Category Archives: Small Business

Stress Less and Outsource

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Posted by admin on July 18, 2008 – 9:13 pm
Filed under Business Goals, Copywriting, Small Business, small business marketing

Overworked? Not enough time to finish your daily, weekly, monthly to-do list? The solution is to outsource some of your work. It’ll save you time, money, and stress.   

 

Three ways to outsource your work:  

1. Ghostwriters are specialist who take ideas and put them on paper. Hire a ghostwriter to write letters, articles, ebooks, ezines, and the list goes on. Want to know more about ghostwriters? Check out a previous blog from Copy Doodle. 

2. Copywriters have the talent and the knowledge to phrase web copy, articles, ezines, etc. in order to reach your target market. Writing SEO and organic web copy is an important talent copywriters perform because the right web copy can bring your website a major increase in traffic.

3. Editors are a vital element for all small businesses. Nothing looks worse than grammar and spelling errors on marketing materials . . . write? That’s a joke, but see what I mean? Why risk turning off potential customers and having a word spelled wrong?

 

Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips, market trends, and informative articles.

Time to Take a Break?

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Posted by admin on July 17, 2008 – 6:32 pm
Filed under Business Goals, Small Business, small business marketing

When’s the last time you took a vacation sans cell phone, email, and paperwork? Spent time with friends and family—really spent time with them, being present in the now—without worrying about work, deadlines, or your to-do list? Whether it’s been four years or five months, do yourself and your business a favor and take a relaxing vacation. 

Everyone needs time for himself / herself. Business owners included. Stepping away from daily operations often allows a fresh perspective on your business. There’s nothing like a vacation to bring back the creative juices that once flowed—before the stress and agony reached its peak.

But it isn’t always as easy as picking a date and booking a flight.

Instead of asking, “What’s the worst that can happen if I go?” ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen if I don’t go?”

Here are a few tips to make your time away less stressful on you, your staff, and your customers:

  • Contact clients in advance and advise the people who contact you on a daily basis that you will be out of town for personal reasons.
  • If you absolutely cannot leave your BlackBerry behind, notify customers you will be away and appoint someone you trust to take care of small things that may arise during that week. Then, if the secretary or employee can’t manage the task, he / she can contact you wherever you may be. Therefore, you will have the power to manage the situation. (Ahh. Feel better?)
  • Book your vacation in advance. Notice of three to six months allows ample time to forewarn people of your departure. It will also give them the opportunity to work around your schedule.

This excerpt is taken from my bimonthly newsletter, Your Marketing Solution. Discover simple marketing strategies that will increase your income and boost your business. 

Integrating Your Business

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Posted by admin on July 11, 2008 – 11:24 pm
Filed under Marketing, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, website
Ways to integrate yourself into the online community:
• Write a blog and comment on other blogs
• Post audio and video on Youtube and look at other Youtube videos related to ones you post
• Take videos and photos of your products or services and post them on a photo sharing site (Flickr or Buzznet)
• Join a website that allows users to post reviews for local businesses, such as yelp.com
• Join a social bookmarking site, such as del.icio.us or stumbleupon.com
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Two great ways to get more traffic to your site is through www.yelp.com and www.stumbleupon.com. These two social media sites, although slightly different, can easily integrate you into various online communities.

Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips, market trends, and informative articles.  

 

Double Sales with Web Copy

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Posted by admin on July 8, 2008 – 3:13 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Small Business, Uncategorized, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website, website navigation

Selling products and services online can be a tricky task. Don’t shy away from it though because it could be the most effective way to sell your products, doubling and even tripling sales.  

The key element in online sales is to know how to promote your products in the best light. One of the greatest problems small companies have with their websites is a lack of traffic. Translation: there are not enough potential customers viewing their products or services online.
 
Many of the sites having these problems are ones created by companies that have only a basic knowledge of web design and web copy. A website with a few pictures and a couple of words describing a company and its products isn’t going to cut it.When people visit a website, they are attracted by the aesthetics of the site, such as layout, design, and photos. People reach these sites by typing keywords or phrases into their favorite search engines or clicking on links from other sites.

Websites with effective web copy will bring these people into their sites from search engines, increasing traffic. Once potential consumers are at a site, their attention must be grabbed immediately with the words, also known as web copy. These words can persuade a viewer to make a purchase from your site, subscribe to a newsletter, subscribe to an RSS feed, and or bookmark your site.

