Does writing your marketing stuff send you into a spin?

It’s not surprising if it does.

You just have to listen to all the advice flying around to know that it’s not as simple as writing things down.

There’s SEO and keywords that you’ve heard are more important than anything. And then there’s something called content that doesn’t seem to be the same as words on the website. And then there’s social media and blogs and newsletters that fit in somehow too. 

How can a small business possibly do it all and why should they?

Marketers often talk about a customer “journey”. First you get the attention of the potential customer, then you persuade them that they want to buy from you, and then you keep in touch to remind them of all the good things you can do for them.

And that’s where all these different techniques fit in.

“Yoohoo, I’m here!”

Getting people to visit your website is the first step. Use the keywords on your website that people use in their searches and you stand a better chance of being found. Refining those keywords through research ups the odds of being seen and that’s search engine optimisation (SEO).

“Believe in me!””

Building trust and credibility with an audience who don’t know you is tough.

Welcome to social media and blogging.

Social media isn’t a direct selling place. It’s where you share your knowledge. And increasingly it’s the people who can be entertaining that win hearts and minds here.

And blogging is about sharing knowledge around your business.

This is content. All content leads your customers to your website on their journey.

“Buy from me!”

Hurrah, we’ve arrived at your website. Here is where you show what you’ve got. You tell people what you offer, why they want what you offer, and why they want to buy from you. 

And you talk in their “language” because that will make them comfortable and help them believe you understand them. 

Do that, and many of your keywords will just naturally fall into place.

“Don’t forget me!”

It’s a lot easier and cheaper to get repeat business from a customer than to keep finding new customers, so staying in touch is good. 

Even if they haven’t bought from you on their first visit, they might in the future. But only if they remember you’re there. 

That’s why you encourage them to follow you on social media or sign up for a newsletter. A newsletter doesn’t have to be a major headache. Latest offerings, links to blogs, a bit of industry news – all good food for a newsletter. 

Write what you know. It makes more sense

Are you an expert in your field? Do you get asked to write about what you know by your marketing department? How do you go about that task?

I ask because I find so many times that people write what they think they should write, not what they know.

Marketing departments ask me to help shape knowledge into words that make sense to customers. The expert has put together the first cut, and it's complex, convoluted and sprinkled with jargon.

So I get on the phone to the expert to get a better understanding of what they're saying. After all, if I can't understand it, I can't explain it to an audience.

Nearly every time, the expert explains the story to me lucidly, and answers my questions clearly. They could have used those words to write their piece. Writing doesn't have to be that far apart from speaking. Don't be afraid to write as you would talk, just with a little more polish.

Finish what you start

In our family we have a copywriter (me) and a web developer. Together we are almost permanently puzzled.

We are confused by the high percentage of our clients who pay us to write or design their web sites, brochures, case studies and more, but never quite get round to publishing them. They are perfectly happy to settle the invoice, but our work never sees the light of day. Why all this waste?

The trouble is, the clients get distracted at the last moment. They've done all their thinking around the project and now it's time to move on. But actually, they just need to add in a few links, get final approval from some managers, even move to new offices. And the project never gets completed.

Actually, it's not just clients. I've done exactly the same with blogs, articles, micro-sites, forum contributions. You get everything done in draft, but never quite proof it and submit it.

A new resolution then, and I for one am not waiting until the 1st Jan. Finish what you start. There is absolutely no business value in work that remains in draft. Get it out there and get noticed.