The key to attracting customers to your website is having content that interests your target audience. SEO techniques are great for drawing people in, but you also need engaging content that turns readers into customers. A great profile piece can accomplish that.
Samantha D is a 5-Star writer at WriterAccess
What is a profile?
A profile is an informative article that showcases a business, product or service. Regardless of the topic, a good profile will always contain a few essential elements; it should be written with the integrity of a straight-news piece, the artistic flair of a feature story, and the commercial zest of a fun advertisement. The profile is a window into the company; it should make the customer feel like they know your business better after reading it.
What makes a good profile piece?
The best profile pieces contain a human element. That means that they are written with the understanding that your customers are people, and not just click-throughs. (The goal is to garner click-throughs, and a profile piece is the means to that end). A profile of a business might talk about the history of the company, the people who started it and how it’s changed over the years. Or it might feature the owner of the company and their passion for what they do. If the piece is spotlighting a particular product or service, you might want to focus on a few success stories or what makes them unique.
A profile piece allows the reader to more fully understand an interesting facet of the subject and that makes them feel more comfortable and confident with the business. Even the most technical businesses can be made more relatable through a good profile piece.
What are the elements in a successful profile?
Characters and a story
A profile piece is a story. Tell your reader what prompted the creation of the business, product or service. Those are your characters and you are sharing their journey with the reader. This is the human element that makes a profile more relatable to readers.
Be prepared to give details that go beyond a product description. Every business has something that sets it apart, use that to tell the story.
If highlighting a product or service, your profile should explain how the characters solved a problem. Let your potential customers behind the curtain and tell them the story of a problem you had, or an opportunity you saw within the industry. The profile piece can help potential customers see themselves in the story and how their needs could be met by using your business or service.
Links the customer to the business
A profile piece is still a marketing tool. You want to provide every opportunity for click-throughs so make sure you highlightkey words that can link to your product or services page, or to your business contact information.
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The trick is integrating the key words so that they make sense within the story. Many times content is written to specifically include SEO search terms, and while that can be effective, it tends to make for choppy writing. However, an experienced profile writer can integrate key terms seamlessly into a compelling article.
Working with a profile writer
There are a few details you should consider in advance so that you are giving your writer the best possible instructions for them to write the profile:
Clearly outline your vision
Be specific.
If your company is a forklift wholesaler, don’t just direct the writer to write about forklifts. If you want inform your readers about a specific type of forklift you offer, make that clear to the writer. If your wholesale method sets your business apart and makes the entire process easier for the buyer, let the writer know that should be the focus of the piece. If you want a history of the family business displayed on the About Us page, be sure to give the writer plenty of information to that effect.
Allow time for the writer to ask questions
A profile piece requires a little more interaction between the writer and the client because you will be the main source. You know your business and product best and how you want it represented, so the writer will need to depend on you for answers. If you want to include quotes from employees or customers, have those ready ahead of time for your writer. Direct them to specific portions of your website for details but encourage them to follow up with you for clarification.
LinkedIn, the connection site for employees and businesses, has even more tips on what makes a successful profile piece that you can use to provide details for your writer.
With a little planning and a good writer creating the content, you can craft the perfect profile piece that will capture your customer’s attention to generate leads, produce click-throughs and ultimately increase business!
5-Star writer Samantha D has nearly ten years of experience as a writer, editor and copy-editor/proofreader. She specializes in features and business profiles, and has hands-on experience working with companies to craft messaging that reflects their products and services as a story that customers want to read and become part of!
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