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.
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
When Online Content and Advertising Overlap
Forbes.com offers a program called Forbes AdVoiceTM, which, as they explain, “allows marketers to connect directly with the Forbes audience by enabling them to create content – and participate in the conversation – on the Forbes digital publishing platform.” Forbes.com goes on to state: “Marketers can now tell their own story in their words on the Forbes platform using the same tools as content creators. They can develop relationships with consumers, thought leaders and journalists, too.”
From a marketing point of view, this is great. Forbes is a heavy hitter in the business journalism world. How wonderful to borrow some of the Forbes cachet by having your blog posting (or, in my case, my clients’ blog postings) appear on the Forbes online publishing platform. How great to be able to reach the readers of Forbes.com with your message. What a giant step forward in a quest to establish yourself as a thought leader!
As an occasional journalist and an avid magazine and newspaper reader, the Forbes approach makes me uneasy. Will readers differentiate between the paid blog postings and ones composed by staff writers? Will the media platform compromise its credibility by selling content space? What kind of checks will be in place to make sure that postings are accurate and not just glorified ads masquerading as content?
Shouldn’t you have to earn the right to be a respected voice, rather than buy your way in? If paid blog postings become a widespread phenomenon, does this mean that the companies or people with the most money get to voice their opinions the loudest?
Blogging was heralded as the rise of “citizen journalism”. Marketers like me saw tremendous opportunities to present news and information directly to audiences through blogs. Now is blogging as advertising the inevitable next step?
Current Ducharme Writing Projects
Here's what I'm working on now:
- E-newsletters for an industrial tool retailer, veterinary practices, handcrafted furniture company and catering company
- Customer interviews and case histories for a workforce performance consultant and construction company
- Start-up marketing materials for a new technology product company
- Media relations programs for a new product line for a wholesale leather goods distributor and for a research firm
- New website for an online retailer of a unique product for glassworks artists
How to Get Your Voice Heard
Having trouble conveying your message and making your company stand out? Maybe you should become a thought leader. Check out my guest blog entry on the topic for Precision Marketing Group's blog. I serve as a copywriter and PR consultant for PMG in addition to working for my own clients.
No Jargon Zone
I hated it when my grandmother read me stories. She would stop reading every 5 minutes or so and ask me to define words. I resented being quizzed on something that something that was supposed to be enjoyable and I didn't like to lose the momentum and magic of the story.
I feel the same way about jargon or made-up words used in marketing materials. If I can't easily understand what you are writing about, you've lost me. I will read about some other company that does what you do, but describes it in terms that everybody understands.
The most successful websites are those that clearly and succinctly communicate what they do, how they do it, and what's in it for you. You only have a few seconds to capture a website reader's interest. Don't waste them by using words that only a fraction of your readers might understand. Worse yet, don't waste time developing special, trademarked terms to describe a marketing advantage, unless the meaning of those terms is completely clear without explanatory text.
Site of the Week: What terrible business jargon do you need unsucked? Check out www.unsuckit.com
I feel the same way about jargon or made-up words used in marketing materials. If I can't easily understand what you are writing about, you've lost me. I will read about some other company that does what you do, but describes it in terms that everybody understands.
The most successful websites are those that clearly and succinctly communicate what they do, how they do it, and what's in it for you. You only have a few seconds to capture a website reader's interest. Don't waste them by using words that only a fraction of your readers might understand. Worse yet, don't waste time developing special, trademarked terms to describe a marketing advantage, unless the meaning of those terms is completely clear without explanatory text.
Site of the Week: What terrible business jargon do you need unsucked? Check out www.unsuckit.com
Optimization vs. Good Writing
I recently visited a hotel website to book a trip to Savannah. The website looked nice, but the wording was really peculiar. Someone had gone to town optimizing it so it came up well in Google search results. Search engines may have loved it, but real people now had to struggle with unnatural wording.
Welcome to the art of website writing. The trick is to write optimized content filled with headlines, links and keywords that will help the website rank high on search engines PLUS write content that is enjoyable to read. It's a fine balance and an interesting challenge for writers.
If you're new to search engine optimization (SEO), Google offers a handy PDF primer on how to optimize your website. This guide was released about a year ago and may not reflect all the recent changes that Google made to its search algorithm, but the basic principles remain the same. If you are writing your own website content, just remember to balance SEO and readability to create a site that really works.
