0Dimensions is an extension of what I have been doing for the last 10 years- writing content primarily for the digital medium (though I have written for the print media too within a limited scope), learning the craft of writing, learning about the technicalities of writing for the digital media, and unlearning a lot more about the old-school style of writing that I too was reared in.
Through Dimensions, I am trying to serve as external content support for the companies who ideally do not have an in-house team of content writers and are willing to outsource the service for budget reasons. We are writing blogs, website content, content for social media, and standalone articles for content marketing. Plus, I am also exploring the mentoring field where I can handhold aspiring content writers willing to take up content writing professionally. I am mentoring a few students right now and developing the study materials alongside.
It is the phase I of the website, and you are likely to find flaws in it. However, I am trying to compose myself every day and streamline my ideas and deliverables. There's no denying the fact that I am still far away from making a bold take-off anytime soon.
Now, coming to content writing, I do not think it is in any way different from creative writing; just that it is an evolved concept developed to market ideas by the brands among the audience spread across the internet. It is more of a form of business communication presented in the garb of storytelling. So, the "good writing" part remains as is, plus, one has to keep a few more things in mind while writing content for today's readers gifted with an epically short attention span.
You should try to tell a relatable a story but refrain from inflating an idea - repetition is a strict no-no even when done using different expressions.
Unless you are writing a report or a white paper, do not use too tricky words. Articles which are easy reads are the winners most of the time.
Write in small paragraphs.
Break your articles into logical sub-sections and give appropriate sub-heads wherever possible. You may use bullet points to construct a list.
Your article headline or the title should win you the battle at the very beginning. It is the title that grabs the eyeballs first and then. You get a chance to snuggle into your reader's mind-space.
Open wisely, that is, write the introduction of the article in such a way that your reader feels like reading it till the end.
Be information-wise correct. Do your online research well. If the topic is unknown to you, research it first, ideate a storyline, construct your article, start writing and then again go back to studying as you proceed to write the body content.
Include a "call to action" - ask a question, offer a solution, lead them to an authentic web page for further information, provide them with a phone number or email number, or ask them to book/buy a product or a service - within your article (may not be needed in all cases).
While the goal of your communication is to - inform, persuade and remind, your objective behind writing a piece of content is always- building engagement. So, writing seemingly true to life content still goes a long way in achieving the goal.
Finally, read up a little bit about keywords.
Keywords are “search terms” that users type into search engines (Google, Yahoo etc.) to find information on a particular topic. These are the words or phrases that your potential reader(s), in all likelihood, will use to search for your article on Google. The trick to use these keywords is to interweave them into your content without disturbing the logical flow of the material. Keyword stuffing in your content to improve ranking on a search engine should be strictly avoided.
Finally, no two readers are the same; so, you have to find your audience and the niche. Another thing is, one who has a nose for good content will read your story irrespective of its length and keyword richness. So, only use your reasoning and do not get intimidated with this whole fuss about the evolving style of creative writing. Your excellent choice of words and experience will always be valued in the right place, at the right time.
