Writing Blogger

If you’ve ever been tasked with editing, re-writing or writing from scratch copy for a corporate Web site, you’re familiar with what a daunting task it can sometimes be. Often, corporate writing contains little concrete, usable, practical information that you can get your arms around, so to speak, and it’s often difficult to decipher exactly what it says.

But you’ve been hired by your client to bring a fresh eye and a new angle to what they’re communicating, right? As tough as this can be — especially when you’re completely new to your client’s industry — there are some practical steps you can take to get yourself up to speed relatively quickly.

Interview Your Client

One of the best ways to get at the essence of what you want to communicate with a site or a particular page is to interview your client, extensively if possible, about their company and their business. Ask what, in your client’s mind, is the problem or need she is solving with her product or service? What happens in her customers’ lives that brings them to her doorstep? Where do her customers want to be?

Research Your Client’s Industry - But Don’t Go Too Far

Putting yourself “in the mix” of current events in your client’s industry is an excellent way to absorb the language used to describe it, and how to use that language correctly. Ask your client for examples of Web sites they read regularly to stay up-to-date, as well as samples of other brochures or sites they would like to emulate.

However, it is often tempting, especially for writers who love learning new things, to dive into researching a client’s business area with gusto, reading up on articles in the Wall Street Journal and Business Week, and convincing yourself that you’re spending your time wisely.

As pleasurable as it may be to do the research, you have to keep in mind that your time is limited, and you need to keep your research limited only to relevant areas and topics. Tangents are fun to explore, but you need to spend your time efficiently — especially when you’re on a client’s dime.

Write an Outline, and Review It With Your Client Before Starting The Copy

Feedback on the structure of each page you write — or least the first few pages, if you’re beginning a new assignment with a new client — is critical to delivering effective copy for your client. I’ve had the experience in the past of writing with a certain direction in mind and feeling that I’ve nailed the copy, only to find that a client has a different idea when they read it. To me, that makes writing an outline an essential step before you’ve written a word of actual copy.

An outline will show the flow of a page, reveal the main points and ideas it wants to express, and explain how it concludes its argument. When you look at the “bare bones” of your Web content ideas with your client, suddenly gaps you didn’t see before are clear, and you can brainstorm new ideas for a page.