The harsh truth is, if a customer’s attention is not grabbed within the first few seconds of viewing a site, he or she is on to the next one that will keep his / her attention and evoke a response.

Web copy is also important in promoting navigation through the site. Your goal is to have the viewer click on certain links, such as contact information, newsletter subscriptions, and the company’s blog. You need to have well-written web copy to motivate viewers to further investigate your site.If your company isn’t getting the traffic you need to further your business, then it would be a good idea for you to hire a copywriter. Many freelance copywriters who specialize in web copy. Copywriters investigate the most beneficial ways of marketing your company and design web copy to reach the right target market, pushing more traffic to your site.

What a good copywriter will do for you:

• Create a profile for your target market
• Utilize key words in the web copy (tags and links) that will push your site to the top of search engines
• Write a smooth and fresh web copy that contains no fillers, just vital information
• Create a personal and approachable style of writing, which connects to the viewer
• Put a creative spin on your marketing approach, making your site stand out above others
• Edit the web copy, so there are no mistakes

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Drive Traffic With an Ezine

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Posted by admin on June 23, 2008 – 8:44 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online marketing, small business marketing, website

Ezines are a great way to drive traffic to your website. Writing ezines can establish credibility because it shows your target market the span of knowledge you have toward a product or service you are trying to promote. Ezines are successful because when customers sign up to receive them, they give you permission to contact them via email.  The more subscribers you have, the more products and services you will sell. Ezines are a great tool for familiarizing your customers with the products and services your company has to offer. They are ways to promote your knowledge of business, products, services, demands, and the marketing world. Tips, “How To’s,” lists, and articles are great ways to inform the viewer about what your company does.  
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Ezines are becoming a popular way for many companies to gain customers because it’s inexpensive and it’s free for the subscriber. Be informative and creative so that clients begin to trust your words of wisdom and put more faith in your company. Don’t have time to write an ezine? Hire a copywriter to do it for you. Ezines are so important in building your clientele and are great ways to pass updated information to consumers. A copywriter helps to eliminate the burden of trying to reach out to the most people while being creative at the same time.
 
 
 

 

No Time To Write a Blog? No Problem.

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Posted by admin on June 20, 2008 – 7:45 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Small Business, marketing trends, online marketing, small business marketing, social networking, website

Small business owners often take on more work than they can handle. The little things always seem to take an hour or more and it’s too easy to get behind. The progression of the internet has provided more options to market a company with the use of audio, video, blogs, podcasts, newsletters, email, articles, etc. One person is incapable of performing all of these functions for his or her website . . . at least not without going crazy.  

What is the best option for minimizing the amount of work one has to do without eliminating media that will benefit marketing for a company? 

The answer: Hire a copywriter. 

An excellent way to use a copywriter to a company’s benefit is to hire a professional to write blogs. Blogs are rising in popularity, and many companies are utilizing them to share new products, ideas, services, and offer an area for customers to comment. These comments allow potential customers to get an idea of what other consumers think of a product or service. Comment areas can also be used by potential clients to ask questions about a particular product or service and can serve as a guide for what the topic will be for the next blog.

Blogs are often times overlooked by a company because owners do not have the time to post three to four blogs a week. Avoid overlooking this important commodity by hiring a copywriter to write a blog. A copywriter will persuade your customers to be active with your company through their knowledge of the target market.

Blogs are conversational in nature and allow customers to feel a stronger personal connection with a company. Copywriters use creative ways of developing this connection and can express this through blog writing. Hire one now and get more time to do the other things you have been putting off.

Do you have questions about how a copywriter can help your business? Contact Michelle Salater Writing & Editorial to learn more.

 

 

 

Website Navigation: The Key to Gaining Customers

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Posted by admin on June 19, 2008 – 4:23 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website, website navigation

The main goal of your company’s website is to initially attract the potential customer to the web copy. Web copy is placed on the homepage of your site, and from there a viewer must click on tabs in the tool bar to navigate to other areas of your site.

CAUTION: This is where many businesses lose their customers. Easy navigation is crucial. Eliminating any ambiguity about where to look for information within a site is important.