Welcome to the art of website writing. The trick is to write optimized content filled with headlines, links and keywords that will help the website rank high on search engines PLUS write content that is enjoyable to read. It's a fine balance and an interesting challenge for writers.
If you're new to search engine optimization (SEO), Google offers a handy PDF primer on how to optimize your website. This guide was released about a year ago and may not reflect all the recent changes that Google made to its search algorithm, but the basic principles remain the same. If you are writing your own website content, just remember to balance SEO and readability to create a site that really works.
Help with Bothersome Grammar/Punctuation Questions
Do you get tripped up by the difference between stationery and stationary? Compliment and complement? Deserts and desserts?
Make sure that your public communications reflect positively upon your business by eliminating common word-use errors. If you can't afford a professional writer or editor, or need to write something right away, www.dailywritingtips.com is a great resource. Be sure to check out the list of 50 problem words and phrases. This list covers many of the most common errors that I see in marketing communications
Make sure that your public communications reflect positively upon your business by eliminating common word-use errors. If you can't afford a professional writer or editor, or need to write something right away, www.dailywritingtips.com is a great resource. Be sure to check out the list of 50 problem words and phrases. This list covers many of the most common errors that I see in marketing communications
Using LinkedIn to Build Business
Wondering how to market your business on a shoestring budget? Explore the possibilities offered by LinkedIn. If you need some tips to get you started, download Get LinkedIn or Get Out: Managing Your Professional Network to Grow Your Business. The free white paper was written by a great team that I work with at Precision Marketing Group in Framingham, MA. In addition to work for my own clients, I am a contract writer/publicist for PMG.
How to Keep Up with a Blog
First, a confession. I'm often late with my own blog entries. It is hard to keep up with a blog when you have a sea of other deadlines. No surprise, then, that the #1 problem my clients have when they take on writing their own blogs is consistency. It's hard to build a following when months go by between postings!
Here are a few tips to help you become a consistent blogger:
Here are a few tips to help you become a consistent blogger:
- Set a schedule: Are you going to blog daily? Every other day? Weekly? Establish deadlines and incorporate your blog entries into your weekly "To Do" list. It can be very efficient to bang out a few blog entries on a quiet afternoon, but save some of the entries for times when you are too busy to write something on the spot.
- Develop an editorial calendar: Take a tip from magazines and map out your content. Brainstorm a list of topics and schedule when you will write about the various topics. Just stay flexible so you can address current trends or interesting news as opportunities arise. And remember: blogs should provide useful information. They should not a steady stream of sales messages.
- Assign responsibilities: A blog is often more interesting if you have a stable of writers contributing content. Consider asking different staff members to write about topics that pertain to their areas of expertise. Make blogging part of their job description.
- Invite guest bloggers: Know an expert that could provide interesting information to your readers? Ask him or her to write a blog entry. Alternatively, you could interview an expert and publish the Q & A in your blog.
- Outsource: Professional writers ghostwrite articles for experts all the time. You can also hire a professional writer to ghostwrite for your blog. Just as for articles, the writer would conduct research and interview you to help share your knowledge with the world.
To Blog or Not to Blog
Corporate blogs are often the centerpiece of a social media marketing program. All too often, however, the blog is just a boring rehash of sales messages.
If you want to create a blog that really works, learn from the pros. Debbie Weil wrote The Corporate Blogging Book and her website is a wealth of information. I particularly like her free download called 7 Tips to Write a Great Corporate Blog.
If you want to create a blog that really works, learn from the pros. Debbie Weil wrote The Corporate Blogging Book and her website is a wealth of information. I particularly like her free download called 7 Tips to Write a Great Corporate Blog.
Current Ducharme Writing Projects
Here are a few things that I'm working on for the week of February 28:
- Press release and press kit for a client participating in a global trade show
- Media relations programs to expand publicity for two clients
- Final touches on content for a major overhaul of an existing website
- Title and subhead for a training manual
- Kick-off meeting for a new client for a marketing firm that partners with me
- Rework existing web content for major website update
You Don't Have to Be an Expert to Write Great Copy
A prospective client asked me today about how I could write web content about a subject that I had never written about before. It's a question that comes up a lot.
The reality is that I rarely write about topics that I really know well. Take today: I started today writing about weddings, transitioned to more business-like copy for an operations consulting company, interviewed a client about her gymnastics facility and ended the day writing an email about savings on torque screwdriver accessories. I'm not an expert on any of these topics, although I was a pretty good gymnast in junior high and did plan my own wedding.
