This is definitely a case of "do as I say, not as I do." I haven't posted on my blog for, well, a very long time. Since I frequently lecture clients about the importance of maintaining a blog once they get started, this is a very bad thing.
My blog fell by the wayside because I've been extremely busy with client work, but that's only part of the story. I also didn't establish an editorial calendar to keep myself on task.
Today's businesses have become mini publishing houses, regularly creating content for social media, websites, newsletters etc. Just as a magazines establish an editorial calendar to guide their publication, so, too, businesses need to create editorial calendars to guide the development of content for their marketing efforts. Without an editorial calendar, each week becomes a mad scramble to figure out what to write about. The end result is a blog that fizzles out or a newsletter that just stops coming.
Need some hints to create your own editorial calendar? This post on Pushing Social has come good ideas.
5 Things to Know About Social Media
Should your company be Twittering, engaging customers on Facebook and blogging away? Many of my clients are attending seminars where experts are saying "yes". I say "maybe".
Consider the following to evaluate whether social media is for you:
1. Do you need immediate results?
Social media marketing is a gradual process of engagement. It is not the same as placing an ad and measuring its success by the number of phone calls or website visits immediately afterward. Are you ready to commit to a time-intensive, long-term program that may not deliver measurable results for many months?
2. Do you or your company employees have the time?
There is a reason why many companies let weeks go by between blog and Facebook posts and abandon Twitter after a handful of Tweets. Out-of-pocket costs may be low or non-existent, but these tools require a significant investment of time. Before you begin, plan social media responsibilities and schedule time for it. Don't begin if you don't have the time to constantly maintain a social media presence.
3. Can you handle open (and public) dialogue?
It's scary to allow comments on blogs or get negative feedback on Facebook, but that's part of what makes social media effective. It is about building relationships; not about the immediate sale of the widget of the day. If you can't stomach open conversations on a public platform, social media may not be a good forum for your company.
4. Can you resist the hard sell?
Nobody will follow you if all you want to do is sell your products or service. Are you prepared to generate useful content that people will actually want to view? Are you willing to share some of your knowledge for free to build relationships that may result in loyal customers down the road?
5. Do you have a strategy?
Effective social media campaigns require planning. Map out your goals, target audiences, content ideas, content responsibilities, schedules and monitoring mechanisms. That way, you'll have a road map to follow in the often overwhelming social media world. Start your social media marketing efforts slowly and expand gradually as you see results and get a deeper understanding of the time and expertise involved.
Consider the following to evaluate whether social media is for you:
1. Do you need immediate results?
Social media marketing is a gradual process of engagement. It is not the same as placing an ad and measuring its success by the number of phone calls or website visits immediately afterward. Are you ready to commit to a time-intensive, long-term program that may not deliver measurable results for many months?
2. Do you or your company employees have the time?
There is a reason why many companies let weeks go by between blog and Facebook posts and abandon Twitter after a handful of Tweets. Out-of-pocket costs may be low or non-existent, but these tools require a significant investment of time. Before you begin, plan social media responsibilities and schedule time for it. Don't begin if you don't have the time to constantly maintain a social media presence.
3. Can you handle open (and public) dialogue?
It's scary to allow comments on blogs or get negative feedback on Facebook, but that's part of what makes social media effective. It is about building relationships; not about the immediate sale of the widget of the day. If you can't stomach open conversations on a public platform, social media may not be a good forum for your company.
4. Can you resist the hard sell?
Nobody will follow you if all you want to do is sell your products or service. Are you prepared to generate useful content that people will actually want to view? Are you willing to share some of your knowledge for free to build relationships that may result in loyal customers down the road?
5. Do you have a strategy?
Effective social media campaigns require planning. Map out your goals, target audiences, content ideas, content responsibilities, schedules and monitoring mechanisms. That way, you'll have a road map to follow in the often overwhelming social media world. Start your social media marketing efforts slowly and expand gradually as you see results and get a deeper understanding of the time and expertise involved.
5 Reasons to Hire a Writer
Most people are content to leave graphic design to graphic designers and wouldn't begin to know how to program a website. When it comes writing, however, well ... everybody learned to write in school. If the budget is tight, many small business owners figure they will just handle the writing themselves. Sometimes the results are fine, but often I get a call from a web designer or marketing professional who is desperately trying to complete a project without any content to work with. The business owner didn't have time to provide the copy that he or she promised, or provided material that just didn't work.
Here are five top reasons to hire a professional writer:
Here are five top reasons to hire a professional writer:
- Time: How is your time best spent? Agonizing over marketing copy, press releases or web content, or leading a company? Hire a writer to save yourself time.
- Clarity: You may know your topic so well that you forget that readers aren't as knowledgeable. Sometimes it takes a third party to write clearly about complex topics.
