Entries Tagged 'marketing' ↓

Harsh?

No.

Want to know why? Corporate speak.

Something happens when you reach the upper echelons of management; your language morphs into an incomprehensible drivel, creating disturbing sound bites and memos a bit like this one:

“Going forward, all stakeholders in National Memo Day will be tasked to proactively think outside the box and produce a synergistic vision for growing the impact of this day on the national consciousness. This is a ground-breaking chance to get behind this concept 120% and to idea-shower strategies for leveraging our assets and incentivize dynamic solutions in order to evolve a set of win-win deliverables to add value to this high-altitude occasion.”

(Oxforddictionaries.com)

They become obsessed with metrics, synergy, going forward, pushing the envelope, paradigm shifts, leveraging, siloes, transitioning and covering all bases whilst on a level playing field.

Stop!

It doesn’t make you sound important, it doesn’t make you sound professional; it’s just annoying and hides the real meaning of what you want to say.

If you have something to say, say it in plain, good old-fashioned English.

Managers can’t help themselves and will try to shoehorn as many of the above terms into their brochures, web copy and emails as possible (not to mention their reports, white papers and case studies). It’s as if they think they have to use them to justify their pay grade.

But, you know what? Your customers (i.e. the people who will be reading this stuff) don’t want to be faced with incomprehensible industry gobbledegook. They want a clear message written in simple language.

It comes down to how much value you place on your customers.

Offer them marketing materials written in-house that are stuffed full of corporate speak and they’ll walk away.

Offer them poorly translated brochures from your parent company (because they insist they’re fine for your market even though you know they aren’t) they’ll walk away.

But, offer them well written materials that speak in plain English, that address them directly and concentrate on the benefits your product or service offers and they’ll be putty in your hands.

A good, experienced copywriter will NEVER litter their copy with corporate jargon.

Why?

Because they value your customers and they know what they want.

That’s why you should never allow management anywhere near your marketing materials.

Rant over. Thank you for listening.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic/FreeDigitalPhotos

Why you must have your content written by a professional copywriter

The internet has opened up the world.

Today it’s possible to sell to virtually any country you care to mention. But are your marketing materials up to it?

Think about this for a second. If you’re a foreign company wanting to do business in the UK, how do you go about it?

More often than not the answer seems to be to get a cheap translation of your website copy, brochures, reports etc., and charge headlong into the marketplace.

That may well be your cheapest option, but it is one of the worst you can take.

The importance of country specific marketing materials

For starters you’re looking to break into a new market, which means the needs and wants of potential customers may well be different.

Then there are the cultural differences that have to be taken into consideration –after all, what worked in your native country won’t necessarily work in the UK.

What about the standard of English in your marketing communications? Straight translations rarely work and what about the nuances of language?

Putting something out that doesn’t take into account the culture of the country you are selling to will make you a laughing stock.

You’ll be seen as a company that really doesn’t care about its image.

Your materials simply won’t work.

If you’re serious about making the right kind of impact in new markets it’s essential you:

• Research your marketplace and find out what they need and why
• Get your website content re-written professionally to make sure it resonates with your readers
• Get a native copywriter to work on your brochures and reports to ensure they make sense, are culturally specific and use the correct language
• Work with your copywriter to develop the right tone, voice and personality of your materials so they fit perfectly with your brand

Yes, all of that adds up to quite a hefty investment, but it will also give you the best possible chance of cracking your new market.

Never underestimate the power of professional copywriting – it doesn’t come cheap, but do you really want your company to be viewed as being ‘cheap’ because it cuts corners in one of the most fundamental areas of business?

Is there such as thing as a bad sale?

You would have thought the answer to that was ‘no’. After all, any money coming in to your business in the current economic climate’s got to be good – right?

That’s the train of thought that’s led many companies down the coupon or voucher route.

Offering blistering deals to get people through the door appears to be a great idea. But think about that for a moment. Who are you trying to attract?

The science behind sales

Offering a voucher or coupon will, in all likelihood, bring buyers to your door.

But what kind of buyers are they?

Are they the ones that came to you because they love what you do, want to build a relationship with you and will continue to buy from you in the future?

No.

They are the ones that can’t resist a bargain, dash in, buy cheaply and then head for the door, never to be seen again.

Your marketing must build trust if you want lasting results. Yes, that will take time, a huge amount of great content and a lot of patience, but it will retain new customers.

A voucher or coupon will generate a one off visit to your website and/or purchase, but that’s pretty much it.

In other words, they’ll bring in the wrong kind of customer.

Getting your marketing right

If you want to attract customers who will come back again and again, you must produce marketing content that will:

• Engage
• Inform
• Build trust

Long-term customers only come along when they feel valued. By offering them information that will be beneficial to them, they’ll grow to trust you and with that trust comes their custom.

The important thing to remember is that your marketing can’t just be a one off. To get results it must be sustained.

If you’re unsure where to start, chatting with a professional marketer will help. They’ve been where you are now and have avoided the hurdles along the way (or at least learnt from them).

Sally Ormond – copywriter – find her on Twitter and Google+

No, it’s not 1^st April and this is no joke – there really are businesses out there that don’t have a website.

And we’re not just talking about one or two. According to the Office of National Statistics 21% of small firms don’t have a website. In todays’ digital age I find that astonishing.