How do I write about something unfamiliar? I do what journalists do. I research, I read, I ask questions. I learn enough to know what a particular audience cares about and what they need to know.
A fresh viewpoint from an industry outsider is often a wonderful thing. We root out jargon and simplify language until the message is clear. Of course, there are also times when a writer needs to know all the ins and outs of a particular subject. In those cases, a writer who specializes in the subject area is the only solution. The rest of the time, look for good writing and marketing sense rather than an exhaustive knowledge of the subject. A good writer will learn quickly.
The reality is that I rarely write about topics that I really know well. Take today: I started today writing about weddings, transitioned to more business-like copy for an operations consulting company, interviewed a client about her gymnastics facility and ended the day writing an email about savings on torque screwdriver accessories. I'm not an expert on any of these topics, although I was a pretty good gymnast in junior high and did plan my own wedding.
How do I write about something unfamiliar? I do what journalists do. I research, I read, I ask questions. I learn enough to know what a particular audience cares about and what they need to know.
A fresh viewpoint from an industry outsider is often a wonderful thing. We root out jargon and simplify language until the message is clear. Of course, there are also times when a writer needs to know all the ins and outs of a particular subject. In those cases, a writer who specializes in the subject area is the only solution. The rest of the time, look for good writing and marketing sense rather than an exhaustive knowledge of the subject. A good writer will learn quickly.
The importance of authenticity in copywriting
Recently I did work for a company who wanted to "overpromise" in its marketing materials. The company CEO had read an article or a book that touted the virtues of using superlatives in copy, so everything was "the best", "incredible", "largest" etc.
I must respectfully disagree with this approach. Today, more than ever, authenticity is the name of the game. People are no longer being "marketed to". Instead, the most effective marketing in this social media age involves engagement and interaction with potential customers. This takes trust. It means being honest, authentic, forthright and respectful of your customers' intelligence.
The best copy speaks directly to potential customers and doesn't so much sell to them as point out how the company's products or services meet their needs. It expresses a personality and engages. It does not, I believe, "overpromise" in the hope of luring a customer in.
Check out this video from Dr. Jennifer Aker, Stanford Graduate School of Business, on the virtues of authentic communication:
http://vimeo.com/4803475
I must respectfully disagree with this approach. Today, more than ever, authenticity is the name of the game. People are no longer being "marketed to". Instead, the most effective marketing in this social media age involves engagement and interaction with potential customers. This takes trust. It means being honest, authentic, forthright and respectful of your customers' intelligence.
The best copy speaks directly to potential customers and doesn't so much sell to them as point out how the company's products or services meet their needs. It expresses a personality and engages. It does not, I believe, "overpromise" in the hope of luring a customer in.
Check out this video from Dr. Jennifer Aker, Stanford Graduate School of Business, on the virtues of authentic communication:
http://vimeo.com/4803475
To Meet or Not to Meet?
I've been trying to meet with a client in Massachusetts. We've scheduled a meeting three times. Each time, the meeting coincided with a snow storm. The third time, I turned around enroute because driving conditions were so bad that I was crawling down the highway at 7 miles an hour in terrible traffic. It would take half a day to get where I was going and I would miss the appointment.
Virtual meetings save time, money and aggravation (such as sitting in traffic for three hours) -- but there are times when they are not enough. Here are just a few times when I find that there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting:
Virtual meetings save time, money and aggravation (such as sitting in traffic for three hours) -- but there are times when they are not enough. Here are just a few times when I find that there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting:
- I need to see an actual product, manufacturing process or organization to clearly communicate its unique qualities
- I am working with a group of people and everyone has his or her own ideas about priorities, approaches, etc.
- I want to present and discuss a variety of concepts
- I would like the opportunity to explain a concept before the client looks at the materials (NOBODY reads explanatory cover emails when there are fun attachments to open)
- I'm doing a free-ranging information gathering interview to uncover great topics or angles for marketing materials and PR
- A project is languishing on the back burner and needs to be rejuvenated
- A personal connection is important to the story that I am telling about a company
Recent Projects
Lots of variety this week! Here are a few projects that I'm working on right now:
- Press releases, press releases, press releases!
