People read very selectively online, always looking for the maximum benefit for their reading investment. Web usability expert Jakob Nielsen cites studies showing that web readers read an average of only 20% of the text on a page.

The key is to target your audience precisely. Ask yourself: is this something that my audience will find useful and helpful in achieving their goals? You may also consider conducting a survey among your readers if you have a way to do that.

Once you have a relevant topic, here are five ways to make your content more readable and interesting:

1. Know your topic well. Do the research, read the experts and examine different points of view. If this topic is of true interest to your readers, it is something they care about, so don’t just breeze over the topic.

2. Present a new point of view.  Don’t restate the obvious. Assume your reader is well read. They aren’t going to be interested in something they already know. Even if it’s something introductory, you can still put a new spin on it.

3. Use research, data or anecdotes to support your points. Unless you’re somebody like Seth Godin, just stating your opinion is probably not very interesting. Back up your points with data or quote an expert. Give examples, even if they’re anecdotal. Anecdotes and data make your writing more memorable.

4. Use your readers’ language. Imagine you are talking directly to your reader. Don’t use words they don’t use. Get their words by studying what they read. Your points may be original, but use your reader’s language to make them.

5. Keep it short and clean. Be concise. Make copy scannable by using bullets and subheads. Remember, web readers are assessing their time investment as they scan for what to read. Write short paragraphs and sentences that get to the point fast. Your readers will reward you with their attention and actions.

In The Web Content Strategist’s Bible, Sheffield walks you through the content development life cycle and how the CS is involved in each phase: Discovery, Analysis, Design, Build, and Maintenance. Sheffield portrays the CS role as primarily that of a project manager, involved in overseeing all the content requirements and creating all content strategy project deliverables for each phase. These include a suite of planning documents containing the results of content and business analysis and related process recommendations. Among the key documents are the Content Matrix and the Content Strategy Document.

Sheffield provides a detailed look at the role and responsibilities of the CS. This person is a key decision maker, manager and performer of several functions within the overall web content project, such as managing and performing content inventories and audits, developing content requirements, taxonomy and metadata frameworks, hiring and managing content developers, establishing style guides and editorial guidelines if there are none (new content often creates the need for new styles), developing and managing content workflow processes, developing content migration plans if needed, and of course, managing the content schedule to ensure these multiple initiatives stay on track, while coordinating with the rest of the website development team.

Given the variety of tasks and skills that Sheffield describes, the CS seems to be a fluid role that would adapt to the needs of the project and perhaps share some tasks with other roles, such as an information architect. I’ve done bits and pieces of similar work myself, though it was never referred to as content strategy. For example, outlining is generally part of the content development work that writers do. The site outline is similar to the content matrix deliverable for the CS, but less detailed.

Sheffield defines content strategy as “a repeatable system that defines the entire editorial content development process for a website development project, from very early tasks such as analyzing and classifying readers to the very last tasks, such as planning for the ongoing content maintenance after the project launches.”

Thus, the CS is keenly involved with managing a high-level process to align with business goals, interfacing frequently with stakeholders, while the actual content is developed by web content writers and editors and other content producers. However, Sheffield encourages writers to go after content strategy jobs, suggesting this would be an easy transition if you understand how to organize content coherently and “communicate value and a good story.”

At a minimum, the two roles of writer and strategist feed much input into the other.  I can see how on a relatively modest-sized website, the two functions might even be performed by the same person. A content developer can wear many hats, often taking on a managing editor role and style guide development in addition to writing. However, in the case of the combined content writer/strategist, I would expect a user experience professional and a marketing or program manager to fill out the strategist role.

The wide reach of the CS role may raise questions in the reader’s mind, such as where does this function begin and where does it end? The CS role seems to be all encompassing. I suspect it has more to do with the scope of the project than the actual tasks the CS performs. And though Sheffield talks about the need for more accurate content scheduling as a major reason for content strategy, some additional insights into what can go wrong (other than missing deadlines) when there is no content strategy would have been useful.

I think this book is helpful, however, in providing a broad overview of content strategy functions in the context of a large-scale website project. It is not likely that all aspects of this function will be needed on every web content project. Neither is it likely, in my opinion, that all aspects of the content strategy be performed by a single person. However, it’s clear that someone must own this role and coordinate with the other team members who either do some part of it or contribute to it.

