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!

How to Write the Perfect "About Us" Page

When you're shopping for products and services, you probably want to know at least a little about the provider of those products and services, right? Even if whatever you need is a basic commodity that you can get anywhere, you'd rather obtain it from a reputable enterprise, one that hopefully offers better support and higher customer satisfaction than the competition. In a world where we can buy anything from anybody at the click of a link or button, it's often the unique virtues of the seller that sway our final choice.

Well, the same holds true for anyone looking to buy services or products that you happen to sell. When these folks visit your website, you'd better have an "About Us" page that makes a strong positive impression and addresses any potential concerns about your priorities, skills, or experience in the field. So let's look at some key steps in creating that "About Us" page content.

Give Your Company Its Own Bio

"About Us" doesn't just refer to you and other leaders at your company; it also refers to the company itself. I've mentioned previously that a brand can be considered a business's persona, the public face it shows to the world. It stands to reason, then, that your company deserves its own bio blurb. Consider introducing your "About Us" page with an introductory paragraph or two that lays out your organization's status and reputation in the industry, what it sells or does, and why site visitors should care.

State Your Mission, Vision, and Values

This section of the "About Us" page can have its own separate section, or you can simply append it to the company bio section. Either way, it will make a major impact on many prospective buyers who care about the motivations behind the businesses they patronize. The mission statement simply clarifies why your company exists and explains why you do what you do. The vision statement expresses your dreams, hopes, and plans for your organization's future. The values statement lets the world know what you stand for, the rules you play by, the ethical standards you uphold, and your attitude toward your customers.

Spotlight the Team

Now it's time to throw the spotlight onto your key players, ideally starting with the founder or owner. If this individual's educational, work history, special skills, and industry experience have the potential to dazzle your visitors -- then dazzle away! You can repeat this process with a few of your C-level leaders, but you probably don't need to compose elaborate biographies for everyone. Other team members may not need more than a satisfying paragraph that shows them to best advantage. (Keeping these supporting bios short as a general rule will also help hide discrepancies in skills and experiences from one team member to the next.)

Don't Change the Subject

I've seen "About Us" pages that threatened to become "About Everything" pages. It's all too easy to veer off into descriptions of your products and services, sales pitches, and other stuff that more properly belongs elsewhere on the site. Try to keep on message throughout the "About Us" page -- and by the same token, try not to let bits and pieces of your "About Us" page content drift onto other pages.

Writing the ultimate "About Us" page becomes a lot easier once you know what points to make, how and where to make them, and how to maintain the content's focus. Want to know another helpful tip for writing this page? Here you go: Don't write it yourself at all. Instead, hire a professional copywriter to do it for you!

4 Great Things Your Blog Content Can Communicate

Why do people and companies blog? The answer to that question may depend on whom you ask. Some may blog mainly to increase their online authority with the major search engines, and that's a perfectly fine (and potentially very effective) strategy. Others may blog because they feel an intense personal need to express their opinions and insights. Still others may blog simply to keep up with their competitors' marketing efforts and stay top of mind with their target market. Blogging can help accomplish all of these goals, but it can also communicate certain key points about your brand identity, your business practices, and even your competence as a solution provider.  Take a look at four great things your blog content can communicate about you and your business.

Great Thing #1: You Understand and Empathize

You may have heard marketers employ the term "pain point." A pain point states a common problem, challenge, or frustration that your audience probably suffers from. Pain points serve as useful conversation starters, not just for blogs but other forms of marketing content as well, because they give readers something they can instantly relate to -- something that hits them where they live. These pain points often drive people to seek answers by performing online searches. If you've just written a blog post on that very pain point, your post may pop up near the top of those search results. If you address that pain point in a manner that shows your empathy for your reader's troubles, you position yourself as a friend who wants to help. Who wouldn't want to read on and find out what form that help may take?

Great Thing #2: You've Got the Answers

Once you show that you understand your audience's pain, you have a golden opportunity to present your products or services as the solution. Think about it: When you need to learn how to fix a problem, you want to uncover informative articles that actually offer answers, whether they include DIY solutions or point you toward the right professional solution provider. If you happen to be that professional solution provider, you just gained a customer. Meanwhile, as you continue to build a blog archive rich in solutions and recommendations, you demonstrate that you don't just have an answer; you have tons of answers. Readers may then come to rely on you as their go-to guru on your particular industry or profession.

Great Thing #3: You Follow the Latest Information

Some blog posts feature "evergreen" information that will prove helpful, correct, and meaningful for years to come, while others focus on more transient topics. Ideally, you want to bounce back and forth between both types of posts. In addition to those essential unchanging pillars of truth, you also want to show that you're up to speed on the latest trends, breaking news, and current events that affect your target audience, especially when it intersects with how you can help that target audience. Topical posts can make a big splash during that initial spike of interest in the subject at hand. Deliver your own take on the hot headline of the day, and you may just attract a whole new crowd!

Great Thing #4: You've Got Your Act Together

Blogging on a regular, consistent schedule communicates some important points about how you run your business. For one thing, it shows that you care enough about your readers to keep providing them with helpful, interesting content. It also says something about your team's organizational, management, and implementation skills. Last but certainly not least, it reminds and reassures your customers that you're still open for business, bubbling with fresh insights and ideas, and ready to deliver the goods. In other words, you're a business that your target audience would actually want to do business with.

Yes, blogging can do your image (and your bottom line) a lot of good, but only if you pursue it diligently and competently. So contact me today for the professional copywriting you need to take full advantage of this powerful business booster!

Building Your Audience Through Content Marketing

Have you ever generated a big marketing push, spending hours on content creation that you hoped would move the sales needle, only to find that your hours of content creation went nowhere? Maybe you got an initial response, followed by the sound of crickets chirping. Does that mean the content itself failed? Well, maybe, but it more likely means that you didn't pursue a smart, effective content marketing strategy. Let's look at some basic aspects of content marketing so you can see where you might need to adjust your approach.

