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Building a professional
reputation requires a campaign founded on your words: the
positions you endorse, the motions you advocate, the
accuracy of your vision. Writing for the Web can either
establish your expert credibility or destroy it.
When your business requires
powerful words online, follow these five rules for
promoting the message that will serve you well in the
digital world:
1. Stay on message. To
write is to influence: always remember that the goal of
good writing is to encourage thought and action. Look
beyond the facts and statements, and focus on themes and
positions. Decide on what you believe and then promote it
with the facts; find your message and stick to it.
2. Make your points quickly
but securely. The average visitor to your website will
stay no longer than a few minutes, clicking through no
more than three links before moving on. You must either
make your point quickly or not at all. Be direct,
confident and brief: use simple language and don't use any
more words than necessary.
3. Write to the future
reader, not the present one. The malleable nature of the
Web creates the illusion that web writing has a short
shelf life. The opposite is actually true: with mass data
archiving and storage, putting information into the
Internet is far easier than taking it out. Relevant points
today have a way of becoming embarrassing cliches
tomorrow.
The most influential web
content is timeless. Write for the long term: avoid
posting information online that won't still be valid and
useful in twenty years. When you write about a
controversy, assume that the reader knows how it was
resolved. When you write about a product or service,
assume that the reader knows whether it was a success or
failure. Assume that your deepest secrets are now public
knowledge. Write for a reader who knows more about your
future than you do.
4. Bring it home. If you
want to use your articles to promote your reputation, your
readers must know how to find you. Plan your contact
information for the long term: if you don't have your own
domain, get one. Plan to keep it for at least the next
five to ten years. Don't use an email address that may no
longer exist when your article is being read.
5. Keep your personal life
out of it. Nothing outdates - and bores - faster than
personal information. Don't engage in public
self-reflection; don't mention your personal
relationships, neuroses, or the day-to-day trials of your
home life. Your writing will be available somewhere online
for many years after your situation has changed, which can
prove embarrassing (or even dangerous) at a later date.
What works in the print
world often doesn't work in the digital one. If you want
your words to serve you long after they are published
online, write the web content that ages well and reflects
the power of your expert vision.
Your future clients will
thank you for it.
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About
The Author
Robert
Warren (http://www.rswarren.com)
is a business marketing writer and
editorial consultant. His Florida practice
specializes in promoting independent
professionals with the power of the
written word.
For more
writing articles by Robert Warren, see his
website at http://www.rswarren.com. |
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