Small business marketing tips for Facebook

Much has been written on the subject of social media marketing. When we say much, we mean reams and reams. These days, everyone seems to have an opinion on how best to market your business using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter – the list of do’s and don’ts is literally endless.

Despite this apparent prevalence of opinion, there are certain hard and fast rules when it comes to the subject of social media. In this month’s article, we’ll look at some of the key pointers for the ever-popular Facebook.

Keep up with the times

Facebook presents a unique opportunity to connect with your audience – more so in fact than you could ever hope to achieve through your blog or website. If you’re in business for yourself, you’re more than likely to be keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in your chosen field. You may even run regular webinars and talks, alongside consulting with clients and prospects on their business needs.

With this in mind – it makes sense to channel all this valuable content into an interactive playground like your Facebook page, where a captive audience eagerly awaits fresh new content to digest. From industry tips and insider knowledge to the latest trends, your FB page is a dynamic environment that promotes discussion and interactivity. By passing on the benefit of your knowledge for free you’ll also be raising your stock.

Keep ‘em coming back for more!

Social media brings with it a whole new level of customer interaction. Spark discussion; invite feedback; share experiences – the list is endless. Whether you choose to reward great ideas with discounts, or simply want to conduct a little market research, FB represents an invaluable platform from which to reach out. Keep your readership engaged by adopting a varied approach, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Judge how well you’re doing by the level of interaction occurring on the page itself.

Broaden your horizons

It’s no longer just about the wall. Facebook’s meteoric rise in popularity is matched only by the host of plugins and applications flooding the market on a weekly basis. From shopping tabs to hosted support pages, there is a veritable treasure trove of useful material you can use to heighten the customer experience. Oh, and more importantly, to drive traffic to your site! Check out ‘Get Satisfaction’ and ‘Fan Appz’ to get yourself started.

And now for something completely different…

Facebook is generally acknowledged as a place for light-hearted social interaction. Even if your company has a reasonably serious image, FB provides a valuable opportunity to liven things up a little by injecting humour into proceedings.

For those of you who want to keep it ‘strictly business’ – FB is still a useful tool for promoting your brand and breathing a little life into the business. Use the page to highlight significant events and milestones on the company calendar – supported by high quality corporate images to add a little variety and credibility.

However you choose to use Facebook, there is no doubting its value as a unique and dynamic marketing platform – don’t be afraid to experiment and, most importantly, listen to feedback. 

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Creative blogging for business

There are virtually no rules in the world of blogging – from political commentary to personal diaries – the scope is literally endless. Recent years have seen an explosion in the use of blogs as an effective internet marketing tool, but for many the most challenging aspect of business blogging remains knowing what content to use, and how to use it.

In this article we’ll examine some simple ideas to come up with fresh, engaging content designed to drive traffic to your site and keep them coming back for more. It’s probably worth noting that the below is designed as a general guide, so feel free to take the ideas presented here somewhere new and get those creative juices flowing!

How to…

How many times have you asked Google to come up with the answer to a particular question? How to? guides present a fantastic way to engage the reader and encourage interaction through working examples and so on. They are also a great way of demonstrating your expertise and credibility within your chosen niche. Support well-written, informed content with great visuals and downloadable content for extra bonus points.

Common problems – great solutions

Just as the internet is a great resource for finding out how to do things, it also provides a valuable opportunity to find new ways around general or specific problems. It therefore follows that presenting a structured, concise entry dedicated to a particular issue is a surefire way of both attracting traffic and presenting yourself as a knowledgeable expert in your field.

Proven methodology

One drawback with the internet age is that anyone can present themselves as an expert in anything. A great way of building credibility and attracting traffic is through the use of referenced case studies. Back up your advice with hard evidence, demonstrating how a methodology has been applied to assist a particular client and the subsequent results. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

The latest news

A great case in point for regular updated content – positioning yourself as a valuable resource for the latest industry news is a great way of attracting and retaining traffic. Becoming your clients’ ‘go to’ resource for the latest news via a simple RSS feed is a great way of staying connected to your audience.

Book worm

Don’t assume that everything your audience reads is online. In fact, the majority of internet users are only interested in snippets of information. Providing references to offline material is a great way of demonstrating both empathy for your readers’ needs as well as your own knowledge on a particular subject.

Feedback

Requesting feedback is by far the most simple method of both gauging your success and encouraging user interaction. Don’t assume you know it all, open up your blog and invite your readers in – you never know what valuable ideas and suggestions could come out of it.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Tips for more effective email marketing – part one

No matter how savvy you feel you are when it comes to the subject of email marketing, the landscape is constantly shifting. To stay ahead of the crowd, then, it has become vital to regularly review your strategies and to adapt according to the latest trends.

