Kansas City Freelance Writer Liz Craig

Everybody and his dog is talking incessantly about social media. How Google’s recent changes affect SEO, how to make money with Twitter, how to link your Plaxo account to Twitter and Facebook, how to get more clicks on your blog, how to get more Twitter followers, how to use LinkedIn to get a job, and so on and so on — blegh (as Snoopy would say)! “All this social media stuff! What about some attention to quality of writing?” traditional media writers complain.

Hey — quality writing is still in demand. Social media-style.

Here’s reality: No more print ads (too expensive), no more radio or TV commercials (unless the station throws in the production and talent in exchange for your buying time). Today, the best advertising is word-of-mouth. And most word-of-mouth now is given via blogs, Facebook, Twitter or some other Web source.

Some writers whine, “What about the years we spent learning how to write a decent print ad? What about my screenwriting apprenticeship in L.A. back in my student days? Does all of that go right out the window now?”

Well, no. You still have to be able to write decent copy. You just have to adapt it for the Web. Write shorter. Use more bullet points. Keep the vital points (all your copy) “above the fold,” because Web users don’t like scrolling. See Jakob Nielsen’s site for usability tips galore.

Realize that reading is 50% slower on a computer screen than it is on a printed page. Understand that when people land on a Web page, they’re as ADHD as a rabid raccoon. They want information, and they want it NOW! No fancy come-ons, gimme the info, or I’m gone in 2 seconds!

If you’re a blogger, you can write longer copy, but you still have to make it interesting and relevant to the reader’s interests. Who is your reader? Do you know? It’s kinda tough to find out specifically who they are, but you can find out what their interests are via Google Analytics. See which post topics get the most hits, then you can do more of what gets the hits and less of what doesn’t. That is, if you care about getting more hits. Some sites aren’t about that.

Social media are (yes, “are”) here to stay. No point in foaming at the mouth or getting your undies in a twist. “Just do it.” There are plenty of free Webinars and articles on SMM (social media marketing) available online. You know how to Google, don’t you? Just put your lips together and hit “search.” There ya go.

Now I find out your tags don’t matter at all. It’s the keywords in your blog copy that get you ranked on Google. So –

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There.