Easy navigation tips:
• Homepages are used as the link between all the tabs. It’s the place people will return to as the easy way to navigate to other tabs.
• Tabs need to guide visitors to information they are looking for quickly. Therefore, be specific and clear.
• Tool bar should be obvious at the top or left side of each homepage.
• Drop down menus from tabs are a great way to show viewers what information they will come across from clicking on that tab.
• Pictures can be used next to a word in the tab bar to better illustrate the information it will provide and to add visual aesthetics to your site.
• All parts of the site can be reached by using the links on the homepage.

Important tabs for navigational bars:
• About Us
• Contact Us
• About Our Products and Services

Being creative on a site can be beneficial for the customer because it adds more “zest” to your company, but when it comes to navigation tab titles, try to be as generic and clear as possible. Once the customer becomes confused about what your tabs provide, he or she will already be looking at a competitor’s site. This is easy to avoid, so don’t lose customers to something this simple.

Make it simple. Make it fast. Make it clear. Make it work. 

 

Want more marketing tips? Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips, market trends, and informative articles.

A Credo of Values Is Essential in Any Successful Business

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Posted by admin on June 16, 2008 – 4:01 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website

One of the greatest strengths a company can utilize in order to gain new customers and keep current ones is through strong company values and a clear credo. Websites are a great source for consumers to learn about your products and services. They are also an excellent way to convey what your business stands for.

Consumers want to know that your company is advertising truthfully and ethically. Many businesses use puffery and deception in their advertising, which leads customers to be dissatisfied and unwilling to make repeat purchases. If you clearly convey that you care about the consumer and establish personal values, potential customers will be more likely to buy again from you as well as refer other customers to your products or services.

Repeat customers benefit your business because they cost less to attract than new customers and they require less service, while buying more. As a small business owner, you must first gain the customer’s trust in your company—a tactic many businesses disregard or place at the bottom of their lists for attracting customers.

Things to emphasize in your credo:
*Empathy and compassion towards the consumer’s wants and needs
*Effort to keep costs low and establish practical prices  

*Benefits your company wishes to gain from doing business with consumers

*Internal and external goals of your company
*Customer service satisfaction

*Care you provide for your employees both on a personal level and in the work environment

The important thing when creating a credo of values is to include information about your company—information that people would not know from just purchasing your product or service. Consumers like to be let in on internal business affairs, such as your ideas for new products, purchasing, merging, etc. The more you let your customers know about your company, the more they will feel a part of it and trust the goods and services you can provide for them.

More Tips:

1. Don’t put your credo in a place that is difficult to find on your site. Place it under the category “About Us” or “About Our Company.”
2. Brochures, email marketing, and press releases are other excellent ways to express your values and are not to be overlooked.

 

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Why Hiring a Ghostwriter is Beneficial to Your Marketing Strategy

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Posted by admin on June 13, 2008 – 7:27 pm
Filed under Business Goals, Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website

Ghostwriting is extremely beneficial for any business. Ghostwriters will take your idea about a book, article, or blog and write a clean and thorough form of this idea on paper.

If you’re a small business owner and don’t have great writing talent or the time, a ghostwriter will credit you with his/her talent. Usually ghostwriters will record interviews with their clients and edit the material.

Ghostwriting can be beneficial for marketing your services or product if you know what you want to say but don’t know how to say it. Writer’s block happens on a daily basis and it consumes a lot of time. Ghostwriters will cut that time down, saving you the agony of thinking of a creative and thorough way to get your idea across.

Why hire a ghostwriter?

  1. You don’t have the time to write.
  2. You don’t have the skills necessary.
  3. You know what to say, but don’t know how to word it.

Ghostwriters are plentiful these days and easy to find. Save yourself the time and distress. Hire a ghostwriter to write letters, articles, material for your website, books, autobiographies, virtually anything.

 

Do you have questions about how a ghostwriter can help your business? Contact Michelle Salater Writing & Editorial to learn more.

Email and Social Media Spending Expected to Rise

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Posted by admin on June 12, 2008 – 4:24 pm
Filed under Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, Small Business, marketing trends, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, social networking, video marketing, website

According to a May 2008 eMarketer report, social networking and email spending is expected to increase in the next three years. The survey, conducted by Eloqua, reports that:

  • 74% of marketers surveyed plan to increase email ad spending.
  • 9 out of 10 surveyed will continue to increase their direct online ad budgets.
  • Survey respondents projected to increase social network ad spending to $2.4 billion in 2011, a significant increase from the $1.4 billion this year.

Online marketing / advertising is growing. Are you ready to take your marketing digital?

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