Tips for Creating a More Effective Onesheet

If you've used print marketing to promote your business, you're probably familiar with the term "onesheet" (or "one sheet," one-sheet" et cetera). This simple document serves as an all-purpose leave-behind for those client meetings, networking events, and other situations in which you want to stay top of mind long after the encounter has come and gone. But you can't just hand out any old thing with your name on it and expect the calls to roll in. Like any other marketing piece, a onesheet needs to have all the essential elements in all the right places to make an impact and attract customers. So let's look at some smart tips for making your onesheet as effective as possible.

Envision Your Audience.

This rule applies to all kinds of marketing content, including onesheets. Before you write a word of content, ask yourself who you're writing that content for -- and get as specific about it as possible. Does your target market mainly consist of tired homemakers? Harried executives? New parents looking out for their kids' long-term health or finances? Try to imagine that person as vividly as you can, and then write directly to that imaginary person. You may asking, "But what if I have several different types of clients?" The answer: Create a different onesheet for each of those target audiences!

Match the Design to the Brand.

When I write onesheets for my clients, I'm working in tandem with a graphic designer -- either someone the client has already engaged, or one of my own "regulars." In many cases, the graphic designers will want me to create the text first so they can draw visual inspiration from it. But these experts also receive their design cues from your existing brand elements. Send samples of your company colors, fonts, and other key features to the designer early in the process. Make sure you have (or can construct) a high-definition image of your company logo to ensure crisp, detailed, clean-looking results.

Include Striking, Relevant Images.

Pictures always make a big, colorful, eye-catching splash as part of any good onesheet design. Yes, you can get away with stock photos of smiling people in suits shaking hands or whatever -- but honestly, everyone has seen that kind of stuff a zillion times, to the point that it doesn't make as much impact as you might think. Get a professional photographer to take pictures of your team members, workplace, equipment, and other images under optimal lighting and with optimal gear. If you typically display vivid yet simple charts or other graphics when you make pitches to prospective clients, your designer might be able to make use of those, too.

Use Each Side for a Different Message.

Of course, you can create a single-sided onesheet instead of a double-sided one. But it's not the smartest investment, in my opinion. For one thing, when you only use one side of the sheet, you're going to a lot of effort to create half a document -- when you could double the amount of information the onesheet communicates at relatively little additional cost. Even worse, the minute somebody accidentally turns that sheet upside down on a table or desk, it becomes nothing but a blank sheet of paper. So I recommend organizing your information so that each side of the sheet conveys its own important message. For example, the top side might lay out your basic sales pitch, while the reverse side might introduce you and your key team members.

Flow Toward a Call to Action.

Just as the graphic designer creates a format that leads the reader's eye in a precise pattern down the page of a onesheet, so must your written content flow toward a call to action. Both sides of your onesheet should end with a final encouragement to contact your company for more information or to make a purchase. (Some onesheets even include a tear-away coupon or other special offer for this very purpose.) It's usually smart to place your contact information in this same part of the page so your excited reader doesn't cool off while searching the document for it. You always want to make that response as easy as possible.

Follow these tips, and you'll be well on your way toward producing a powerful onesheet. Or if you'd rather just leave it all to the specialists, here's one more tip: Contact me. Not only do I have decades of experience writing onesheet content, but I can also bring top-quality graphic design talent onboard as needed. We'll provide you with a leave-behind that won't get left behind!

Want Better Results From Your Marketing Content? Personalize It!

Okay, folks, here we are in a brand-new year! You may have all kinds of dreams and goals for your business in 2024, while your customers probably have their own to-do lists to take care of, both at home and in the workplace. So how do you and your audience connect more powerfully (and profitably) than ever? A lot of your success will depend on what sorts of marketing content you create, what techniques you use to make it as relevant as possible, and how you target that message to your ideal demographic. Take the following tips to heart as you start churning out those blog posts, email articles, direct mail pieces, and other critical marketing messages.

Drop the Shotgun

I got an email just this morning from a marketing company I'd never heard of or communicated with. Normally, I'm more than happy to hear from marketing agencies, web developers and so on because we can share insights and collaborate on projects. In this case, however, I ended up unsubscribing and dumping the email in the trash almost immediately. What did this marketer do wrong? They sent me a general message that basically said, "Since it's a new year, I'm going to start sending you a series of emails on how to make the most of your social media in 2024." Um, thanks, but who asked you to? When did I ever indicate that I wanted or needed this "free" help? Do you even know who I am? Come to think of it, who are you?

You can see why this approach flopped with me. The marketer was obviously shooting out cold email blasts at anyone and everyone associated with the keyword "marketing." If you take this kind of shotgun approach, don't be too surprised when your emails wind up in the circular file as well. We've all got too much junk mail in our everyday lives as it is. Instead, target your previous contacts and current clients, sending them personalized messages that ask for their input, include an exciting offer, or request a fresh meeting to get up to date on their needs. When writing emails aimed at future prospects, keep it short and sweet, focusing on a basic introduction to what you do and inviting them to inquire further. 

Communicate Like Your Target Audience

Once you've found your target audience, either on your own or with the help of a skilled marketing strategist, you're ready to start aiming specific messages at them. But where do they hang out? Which social media channels do your customers prefer to frequent? Do they shop local, or are they more likely  to place orders online? Do they belong to a demographic that prefers snail mail to email? These and other pointed questions can help you figure out where you should place that marketing content and how often your audience might need to see it.

How does your target audience communicate? If your content adopts the wrong style or speaks on a different educational level than your target market, you'll just turn off those prospective buyers. You must also ask yourself what tone your audience most wants to hear in relation to your products or services. Do they want something from you that makes them feel warm and fuzzy, or do they want to feel impressed by the power of your professionalism? Whatever tone they're expecting, don't disappoint them.

Show That You Understand

As you may already know, I'm a big fan of the empathy statement as an effective way to open a marketing message. Your readers/viewers want to know that you feel their pain and can provide the remedy for it. But don't fall into the trap of making big blanket statements like, "We understand your frustration when it comes to bugs (or house cleaning, or lost sales, or whatever)." Instead, throw out specific examples that will hit various targets dead center: "You can't invite your loved ones over for the holidays with cockroaches running rampant." "You work hard all day, only to come home to a messy house. Don't you wish that mess could just disappear?" "You sell the world's greatest (whatever their industry sells), so why is your competition beating you?"

Empathy works on both emotional and practical levels. Your customers want to seek answers from someone who cares and understands. At the same time, they want to know that you've anticipated their challenges well enough to come up with the ideal solutions. This is your chance to be a hero -- so make sure your marketing content sends that message loud and clear.

