Regular communication with  your customers is a great way to keep them informed and to keep your name firmly etched in their minds.

One of the most effective ways of doing this is through email marketing. 

New subscribers will eagerly await your first email to land in their inbox. They will probably continue to welcome them until, one day, the honeymoon period is over.

You will begin to realise your emails aren’t being opened as often (or at all); your messages are now unloved, unopened and unwanted.

What do you do?

Panic?

Send flowers?

It’s time to take action.

Fighting email marketing list fatigue

1. Frequency

Are you still sending the same number of emails? When your subscribers opted-in, you would have made it clear how often they would hear from you. If you’re sending more it could be time to scale back a bit.

2. Stale content

Are you starting to cover the same old stuff?

Perhaps the layout and content is becoming too predictable? If so it’s time to inject some life into them.

3. Incoming!

Bombarding your customers with news and new offers will get wearing. If you have new products to announce stagger your emails so they don’t receive 4 or 5 from you within one month.

4. Subject line

These are never easy to write and although you may have been buzzing with great ideas initially there’s a chance they’re becoming mundane and ineffective. 

People will only open an email if the subject line catches their attention so perhaps it’s time to have a rethink about your subject line approach (or call in a copywriter to help you generate fresh and appealing content).

5. No one’s home

Email addresses change so if one of your recipients hasn’t engaged with your mailings (i.e. they haven’t opened it) for 6 months or more, send out a ‘reengagement’ email. This would be an email that asks them to take an action if they want to remain on your list.

If you don’t hear anything it’s safe to say that either:

• The email address is no longer active, or
• They no longer want to receive your emails

So it may be time to remove them from your list.

6. Spam

Spam filters may be stopping your emails getting through so make sure you test them.

To make sure your email marketing continues to be successful, regular list maintenance is essential to ensure that:

• Your readers are happy with their content
• All email addresses are active
• You are avoiding spam triggers
• Your subject lines are being effective

In any business relationship, trust is probably the most important factor. After all, if someone doesn’t trust you they’re not going to buy from you.

So, when you’re creating your marketing materials, your copy has to convince your readers that you are trustworthy.

Before I go on to explain how this can be achieved, I want to look at how you can build trust through blogging. The posts on your blog are very personal to you so your reader instantly connects with you because they feel they know you through your words. This is the exact type of connection your sales writing has to replicate. 

The problem is many people believe that if you fill your copy with hype and shout BUY MY PRODUCT NOW people will do as you ask.

Wrong.

We all have a natural resistance to buying. When asked to part with your money it’s only natural you become cautious.

To get your customers to buy you must prove you’re not a charlatan and you’re not going to rip them off. You have to convince them to trust you – not something that’s easy to do through text.

Here are a few techniques you can use to create copywriting that sells.

Tell them a story

Don’t rely on bold or colourful lettering when telling someone about your product – that won’t make them buy.

Everyone loves a story so use that in your copy to help build credibility. Tell them why you created the product weaving in your credentials (number of years experience, clients you’ve helped etc.) to your benefits driven copy.

By incorporating the benefits in this way you’ll instantly begin to break down their buying resistance.

Just by chance

Many people fall into business or stumble across a great idea for a product. If this is how you started tell your story. Show them the process you went through to bring your product to market and how it has helped others.

There’s no room for fairy stories in business so your story has to be true and credible if it’s going to work. This approach is an excellent way to make a human connection with your reader.

Case study

The case study is one of the most powerful sales tools there is. Writing about a client’s experience of your product/service will show the reader exactly what can be achieved. 

Boost your credibility by naming names, showing quantifiable results and using direct quotes from your customer.

As you can see, selling is about showing the benefits, breaking down resistance and convincing them to buy.

Once you’ve put your ‘sales pitch’ across don’t forget to add in your call to action to make sure they buy.

As a website copywriter, I have been know to harp on about your website copy should address the needs of your reader.

What do I mean?

Basically, your content must focus on the benefits of your product/service to the reader rather than focusing on your company and its accomplishments.

That may sound easy but it isn’t. To create great copy that’s compelling, you have to distance yourself from your business which is why many companies opt for the services of a professional copywriter.

Writing for your reader is the way to go but that doesn’t mean you have to totally forget about yourself. You still need an outlet on your website where you can shout about you and what you’ve done. And that’s what your ‘About Us’ page is for.

Do people really read the About Us page?

Yes.

We all need to know who we are buying from - the face behind the business. We want to be reassured they are someone we can trust which is why the About Us page exists. So don’t blow it.

Meaningful

Make it meaningful which means don’t fill it with jargon and technical speak. You won’t impress your reader just because you know a few long words. If your content isn’t meaningful it won’t have an impact.

Be yourself

This is your opportunity to sell you as a person. Which means don’t use a stock photo on your About Us page, use one that shows you and your team – why hide?

