Content writing and copywriting are two distinct types of marketing communication.

Content writing focuses on helping an audience gather information, answer questions, or learn something new. Some examples are blog posts, articles, eBooks, whitepapers, and case studies.

Content writing works to build rapport with your audience. I say your audience because your content should target people wanting to do business with you.

For instance, if your veterinary practice specializes in felines, your content should address topics of interest to cat owners and lovers.

The goal is to provide valuable information to these readers consistently so they will come to recognize you as a reliable source.

And once your audience views you this way, chances are you've gained a customer.
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Content writing looks to plant a seed and nurture it. In a nutshell, it's all about relationship building and "soft" selling.

On the other hand, copywriting focuses on persuasion.

Copywriting isn't so much educational as it is inspirational. It seeks to motivate and compel readers by playing on emotions, touting features and benefits, and instilling a sense of urgency – act now! Or risk losing out.

Copywriting's persuasiveness targets readers ready to take the next step, whether that's signing up for a product demo, purchasing vaccines, or scheduling an appointment for their pet.
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Product descriptions, email marketing campaigns, landing pages, and sales materials like brochures use copywriting. They aim to convince the reader to act.

Content writing and copywriting help guide potential clients and customers along the "sales funnel," also known as the buying journey.

At the start of the journey, content writing develops a relationship. It demonstrates your expertise as a veterinary practice or business via your knowledgeable, helpful content.

As your audience accepts you as a competent source, they become open to doing business, making them likely to transact.

When they reach this receptive mindset, good copywriting can persuade them to act.

Successful marketing employs strategic content and copywriting, so knowing which to use when matters for the best outcomes.
 
I'm a content writer/consultant and former veterinary assistant specializing in the animal health and veterinary markets.
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Do you need help with content or copy? Email or call me at 508-277-4929!

I recently posted about how to make your veterinary blog easy to read by writing with shorter sentences.

Since short ones are easier to follow and digest, they improve readability.

Compact writing doesn't mentally tax your blog visitors. On the other hand, slogging through long, winding text does. Readers will lose patience if they struggle to read and understand your writing.

Remember, your blogging goal is quality content, so concise communication is vital.

The bottom line is that poor readability creates a bad user experience. And bad experiences drive traffic away from your blog.

Since readability is essential to a positive experience for your audience, what more can you do to improve it?

Allow me to make some suggestions …

• Grammarly

A helpful online writing assistant/tool that catches problems plaguing writers and suggests corrections. If your writing gets wordy and long, Grammarly recommends revisions to improve clarity and conciseness. (Such as splitting long sentences!)
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• Flesch Reading Ease

This test rates how easy text is to read based on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier it is. The calculation formula looks at the average number of syllables per word and words per sentence.

The rule of thumb for easy reading is a score between 60 and 70.
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• Flesch-Kinkaid Grade Level

As the name implies, this test scores readability by grade level. For example, an 8.0 score means that an eighth grader in the U.S. could understand the text.

The recommendation is to score between 7.0 and 8.0.

The Flesch Reading Ease Readability tests guide you in determining if your writing is easy to read.

And both tests are included in Microsoft Word under the Review tab on the menu.
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Oh, and one other thing about readability, it can impact your search engine optimization (SEO).

You know that Google and other search engines aim to give users the best information.

And we know that through SEO, Google will give users content based on the keywords they're searching with.

But what happens if your blog posts or articles don't include those keywords?

Suppose you want to build traffic to your veterinary website. You may be writing articles that include many technically correct veterinary words.

But if your audience is pet owners, they most likely wouldn't use that technical terminology in their searches. So the search engines wouldn't direct them to your site.

And if users did find your site, they probably wouldn't understand those words or the message you're conveying.

This situation defeats the purpose of your blog, which is to offer high-value content.

To prevent this, explain technical terms in plain English with words that pet owners will likely use.

In short, Google doesn't rank content on readability; its algorithms don't calculate this.

But it can affect SEO if your language doesn't match the language users are searching with. Or if technical words pepper your text and speak over your audience's head.

From the user experience and SEO perspective, we agree that readability is key!
 
Let's talk about that writing project you've put off; email or call me at 508-277-4929!

I'm a content writer/consultant and former veterinary assistant specializing in the animal health and veterinary markets. I dive into the intricacies of writing excellent content so you don't have to!

Does your veterinary website include a blog?

Besides being informative, the content must be easy to read and understand. These qualities give readers the most value.

"Okay," you're probably thinking, "that sounds reasonable. But how do I make the content easy to read?"

I'm glad you asked!

One way is by keeping sentences short.

I touched on this in my blog post, Five quick tips for writing an outstanding veterinary blog, but I'd like to explain more.

​Long sentences don't necessarily give more detail. On the contrary, they can be confusing, dreary, and exhausting to read.

Mentally taxing your blog visitors with voluminous prose is unwise; they may retaliate by not returning.

To show what I mean about a never-ending sentence, read the following. It illustrates how lengthier ones can be a struggle.
 
"It is given as a course of two injections, with the first dose priming the immune system, but producing no physiological effect, and the second dose stimulating anti-GnRF antibody production and consequent suppression of gonadal activity a few days after administration."
 
This sentence… is just long. Breaking it into shorter sentences makes it more manageable.
 
"It is given as a course of two injections. The first dose primes the immune system but produces no physiological effect. The second dose stimulates anti-GnRF antibody production. The antibody production suppresses gonadal activity a few days after administration."
 
The brevity in the rewrite simplifies reading, and your brain doesn't strain to remember the points made.

Reining in sentence length can be tricky, though.

That's why I use and recommend Grammarly. It's a writing assistant/editing tool that, among other things, highlights lengthy sentences and suggests revisions.
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But there's another reason for keeping sentences short.

When writing for the web, whether blog posts or web page content, only so much text can display on a screen and even less on a smartphone.

So, keeping sentences brief and avoiding big chunks of text helps your reader avoid endless scrolling.

Shorter sentences mean fewer words. And fewer words mean you must be picky about your chosen ones to communicate your point precisely.

Remember, for content to do its job, people must understand it to recognize its value. Reading your blog should be enjoyable, not a test of mental stamina.

Otherwise, you're writing for yourself. 
 
Let's talk about that writing project you've put off; email or call me at 508-277-4929!
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I'm a freelance copywriter and former veterinary assistant specializing in the animal health and veterinary markets. I dive into the intricacies of writing excellent content so you don't have to!

Recently a client asked me if I could guarantee my work.

Could I ensure what I wrote would garner a particular result?

If I could guarantee that my copy would produce a specific outcome for my animal health or veterinary clients, that would be a game-changer!

But I know that a guarantee of that sort could never be, given the nature of content marketing. There are just too many variables that a copywriter can't control that influence the effectiveness of the copy.

These include product, competition, market, price, marketing strategies, traffic, quality of traffic, demand, and buyer preferences.

When these factors converge, it's hard to predict what might happen.

And this applies whether you're trying to improve a response rate percentage or grow a brand's recognition.

Would your financial advisor tell you a particular investment is a definite winner? (If he does, you might want to look for a new one.)

Writing copy is like investing money.

Be diligent with research, but understand that the market is unpredictable, so there are no sure bets.
So back to my client, how did I respond to the question about guaranteeing my work?

With tact, of course.

I said that I couldn't answer with certainty whether my copy would produce their desired result.
But I was confident if they did no content marketing, the chances of achieving it were next to none.
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If you want to grow your veterinary practice or animal health business by sharing helpful content or want to learn more about content marketing, contact me or call 508-277-4929.