Send the Right Message at the Right Time

One of the most useful aspects of email campaigns is their ability to address recipients' reactions (or lack thereof). I once got hired to redo an email campaign for a business broker who was getting lackluster results after the initial message. That first email did a great job of exciting people about the idea of buying a business, with positive requests for more information pouring in. But then the broker sent a second email with a mountain of business documentation attached -- which promptly turned the interaction cold as a carp. I helped to resolve this breakdown, and others, by writing a series of emails that swatted away each and every possible rebuttal a buyer might have. For instance, I started with a piece that basically said, "Don't be intimidated by that paperwork we sent you last time -- it's just part of the process, and we're happy to guide you through it every step of the way."

Another tip: Take care not to put the cart in front of the horse when writing a series of marketing emails. Start as I mentioned above, with a brief introduction and an offer to discuss the matter further. As you send additional cold emails, acknowledge that the prospect is a busy person and you don't mean to bother them. Save the detailed sales pitches, product descriptions, and case studies for your pile of warm emails. Once your prospects respond to a cold email, move them to the warm pile and start feeding them the information they now clearly welcome.

Do you need help creating more personalized marketing content that individuals will respond to with, "Wow, how did these guys know exactly what I need?" Well, that's what an experienced freelance marketing copywriter is for -- so contact me today, and let's start hitting your customers where they live!

4 Quick, Easy Ways to Improve Your Marketing Content Writing

I totally understand why many business owners hate writing their own marketing content. You spend hours bashing away at a web page, blog entry, or sales letter only to get a disappointing reaction from your target audience -- time and effort you could've spent on other crucial areas of your business. But many folks shoot themselves in the foot by committing small acts of self-sabotage without realizing it. The difference between so-so content and good content, or between good content and great content, can hinge on some tiny, subtle choices. Take a look at some little changes you can make that will vastly improve your marketing content's effectiveness.

Switch From Passive to Active Voice

Some people fall back on passive voice in an effort, I think, to sound more formal and elegant. Passive voice does indeed create a distancing effect -- but you don't usually want that when you need to make an emotional impact. Compare the statement "Gourmet cookies and cakes will be served at the event" to "You'll enjoy gourmet cookies and cakes at the event." I've shifted the subject from the cookies and cakes to the reader, where it belongs, while replacing the lame verb phrase "will be served" with "You'll enjoy." You can use passive voice once in a while for variety's sake, but don't let it suck all the vitality out of your writing. If you see multiple passive phrases in your text, look for ways to make some of them active.

Use "You" Instead of "We"

I've covered this problem before, especially in relation to "About Us" web pages. You're proud of your business and your brand, and of course your audience wants to hear you talk about your features and benefits. But ask yourself how many times you see the word "we" in your content. If you're going "we we we all the way home" like the Three Little Pigs, you can turn your audience off unintentionally. Readers don't want a lengthy list of what you do, they want to know how they benefit from what you do. So instead of constantly saying things like, "We offer x, y, and z services," look for ways to say "Here's how you'll benefit from our x, y, and z services."

Compress Your Phrases

Just as people sometimes use passive voice to make their content sound more "important," they also stuff extra words into their phrases to round out and complicate them. Don't do this. Extra words bloat a phrase while diluting its punching power. Consider one of the most common offenders, "in order to." Why not just say "to?" The more compact your phrases, the more power they contain. Go through your drafts with a red pen (or its digital equivalent) and look for words that can go.

Keep the Structure Simple

Wouldn't you love to make your marketing content both easier to follow and easier to create? You can achieve both goals at one stroke by simplifying your content's structure. Start by deciding on that structure before you start writing. The most straightforward structure in most marketing content involves an initial pain statement ("Don't you hate this problem?") followed by a solution statement (Well, here's how we come to your rescue!") and finishing with a call to action ("Contact us today!"). You can start writing at the beginning, middle or end without wandering down a rabbit hole because you already have your road map for the entire journey. Better yet, your audience will appreciate the clarity and flow of the final result!

These tips should make marketing content creation less strenuous while boosting the power of the content itself. But if you'd like even more surefire results without investing any effort at all, reach out to me for professional copywriting help. How's that for a quick and easy solution?

How to Have More Fun With Your Marketing Content

Does content writing feel like a joy or a slog to you? I've worked with countless clients who used to stare at a bank screen and growl, "God, not more of this!" So if you'd rather do anything else in the universe than draft that blog post, email campaign article, or promotional piece, you're hardly alone. But you can turn that frown upside down by making your marketing content creation more fun, both for yourself and for your target audience. The following tips should help.

Amuse Yourself

 If you follow this blog, you know that I've spilled my share of virtual ink about how you must write for your audience, not for yourself. After all, you're probably not your own target market; your personal likes, dislikes, needs, concerns, and shopping habits may not intersect at all with those of your customers. But I honestly believe that when you enjoy creating your marketing content, that enjoyment shines through by lending the content more sparkle and vitality. So by entertaining yourself in the content creation process, you can energize your audience by osmosis. 

Think of some of the funniest things that have occurred to you in your business or personal life. While you're giggling over that, ask yourself how you can leverage that into a story -- a story that you can then relate to your audience's experiences and struggles.

Lead With a Joke

You've probably seen or heard this approach used by all kinds of narrators, from preachers and teachers to journalists and keynote speakers. It's a powerful way to break the ice and get your audience on your side from the beginning. A humorous anecdote or elaborate joke can set the stage for a lighthearted romp, grabbing audiences' attention, tickling their emotions, and encouraging them to read on. If you enjoy the story as much as your audience, you'll be that much more eager to keep producing more of the same.

Get the Reader in on the Act

What's more fun and interesting -- being talked at, or having a two-way conversation where your thought, insights, and opinions matter? Yeah, that's what I thought -- and I guarantee that your readers feel the same way. That's why you should add entertaining interactive options to your marketing content wherever possible.

Simply asking leading questions throughout the body of the content can do wonders to create that interactive feel. Then when you get to the end of your blog post, email, podcast, or video, reach out for direct input in your call to action. Add a quiz, ask for feedback on a particular point, or provide a link for readers to enter a contest. You can even challenge your readers to send in their own short videos or stories as part of the fun!

I understand, of course, that even fun can occasionally be hard work, especially when you're not in the happiest of moods. (As Steve Martin famously said, "Comedy is not pretty.") There are times when you could use an influx of outside ideas, energy, and creativity to keep the good times rolling. But you're in luck, because I enjoy giving business's marketing content that extra kick in the pants. So contact me today -- and start having more fun with this essential element of your success!

Creating a Onesheet? Read This First

If you want a great promotional "leave-behind" for those sales calls, networking meetings, and promotional events, then you want a onesheet. Even if you've never created one for yourself before, you've probably seen plenty of them in your everyday business dealings. These handy one-page print pieces (also referred to as one sheets, one-sheets or one-pagers) can market both yourself and your brand at a glance by showing off your company colors and logo, talking about how people benefit from what you do, and including a bio spotlight for yourself or any member of your team. 

