To Quote, or Not to Quote … (Copywriters: Read This, Please!)
I have to admit it: I have a new favorite blog out there. The marketing world — in which I spend a fair amount of my time — loves loves loves scare quotes. Almost as much as it loves to choose certain random nouns and give them initial caps. Almost as much as it loves choosing words it thinks will drive customers to action and capitalize them completely. And then there are the exclamation marks …
You end up having sentences like these: All of “our” Fine Sports Wear is ON SALE!!!!!!!
Okay, so that’s a slight exaggeration, but honestly –– only slight. Good copywriting isn’t about tossing eye-catching punctuation like errant confetti over your content: good copywriting is supplying good content. Period. And for you SEO mavens out there, all this extraneous stuff is horrible at attracting spiders. Do so at your risk and peril.
But I digress. There are, thankfully, two or three other people in the world who feel as I do, and one of them has a blog! Youpie!
When you’re ready for a slightly different take on the use of scare quotes as we all unhappily see them every day, do go visit The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation marks..
You’ll have a lot of fun: I guarantee it! And you’ll also be … beyond the elements of style!
Posted in About Writing, Doing the Right Thing, SEO, Words, copywriting, website stuff on November 18th, 2007