Hunting Versus Farming

We networkers use the phrase "hunting versus farming" to describe the careful process of establishing an identity and building trust with potential buyers, as opposed to just making a big splash and grabbing whatever instant business there is to be had. Think of the difference between holding multiple in-depth conversations with people and simply throwing business cards in every direction at a chamber event. Content marketing works the same way. By posting or distributing multiple pieces of relevant, meaningful content that reveals your mission, message, and ideals, you slowly but surely forge a bond between your brand and your target audience. This strategy could make all the difference between one big but short-lived "quick kill" and the creation of an ever-broadening base of repeat customers. 

Don't forget the power of referrals as they relate to content marketing. The more authenticity you establish, the more frequently your audience will share your content and recommend you to other interested parties.

Adding Value Through Relevance

What sets you apart from your competitors? Of course, you might just be better, faster, or cheaper than the other guys. But let's say you sell the same products and services, at the same price and quality level, et cetera. All other things being equal, what additional "special sauce" might you offer? Perhaps the answer lies in the quality and quantity of your content marketing.

Regular blog posts, videos, email articles, and other tidbits of genuinely useful information can provide legitimate added value. Think about all the times you needed quick, free advice or guidance on a particular subject. Chances are that you went online, did a search, found a brilliant video or article, and bookmarked the source of that information for future reference. Maybe you even came to rely on that provider as a trusted expert. That's the power of relevant content. The more helpful your content proves, the better the odds that your impressed, grateful audience will choose you as their go-to source for related products or services.

Reinforcing Your Image (With Variations)

I once fielded a query from a client who wanted to produce an email that would say everything there was to say about her company and produce a massive one-time response. I pointed out to her that (a) that level of information belonged in a landing page, not an email, and (b) content marketing works by feeding the audience small chunks of easily-digested content, one bite at a time.

Imagine how overwhelmed (or even annoyed) you'd feel if a company tried to ramrod everything you needed to know about them down your throat all in one go. Even if your potential customers welcomed that level of information overload, they'd probably retain only bits and pieces of it. So why not introduce those bits and pieces individually? With each new article or video, you can either expand on the piece that preceded it or introduce a new concept, building a complete picture of your brand over time without ever tiring, boring, or confusing your crowd.

Now that you know how to make content marketing work for you more effectively, all you need is the content itself. If you'd rather let an experienced freelance copywriter take that burden off your shoulders, contact me today!

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!

Bear Marketing: Smarter Marketing Strategies in a Tough Economy

Yes, yes, we know: "Times are tough." The U.S. has entered a bear market which may or may not drag on, the world continues to cope with pandemic-related issues, and global conflict has made its own mark on an already ugly picture. But if you've been in business for decades, you've seen several pretty grim patches come and go. So how do you keep your head above water, or even thrive, during a tough economy? How do you market your brand to consumers and businesses reluctant to open their wallets? Let's look at some smart ways to make your marketing dollar work harder for you.

Maintain (or Boost) Your Marketing Investment

It may sound counterintuitive, but sometimes you need to increase your marketing investment to get more bang for your marketing buck. Sure, you can cobble together something resembling a DIY marketing campaign, but if that bailing-wire-and-string approach doesn't bring in more business, how have you helped your financial picture? (In reality, you've probably damaged your business further by taking yourself away from other vital tasks to focus on those unsuccessful tactics.) Now's the time to bite the bullet, consult a marketing strategist, and take whatever steps that marketing strategist advises to turn your marketing budget into an income generator instead of a boondoggle.

Resist the urge to cut back on your marketing -- unless you want to see your customer base shrink to microscopic levels. During the big economic crunch of 2008, the businesses that curtailed their marketing saw some short-term benefits. But once the recession ended, those businesses found themselves way behind their competitors who had continued to market themselves consistently and aggressively.

Emphasize Digital Marketing

Traditional marketing methods haven't gone the way of the dodo by any means. Print marketing still matters for reaching certain chunks of your target market that digital marketing might not impact. However, those chunks are getting smaller and smaller as more and more shoppers rely on their computers and mobile phones to find the products and services they need. It only makes sense, then, to shift your marketing focus toward the digital world if you want to grab new buyers' attention and maintain current buyers' loyalty.

Digital marketing holds another money-saving advantage over print marketing: the lack of material costs. When you think about how much money you might have to sink into printing and mailing on a traditional print marketing campaign, you can see how digital marketing allows you to tighten your belt without pinching your marketing power.

Seek Discounted Media Buys

Do you market your company through TV, radio, and billboards? These media options can work well, but they can also cost a ton of money. Your first instinct might be to drop these options from your overall marketing plan -- but before you do, consider the possibilities of getting some amazing deals in the current environment. Billboard and media providers are likely hurting as some of their clients pull away from these channels, so try pushing for special deals and discounts. You might be amazed at how much more media time and space you can buy for what you've paid in the past (or even less).

Make Your Content More Compelling

Remember the point about investing in smarter marketing strategies to get better value from your efforts? Well, the same goes for the content that drives your marketing. If your marketing content doesn't attract new eyeballs, inspire confidence, and compel sales, you might as well not do any marketing at all (and you can imagine how well that would work out for you). Instead of hacking away at your content writing attempts or allowing your current so-so content to keep doing nothing for you, you need to invest in professional marketing content creation. 

Fortunately, copywriting counts as one of the cheaper parts of an effective marketing plan even as it helps you persuade your audience to part with their own money. Best of all, you can hire a freelance copywriter on an as-needed basis instead of adding a new employee to your payroll. Contact me today so I can help your company bear up under this bear market!

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!