But just as a professional-quality onesheet makes the impression you want to make, a sub-par onesheet can shoot you in the foot -- especially if it gets passed around from one cringing viewer to the next. Yes, there is such a thing as bad publicity! So, how do you produce the kind of onesheet that grabs attention and gets results? First, take heed of these important tips.

Decide on the Scope of Your Onesheet

A onesheet can vary widely in the scope of its messaging. You might want a comprehensive document that devotes one side of the page to your brand's UVP and includes a detailed professional biography or "About Me" statement on the reverse side. This kind of onesheet makes a useful all-round introduction piece. Or you might only need to promote one specific product, service, or event, in which case you can probably get away with a single-sided sheet. I generally recommend the double-sided approach wherever it makes sense, if only because once that sheet gets placed face-down, it just looks like a blank piece of paper not worth flipping over. Oops! But whichever format you choose, don't try to shove a manifesto down your audience's throat. A successfully-written onesheet includes enough empty space to maximize readability and give the images a chance to shine.

Make It All Flow

An experienced graphic designer can create an intuitive visual architecture for your onesheet -- one that leads the eye naturally from one key point or element to the next. But at the same, time you need to make sure your written content does the same. The most natural progression of ideas in most marketing pieces involves three sections: (1) a pain or empathy statement that expresses your target audience's need, (2) a solution statement where you describe how you can help, and (3) a call to action that urges the reader to respond. On the bio side of your onesheet, you might start with an arresting introductory statement and then backtrack to give a brief history of your work. Along the way, sprinkle in your motivations for doing what you do. Finally, invite your reader to connect with you and learn more.

Go Out Strong

With any luck, your onesheet's beautiful design and compelling content have hooked your audience from the top left of Side 1 to the bottom right of Side 2. At this point, the worst mistake you can make is to go out with a whimper instead of a bang. Always add a call to action, whether you want the reader to contact you, place an order, visit your website or whatever. Include your contact information in the footer on both sides, just in case your readers either forget to flip the page or feel ready to act after reading only Side 1. Better yet, use your onesheet as a giant coupon delivery device. Build a barcode or tear-away section that the reader can use to redeem some extra perk or discount.

If you want a onesheet that will deliver your message and sell your products or services, you may want to leave both the content writing and the graphic design to the professionals instead of laboring over them yourself. I've written content for countless onesheets over the years, and I can hook you up with a brilliant graphic designer if you don't have one already. Contact me to learn more and get started!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Smart Ways to Repurpose Your Blog Content

Let's face it, blogging is hard work. Not only do you need to craft relevant, entertaining content that compels your target audience to action, but you have to do it again and again, cranking out posts like clockwork, to reap the full benefits of this form of content marketing. If you're going to put that much effort into the task, you might as well get as much out of your labor as possible -- and that means finding lucrative ways to repurpose that content. Take a look at a few smart ways to make your blog the gift that keeps on giving.

Compile Your Blog Posts Into a Book (or Speech)

One of the simplest and most popular ways to repurpose blog content involves dropping them together into one longer manuscript, "massaging" them until you have an honest-to-goodness eBook or printed book. Go back through your previous posts and look for an overall theme that might lend itself to this treatment. You can even blog with this end goal in mind, posting a series of related articles that naturally come together to convey a single major point. Are looking to put together a speech you can deliver to groups and associations? Look no further than your blog for source material -- or sell your blog-derived book at your presentation.

Turn Your Blog Posts Into a Course

Do you regularly dispense guidance, advice, or educational content in your blog posts? If so, you just might have the bones of an online course that you can upload to one of the major online education platforms. This strategy doesn't just open up a new potential income stream for you; it also reinforces your reputation as a problem-solver and an expert in your field. You can expand on the source material as much as you like to turn it into a series of valuable lessons.

Turn Blog Posts Into Videos

Everybody's consuming online video on a massive scale these days, with youTube serving as the most obvious example. Uploading useful, entertaining videos to your company's YouTube channel can boost your online footprint, reputation, and visibility. Since that's also the goal of regular blogging, why not use one to produce the other? Simply read your blog text into a microphone, add that audio to some relevant images, and presto -- you just made a Youtube video that's just as meaningful to your target audience as the original blog post. Why bother with this kind of redundancy? because some people are primarily readers, while others are primarily viewers. You want to grab the attention of both camps, right?

Of course, you have to have the original blog content before you can morph it into something else. If writing those original posts still stands in your way as a bottleneck to successful marketing, why not enlist the aid of a skilled freelance copywriter? Contact me today to get the creative ball rolling -- and then watch where it takes your business!

Struggling to Write That Marketing Content? Try These Productivity Joggers

Writing is hard -- and I say that as a professional writer with a quarter-century's experience under my belt. Some of the world's greatest wordsmiths have found themselves paralyzed by writer's block or otherwise unable to produce the material they need in a timely manner. Why do we struggle with this particular problem? I mean, you don't hear about people experiencing accountant's block or insurance agent's block. (Plumbers, of course, must deal with blocks of a different nature.) I think it's a combination of intimidation and time management trouble. Writing requires focused creativity for a specific period. If you don't do it regularly and efficiently, you may feel overwhelmed by its demands while also falling behind in your marketing content production quota, which only increases the perceived burden.

Fortunately, you can employ a variety of clever tricks to get yourself pumping out that materials for your website, blog, newsletter, or email marketing campaign. You don't have to resort to the drastic antics of a Friedrich Schiller, who kept stinky rotten apples in his desk drawer to inspire his creative mind. you may benefit from the following smart strategies to turbocharge your productivity.

Optimize Your Workspace

A cluttered desk area is like a cluttered mind: It makes finding specific things impossible. Those bills and tax forms only distract you from the job at hand, while constant incoming emails and online news updates help to ensure that your word processor screen remains blank. Clear all that paperwork away until you've completed your writing session. Look into "minimalist" writing apps that fill the whole screen, banishing all other electronic distractions.

Give Yourself 25 Minutes

Don't beat yourself up if you can't create for hour after hour. Research indicates that most of us can only focus on concentrated mental efforts for about 25 minutes at a time before we run out of steam. Franscesco Cirillo responded to this challenge by creating the Pomodoro technique, named after the tomato-shaped timer he sells as part of his online productivity program. But you can try a basic version of this technique using any handy timer that will alert you at the 25-minute mark. Set the timer, think and work as hard as you can for 25 minutes, and then stop and take a break when the alarm goes off. You'll keep your mind refreshed and feel less intimidated by that next session.

Set Yourself Free

Many writers and non-writers alike feel as if every sentence they set down must be a shining jewel. But if you've ever seen gems in the natural form, they're pretty rough; they need plenty of cutting and polishing before they make their way into fine jewelry. if you insist on creating a perfect phrase before you can move on to the next phrase, you'll probably just get stuck. So stop worrying about spelling, grammar, or flow. Just bang out a draft that you can polish later so at least you'll have something to polish. (Ray Bradbury famously posted a note above his typewriter that read DON'T THINK.) If the beginning of that blog post stumps you, then don't start at the beginning -- write any part of the article that you've got rattling around in your head. That bit will help you figure out the earlier and later bits, and before you know it you'll be done.