Be real

Write in a friendly conversational style. Tell your reader why you started your business. The process you went through to develop it into the company it is today. Make it a human interest story – but make sure it is real. Don’t try and pull the wool over your readers’ eyes.

Don’t hide

If you want your contact details on this page make sure they’re accessible and include:

• A valid email address
• Telephone number
• Full postal address
• A map

Back it up

Include testimonials or sound bites from happy customers. But make sure you reference them – a testimonial without a name is worthless.

Your About Us page is very important. It’s not a main sales page but it shows your reader who you are and why they should do business with you.

Use it to show your human side and connect with them.

Just about any copywriter you meet would have, at one time or another, uttered the words - content is king

So you know how important content is and you understand the importance of social media in today’s marketing strategies but do you know how to use them to optimal effect?

Content and social media – a marriage made in heaven

I spied a post recently on Social Media Examiner called How Content and Social Media Equal Marketing Success which investigates the union between content and social media.

The video interview with Jo Puilizzi (author of Get Content, Get Customers) points out the importance of content and how it must be written in conjunction with your social media strategy.

Start at the beginning

Before any business dips its toe in the waters of social media, it has to identify the online ‘hang outs’ of its customers.

Then its has to start having conversations with them. This relationship building is the foundation to all social marketing:

• Talk to them
• Find out what they’re looking for
• Contribute to their conversations
• Provide great information.

Done effectively, your customers will absorb your information (eBooks, white papers etc.) and spread them to others.

The video is about 12 minutes long but is well worth a watch so grab a coffee and discover how to make your content marketing go further.

STOP – LOOK – LISTEN

Those three words were probably drilled into you when you were a child.

You would also do well to remember them when copywriting.

That might seem a strange thing to say but when creating sales and marketing content, many people just dive straight in. That’s because it’s usually one of those jobs that is squeezed in between other projects.

And there’s the problem – content creation shouldn’t be seen as one of those jobs you have to fit in now and then. It’s vital for your business from an SEO perspective and for getting your message out to your audience effectively.

Stop

Before you start to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard, stop and think about what you are doing and why. Every piece of copy must have a purpose so ask yourself:

• What is going to be the best platform for your message?
• What do you want to achieve from your copy?
• How do you want your audience to react?
• What do you want to tell your audience?
• What end result do you want to achieve?

Creating content is like creating a new product. You wouldn’t dream of making a new product without carrying out R&D first, so why just sit down and cobble together some half hearted sales copy?

Look

Although your content is important, so too is how it looks.

If it doesn’t have instant readability appeal, no one will read it. In which case there wasn’t a lot of point in writing it in the first place.

Using headings, subheadings, bullet points and images will make your content more attractive and accessible. A solid wall of text is a real turn off but a page with plenty of white space, bullet points and small chunks of text, is a far more interesting prospect.

Listen

You not only have to listen to the needs of your business and customers, you also need to listen to yourself.

Your content has to tell your reader what’s in it for them and represent the voice of your business.

Once you’ve written your content, read it out loud. This will help you make sure it flows, makes sense and will provoke an emotional response in your reader.

As you can see, content creation is much more than just stringing a few sentences together. A lot of thought, planning and shaping has to go into every piece of content you produce.

So remember - stop, look and listen before you publish.

Are you a serial blogger?

You know, the type of person who churns out a post, forgets about it and then churns out the next.

The content you produce for your blog is very valuable so you must make the most of it. Unlike other forms of communication, a blog post won’t disappear or be used as tomorrow’s chip wrapper.

Once you’ve hit ‘publish’ it’s up to you to make the most of that content and keep it alive.

If you want a long shelf life on everything you post, follow these 6 simple steps.

1.  Follow up

The world is constantly changing so your original blog post may need updating at some point.

Rather than going back to it and adding new information, write a follow up post and link it back to your original one. This will help drive traffic to your existing content as well as add value to your reader by updating them on new ways of thinking.

2. Internal links

If possible, relate new posts to old ones by linking to them, especially if they are linked by subject or (as in the case of number 1) are providing extra/updated information.

3. Re-Tweet

Twitter and blogging go hand in hand. It’s a great way to promote your content to a wider audience and a way your readers can spread the word for you by re-tweeting it.

Plus, you can always breathe life into past posts by tweeting them from your archives, especially if their content is relevant to something happening in the news.

4. Repurpose content

As you’ve spent time creating the content in the first place, why not reuse it? Spinning it into an article will help get your name out there as an authority on your topic. Plus using keyword rich links back to your website will help your SEO strategy.

5. Optimise

SEO isn’t just for your web copy. By targeting specific keywords within your blog posts you can drive targeted traffic to your blog. Choose well and your blog post could remain a prominent fixture in the search engine results for a long time.

6. Newsletters

Companies that send out monthly newsletters often find it difficult to come up with content. Well, if you blog, why not use some of your posts as the basis for news and information?