Is web content strategy the right career for you? You will know after reading this book. In any case, The Web Content Strategist’s Bible succeeds in describing a detailed content strategy workflow and list of tasks and deliverables that will help web content professionals support this vital and complex role.

(Please note I am not an Amazon affiliate; link is provided for information only.)

After talking to Bill, I did some research to see what else people are saying about content strategy. I had read both Joe Pulizzi’s and Kristina Halvorson’s groundbreaking books back in 2010, and wanted to see what they were doing now. Kristina’s got a new edition of her book coming out, and Joe has a very popular content hub going at Content Marketing Institute. The rise of web content as a marketing strategy has triggered several new content-themed conferences and content strategy meetup groups in just the last couple of years. I dashed off this email to Bill:

Well there certainly is a lot of buzz out there about online content marketing & strategy, and three big content-related conferences happening in the next couple of months!  Joe Pulizzi, a marketing guy, has a central hub on “everything content” at Content Marketing Institute.

I just stopped by the CMI blog and they had an article about yet another content job, Content Engineer; it’s basically copywriting with a little seo, social media and analytics.  This is either a lot of hype or a brilliant strategy to keep writers employed!  Seriously though, I think tech communicators should look at this content engineering model and adapt it to tech comm.  The chart shows customer support content under “Retention.”  It’s a vital part of business to retain your customers, because the cost of getting new ones is much higher.

Suddenly there’s the huge awareness of how much content drives ROI, so there has to be more strategy in creating, using and managing it. Dollars are at stake!

There seems to be a strong parallel to editorial strategy also, like a magazine has, with the emphasis on driving consistent messaging. New terms being created, like “messaging architecture” and “content-driven experience.”

Update: As Bill said in his blog post, we’re just touching the tip of the iceberg on the subject of content strategy – there’s much more to be queried and articulated. It’s exciting to me that an overarching view could potentially connect the previously sharply divided realms of marketing and technical communications content. Look for more to follow on this topic as I share what I’m learning here.

Educating your prospects and buyers is essential in building familiarity with new products. While marketing communications can help build familiarity with your company and your offerings, educational marketing provides more of a sharing, learning and bonding experience. Companies need to be proactive in providing the educational content that helps buyers make decisions.

The way to do this is to first look at the product information that you currently provide for customers, and ask yourself these questions:

• Does the information clearly describe the features and benefits of the product in an easy-to-grasp way? Too often product collateral actually buries the features in wordy text that proclaims benefits and only vaguely references the features. A well illustrated product backgrounder is more useful than a brochure.
• Does the information clearly show how the product can be used to achieve ROI? Here is where some real data and case histories can be very compelling. These can easily be included in a product backgrounder or white paper. You need proof to back up your marketing messages.
• Can customers actually experience the product with a free demo or trial download? If so, is there a Quick Start guide or video tutorial available to ensure that customers can easily have a rewarding experience with the product? A technical support team or person can be invaluable here, because a customer’s ability to test the product easily and quickly can make the difference between “I’ll think about it” and “I’ll buy it.”

Getting attention and interest is one half of the marketing puzzle, but getting to the desire and action steps of the AIDA model is not as simple. Some newer versions of the communication model suggest a revision of AIDA to AIDCAS, which includes the steps of building confidence and ensuring satisfaction.

The confidence factor is what educational marketing provides. We hear a lot about content marketing today, and in less complex sales, the use of problem-solving content could support the entire the sales process, if it is very consistent and useful.

But as we know, getting buy-in is more challenging for complex sales. Learning provides the interactive environment to experience your product more directly. Learning, or educational marketing, supports all the ways that customers make decisions, intellectually, emotionally and physically, thus giving customers the necessary confidence to buy.

White papers are written in a journalistic, investigative style to explain complex products and services.  This fact-based, objective approach elevates white papers to a trusted status. Thus, they help position companies as thought leaders in competitive industries.

Here are the reasons why white papers help corporations generate leads and increase sales for their products and services:

• A more in-depth marketing piece is more effective when the sales cycle is longer, as it usually is for high cost, complex products.
• Because of the higher cost of making a wrong decision, decision makers need more in-depth information. White papers provide a convenient way to provide that information.
• White papers can provide the answers to frequently asked questions, making it easier for the sales force to work with prospects.
• White papers establish trust and credibility in the eyes of potential customers because they are not perceived as slick advertising. They often include case studies which further enhances credibility.
• White papers lay out the value proposition in a way that is easier to understand by educating the reader in the pros and cons of other solutions.
• Because of the educational, yet persuasive nature of white papers, they convey thought leadership and help to position the company as a trusted source within its market.