I hope these tips prove useful for you. If you still can't muster the time, energy, or creativity to produce a steady stream of marketing content on your own, you can always enlist my services. Contact me today so we can get started!

If You Can Write a Letter, You Can Write Your Own Marketing Content

Anyone other than me remember Coronet Films? I was subjected to countless of these short "educational" films during my years in school, instructing young people on everything from why they should drink more water or eat more vegetables to how they should dress for different situations. Well, maybe it's because i'm frequently doing research related to my writing work, but somehow or other my YoutTube feed presented me with a 1950 gem entitled "How to Write Better Social Letters." (You know, back when people actually wrote letters by hand, on that ancient substance known to the elders as paper.) Dated as the film may be, it makes some legitimate points about how to organize your thoughts for readability and write with a specific audience in mind. You know -- like you have to do when writing marketing content.

Do you find marketing content creation intimidating, confusing, or simply alien to your experience? If you enjoy writing letters to people, you might know more about this discipline than you give yourself credit for. Think about how the following letter writing tips can apply to your copywriting efforts.

"Write how you talk." You can't expect a high-handed tone and scholarly vocabulary to come across as warm, natural, or relatable to most B2C or B2B audiences., any more than you'd expect these choices to resonate with a friend or family member reading a letter from you. In this case,  when I say"you" I mean "your brand," which will have its own distinct personality. Think of a business as a person writing a letter to someone who needs and wants that person's help, advice, and reassurance. Try to picture both your brand and your audience as individual human beings on both ends of that communication. The right tone will naturally follow.

"Tell a story." Effective storytelling and effective marketing go hand in hand. When you're recounting a memory or anecdote to someone in a personal letter -- or even talking about it over the phone -- you naturally begin at the beginning, don't you? You set the stage, introduce the events in the order they occurred, and then reach a slam-bang conclusion. This structure gives your story a logical, easy-to-read flow that keeps the audience's attention and prevents confusion. Simply follow this same kind of structure in your marketing content. Introduce a problem, throw in enough details to engage the emotions, and then segue into the solution (which, of course, is your product or service).

"Put a bow on it." It's easy to wrap up a personal letter -- you just summarize the gist of what you were talking about, add some compelling final comments, and then invite the recipient to reply, come visit sometimes, or whatever will keep the relationship rolling along. Well, that's exactly what you do when you conclude a piece of marketing content. you wrap up your points and then encourage your audience to take the next step based on what you've just communicated. It's as clear and surefire an approach as appending that final "Sincerely Yours."

See what I mean? If you know how to write a letter, you know how to create marketing content. but of course the fact that you know how doesn't mean you're obligated to do it yourself. Contact me if you'd like to hand this task over to an experienced freelance copywriter. After all, even a casual letter requires some time, effort, and skill!

How to Make Your Content Creation Easier

So you're stuck with the task of writing your own website, blog, sales letter, press release, or email marketing content. Maybe you don't have a professional marketing person on your team, or maybe you just like doing things yourself. But there's no getting around the fact that marketing content creation can challenge your wits, patience, and sanity even under the best of circumstances. Sooner or later you'll find yourself staring at a blank screen without the slightest clue on how to move forward and produce the content your business urgently needs in a crowded, competitive marketplace. If you're already sweating creative bullets, here are some things you can do to make the process a bit easier and less stressful.

Start with a Plan

You can't know what content to write without first knowing who you're writing it for, what they need and want to read, and how to push their buttons so they'll respond to your call to action. That means doing your research and coming up with a buyer persona -- that imaginary person I've talked about before, one who fits all the demographics and characteristics of your ideal customer. Okay, now that you have your audience in mind, you can plan your content creation accordingly. If you intend to blog regularly, that means coming up with an editorial calendar (which I've also harped on in the past). Block out a whole year's worth of topics if possible. you can always tweak it as you go, but have some kind of plan in place to guide your way.

Use Topic Brainstorming Techniques

Do you hate having to come up with an endless stream of ideas for blog, email, or newsletter content? Talk about a brain drain! But fear not, because a few little ideation tricks can help prime the creative pump. For instance, you might start by thinking about your target audience. What nagging problem did they probably have recently? What aspects of your business seem to interest them the most? What's the most helpful advice you could give them right now? Answers may pop into your head with startling speed. If you can't dream up whole articles out of thin air, what about titles? Ray Bradbury used to type out title after title and then let each title suggest an entire story to him. Worth a try, right? 

Streamline Your Style

Do you tend to launch long, elaborate sentences and then get sort of lost halfway through them? Are you always struggling for just the right word? Maybe it's time you simplified your marketing content style and vocabulary. Focus on clear, simple statements in everyday language. Even if you work in some specialized technical field, your audience probably doesn't want to sift through a lot of technobabble. They just want the answer to that all-important question: "What can you do for me?" So streamline your style, clarify your points, and you'll find that your content becomes both more effective and less of a pain to write.

Draft Now, Fix Later

"Analysis paralysis" can strike anyone at any time, making even the most straightforward decisions needlessly agonizing. Unfortunately, it's especially common in the world of content creation. As long as that screen stays blank, you haven't made any mistakes -- and so the screen stays blank. If you're a perfectionist, you may stare at that blank screen forever, terrified that you'll write something that doesn't meet your lofty standards. But remember this: You can't fix what doesn't exist. Barf out that hopeless word salad of a draft, accept that it needs revision, and then revise it. Launch the ship, and then correct the course as needed.

I hope these tips help you move forward with your marketing content creation. If you'd rather engage professional assistance for this chore, put me to work as your freelance marketing copywriter. What could be easier than that?

Smoothing the Rewrite Road: Advice for Copywriters and Copywriting Clients

Here’s a quote from H.G. Wells, who knew a thing or two about writing: "No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft."

I don't know whether Mr Wells was speaking from some hard-earned personal bitterness, but few writers can completely avoid the occasional going over with a red pen (or its digital equivalent). In my work as a freelance marketing copywriter, I don't usually get a lot of rewrite requests. That isn't necessary boasting; for all I know, clients are rewriting my work themselves without mentioning it to me. But I've found that there are certain things both writers and writing clients can do to make the revision process less painful.

Writers: Ask questions, no matter how dumb they may seem. You may be the writing expert, but your clients are the ones with all the industry knowledge and inside data necessary for your project. Get clear on the basics and fill in the informational gaps as needed by asking questions. A quick email or phone call can prevent some major misunderstandings, not only on details but on the overall direction of the entire job.

Clients: Collect your notes -- all of them. You may be tempted to shoot some revision requests to your writer the moment you receive the draft. But if you do, be prepared to fire off another email, and another after that. And then there's your marketing person, and your CEO, and whoever else may care to pile on with suggestions. Nothing confuses a writer worse than dozens of emails, each with different and possibly conflicting rewrite requests. Make sure you have collected everyone's comments and parsed them for consistency before sending that ONE email to your writer.