- Media relations program for a wholesale supplier of European watchbands, dog collars and phone covers
- Major update for an e-commerce website for industrial tools
- Series of lead nurturing emails for the client of a marketing firm
- Web content for a marketing firm client
- Copy for some fun e-newsletters
4 Ways to Reduce Writing Costs
Often, only a tiny portion of my fee is actually for writing. Instead, my time is devoted to helping my client identify his or her goals or audience, doing basic research, or fielding insights, requests and revisions from multiple people within an organization. This can be money well spent, but if you really only want to pay for writing services, here are a few quick ways to slash your costs:
1. Appoint one person to work with the writer -- It takes time to consolidate and sift through comments and revisions from an entire team. If you can assign one person to process all internal feedback and transmit the information to the writer, you can really trim your costs.
2. Establish deadlines -- The longer you let a project drag on, the more it is going to cost. If you hire an outside writer or creative team, try to make sure that the project doesn't get back-burnered when you get busy. Stops and starts (not to mention all the emails asking if you have had a chance to review copy, provide information etc.) take time and end up costing you money.
3. Know your goals -- It's great that you know you want to do an email campaign (or a brochure, new website, whatever) but also know who your audience is and what action you would like them to take as a result of the marketing contact. Try to identify a measurement to define whether or not this marketing effort is a success. The more you know about your goals, the easier it is for the writer to create strong, effective copy.
4. Gather resources -- I start most projects with some research to identify competitors, industry trends, company culture, leading industry publications, etc. If you can provide a writer with suggested websites to visit, news items to read, publications to scan, or keywords to incorporate, you can slash your research costs.
1. Appoint one person to work with the writer -- It takes time to consolidate and sift through comments and revisions from an entire team. If you can assign one person to process all internal feedback and transmit the information to the writer, you can really trim your costs.
2. Establish deadlines -- The longer you let a project drag on, the more it is going to cost. If you hire an outside writer or creative team, try to make sure that the project doesn't get back-burnered when you get busy. Stops and starts (not to mention all the emails asking if you have had a chance to review copy, provide information etc.) take time and end up costing you money.
3. Know your goals -- It's great that you know you want to do an email campaign (or a brochure, new website, whatever) but also know who your audience is and what action you would like them to take as a result of the marketing contact. Try to identify a measurement to define whether or not this marketing effort is a success. The more you know about your goals, the easier it is for the writer to create strong, effective copy.
4. Gather resources -- I start most projects with some research to identify competitors, industry trends, company culture, leading industry publications, etc. If you can provide a writer with suggested websites to visit, news items to read, publications to scan, or keywords to incorporate, you can slash your research costs.
Hourly Rate or Project Fee?
"What's your hourly rate?" That's almost always the first question that I'm asked, but the answer can be misleading. One writer might charge $50 per hour but work very slowly and require lots of revisions, while another writer might charge $100 per hour, but complete the work in half the time and get it just right. In this case, the writer charging $100 per hour is the better deal.
I prefer to quote a project fee, rather than an hourly rate. Here are a few reasons why:
1. You are not always comparing apples to apples when comparing hourly rates (see above)
2. Clients are often uncomfortable if they know the meter is ticking. Everyone relaxes when they know exactly how much a project will cost.
3. Some of my best ideas come when I am off the clock -- walking and driving are prime times for good ideas. Quite honestly, I don't want to record and bill for every productive minute in my day.
4. You can't put together an accurate project estimate without asking a lot of questions and really understanding a project. Sometimes the scope of the project changes once a client starts answering questions, or roadblocks are identified. The estimating process can bring clarity to a job.
Project fees usually specify whether revisions are included. I typically include one round of revisions with my project fee. If additional revisions are required, then most writers will bill hourly. What's my hourly rate? Contact me to find out!
I prefer to quote a project fee, rather than an hourly rate. Here are a few reasons why:
1. You are not always comparing apples to apples when comparing hourly rates (see above)
2. Clients are often uncomfortable if they know the meter is ticking. Everyone relaxes when they know exactly how much a project will cost.
3. Some of my best ideas come when I am off the clock -- walking and driving are prime times for good ideas. Quite honestly, I don't want to record and bill for every productive minute in my day.
4. You can't put together an accurate project estimate without asking a lot of questions and really understanding a project. Sometimes the scope of the project changes once a client starts answering questions, or roadblocks are identified. The estimating process can bring clarity to a job.
Project fees usually specify whether revisions are included. I typically include one round of revisions with my project fee. If additional revisions are required, then most writers will bill hourly. What's my hourly rate? Contact me to find out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)