Now let’s look at the list above from the small business perspective. Like white papers, a special report:

• Helps you position your business as the best solution within your market.
• Answers frequently asked questions, removing in advance any objections or worries potential customers might have.
• Helps to pre-sell your product or service with an in-depth explanation of what you offer.
• Provides information about your business in a way that is considered more valuable than a brochure.
• Shows prospective clients and customers what it’s like to work with you with case studies and testimonials.

It’s not hard to see that many of the reasons that large corporations use white papers are very similar to what small businesses need to accomplish in order to stay competitive, viable and profitable. Small businesses may not want to call them white papers if their target audience is not familiar with that term. But whether you call them an in-depth article or a special report, this type of collateral accomplishes many marketing objectives and does the same heavy lifting as a white paper.

You’ll notice the title of this post is fairly straightforward. It’s not too snazzy, but it gets the point across quickly. On the web, it’s more important to be clear, or clear enough to not confuse the reader with an obscure play on words.

Print journalists traditionally love the clever headline, but they were losing readers online. Check out this article on eConsultancy called The Journalist’s Guide to SEO for a good explanation.  Explanatory headlines work best on the web, and keep in mind that most marketing or news content ends up online eventually.

1. Gain attention with one or more keywords that are relevant to the reader and to the subject of the copy.

It’s not just for search engine optimization. Clearly written, relevant headlines make readers pay attention. That’s not to say you can’t be creative, but make sure at least one relevant keyword is in the headline.

2. Sustain attention by promising a benefit, either explicitly stated in the headline or by pointing to the copy.

A benefit stated in the headline whets the reader’s appetite as to what they stand to gain to read further. That’s why “tips” articles work so well.

A famous headline that illustrates a subtle benefit using curiosity is Do You Make These Mistakes in English? Curiosity headlines can be risky because they are by nature vague.

You also risk losing your reader if you ask a question that could have a “no” answer; if the answer is no, the reader will not read any further. But in the question above, you don’t know the answer until you read the copy. The benefit is subtle, but implies that you’ll be smarter once you find out what these mistakes are.

3. Headlines should not be too long or too short; eight words or less is usually best.

While there is no hard and fast rule for the length of headlines, studies of the most effective advertising headlines showed the average length is eight words or less. Whether you’re selling or telling, how do you make a headline longer or shorter so that it’s just right?

If you have written a targeted, benefit-oriented headline that is simple and direct, you can try adding more specificity to it. Numbers, statistics, and descriptive adjectives can be used to add specificity. For example, in my headline, the words “how to” are the benefit, because they promise useful information. My keyword is “headlines” and my specificity word is “great.”

You can read about the use of short headlines in this article by CopyBlogger. Author Brian Clark points out that tweeting is a lot like writing headlines, packing a lot of attention-getting power in a short statement. That’s why it’s useful to study advertising headlines, many of which have been tested over time. A headline is like an ad for your copy.

Most people write the headline first, but consider your first headline a working title. If you’re writing about an evergreen topic like this one, you can do what I did. Put a half dozen versions of your headline into the Google Keyword Tool search engine and see which one is most popular. Always review your headline after you finish writing. You can usually improve it.

Professional copywriters go to great lengths to write great titles and headlines. A rule of thumb is to write 50 or more headlines before deciding on the one you’re going to use. You need to do your warm ups to get the smooth and snappy sound of a good headline. As in copywriting, a title should focus on the reader. The words “you” and “your” are two of the most powerful words to use in a title.

Two more characteristics of a good headline are the promise of a benefit and specificity.  This is often done as a list of tips, for example: “5 Ways to Get More Leads”.

Many copywriters rely on headline formulas that have been used for decades.  But it’s better to understand the underlying principles of what makes headlines work (hint: the last three tips below are some of the underlying principles).

Writing a great headline can take as much time as writing a page of copy. Straight informative content headlines can be simple and direct, but any promotional or offer copy (that is, needing a response) will need to work hard to pull the reader in. Use these five tips to help you create more engaging and successful headlines:

1. Take your time; write several headlines to warm up.
2. Study successful headlines.
3. Focus on the reader.
4. Be specific.
5. Promise a benefit.

Though analytic testing can be done to test headlines for response, it’s time consuming. For immediate feedback, run your titles through the Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer, or simply ask people for their feedback on different titles.