Both parties: Be prepared and responsive. For writers, that means listening closely and making detailed notes right from the initial consultation. Before launching into the first draft, go over the job with your client to make absolutely sure you're both on the same page. For clients, it means answering the writer's questions and providing additional information in a timely manner. Work together to make that first draft as compelling and accurate as possible, and you may not need to go to a second draft at all. H.G. Wells would approve.

Key Questions to Ask Yourself When Writing Marketing Content

Most business owners recognize the crucial importance of written content in their marketing efforts. If you own a company or manage a brand, you've got to create website, blog, email, and sales letter content that makes a powerful impact and compels the proper action. If you've written your share of content that looked fine at first glance but failed to achieve the results you sought, don't despair -- you might have missed the mark due to some common, correctable missteps. Before you publish or send out your next piece of written marketing content, ask yourself the following key questions.

"Who Will Read This Content?"

If you've had any success in your business, you probably know who falls into your target market and how to reach those individuals most effectively. But in addition to understanding where to find your audience, you must also understand what segment of the population that audience represents. What do your typical buyers worry about or struggle with? What level of education do they have? What values do they uphold? What priorities influence their shopping choices? If you can't answer these questions with confidence, work with a marketing strategist to create an imaginary construct called a buyer persona. You now have an imaginary ideal customer to write for -- which means you write much more targeted content.

"What Benefit Does This Content Provide?"

Once you know the frustrations, concerns, and other pain points that make life more difficult for your ideal buyer. Have you addressed these pain points in your marketing content? Few approaches grab someone's attention more firmly and easily than sympathy for that person's situation. When you show that you know your audience's problems, you can position yourself as the solution to those problems. For instance, if you sell mattresses, you want to talk about the misery of restless nights, chronic back pain, and other issues that cause people to shop for an alternative to the torture device they currently endure night after night -- and then offer that alternative.

"Does the Content Inspire Responses?"

If you think of marketing content as a kind of one-way address system, think again. While your buyers can't intercept your message or reply to it in real time, you can (and should) evoke the illusion of a conversation. One of the more effective copywriting tricks in this regard involves asking question after question: "Do you hate scrubbing gunk off your dishes after every meal? Do you sigh when you see white spots on your glasses after you pull them out of the washing machine?" Et cetera. You can practically hear the aggravated audience member yelling "Yes! One hundred percent!" in reply. Notice that "Yes," by the way. When you keep throwing out questions with obvious "Yes" answers, you're achieving two important goals. First, you're using positive language instead of negative language, even when describing negative scenarios. (You don't want to establish yourself as a Debby Downer.) Second, you're getting your audience member to agree with you again and again, establishing that you're both on the same wavelength. Next stop, sale!

"Have I Trimmed All the Fat?"

Sometimes a perfectly acceptable-looking draft can reveal small but telling weaknesses on careful review. Check your marketing content thoroughly for any little extra verbiage that might dilute your message or bog down the flow. For example, do you see an "in order to" where a simple "to" would do the job? Look for any ways you could make your message more compact. Replacing passive phrase constructions with active ones should help you trim this fat while also adding power to your message. While you're at it, replace any needlessly fancy vocabulary with clear, plain words. The changes might prove as simple as "use" instead of "utilize," but the end results should include clearer, more readable text and a more direct impact.

Would you rather feel assured that your marketing content will always hit the mark without having to serve as your own editor and proofreader? Let a professional copywriter craft your content for you! Contact me today to learn more and get started on the easy path to greater marketing success.

Winter Marketing Content for a Happier New Year

Winter means different things to different people. For much of the country, this winter has meant devastating snowstorms and countless flight cancellations. Many folks think of winter as a time for seasonal sports, cozy evenings by the fire, or getting an early start on those annual tax returns. But what does winter mean for your business? Does your industry naturally lend itself to this time of year, or do you find yourself wishing your target market would thaw out a bit faster than the local scenery? Either way, you can bring in more revenue by using the season in your marketing content. Here are some tips and tricks for turning winter's chill into a profitable hot streak.

Create Holiday-Themed Promotions

While it's true that the super-hot shopping holidays such as Black Friday, Hanukka, and Christmas have passed, winter still offers some opportunities for holiday-based marketing. For instance, many businesses offer sales and other special deals during the MLK Day weekend, while others hop on the humor bandwagon with Groundhog Day promotions. Valentine's Day offers all kinds of marketing opportunities. Then there are the less well-known observances such as Dress Up Your Pet Day, National Popcorn Day, National Cheese Lover's Days, National Chocolate Cake Day, and National Puzzle Day -- and that's just counting January. Can you see how some businesses might profit by launching email, direct mail, and social media campaigns to promote their products and services on those days? Might your business be among them?

Appeal to Winter Comfort and Utility

Winter obviously gets a lot colder in some parts of the U.S. than in others, but that doesn't stop a lot of us Southerners from complaining whenever the mercury drops below flip-flop temperatures. Depending on your geographic reach, your target audience may be searching for everything from snow shovels and thermal gloves to windshield de-icer -- or they may simply feel like stocking up on hot chocolate, firewood, and cold/flu remedies. Even if you sell your products and services all year round, you may find some clever ways to attach their benefits to seasonal wants and needs. How can your offerings make people feel happier or more comfortable this winter? That's the message you want to build your marketing content around.

Use Seasonal Metaphors

Maybe you can't think of any immediate or obvious association between your products or services and the winter months. That's when some cute metaphors can step in to save the day. For instance, you might encourage your audience to "come in from the cold" and take advantage of a red-hot deal. Or you could use the new calendar as a springboard for promoting products and services that help your customers get a fresh start on a great new year. Leverage the excitement and potential of the year to come through your blog posts, email campaigns, TV/radio spots, and print ads.

Winter can be bleak and hostile, or it can introduce a whole vista of marketing options and strategies for your business. Once you've put your winter marketing plan in place, all you'll need is the visual and written content. A skilled graphic designer can provide the former, while an experienced freelance copywriter like me can provide the latter. So contact me, and let's get started on a winter wonderland of profits for your business!

How to Blog When You Don't Have Time to Blog

"I can't go on. I'll go on." Does that famous quote from the writer Samuel Beckett resonate with you a little too strongly when you try to create blog content for your business? You know you need to be blogging to increase your brand's visibility and boost your inbound marketing efforts, but you find yourself locked in a battle against the clock. Let's face it, we're all busy people, and writing takes time. Even so, you can use some clever workarounds to break through those barriers and keep your blog alive, whether you have time for it or not. Try these ideas on for size.

