Whether you’re an agency copywriter, in-house copywriter or occasional freelancer, the debate between clear versus clever copy is likely a topic close to your heart (we writers don’t get out too much).

These two seemingly separate heavyweights of copywriting have been pitted against each other ever since the dawn of marketing. But, in today’s content driven, clickbait obsessed and listicle-savvy world, the move towards shorter, clearer copy is, well, clear. In the search for higher conversions, repeat purchases and building customer loyalty, which one fares better? Join Wordsmith for a closer look…

Never underestimate the power of an attention-grabbing subject line. When it comes to emails, readers really do judge books by their covers. In fact, 47% of email recipients say they decide whether or not to open an email solely based on its subject line.

Sometimes simply taking a walk can unlock your productive juices, but in this article we’re turning to tried-and-tested productivity hacks from a number of well-known writers to teach you how to write faster. Behold Wordsmith’s 7 top favourite tricks to get your cursor moving and regain your writing flair.

When Netflix increased its content budget to $8 billion this year, content marketers around the world, stood up and took notice. This is living proof that even in the Internet era content still is king. However, with changes accelerating in our industry, even the best of us can end up achieving poor results because we chose to follow outdated best practices or deep-rooted misconceptions when it comes to content.

It comes as no surprise that trust in the financial sector took a plunge after the 2008 financial crisis.

This rings true particularly among millennials, who typically see financial institutions as traditional cornerstones of the past that have since lost touch with today’s society.

On average, companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than those without. However, with over a billion active websites on the Internet today, brands must find unique ways to break through the noise and lower consumers’ anti-marketing defences – encouraging conversations, conversions and ultimately, brand loyalty.

With over 409 million people viewing more than 23.1 billion pages every month on WordPress alone, internet users have nearly unlimited opportunities to share content. However, with business blogging steadily on the increase, competition is tougher than ever to create content that resonates with readers strongly enough to encourage sharing on social networks.

We are now living in a world where instant gratification is common currency. If you want Ben and Jerry’s at 5am in the morning, go to the 24/7 supermarket. Need a new iPhone? eBay delivers. What’s on TV tonight? Ask Alexa. With advancements in AI, IoT and new technologies, customers can now find solutions to their problems at the touch of their fingertips, or with a simple “Hey Siri”. However, at the core of these technologies is solution-driven content that transforms everyday customers into loyal brand users.

With four out of five people using search engines to look for local information, it’s no secret that implementing local SEO content can give your business a competitive edge. Nowadays, with over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data being produced every day, Google is separating the wheat from the chaff in its search results by pointing users towards locally created content.

By 2020, experts estimate that 1.7 megabytes of data will be created every second for every person on earth. With recent reports claiming that 80% of executives have seen returns on their big data investments, it’s time to turn our attention to how big data can positively influence our content marketing strategies.

Tech is changing everything, including content marketing. As advances continue to change the way we handle everything from healthcare and transportation to communication and careers, savvy marketers are studying how these tech trends are impacting content curation, content creation and distribution.

Over the past decade, consumers have dramatically changed the way they view content. With a smartphone in everybody’s pocket, statistics show that mobile searches have now surpassed desktop-based inquiries. Mobile is the new normal.

Eye-tracking research shows that audiences on average spend about 2.6 seconds scanning a website before focusing on a specific piece of copy. However, even in this content-crazed era where first impressions mean everything, many brand marketers have yet to utilise the full potential of their website content. It’s easier than you think to overlook ‘self-indulgent’ content, and focus on flashy web designs that promote friendly user experiences. This may be important, but to fully succeed at inbound marketing, brand marketers need to effectively communicate their company’s unique selling points – and this starts with the ‘About Us’ page.

Over the past decade, Google search algorithms, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data have had an increasingly huge impact on how digital content is viewed by different audiences. As technology and marketing content continue to evolve and intertwine over cyber space, these trends can no longer be passed off as digital buzz words. Content marketers must be aware of these digital trends and learn how to effectively implement them into their marketing strategies - or risk having their content fall on deaf ears, or in this case, an unread landing page.

The average consumer processes 100,500 digital words every day, giving journalists ample opportunity to reach readers. However, advancements in technology have led to significant changes in news consumption, leaving traditional media channels on the backburner. With competition for consumer eyeballs at an all time high, how are journalists adapting to our increasingly connected world?

Estimates suggest that the virtual reality market will hit an astounding US$40.4 Billion in 2020, with the number of households owning a VR device to increase nine-fold. With numbers like this, it’s no wonder tech giants like Google, Samsung and Facebook are starting to invest heavily in virtual reality. Thanks to the continuously evolving digital landscape, content marketers should ensure that their companies are at the forefront of this enormous industry trend, and here’s why:

It’s a known fact that marketers plan to produce more content than ever in 2016. Why? Because engaging content costs 62% less than traditional marketing methods and generates about 3 times as many leads. With results like this it’s no surprise that big brands such as RedBull, Adobe, Hubspot, and IBM have massively increased their content marketing spend to produce strategic storytelling copy. 

One brand that’s leading the way when it comes to curating content is cutting-edge software giant, Microsoft. Fueling its US$407 billion business, Simon J. Hughes, Business Planning Manager and Marketing Technologist at Microsoft, claims that creating a culture of content is critical to their success. Regardless of your organisation’s size or budget, content marketing has the potential to greatly increase customer loyalty and ultimately your ROI. Here are some of Microsoft’s key takeaways. 

One of the biggest errors new entrepreneurs make is failing to incorporate a solid inbound marketing strategy into their startup. Startups are known for being typically strapped for resources, so why would they spend their hard earned cash on inbound content? Believe it or not, integrating this approach into your marketing strategy could prove to be the magic elixir that boosts customer acquisition and hacks massive growth. So ditch the pushy sales approach and become a thought leader in your industry by following Wordsmith’s step-by-step guide: 

Content marketing is more than just sharing content, it’s the strategic combination of producing, publishing and communicating content that promotes interactive discussions between consumers and companies. 

Before the advent of the Internet, content marketing shared a colourful history with advertising and marketing, from industry reports to newspapers, conferences and client publications. Social media is now becoming a staple in the consumer digital diet, with over 1 million links shared on Facebook every 20 minutes and 9,100 tweets sent every second. Organisations that ignore content marketing do so at their own peril. 

Read on for Wordsmith’s top tips to take your content marketing campaigns to the next level.

One of the challenges in opening your business to a global customer base is effectively marketing your products and services to consumers from different cultural backgrounds. In fact, multicultural marketing is fast becoming the norm and by 2042, no single group will have a majority – according to Carol Watson, Founder and President of cross-cultural talent consultancy Tangerine Watson, Inc. In order to remain relevant, online marketing content must address the needs of a growing worldwide audience.