So who are they?

Well, they are the type of businesses you use, plumbers, florists, decorators, small retailers etc. They rely on word of mouth for their business. But times are pretty tough these days and that just isn’t going to cut it.

But surely if they have enough business coming in there’s no need to change. Is there?

According to research conducted by O2, from a poll of 2000 people a quarter of all respondents said they wouldn’t use a small business if they didn’t have a website.

If that surprises you let me ask you this, what is the first thing you do when you want to find out about a local business you are thinking of using? Probably check them out online. If you discover they don’t have a website would you still be so keen to use them?

Barriers to having a website

Money is probably the main one here. These businesses are generally very small and may not have the money to invest in a website. But then again, websites don’t have to cost the earth; so considering the benefits they can bring it’s quite short sighted not to invest in one.

Many of these businesses also only work within a small area, so they believe a website would be a waste of time. Ever heard of local search? Hmmm?

They may also argue that they only need a small client base. But what happens if a few of their regulars move away or no longer need them? Where do they get new clients?

Why you should have a website

If you are a small business and have used one or more of those excuses, think again. A website isn’t an optional extra anymore. If you want to be taken seriously it is a must.

Here’s why:

• No one uses Yellow Pages anymore, now they Google
• Even word of mouth has moved online
• Your website will sell for you 24/7
• Your competitors have websites that show testimonials from their clients so others can see how great they are. How will they know if you’re any good if you don’t have a website?
• If someone searches for you online and doesn’t find you they’ll go elsewhere
• If you don’t have a website you could be viewed as being a bit dodgy, unprofessional or at the very least behind the times

My advice is find a good web designer and copywriter and get a website. It will boost your reputation and widen your customer base.

If you don’t you’ll get left behind.

This is a guest post written by Angie Picardo. The views expressed in this post are entirely the author’s own and may not reflect those of Freelance Copywriter’s Blog. If you are interested in submitting a guest post, please get in touch with your ideas

Video is a great way to interact with your customer base, and YouTube makes this process painless. Business owners, entrepreneurs, and self-employed people can all find ways to leverage YouTube for their business needs: promotion, engagement, and more.

Not Just Another Storefront

First, using video is a great way to humanize your business. One thing that people like about small businesses is that they are not faceless conglomerates, and posting videos on YouTube is a great way to prove that you definitely have a face.  If you’re an entrepreneur or self-employed person, then letting customers see who you are can communicate that you don’t have anything to hide, plus it can help you put your best foot forward when communicating with new or potential clients. You can upload an introduction video—either for yourself as a person or for the business—to let people know who you are and what you are about. People also really love a story, so if you can communicate your business motivations into a narrative, that can be especially endearing.

A really great way to use YouTube for your business is to provide video user guides or demonstrations to let customers know how to use your product. If you’re a local baker, you could show videos for how to make awesome sandwiches, the right way to store bread, or some basics on cake decorating. These sorts of videos give customers new ideas for how to use your products and give them an opportunity to see you work. If you’re self-employed or provide a non-tangible service (consulting, tutoring, etc), instead of user guides, you could explain what your intake process looks like, or share a before and after video from a client. This way, potential customers know exactly what to expect when they work with you and they will be much less apprehensive about the whole process.

Interactive Opportunities

Next, YouTube can also be used to engage your customer base. There are a few ways to go about this. First, when you create a video, you can end with any kind of question or comment that asks watchers to sound off in the comment section. Be sure to actually respond to the comments! Users love it when they get a response from their favorite brands. Second, you can ask for video responses. In a video response, users upload video to YouTube and mark that it was “in response” to another video. When people watch either video, there will be a link to the other on the page. Third, you can have video competitions for customers. These could involve asking customers to use your product in a wacky way, taking the product to the coolest destination, or creating their own guide for how they use the product. Again, if you deal with a service, rather than a product, you could try having people respond to you with how they have improved. If you are a Spanish tutor, you could ask students to create videos of them speaking Spanish as responses to your videos.

Be Yourself

YouTube allows users to customize their “channel” page, which can be a good way to highlight content or link to other channels. Users can select a video to be featured at the top of their channel page, usually a new video or a most viewed. Since this page is customizable, it is a good place to inject some branding. Choose a color scheme and banner that reflect that of your business. This will help customers remember what they are looking at and it will visually distinguish your page. Another part of your channel page can be your “favorite” channels. This is a good opportunity to work with other businesses or to promote other people in your town or field. If you are a baker, you might favorite the channel of a local sandwich shop, or of any other services you use. In turn, those businesses can favorite you and you will be cross-promoting each other.

Finally, as a general piece of advice for video: keep it short and be engaging. Users will not watch very long videos, even if you believe it is a work of art in advertising. For best results, keep videos under five minutes. If  you have something to say that takes more than five minutes, break it up into several videos and create a series, like “Awesome Sandwich Making Part 1,” follow up with your other parts. Make sure you can create an engaging video. If you don’t feel you have the ability to do so, find a staff member with a charismatic personality or hire an advertising firm to help you out.

About the author:

Angie Picardo is a staff writer for NerdWallet. Her mission is to help consumers stay financially savvy, and save some money with the best high yield CDs.