Use Your Voice, Not Your Fingers

Many people who have the gift of gab freeze up when they have to write instead of talk. Some feel intimidated by the blank screen, while others get bogged down in the mechanics of typing, deleting, and re-typing. If you struggle to string one word after another on the keyboard, try ditching the keyboard (temporarily) in favor of a voice-to-text program. Speak from the heart on your chosen subject, and watch the screen fill up with text that mostly matches what you meant to communicate. You'll probably need to go back and make some corrections, but at least you'll have broken through that barrier. If you aren't a touch typist, you may find that the composition goes much faster than the hunt-and-peck method ever made possible.

Tease It Now, Write It Later

Blogs need not focus entirely on "evergreen" articles that address your target audience's major challenges or interests. They may also include your expert analysis and opinions concerning breaking news that affects your industry or your readers. But when a major event occurs, you can't necessarily drop everything you're doing and immediately turn out a definitive post on the subject. What you can do is bang out a quick teaser for what you will be writing on the subject as soon as you get a chance. "Breaking news! This amazing thing just happened. What does it mean for your personal or professional life? We'll be posting a more in-depth look at it soon, so watch this blog!" You've just bought yourself some writing time while still responding to the big event in a timely manner.

Write More When You Do Have Time

Okay, so you don't always have time to blog. But what about those occasions when you do have a little extra time? That's when you should throw it into high gear and overproduce. Create a blog article stockpile that you can draw on when you have not time to compose fresh materials on the fly. If you really want to get ahead of the game, create a 12-month editorial calendar and start writing blog posts that can go out at those various times of year. At least you won't be scratching your head over possible topics.

Outsource Your Blogging Responsibilities

If you really can't make time for blogging even after trying the options noted above, why not hand your blogging burden over to someone else? Maybe you know another expert or influencer in your field who would be more than happy to contribute a guest post. Or for a more comprehensive solution, maybe you could hire a freelance copywriter with the necessary skills and experience to keep your blog populated with top-class content that engages your audience, shows off your expertise, and promotes your brand. Now you have all the time in the world to run your business instead of writing about it!

How to Spark Your Content Writing Engine

If you're tasked with writing content for your business's website, blog, newsletter or press releases, you're writing content for professional use. And if you're tasked with doing enough of it enough of the time, you'll start to feel the pressure sooner or later, no matter how years of experience you have at it. What do you do when the blank screen suggests absolutely nothing to you? How do you get literary blood out that overworked cerebral turnip? It's a question we all have to contend with. Here are a few suggestions that I've found helpful.

Stop Thinking

Zoning out is more productive than you might realize. It might take the form of mild daydreaming about your writing project -- a process Kurt Vonnegut liked to call "woolgathering" -- or it might be closer to a Zen-like state in which you simply think of nothing at all. These practices are highly beneficial to a locked-up, stressed-out creative mind. It not only gives the gray matter a rest, but it also silences the merciless self-critic behind so many cases of writer's block. There's a reason Ray Bradbury kept a sign above his typewriter that read, "DON'T THINK."

Go for a Walk

Many of the great creative minds in history could just as well be dubbed "creative feet," favoring lengthy walks as they pondered the morning's work or the evening writing session to come. It makes a kind of sense if you think about it. The light exercise stimulates cardiovascular performance, pushing oxygenated blood through your brain and improving your mental efficiency. Walking can also be highly inspiring or about as interesting as watching paint dry -- and believe it or not, either of these reactions can give your creativity a boost. You might become charged with ideas from observing the local flora and fauna, or you might find your surroundings so deadly dull that you have nothing to think about except your writing. Walking can also relieve muscular tension, another potential distraction.

Sleep

"Sleeping on it" is more than just an expression; it's aalso a legitimate way to solve nagging questions and issues when you're working on a writing project (or any other project that requires creative problem solving). Many times my head has hit the pillow in a state of utter confusion, only to wake up with a sense of absolute clarity, the answer to my problem suddenly resembling child's play. Whether your subconscious mind pulled an all-nighter while you slept or your conscious mind just wasn't seeing the obvious due to nighttime fatigue, plenty of sleep can solve plenty of writing worries.

Write Anyway

If that writing project is due tomorrow and your brilliance engine just won't engage for love or money, sometimes all you can do is grit your teeth and write the thing. If you have the technique, you'll still manage to turn out respectable, professional-level work. If you're still learning your craft, the result might be rough around the edges -- but hey, that's what revisions are for. Feel your client out on this issue; some want the deadline treated as holy writ, while others will want you to take that extra day if it'll make a significant difference in the first draft. But writing reasonably well even when you're not "feeling it" is the hallmark of a pro.

One last note: Sometimes the best thing that ever happened to a creative project is the addition of a second point of view. If you feel like it's time to get another writer on board, you know who to call! I'll be sure to come running -- unless I'm busy daydreaming, walking, sleeping or writing, of course.

Writing Your Own Marketing Content? Avoid These Common Pitfalls

I know many entrepreneurs and other businesspeople who, for whatever reason, have taken it on themselves to write their own marketing content. Some of these individuals have brilliant communication skills, can give an eloquent speech on a moment’s notice, and genuinely enjoy writing. But if you feel the need to compose that web page, blog article, or video script on your own, watch out for common little lapses in judgment that can render your writing less effective than it should be. 

As my writing teacher used to say, “There’s no such thing as good or bad writing, only stronger or weaker choices.” So let’s look at some of those weaker choices with an eye toward avoiding them.

"In order to" -- Only one of the words in this phrase matters. Can you find it? I knew you could. After all, if you're going to say “to,” what’s the point of also saying “in order” except to pad out the text meaninglessly?

"You should," "Be sure to," "Make sure you," “You may want to consider” etc. -- This is the imperative that isn't. I see these phrases pop up a lot, and I suspect Grammarly has something to do with it. Grammarly apparently hates it when the writer actually orders the reader to do something and will suggest these weak-kneed phrases to soften the statement. Well, some of us are trying to market here, yeah? If you want to tell the reader to do something, just tell them to do it. They won’t burst into tears.

"Very" -- This word is like a volume knob with no indicator markings. How much is "very?" Let's say you want to communicate that a film conveys a powerful message. Does "very powerful" really make the point more clearly than "powerful?"

"Great," "Terrific," "Fabulous," etc. -- More garbage words in the grand tradition of "Very." Let's go back to our film review example: "This movie is great!" What the heck does that mean? Why is it great? How is it great? Is it deeply mournful, crackling with dramatic tension, sweet-natured and amiable, refreshingly silly? "Great" means whatever the reader wants it to mean, thus introducing unwelcome ambiguity into your marketing message. State what you mean in no uncertain terms.

As the old song tells us, little things mean a lot. A few smart tweaks and second thoughts can make the difference between strong marketing content and not-so-strong marketing content. If you eventually decide that you’d  rather let a professional copywriter or editor worry about all these details, contact me. In the meantime, let’s be careful out there!