- Finesse: It takes talent and skill to write copy that engages the reader and makes the most of a marketing opportunity. Everybody can write, but not everybody can write compelling copy.
- Knowledge: The medium, audience and message should dictate the writing style. Those rules you learned for academic writing are no good when it comes to online writing or a great sales brochure. A professional writer knows how to adapt styles to write persuasively no matter what the medium or audience.
- Motivation: Has a project been languishing on the back burner for months because day-to-day tasks get in the way? I have been hired countless times simply because a client needed to get a long-standing project off the "to do" list. My job is to make sure that deadlines are met and projects move forward.Writing is just part of the package.
How to Write Great Web Content
Have you ever had a friend who just talked about him or herself? Never asked a question about how you were or what you were doing? Well, that's what most websites do. The content talks all about how great the company, service or product is, but never speaks directly to you. What are your concerns? How does the company/service/product help you address your concerns? You want to find out how the company can help you, but all they want to talk about is themselves and their extraordinary features/capabilities/etc.
I create websites with Middlesex Design in Westford, MA. Beth, the founder of Middlesex Design, forwarded me a fantastic article about creating effective web content. I'm going to make it required reading for everyone who wants to update or create a new website for his/her company! Read Smashing magazine's Five Copywriting Errors that Can Ruin a Company Website.
I create websites with Middlesex Design in Westford, MA. Beth, the founder of Middlesex Design, forwarded me a fantastic article about creating effective web content. I'm going to make it required reading for everyone who wants to update or create a new website for his/her company! Read Smashing magazine's Five Copywriting Errors that Can Ruin a Company Website.
What is Content Marketing?
Every time a company produces a YouTube video, publishes a whitepaper on a hot topic, or creates a podcast, it is engaging in what is known as content marketing. Content marketing is simply creating and distributing information in a way that engages people. Companies are discovering that communicating with people can be far more effective than selling to them, and that content marketing is a great way to encourage communication.
The thinking is that if you deliver useful, interesting material -- or content -- you will build trust, loyalty, and new customers or new purchases.Let's take my local supermarket, for example. My supermarket produces a monthly magazine that is full of great recipes and healthy eating tips. Of course, to prepare the recipes, you need to buy the ingredients. I am unlikely to buy a specialty dipping sauce if I see it advertised, but I scoop it right up when I need it for a recipe that sounds delicious. Thanks to the supermarket magazine (content marketing), I am a happy customer because I enjoy the magazine and I am a better customer because I buy more products.
Here are a few more examples of good content marketing.
I write a lot of content for clients of Precision Marketing Group (PMG), a virtual marketing firm based in Massachusetts. PMG recently created a Content Marketing Grader and published a white paper on content marketing. If you are interested in starting a content marketing program or improving your efforts, consider downloading these materials.
The thinking is that if you deliver useful, interesting material -- or content -- you will build trust, loyalty, and new customers or new purchases.Let's take my local supermarket, for example. My supermarket produces a monthly magazine that is full of great recipes and healthy eating tips. Of course, to prepare the recipes, you need to buy the ingredients. I am unlikely to buy a specialty dipping sauce if I see it advertised, but I scoop it right up when I need it for a recipe that sounds delicious. Thanks to the supermarket magazine (content marketing), I am a happy customer because I enjoy the magazine and I am a better customer because I buy more products.
Here are a few more examples of good content marketing.
I write a lot of content for clients of Precision Marketing Group (PMG), a virtual marketing firm based in Massachusetts. PMG recently created a Content Marketing Grader and published a white paper on content marketing. If you are interested in starting a content marketing program or improving your efforts, consider downloading these materials.
Current Ducharme Writing Projects
I wish I could say that I haven't kept up with my blog because I've been on vacation. I sure would love to be at the beach, but I've been in my office all summer because I've been really, really busy. Lots of great clients who have discovered that effective online marketing requires a lot of content! Here's what I'm working on now for my clients:
Let me know how I can help you. Contact me and I'll get right back to you to discuss your writing needs.
- Website content for four sites
- Client survey
- E-newsletters
- Social media posts and blog entries
- Whitepapers
- Corporate backgrounder
- Press releases
Let me know how I can help you. Contact me and I'll get right back to you to discuss your writing needs.
Current Ducharme Writing Projects
- Website content for a technology consulting company, industrial products manufacturer and new technology product company
- Feature article for a workforce performance consultant
- Customer interviews for a construction management company
- Survey and e-promotions for an industrial tool retailer
- E-newsletters and press releases for veterinary practices and a handcrafted furniture company
- Media relations programs for a new product line for a wholesale leather goods distributor and for a research firm
- Whitepaper for a sales training company
- Facebook postings for a custom furniture company
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