• By Cathy Goodwin
• Published 05/11/2009
• Writing for the Web

Online business owners often think copywriting starts with putting words together. But before you begin to develop content, you need to step back and develop the most important component in creating a website, blog or social marketing post. To increase traffic and attract targeted clients, you need an energizing vision that motivates your message. It’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed when you begin to develop your website. And you may not be sure what your Internet presence is supposed to accomplish. But if your vision is not clear, your content will come out sounding fuzzy. Some websites have three or four different headlines on their home page, each making a different promise and pulling the visitor in a different direction. You can avoid this sense of overwhelm by stepping back before you begin to write. When you start with a vision, you have a strong sense of purpose. Your websites are clear, focused and easy to navigate. You come across as confident and knowledgeable.

So don’t be surprised if your copywriter asks you to clarify your business vision. When your vision is clear, you don’t get hung up on questions like, “How do autoresponders work?” Instead, you ask questions like, “What’s the best way to develop rel

ationships with this type of market?” Of course, your vision is for your own use. Your clients and prospects probably won’t care about your vision, mission and goals. They want to know how you can help their vision. A vision isn’t something vague like, “helpping people lead better lives.” Your vision begins by converting a “nice to have” product to create a “must have” for a desperate market. For instance, suppose you are a florist. A nice surprise bouquet for your significant other is a “nice to have.” But suppose you have been so caught up in your work that you forgot an annniversary. Or suppose you need to send a present to a key business associate and you’re traveling. Now you have a desperate need for a reliable florist. You need someone who will deliver fresh, attractive flowers on time. You can risk a wilted, dreary arrangement. As an online business owner, you need to find a vision that shows how you will serve these desperate buyers. You will have trouble attracting clients when you have visions like, “Learn more about yourself,” or, “Get better at goal setting.”

But it’s not hard to dig deeper. “Learn more about yourself so you can have more satisfying relationships and stop getting caught up in conflict everyday.” Try, “Secrets of goal setting that will turn your business around.”