Content Writing for Email Drip Campaigns: 3 Key Points

If you're like the average businessperson, your contact lists, email boxes, CRM platform, and business card holders contain a wealth of prospects, some of whom might quite willingly be converted into customers if they encounter the right marketing content at the right time. Unfortunately, not everyone reads blog posts or peruses online videos as voraciously as you might hope, cutting off possible paths to pursuasion. But don't throw in the towel just yet, because those same folks probably check their email just as regularly as you check yours. That gives you a golden opportunity to grab their attention, build their trust, and influence their buying decisions through an email drip campaign. Let's take a look at three key points you should absorb if you want to put the power of email marketing to work for your organization.

1. A Drip Campaign Involves Multiple Touches

Yes, in an ideal world you could send out one earth-shattering email article or sales message that would sparkk an instant firestorm of purchases or requests for further information. But in case you haven't noticed by now, we don't inhabit an ideal world. A traditional sales rep might have to knock on the same door or call the same prospect on the phone time and time again before getting a response. A successful email marketing campaign relies on multiple touches, with emails sent out on a regular, recurring basis until your respondents either capitulate or filter you into that electronic Twilight Zone cornfield, the spam box.

Of course, it doesn't make much sense to send the exact same email article or message to the same people over and over. In a drip campaign, you send out a series of email messages, with each email message building on the impact of the previous one by explaining some additional aspect of your products or services. Eventually the cumulative impact of these multiple touches finally sways the recipients to respond.

2. Cold Emails and Warm Emails Call for Different Approaches

If you want to mount a successful drip campaign, you need at least two sets of email messages -- one for cold prospects, and the other for warm prospects. Cold email messages don't presume any actual interest on the recipient's part, at least not at first. You might start with a friendly greeting that introduces your company and includes a casual call to action such as, "I'd like to tell you more about how we can help you. Please contact me and let me know when we can set up a chat." Subsequent emails address various problems you solve or features you offer, always closing with a request to communicate.

Once a prospect actually responds, that prospect "graduates" from your cold email list and starts receiving your warm emails. These messages can go into much greater informational depth and detail because you already know the prospect is at least slightly interested. Your calls to action can get a little more aggressive at this stage as well.

3. Email Content Should Intrigue, Inform, and Compel

What kind of content should you pack into your drip campaign emails? Well, as noted above, the warm prospects get more content per email than the cold ones. Generally, however, even the cold emails should point out this or that specific problem that your business helps its customers overcome. The warm emails can include the same kind of content you'd normally create for blog posts. At this point, you're composing mini-articles that can include case studies, industry statistics, and other information likely to hold your recipients' interest. By the time you've cycled through your entire set of warm email messages, you should start getting results as long as you've aimed the right content at the right people.

If creating all that email content sounds like a lot of work, well, it is. The good news is that you don't actually have to do it yourself or tie up your marketing team with it -- not when you can hire a skilled, experienced freelance copywriter. Contact me today, and let's capture your target market's attention!

How to Guest Blog Like a Champ

Congratulations! An influential business leader or publication has invited you to contribute an article as a guest blogger. You have a golden opportunity to share your insights, wisdom, and experience with receptive readers who may then seek you out when they need your products or services. There's only one problem: How do you capitalize on this opportunity instead of blowing it? You're an expert in your field, but what if your expertise doesn't include blog writing? Even if you do create content for your own blog, what do you need to know before you leap into writing for someone else's blog? Let's look at some important steps that can help you succeed in your guest-blogging venture.

Understand the Ground Rules

Different blogs maintain their own standards, from word counts and other formatting requirements to tonal and stylistic preferences. Ask the owner or manager of the blog how long your article should run, whether they want you to adhere to a particular style (Associated Press, Chicago Manual of Style, et cetera), and whether you should sound formal, casual, or somewhere in between. Refer to other blog posts, including those posted by other guest bloggers, and see if you can match their format and tone without abandoning your own unique voice. Last but certainly not least, make sure you know the deadline for submitting the article -- and make sure you can meet it.

Get Your Topic Approved in Advance

This point might sound obvious, but you'd be surprised how many guest bloggers assume that their topic will work for the blog host without actually confirming it beforehand. You can easily spend hours working on an article, only to get a note along the lines of, "Um, what we really needed was [something else]." At that point you can only start over from scratch (assuming you can still meet the deadline) or just give up. Avoid this pitfall by submitting your proposed topic for approval before you proceed.

Inform, Don't Sell

If you've been invited to guest blog, the blog host probably hopes that you'll contribute a thought leadership article that will impress and educate the blog's target audience. Don't take this opportunity to sell your products or services in a brash, transparent manner. Focus on the topic itself in ways that gently steer the audience in your general direction. For instance, a real estate agent writing about the latest trends in the residential market might present a wealth of relevant information while also mentioning the value a real estate expert can provide for buyers and sellers. Instead of dropping a firm call to action in the conclusion, simply wrap things up with a reminder that an expert in your field can help clarify this information and help the reader take the next step, whatever that may be. Since you're obviously the expert in question, who do you think they'll contact?

Even after you know exactly what to write about and how to write it to your blog host's satisfaction, you may find this kind of content creation too challenging, intimidating, time consuming, or just plain inconvenient to bother with. But that doesn't mean you should give up on the self-promotional benefits of guest blogging -- it just means you need assistance from a professional copywriter. Contact me today to find out how I can help you guest blog more easily and successfully!

Writing a Press Release? Read This First

You've got something spectacular to share with the world, or at least with your organizations' target market. So, stop the presses! Alert the media! Issue a press release! Wait, you don't have a press release? You've never written a press release? You wouldn't know where to begin with a press release? Okay, never mind. Re-start the presses.

Actually, press releases aren't hard to create once you know how they work and what you need to include. Distributing is easier than ever, too, thanks to the online templates offered by so many of today's digital media publications. Just paste your content into the right fields, fill out the other information, make sure you've followed all the publication's rules regarding formatting and word count, and hit Submit. Of course, there's still the press release itself to be written -- but the following tips should make that go more smoothly for you as well.

Invert That Pyramid

First and foremost, a press release is a news story crafted for publication as such, even if it's actually submitted by a business for purely promotional reasons. News stories follow a traditional structure known as an inverted pyramid. The most newsworthy facts sit at the top (the wide end) of the pyramid; this is your "Who, What, Where, When, Why" section, a.k.a "the lead," and it should be the first information your reader sees. Once you've nailed these key facts, you then move to the middle section of the inverted triangle, or the "body." Here's where you fill out the key points you established in your opening with explanatory information, interview quotes, and detailed breakdowns of attractive features and benefits you want to impress your audience with. The upside-down point at the bottom of your inverted pyramid is known as the "tail." This is where you wrap everything up with final followup information. (See below.)

