5 Important Elements of Your Content Marketing Writer Website
Note from Jennifer: This will be the last blog I publish before Christmas. I am taking a week off to enjoy the season. I hope that you have a relaxing time with your friends and family. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Most writers update their website when they get a new high-profile clip or publish in an impressive publication. But when you are transitioning to content marketing, it is essential to spend a few hours updating your website to reflect your experience and expertise in content marketing. Most brands want a content marketing writer who is experienced in both content marketing and their industry. If they visit your website and see no evidence of either (or both) types of experience, they most likely will move onto another potential writer.
Even if you think you have no experience in content marketing, take a few minutes to review your clips to see if you have written custom content before and not realize it. Since most writers will continue to write for trade publications and some consumer pubs or newspapers, you want your website to represent all types of writing that you do so you don’t want it to be solely focused on content marketing.
Here are five additions or changes that you should make to your website:
1. The Words Content Marketing in Your Title and Tag Line
Most writers have freelance writer, journalist or copywriter listed in the title of their website as well as in the tagline. Many (including me) had all three. Since brands want writers who have experience in content marketing, I recommend putting content marketing in your title and your tagline. This will increase your rank in search engines for content marketing as well as let potential clients immediately know that you specialize in content marketing.
2. Verbiage that Clearly Defines Your Niche
Brands also want writers who have experience in their industry, also known as a niche. For example, a B2B technology company specializing in cloud computing is going to be looking for a writer with experience writing B2B and cloud computing. Make sure that it is very clear on your website what niches you specialize in. Some writers including their niche in their tagline “Finance and Technology Content Marketing Writer” or include a list of niches on their front page. This is an area that I actually need to improve on my own website. I currently include my niches in small text, but I am going to revamp my website over the holidays so my niches are much more prominent. Potential clients shouldn’t have to search for your niches; it should be obvious within 30 seconds of visiting your website.
3. A List of Brands that You Have Written For
In the past, most writers included a list of publications that they had been published in on their website. If you have created content for household names, be sure to list your content marketing clients as well. On my website, I have a list of both the publications and brands that I have written for in two separate lists. Put the most impressive names at the top of your list and work downward.
4. A Paragraph explaining your focus on Content Marketing
On your About Me page, make sure that you have a paragraph describing your content marketing experience. Illustrate your understanding of content marketing strategy as well. Be sure to include a sentence, similar to the one that should be on every writer’s LOI, that illustrates the benefit you bring to potential clients. Writing this post reminded me that I need to update my About Me section to focus on content marketing.
5. Clips that Illustrate Your Content Marketing Experience
Update your website with clips that illustrate your content marketing work as well. I categorize my clips by niche so potential clients can quickly go to their industry. I include consumer, trade and content marketing clips in the same grouping since most brands are fine with industry experience writing for publications. However, I have a separate listing for case studies and whitepapers because with these deliverables most clients are looking for people who have written these types of projects, regardless of the industry.
When I got my website up and running last year, I was delighted that it was “done.” However, over the past year I have learned that a writer’s website is never done and that it is essential to think of it as a “living” project. So, this holiday season, take a few minutes to update your website to help you attract many content marketing clients in 2014.
What do you think the most essential elements of a content marketing writer’s website is? Any tips for updating your website?
Thanks for the great post, Jennifer. It prompted me to make several changes to my site. You’re right: a website is never “finished.”
I’m wondering, though, about including the term “content marketing writer” in the tagline. Is this a term people actually search on? Have you done any keyword research that shows this is a good phrase for optimization? I’m just curious.
One tip I would add: Put your specialty at the front of your tagline so it doesn’t get truncated by a search engine. Many writers put their names first (e.g.: Elizabeth Hanes RN-BSN, Health Content Writer) when a better strategy is something like: Content Marketing Writer | Health & Medical – Elizabeth Hanes RN-BSN.
Again, thanks for a great post!
Elizabeth, I’m so glad that you found it helpful. That’s a good point at looking into search engine optimization. The words people are searching for are currently pretty varied, but content marketing has been the one I hear most consistently. For me I decided on content marketing writer, because it has the words content marketing (which is a buzzword) and the word “writer.” I know that some people search on content writer or content creator, but my thought with content marketing writer is that it covers all the basis. I will do some more research and follow up with another post. Thanks for the idea.
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