Good marketing through SEO copywriting is a careful balance – you have to take care of the needs of your current customers without even neglecting the need to always be catching the eye of new leads. If you’ve been neglecting your marketing efforts, believe me, you’re not alone.
SEO Copywriting: 4 Tips That Will Hook Readers Every Time
One of the easiest ways to drive your marketing car is by constantly adding new and fresh content to your website. If your site doesn’t have a blog page, consider adding one. The benefits you could gain from adding a blog will far outweigh the relatively small amount if time it will take to set one up.
For those of you who do have a blog, or are just starting one, you may be struggling to find ways to keep fresh content rolling out on it. Developing a regular posting pattern is definitely advisable, and choose a schedule you can stick to. If that means one post per week, that’s fine. If it’s three, that’s even better. Consistency is key, and over time you can even develop a regular readership.
Now, setting a schedule is one thing, but filling that schedule with good SEO copywriting is another. I get it. Sometimes as a SEO copywriter you can start to feel like a broken record, covering the same topic in seemingly every way you can. The key when developing the same tired old topics into fresh material is to attach a hook to every post, and that is what this article is here to help you do.
What is a “hook?”
“Hook” is a term borrowed from songwriting (and fishing). Put simply, it’s a turn of phrase or particular line that causes a song to be memorable and enjoyable. The band Blues Traveler has a song about this concept (you’ve probably heard it, the chorus (and hook, actually) begins, “The hook brings you back”), and it’s as true in SEO copywriting as it is in music. In copywriting, the hook is the art of the headline. It’s the subtle skill of spinning a topic this way or that, making it seem more inviting, enticing, or informative for the reader you’re looking to grab. In this article we’re going to look at some common tactics for hooking new readers with your newfound SEO copywriting skills.
1. The Problem-Solver Hook
If you’re in a business, then chances are your customers all have problems, and they’re probably pretty similar. Spend some time brainstorming, and ask yourself: how do I solve the most common problems of my customers? Spin those ideas into headlines: “Check Engine light in? This may be why.” “Get rid of ants in a week with this home remedy.” “8 amazing hairstyles you can do yourself.”
These are just some examples. You may notice that none of these headlines are sales pitches. To the contrary, they seem to be encouraging your readers to fix these problems themselves – and you’re correct!
This may seem like the opposite of asking for business, but don’t fret. If you help a reader solve a simple problem themselves, this lends credibility and an air of respectability to you, and later, when that customer has a bigger problem, you’re going to get that call.
2. The Horror Story Hook
As a general rule, customers want to do business with a person and not a company. We develop personal relationships with our doctors, not with the receptionists or the clinics where they work. There’s no better way to humanize your business than with a disaster story. Every business has its blunders. Tell your readers about your biggest disaster, and of course include the punchline where you were able to turn the situation around and solve the problem. Your readers will be wowed at your ingenuity, and will love the fact that your sense of humor enables you to share such a disastrous tale.
3. The FAQ Hook
You probably hear the same questions over and over again. Creating a series of posts, or even video blogs, addressing these most frequently asked questions will save your customers time when they’re searching for someone to do business with. If you can address the most common concerns without ever speaking with a potential customer, then you’re making a connection with them without even trying!
4. The Newsroom Hook
News from the industry that’s relevant to your readers is another great way to spin the same old topics in a new way, and there’s a bonus here: if you’re sharing and reacting to industry news, this is a perfect way for you to use your competitors’ announcements to improve your own search results.
Did that dry-cleaner downtown just open yet another new location? Use that as an opportunity to explain that the competition’s rampant expansion is causing poor results, and that your small, family owned dry cleaning shop will always do a better job.