Just the Facts, Ma'am

When you're trying to talk up an exciting new development, product, or service, it's only natural to fall into hyperbole. If you think something is wonderful, why wouldn't you use the word "wonderful?" Well, it shoots down your objectivity, and journalism (in an ideal world, anyway) is supposed to read as an objective presentation of facts. If you remember "Dragnet," you probably recall the cops steering this or that eyewitness away from a rambling editorial diatribe with a gentle but insistent, "Just the facts, ma'am." If your story really does have items that your audience will respond to, let the facts speak for themselves. You can always add a bit of hype here and there by placing it in someone else's mouth via quotes: "We're excited about this wonderful new way to help our clients thrive," et cetera.

Tell Your "Tail"

Remember that "tail" I mentioned earlier? It might occupy the least distinguished level of the inverted pyramid, but that doesn't make it unimportant. On the contrary, this section provides crucial details such as whom readers should contact to get more details about the story. It also serves as a kind of passive call to action: "The company directs interested parties to contact so-and-so for additional details and a free initial consultation." 

Even if these pointers help to clear up any confusion you might have had about press release composition, you may still feel less than enthusiastic about actually sitting down to write the stupid thing. But you can remedy that hassle easily enough simply by contacting me and letting me put my years of experience as a freelance copywriter to work for you. So stop the presses (again), and let's get the word out!

Bio Profile Dos and Dont's

The time has come to tell your story. Okay, maybe you're not interested in composing your memoirs, at least not just at the moment. But your boss has asked you to contribute a bio profile for the company web page, or some association wants to include a blurb about you in their publication, or you've been tasked with taking raw information about key team members and transforming that textual lead into gold. So what do you need to know about crafting an effective, informative, exciting bio profile, either about yourself or about someone else? The following dos and don'ts should prove helpful.

Do Organize Your Points

One problem I've seen time and time again when editing people's bio profiles involves scattershot organization. Key points get shoved down into the middle of the page (what journalists like to call "burying the lead"), while other points pop up in seemingly random spots or get repeated multiple times without much variation. While a bio profile doesn't serve the purpose of a resume and shouldn't read like one, you do want to follow an outline that breaks different subjects into recognizable chunks that follow a logical progression.

Don't Get Lost in Trivia Land

Many companies encourage their team members to include personal information alongside career achievements, work histories, and job descriptions. This information helps to break down the barriers and present each employee as a warm, approachable, real-life human being to clients and prospective customers. But you can always have too much of a good thing, including personal details. for instance, your readers may appreciate the fact that you own dogs without necessarily needing to know each pup's name and breed. Similarly, your personal history may have a direct bearing on your practical experience, skill set, and approach to your work, but we don't need to know about every single twist and turn your professional life has taken. With every point you add, keep asking yourself, "Why does this matter to my reader?" If you can't think of an answer, get out the red pen.

Do Create Long and Short Bio Profiles

If you need to craft a bio profile as a business leader or industry expert for a variety of future applications, keep in mind that some publications, sites, or other organizations will prefer a shorter bio, while others might prefer a longer, more detailed one. The answer to this challenge is simple enough: Prepare both a long version and a short version. It's usually easier to write the long bio first, and then cherry-pick the most important information for the shorter bio. You'll feel much better prepared to participate in a wider range of business opportunities once you've got these options ready for submission.

Don't Try Too Hard to Impress (But Do Try Hard Enough)

Some people prefer not to blow their own horn for fear that they'll appear full of themselves, resulting in a humdrum bio profile that triggers a "So what?" response. Others believe that they have to present themselves as the greatest thing since sliced bread by throwing all kinds of hyperbole into their bio profiles. Try to keep your statements reasonable and realistic, but not to the extent that you fail to talk yourself up at all. It's a fine balance to achieve -- but remember, you don't have to create that bio profile all by yourself. If you'd rather rely on the skills of a professional freelance copywriter, or if just you've got too many other items on your plate to spend precious time sweating over your bio profile, contact me and take advantage of my bio-writing experience You have a compelling professional story to tell -- so let's tell it!

4 Ways to Repurpose Your Marketing Content

Week after week, the struggle continues. Fresh drops of blood sprout from your forehead as you stare at a blank monitor, desperately trying to conjure up new and unique material for your marketing efforts. Of course, there's no getting around the fact that you do need to keep injecting relevant, compelling content into your blog, website, and various social media channels. But what if I told you that you already had a great deal of this content lying around, just waiting for you to put it to use in a recycled, upgraded form?

You can make your marketing work so much easier -- and get so much more mileage out of all the hard work you've already performed -- simply by repurposing pre-existing content, it's not even funny. Take a look at four smart ways you can reduce your time and effort curve while still producing a steady stream of marketing content that sells what you do, builds your brand, and keeps you front and center in the public eye.

1. Update Old Blog Articles

You might naturally assume that a blog article has a limited shelf life, with the possible exception of that evergreen anchor post that remains timelessly valid year after year. However, even if the details go rancid after a while, the underlying topic may not. Why not reopen that file and update the information to account for changes in your business, your target audience, or the world in general? Remember, your current blog audience might have missed the original post when it first came out, which should give you reason enough to revisit the subject. You can even opt to rewrite the whole thing from top to bottom, using all the core information that still applies instead of reinventing the wheel. Before you know it, what's old is new again.

2. Post Non-Blog Content to Your Blog

Don't fall into the trap of regarding your blog as some isolated chamber that can only accept content you devised specifically for it. Any point worth devoting time and effort to elsewhere in your marketing efforts can also prove its merits as a blog post. Think about that case study, white paper, press release, or other writeup you recently slaved over. Couldn't that content work equally well in blog form with a nip here and a tuck there? Blogs can offer considerable flexibility in their formats and subject matter, so you'd just be adding more diversity to your target readers' experience.

3. Create Ebooks Out of Pre-Written Content

If you've been writing various kinds of marketing content for months or years, you may have already created the guts of an ebook without even realizing it. Ebooks hold special appeal for prospective clients who want comprehensive, long-form answers to their questions and challenges. That's why they do such a good job as a conversion tool, enticing site visitors to provide their contact information in exchange for a copy of this valuable help. go back and look at your previous blog articles and other written marketing content. Chances are that many of those pieces will fit together (or can be made to fit together) into a larger, cohesive volume. It's certainly a lot easier than composing an ebook from scratch!

4. Transcribe Your Videos Into Articles (and Vice Versa)

If your social media content creation strategy includes YouTube and other video channels, you may have amassed a whole online library of videos relating to your products, services, brand, and industry. But some people naturally gravitate toward text instead of pictures and sound, which means that they may miss your mountain of videos entirely. That's why you should think about transcribing the narrative text of those videos and reworking it into blog articles. By the same token, consider recording your blog articles as voice-over narration for fresh videos. You'll get two pieces of marketing content for the price of one, even as you reach a wider audience and increase your search engine visibility.

Of course, even repurposing your marketing content requires some skill, time, and energy. If you're not sure how to proceed or would just rather leave it the pros, put a professional freelance marketing copywriter to work on the job. While you're at it, request all the fresh content you need as well!