If it’s time for you to take a look at your email practices, then we have put together a two-part summary on the latest techniques to better maximise your marketing channels and increase conversions.

It’s good to talk

Whilst auto-responders and do-not-reply mail addresses have their place, as a marketing tool they are extremely ineffective. Communication is a two-way street after all, and if your clients feel you are uninterested in what they have to say (or even in receiving a response), they are likely to be uninterested in what you have to say.

Foster a sound relationship from the outset by engaging your audience. Encourage them to respond with thoughts and feedback – you never know, they might just have something useful to say.

Set your own targets

Generic benchmarks often bear little relevance to a particular product, service or demographic. Rather than worrying about broad terms such as average open rates and click-throughs, instead consider defining your own set of parameters based on more relevant data such as demographic and past successes or failures. This will give you a much better idea of how effective your own particular strategies are.

Social media

Nowadays it’s rare to receive an email or marketing letter without an RSS feed, Twitter or Facebook link. Social Media has changed the way we do business forever – ushering in a new age in marketing. The opportunities are limitless, with the power to reach more people than ever before.

Think beyond providing a simple link however – give your readers a reason to spread the word by providing compelling, engaging content (video content is a fantastic tool for this). Experiment with different types of content and placement, and include regular offers as an incentive for your readers to engage.  

Less is more

Consider the last marketing email you opened (if you even opened it). How much time did you spend reading it? How much text was included on the page? Did anything in particular grab your attention? The accepted rule of thumb is 7 seconds – that’s 7 second to grab their attention before they either click delete or decide to carry on reading.

Draw the recipient in by making your headline engaging, succinct and brief. If you’re sending a promotional email, make your point in no more than a few lines. Not only are they far more likely to read the email, but this represents a great opportunity to leave them wanting more. For marketing letters, arrange your content in the most visually engaging way possible, and test different approaches to find the ideal layout.

Keep it relevant

Lazy marketers may rely on the draw of multimedia and social platforms alone, but unless there is substance beneath the flashy exterior, the audience is likely to lose interest and fast.

Sending the right message to push the right buttons at the right time – it may all sound like a game of chance, but there’s no luck involved. From direct marketing, email and B2B campaigns down to your company website, it’s all about the words. No matter how aesthetically pleasing your approach may be, pretty pictures alone are unlikely to reach out to your audience. Understand what they need, why they need it and when.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Taking your press release to the next level…

The days of standard, market-spin press release are pretty much over. Whilst words still certainly have their part to play, the landscape has most certainly shifted to the point where simple marketing rhetoric won’t cut it any longer. Online marketing is changing the way we think and like it or not SEO (search engine optimisation) is playing a bigger role than ever. The traditional press release now has to work that little bit harder to keep up. 

Keywords are key!

The importance of keywords must not be underestimated. In simplest terms, a keyword (or key term) is a specific word or term used commonly in search engines to find a particular subject, service or product. As such, before you even start writing your press release, you should have a good idea of the key words or terms you’re going to be using. Sites such as Word Tracker (www.wordtracker.com) are extremely handy in getting a basic idea of the words you need to be targeting. Of course these days its uses go beyond mere keyword analysis, but as a starting point you can’t go wrong.

Spread the word

There are numerous conflicting arguments when it comes to ‘keyword spread’ or how many times a particular search word or term appears within the body of text on the page. Ask a range of so-called experts and you’re likely to end up with a range of answers. The general rule of thumb is that each chosen keyword or term should not exceed around 2% of the overall word count – thus avoiding saturation and rejection by search bots. How to calculate this? Follow this simple formula: divide the keyword count by the overall word count and multiply this figure by 100.

Layout

As important as knowing which keywords to use is understanding where to place them. Below you’ll find a handy layout guide to help you construct your press release and make the most of your chosen words:

• Title Include a keyword or phrase here – try to keep it concise and attention-grabbing. Ideally the title should balance keywords with an irresistibly clickable quality!
• Summary During the first few sentences try to give an overview as an introduction, using one or two secondary keywords or phrases.
• Body Write subjectively and in third person. This is the main body of text and should contain the bulk of your keywords or phrases.
• About the Company A short synopsis of your company’s services, including a link.
• Press Contact Provide contact details of one person who will act as point of contact for all enquiries. Include name, email and contact number.
• References Don’t forget to reference your quotes and statistics. This lends the work an air of credibility.

