• Is Plain English Dying in the Workplace?

      This is something I come across more and more when I meet clients. During meetings, the initial plain English is replaced by an incomprehensible babble of nonsensical words and phrases that meld to create a language that only a few seem to understand. Usually I am the only person who has to interrupt and […]

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  • RankBrain – What it is, what it does and what you need to do

      What is it? If you’ve been keeping up with the latest search and Google news, you would have already heard about RankBrain. If you’re unsure what it is, it is Google’s latest ‘toy’ – a machine-learning artificial intelligence system to help the search giant sort through its search results. This video from Bloomberg explains […]

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  • Find Your Voice Through Blogging

      The best way to create a unique identity for your company online is by finding your perfect voice. That means how you express yourself, your use of words – the way you talk. Yes, I do mean talk. As you’re reading this a voice in your head is ‘speaking’ the words to you. The […]

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  • How to Brief a Copywriter

      Do you know the single most important golden rule that you should always follow when briefing a copywriter? It’s quite obvious really, but often gets overlooked. If you’re not sure, let me tell you a story. First thing on Monday you’re called into your line manager’s office. “There’s a bit of restructuring happening at […]

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  • What You Need to Know About the CAN-SPAM Act

    Email marketing seems like the easiest thing in the world to do. You write your email and then send it out to thousands of people at the push of a button. Hold on there a moment – aren’t you forgetting something? If you’re using email marketing it’s essential you’re up to date with anti-spam laws, […]

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  • 4 Ways to Rock at On-site SEO

      SEO? What’s the point? I’ll always rank below those huge companies with bottomless marketing budgets. Yes, that’s true, but they are there because they’ve paid to be there. You can still be up there with them by playing by the SEO rules and mastering the organic search results. Let’s face it, I’m a consumer […]

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  • Copywriting – How to be Natural and Authentic

      This is longer than my usual stuff, so you might want to grab a coffee while you read. Recently, I was asked to talk at a local business event. The topic I chose was the human face of copywriting – how to be natural and authentic. Why? Mainly because of the tonnes of bad […]

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  • The Most Important Quality You Should Look For in Your Copywriter Will Surprise You

      What qualities do you look for in a copywriter? Someone who can name every word class and give you a detailed technical description of every sentence they write? Someone who understands the technicalities of your business and can write using your industry jargon correctly? Someone who only writes for your particular industry? If one […]

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  • Simple Copywriting is Not For Dummies

      Pretty much every new project I work on with a new client includes the same conversation. It goes something like this. Me: “The message we write for our prospects must be simple, concise and to the point.” Client: “Our customer base is very educated so we expect you to use language that reflects this. […]

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  • Email Marketing Regulations and Etiquette

    How to maintain your reputation and keep your audience happy Email marketing is an essential tool for any business, but understanding its etiquette is even more important. I’m not just talking about headline crafting, personalised copy or conversational style, but probably something that’s even more important than that if you want to protect your reputation. […]

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