Now you’re talking! - e-copywriting for all your audiences Your online copy is how you present your organisation and its work to the world wide web. It has to persuade and attract existing and potential audiences of all demographics. Should you segment online audiences? Should different copy be produced for different audience segments online? How do you work out what to say to whom, and in what tone of voice!

1. Now you're talking – e-copywriting for
all your audiences

2. Jonathan Melville
Digital Editor

3. Introduction

4. The last 15 years have seen most of us become more
familiar with the Internet.
The traditional, linear relationship between client and
organisation has been disrupted.
Most businesses have an online presence and are used to
publishing information about the company and its products.

9. Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and others allow
organisations to interact more closely with
stakeholders.

14. It's important to write for different audiences in
different styles, but that has to be done in different
places.

15. Overview

16. Overview
Introduction
Defining our audience
Devising a content strategy
Case studies
Hints and tips

17. Defining our audience

18. Defining our audience
You probably already know who your main audiences and
demographics are.
You may have a website which tells them what you think
they need to know.
But it's important to find out what they actually want from
you.
• Why do they come to your site?
• What do they do when they get there?
• Do they want what you're giving them?
• Is there a better way to reach them?

19. Defining our audience contd.
Trying to write for a variety of different audiences on the
same website can be confusing to users.
One option could be to create multiple sites for multiple
audiences, but this can lead to huge resource issues.
Instead:
 Know what you're company does/offers
 Tell customers clearly and concisely what that is in a
single tone of voice on your website
 Approach different platforms in different ways

20. Defining business objectives
Every business should have defined business objectives:
• Specific – define single/multiple objectives
• Measurable – value of objectives
• Agreed – those achieving objectives should agree them
• Realistic – objectives should be achievable
• Time Specific – time limit on achieving objectives
Business objectives should be reflected in digital strategy
and web content.

21. Digital strategy
A digital strategy is a business strategy based on the use
of information technology.
Process of specifying an organisation's objectives, goals,
opportunities and initiatives to deploy online assets:
• Websites
• Mini-sites
• Mobile sites
• Social media
• Newsletters

22. Content strategy
Your content strategy is part of your larger digital strategy.
Content strategy allows you to:
• Identify target audience(s)
• Define tone of voice across platforms
• Plan site features
• Create relevant content
• Monitor and evaluate

23. Audience types
People tend to fall into one of four categories:
• Drivers - want to know the facts about your company
and/or product and how to get it. Keep it simple.
• Analyticals – love number crunching, facts and statistics.
• Expressives – they have feelings and want to feel good
about themselves. Want their lives/persona to be improved
by your product.
• Amiables – want to solve problems and help others.
Impress them with case studies.

24. Understanding audience needs
The best way to find out what type of audience you have, and
what they want, is to look and listen. Different ways to do this:
• Analytics – can be free and top level information useful
• Read blogs or discussion forums to see what they're saying
• Online survey – fast, cheap and not (too) obtrusive. Add to
website or email
• Focus groups – invite cross-section to discuss
plans/ideas/wants/needs

25. User profiling
When identifying our users' needs and preferences, we
conduct a user profile analysis to consider the following
questions:
 What are users' motivations, habits and preferences?
 What are the users' technological capacities?
 What are the users' physical capacities or limitations?
 Where are they located?

26. Example 1: GTC Scotland Probationer site

27. Example 1: GTC Scotland Probationer site
 http://www.probationerteacherscotland.org.uk/
 New site created for Scottish probationer teachers in 2007 by
regulatory teaching body, GTC Scotland
 Formed steering group for site within organisation to plan
content

28. Example 1: GTC Scotland Probationer site
 Sent surveys to local authorities on Surveymonkey tool,
asking what teachers wanted to read
 Invited teachers from different areas and with varied
experience to focus groups
 Wanted real-life examples and honest stories from peers
 Created content schedule and ongoing site maintenance plan

29. Writing for our target audience
Once we are aware of our target audience, we can identify the
appropriate content and write according to how we see them:
We must anticipate:
• The depth of interest the audience needs in the subject matter
• What their existing knowledge is
• What their views are
• What possible reaction they will have to the material

30. Content Objectives
Each platform requires different writing style, but the rules
for considering which one to use should be the same. Ask
some simple questions:
• What do we want to accomplish?
• What is the key message?
• Is it a news item, a hint/tips, an article or does it require
an entire web page or will a single tweet suffice?
• Is it to inform, update, persuade, reassure, motivate etc?
• What type of response do we need – do we want to
inform or do we want reader interaction?