All you have to do is use a snippet of the text and add a ‘read more’ link to take your reader to the original post. This is a great way to pass on valuable information and boost your blog’s readership.

Blogging generates great and valuable content so make the most of it.

Do you have any other ways of making the most of your blog posts? If so leave a comment and share your ideas with us.

Does this look familiar?

This is the Google 10 box that appears at the top of your search results. It shows 10 local businesses that relate directly to your search term (so in this case it is builders).

Ever wondered how companies get listed here? Or haven’t you given it much thought because you thought it was bound to be expensive?

Well here’s a news flash for you – your Google Local listing is free.

If this is old news to you and you’ve already claimed yours, well done you’ve taken the first step to boost your online visibility. But how are you using it?

Have you just claimed it and left it at that?

This listing is a great free marketing tool for your business.

When creating your listing you’ll have the opportunity to add video, photos, receive customer reviews and list events. All sorts of data that can be used to enhance your SEO.

Utilising all of these tools will help generate more business for you. And you can also manage its effectiveness through its analytics making it a tool that is:

• Versatile
• Free
• Interactive

You can enhance it by getting customers to write a review, list new offers and events to keep it fresh.

It’s free so make the most of it. 

Are you looking for some blogging advice?

Be yourself.

The mistake many people make when starting their blog is they try and emulate their blogging heroes. There’s nothing wrong with turning to them for inspiration but your blog should be a reflection of you and not a poor imitation of one of the blogging greats.

Your blog is your opportunity to publish your thoughts and opinions and share information with others.  

Moving from novice to expert

Making the transition from a novice blogger to an expert is a gradual one. It’s not something that will happen over night but here are 4 simple things to remember which will help you reach expert status.

1. Be unique

By being yourself and not trying to copy someone else’s style, you’ll be offering something unique. There’s only one you so use your individuality to your advantage.

There’s nothing wrong with reading other blogs to see what people are saying and to get inspiration but make sure your posts reflect you. That way your readers will get to know you.

2. Be regular

That doesn’t mean you should dash out and stock up on prunes. As your blog readership grows your audience will get to know when you post – so find a frequency that works for you and stick to it. 

And don’t forget that if your readers take the time to leave a comment on your blog (that’s not spam) respond to it. Even a simple ‘thank you for your comment’ shows that you care and enjoy interacting with your readers. .

3. Be personal

Letting your personality shine through your writing will help you connect with your readers. If you’re writing about something that’s happening in your industry include your opinion or relate it to something that’s happened to you. 

Make sure you don’t post in haste. At times people will wind you up but it you immediately write an emotional post in response you may regret it. Always think before you publish.

4. Be attractive

It’s the content of your posts that will connect with your readers but your blog still has to look inviting. With a vast array of free templates out there, there’s bound to be one that suits you. But try and keep it simple and unfussy – less is most definitely more.

Blogging is a great way to engage with people, voice your opinions and share information. I’ve been blogging for 3 or 4 years. It has helped me develop as a writer, put me in touch with some amazing people and it’s proven to be a valuable part of my search engine optimisation strategy for my business as a copywriter.

What are you waiting for? Start your blog today by using a platform such as Word Press or Blogger and start writing.

Sally Ormond, freelance copywriter, comments on Kieron Hughes’ post “Using YouTube as a keyword research tool for SEO” that appeared on SEOMOZ.org

When talking keyword research, most people think about what they’re selling (products and services) and probably their geographical location.

For many people, the primary tool used is the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. But there is another, frequently overlooked possibility.

YouTube.

Yes, you would normally associate YouTube with hours of entertaining videos (and some not so entertaining) but it can also be used as an effective keyword research tool. I first came across this idea when I discovered a post on SEOMOZ.org by Kieron Hughes – in his post he discusses the merits of using YouTube as a keyword research tool for SEO.

Uploading videos to YouTube couldn’t be easier. If you have a computer and internet connection, you’re in business. So how can it help with your research? Well it’s not actually the videos that help, it’s the descriptive content that accompanies them that is a gold mine of information.

In his blog post, Kieron uses the example of speech therapy to illustrate his point. By searching on YouTube he generated associated words such as:

•    Autism
•    Oral motor exercise
•    Chewy tube
•    Down syndrome
•    Oral motor therapy
•    Apraxia

This kind of detail wouldn’t be picked up through Google’s tool. When you’re researching for a client or for yourself, YouTube is invaluable as a research tool to help you uncover potentially lucrative keywords.

Because people from all walks of life use YouTube as a platform to share their knowledge and experiences it is a rich resource just waiting to be tapped into. These users are also the ones who use the search engines daily and so are invaluable sources of information.

By using YouTube you could change your initial site navigation from:

To something that reflects your industry with greater SEO potential:

Next time you need to do some keyword research remember to take a look at YouTube as well. Added to your other research material, it will help you develop an intricate SEO strategy that will get your business noticed.