We always recommend getting a second set of eyes on your content during the editing phase, or at least stepping away from your content for a bit before you do a final edit. It’s also important to note that editing marketing content goes deeper than simply looking for typos or grammar mistakes.
Here are three areas to focus on when editing marketing content.
Clarity of message
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and ask if the message is clear. This step can be challenging sometimes, because you’re so close to the work you do and may not realize what’s missing from the message. Is it clear and concise? Is it focused on your customer? Do you have a call to action for what you want the reader to do next?
Whether it’s social media content, a brochure, or your website, the clarity of your message should be a top priority.
Brand voice
Does the writing sound like your organization? This can be a tough one, especially if there have been multiple people contributing to your content or you haven’t taken time to develop a brand voice. Read the piece you’re editing and then read some other materials for your organization. If your logo weren’t on both pieces, would people feel like they were talking to the same person or company?
If you haven’t really settled on a brand voice yet, take the opportunity to establish one with the next piece of content you write and then update your previous content to match.
Length of content
Sometimes you need lots of words and sometimes you don’t, so your approach to editing for length of content will vary. If a blog post is only 250 words, you need to add some more while still maintaining a clear message or the blog may be too short for search engines to recognize it for SEO purposes. However, if you have a trifold brochure that’s crammed with text, you need to edit to shorten the content. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and assess if the content feels like too much information or not enough and adjust accordingly.
Do you need help with editing marketing content? Our team can help ensure your content is clear, consistent, and focused on your customer. Reach out today to talk about how we can help.