Clear Concise Content

Samantha (Sam) Bovat4Web, Inc.CMS Expo, Denver, CODecember 2008

Agenda

• Introduce Sam• Content Overview

• What is it? • Why do you need it?• How to face writing it without

getting overwhelmed.• Q & A

Samantha Bovat

• Content and copywriter since 2000• Creator of Key4Women’s networking

group in Brattleboro, VT • Masters Degree in Education & Self-

Esteem• Motivational Speaker• Participant, New England Adobe User

Group and Joomla! User Group New England

What is content?

Content can mean a variety of things depending on who you are talking to, but in this case-we are talking about the words.

• Content includes the words you use to create a

marketing message. From your tagline to your contact information.

• Content can be broken down into two categories: Main Content and Supporting Content.

Main Content

Who are you? and What product or service do you offer?

• Visitors want to know if they are in the right place

Supporting Content

• Supporting content adds validity and credibility. It helps to enhance your overall image.

• Testimonials, Quotes, Portfolios, References, Images, etc.

Be Clear

• When in doubt- spell it out!• Do not leave anything up to the

visitor’s imagination.• You have about 5 seconds to get

and keep your visitor’s attention, so now is not the time to be vague about what you do.

Be Concise

Get to the point!

• Short and sweet gets the job done on most websites. • Visitors are skimming• They are looking for key words

Relevant Content

Every word counts and should be crafted to support your brand and overall marketing message.

Where do I start?

If you don’t have a marketing message already, this will be the place to start.

Take the time to write down the answers to these questions:

• Why did you want to start a business in the first place?• What makes your business special?• Who is your target audience? (Be as specific as

possible.)• What is your business style?• What experience do you have?

One Page at a Time

• Filling in the content on your site can be overwhelming to say the least. So, please take it one step at a time.

• Pick a page• Review your marketing message to

determine what info is relevant• Write a draft• Repeat

The Most Important Thing….

…is to just get writing!

• Content is the hardest part of the whole website, unless you like to write. So, if you don’t either ask for help or just start jotting things down.

In Conclusion

• Content is important for:• Your Visitors• The Search Engines• Your overall Marketing Goals

• The only way to get it done is to start one page at a time.

• Don’t let content hold up the launch of your site. Ask for help if necessary.

The Good, the Bad & The Ugly

It doesn’t get any more concise than this. So I will call this one good.

http://www.4webinc.com

The Good, the Bad & The Ugly

There are several things wrong with this one. So I fine this one to be pretty bad.

http://www.canoeclub.us

The Good, the Bad & The Ugly

Need I say more?

http://www.havenworks.com

Thank You!

Samantha (Sam) Bovat4Web, Inc.

All Slides can be found on www.joomla4web/expo

www.4webinc.com www.joomla4web.comsam@4webinc.com