’s the first thing you think about when writing a blog for business? The answer should be your audience. No matter who your target demographic is, they are always your number one priority in creating content. A business blog is different from a personal blog, in that it should aim to generate a following, not simply to share the latest goings-on within the company with anyone who’s interested (sadly, few people outside of the business will care whether you’ve changed stationery suppliers).

Once you’ve identified your audience, your first question should be; How can I capture their interest? Statistics, jokes, anecdotes and rhetorical questions all serve to create an engaging introduction. You just need to decide which is most likely to appeal to your audience. A scientific-minded group may be grabbed by a startling statistic; younger audiences by an anecdotal joke.

A typical reader will have time constraints and probably the same relatively short attention-span that applies to most web-users. Therefore, to accommodate them you need to write clearly and concisely. While good writing is essential, a business blog is not the place for linguistic hyperbole or fancy ideas. Overdressing your content in metaphors, similes and long-winded sentences creates a diversion, ultimately distracting the reader and weakening your message.

Business blogs should aim to be interactive, and appeal to readers’ imaginations. To reinforce this connection you next want to address your tone. An overtly formal tone can over-complicate sentences and seem patronising. Keep a relatively conversational tone, free of slang, buzz words or jargon. The latter is especially important if your audience is non-specialist, as technical terms can be extremely alienating.

Putting yourself in the reader’s place will greatly enhance your business blog writing and increase interest in your website. Just bear in mind at all times – there is no ‘I’ in blog.

When it comes to writing an article for web publication, structure is king. It allows you to outline your key ideas and creates an obvious path for the reader to follow you down as you expand upon your introduction. Follow our bulletpoint guide for succinct, effective article writing.

The basic structure when writing an article is simple:

• Your introduction should outline the following paragraphs and any through-line of the article you’re writing. You want to grab your reader’s attention right away, so don’t be afraid to open with a potentially controversial statement or leading question.

• The body of your article will then expand upon these points each in turn. There should be no more than one point per paragraph and each should meld seamlessly into the next, which will enable your reader to follow the train of thought more clearly.

• Your summary will draw these points together and bring out any conclusions to be drawn from them. This is the time to answer any leading questions raised in your introduction – don’t leave your audience hanging or confused as to your intentions.

• It has often been said that a good article shares many attributes with a strong public address – it should have a carefully considered tone, flow logically and fit within the allotted time frame. This comparison can be taken a step further – an acid test is to read aloud your article once written. This will help you identify any cracks in the structure – points where the text is stilted or unclear. If the article works in speech, then you know the writing is sound!

To experience the full range of benefits that article writing can bring, take a look at Write My Site’s unusual article marketing service.