Keyword Research Offs Writer’s Block
February 3, 2010 by Megan Slick · 2 Comments
Remember when you were in school and your teacher told you what to write about? Those were the go
od old days, weren’t they? Now you have to come up with your own stuff and it isn’t so easy. That is why keyword research is hands down the best combatant of writer’s block. When a writer has keyword research, they have their assignment.
Sherlock Holmes on Copywriting
January 6, 2010 by Megan Slick · 6 Comments
In honor of the newly released Sherlock Holmes movie, let’s deduce what Sherlock Holmes would say concerning copywriting. It’s elementary.
Listen to Your People
December 23, 2009 by Megan Slick · 1 Comment
Have you lost touch? A question we should all ask ourselves during the holidays. Just kidding. Must be the copious amounts of wrapping paper, ribbons and cards talking. I’m not jaded…What I mean is have you lost touch with your customers? Do you know any of your customers or are you holed up in some brick and glass building away from humanity? If this is indeed where you are, it is no wonder you have lost touch. Break FREE!
Avoid Alienating
December 9, 2009 by Megan Slick · 1 Comment
Communicating is not an easy task. Especially through the website copy. Communicating to our target market is about knowing who they are, what they like, etc… But have we considered the people that we alienate when communicating to our target market?
Makin’ a List & Checkin’ it Twice
November 25, 2009 by Megan Slick · Comments Off
Let the Christmas shopping begin. Tis the season for hopelessly looking for the perfect present and feeling like you’ll never find it. It’s a difficult time of year but you could put the cheer back into your customer’s holiday season. Many corporations are doing this very thing. Take Urban Outfitters for example. They have an excellent section on their website dedicated to helping their customers find the perfect gift for their loved ones. They have a list of gifts for guys, a list of gifts under $50, a stocking stuffer list, they even have a gift list for personality types!
Is Your Website in Costume?
November 11, 2009 by Megan Slick · 1 Comment
Costumes got me thinking about websites and writing. I know, sometimes I have crazy thoughts. Here it is. On Halloween people dress up as witches or the guy with the baby from Hangover. Dressing up is great for Halloween but it would be weird if people dressed up all-year-round. So why are some websites in costume 
all year long?
Overcoming Drunken Monkeys & Writing Tips
October 28, 2009 by Megan Slick · 4 Comments
How to have your content ready when your boss asks for it.
You waited and waited and now you have your keyword research. An exciting moment, until you realize you have to do something with it. Thousands of words staring at you from their excel spread sheet spells writer’s block and drunken monkeys.
Get the Most Out of Your Copywriter
October 14, 2009 by Megan Slick · Comments Off
I am often shocked by some of the questions I get from clients. I’ve been asked everything from, “Do you write creative briefs?” to “Which color scheme should we use on the website?” Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to help but in most cases I’m not equipped with enough information to make high-level marketing recommendations. Most copywriters aren’t.
Boldness = Genius, Power & Magic
June 24, 2009 by Megan Slick · Comments Off
Sometimes the stars align and you get a client who knows exactly what they want and is able to articulate their desires to you. This phenomenon is
about as frequent as Haley’s Comet. Most clients have no idea what they want and whatever ideas they do have are not good. This is where you come in. It is your job to tell them what to do. What do you think they are paying you for?
U-G-L-Y You Ain’t Got No Alibi!
June 10, 2009 by Megan Slick · 1 Comment
The relationship between copywriters and graphic designers/web developers is a tense one. I can’t say that I blame designers. If the copy doesn’t fit the space, it degrades the design. In the defense of writers, there are many situations 
that keep writers and designers from properly communicating. Companies that are in the process of hiring and creating new websites should take this into consideration. If your writer and designer are allowed to communicate, you can avoid many blunders, including:
Keyword Research – The Problem Is You
May 27, 2009 by Megan Slick · 6 Comments
Don’t take keywords searchers use at face value.
They’re not looking for the information they express in their search; they’re looking to solve a problem, fix an issue, scratch an itch.
Sick Depressed Fish Color & Decaying Fins?
May 1, 2009 by Megan Slick · 1 Comment
It is almost impossible to be a good critic to yourself. I’ve told clients this and been frustrated when they couldn’t see that they aren’t their target market. The problem is, when you’re in the fish bowl, you think everyone else is too. I recently discovered that I am a fish ["Hello, my name is Megan and I am a fish." Everyone says: "Hello Megan."]
Longer Snippets at Google Means…?
April 3, 2009 by Megan Slick · 3 Comments
I’ve been considering writing about description tags but thought it might be a bit blahsay for SEO Scoop (as industry people know that well written description tags help control what the search engines use for their snippets and improve click through rate). Then I read the Google blog, Angie Haggstrom’s and Marshall Kirkpatrick’s posts on Google’s acquiring Orion and introducing longer snippets.