31. Writing for different platforms
Twitter
 140 characters per tweet
 Content and style varies but short, snappy and
informative tends to work best
 Users expect interaction where possible
 Lighter tone is usual, reflection of account holders
personality – BBC News more serious than Empire film
magazine

32. Writing for different platforms contd.
Facebook
 Timeline of news stories
 Chance to add photos, video and detail
 Style varies but concise and informative is helpful
 Users expect interaction where possible
 Tone of voice depends on subject matter

33. Example 2: Positive about Science

34. Example 2: Positive about Science
 http://www.infoscotland.com/science/
 Government campaign aimed at encouraging school
children to take science in High School
 Held focus groups with students to find out what types
of sites they liked
 Responses suggested interactive, flashy sites were
popular, allowing them to play games, read stories/case
studies and watch videos
 YouTube videos and channel created

35. Monitoring and evaluation
 Once site is live, tweets have begun and the Facebook
page opened, that's just the beginning
 Monitor Google Analytics to see who's using different
pages on website
 Create tracking for links used on Twitter and Facebook
to see if they're being clicked on – bit.ly offers this
 Keep an eye on user statistics on Facebook to see how
many people are interacting with page, new members –
Nutshellmail is a useful tool

36. Case studies

37. Filmhouse

38. Filmhouse
• Signed up for Twitter Summer 2009 - @Filmhouse
• Initially unsure how to best use it
• Jenny Leask signed up with a personal account to get used to style
• Now 1,623 Followers on Facebook and 2,577 Followers on Twitter
• Very informal yet informative – mimics style of programme intro
• Constant and consistent – tweets in evenings and over weekends
• Proven sales – last minute screening of The Illusionist put on sale on
a Tuesday morning, sold 86 tickets via Twitter alone

39. Glasgow Film Theatre

40. Glasgow Film Theatre
• Available on website, Twitter and Facebook
• Currently developing new website
• Knew site had to work for all audiences, ranging from children to the very
old - aware all groups are using the site and buying tickets online.
• Interrogated Google Analytics - what pages were used, which weren't,
where people clicked, which links were most popular
• Went through all the festival feedback and evaluation to consider any
criticisms which related to the site
• Asked friends who were GFT/GFF customers to let us know what they
thought of both sites and how they worked

41. Royal Lyceum Theatre

42. Royal Lyceum Theatre
• August 2007 - Lyceum website relaunched to reflect new branding
• December 2007 - filmed and posted first YouTube videos
• August 2008 - joined Flickr, but ended up using Photobucket
• May 2009 - joined Twitter and used it to chat informally with anyone
interested in the Lyceum and their work. Drew attention to videos,
reviews, competitions and events
• October 2009 - abandoned Photobucket and started utilising Flickr
• December 2009 - opened personal Foursquare account

43. Royal Lyceum Theatre contd.
• January 2010 - Lyceum Facebook page launched, a “middle
ground” between Twitter and main site - more formal than Twitter but
still quite chatty. Also good for direct communication with and between
audience members.
• March 2010 - launched Lyceum mobile site to cater for the growing
demand for mobile browsing. Not all content from the main site on the
mobile site. Optimised to run on mobile devices, so embedded content
stripped out, images are smaller, etc.

44. Hints and tips

45.  See what your competitors are doing
 Carry out research on where your customers are
 Join Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr yourself
 Write for the medium you're using rather than who you think is
using it
 Take small steps – use one new tool for your next campaign
 Monitor links and users/fans using tools such as bit.ly and
Nutshellmail
 Don't be afraid to make mistakes

46. Jonathan Melville
Digital Editor
Jonathan@reelscotland.com
www.jonathanmelville.co.uk
Contact
@jon_melville