Content

Try to choose a compelling subject with broad appeal. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes – would you take time out to read the release? Of course, this is where an attention-grabbing title comes in, but just as important is the content. If there is nothing current of note happening within the company, choose something you have done and make it fit – easily done with a little spin. Remember, the principal aim of any press release is to draw attention to the company. Company quotes can be as self aggrandising as you want them to be, it’s your press release after all! Don’t be afraid to sell yourselves.

Designed for people, not just search engines

Never, ever sacrifice content for the sake of SEO. This is an all-too common mistake and can be at the detriment of a company’s overall image. Think of it this way – the release will be worth nothing if, having found its way onto the screen, it doesn’t hold the reader’s attention long enough to drive the message home. 

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Things are looking bright

As we emerge from a particularly cold, dark and downright depressing winter, I’m pleased to announce that 2010 is looking just as bright – if not brighter – than last year. Along with a particularly squiffy new website design (currently being lovingly crafted by our design team), we have several new high-profile projects in the pipeline. Most exciting of all, we’re almost ready to announce some daring new plans for expansion – intrigued? Well, you should be, but for now it’s business as usual as we continue to help all you lovely business folk to take your websites, brochures and marketing material to the next level. More news soon……

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

The festive season looms……

As usual, the festive season brings with it a flurry of last-minute marketing and promotional activity. For most businesses, Christmas is a once-yearly opportunity to capitalise on the nation’s willingness to spend more than they can afford. Hey, it’s business after all.

This inevitably translates to increased demand on the creative sector with designers, copywriters and marketers all experiencing a huge upturn in enquiries. Here at Inscribe HQ we’re pleased to report that this year is even busier than usual. Last week alone I received on average 2-3 enquiries a day in my inbox – ranging from direct mail promotion to a little website spit and polish in the lead up to the silly season.

The moral of the story? Get your enquiries in without delay to paul@inscribewriting.co.uk, otherwise you may miss out on a great opportunity to maximise on pre-christmas conversions. You have been warned…….now, to split myself in two

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Keeping it simple

One of my regular (and favourite) clients -  gosimply.com are one of the UK’s fastest growing pre-travel (airport parking, hotels, travel insurance etc.) price comparison websites.  I was originally taken on board to assist in a re-branding exercise, consisting of a complete overhaul of all website and marketing copy. 6 months down the line and I’m pleased to say the working relationship has developed into a regular commitment – supplying everything from weekly web updates and blog posts to press releases.

Recommended by everyone from The Sunday Times and The Mail to the New York Times, gosimply.com are a young, forward thinking and ambitious company set to go places over the next few years. I believe their success can be attributed in part to a light-hearted, positive ‘can-do’ ethos. Colourful, open plan offices foster open communication amongst team members in a vibrant, creative atmosphere. As a copywriter it was certainly a refreshing change to be given full creative licence during the re-structuring phase of the site – a welcome chance to demonstrate my more ‘whimsical’ side and an opportunity to develop my professional portfolio.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk / www.gosimply.com

(Pictured above, Managing and Technical Directors Tim Hagger and James Burrows rub shoulders with James Caan of Dragon’s Den fame)

The thin blue line

I was recently fortunate enough to spend a week working on site with one of my larger clients, Kent Police. As one of the country’s leading forces in terms of both innovation and delivering results, the chance to work with their head of Corporate Communications was a welcome one. I had been asked to work with their dept. on delivering a new initiative county-wide – an area split into six divisions. For a relatively small team, this was a huge undertaking. Of course it goes without saying that they’re an extremely hard working bunch, able to meet pretty much any deadline thrown at them (no matter how seemingly insurmountable). The dept. are situated in the same office as the  equally dynamic media team – their finger (literally) on the pulse of news events around the county. Needless to say it was an eye-opening experience – with an opportunity to see just how, in these PR/PC obsessed days, a busy communications team stay ahead of the pack.

As a freelance copywriter and naturally inquisitive individual, I am afforded the unique priviledge of working with a truly diverse array of clients on a weekly basis – most offering a  great learning experience to boot.

Best job in the world? I like to think so.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

The path less travelled

I receive at least 3 or 4 emails per week either looking for employment or simply advice on establishing a freelance business. With this in mind, I thought I’d drop a few basic tips for this latest blog.  As always, I would urge would-be copywriters to take the time in researching their chosen discipline.  Start out by pitching for smaller,  relatively simple jobs via outsourcing sites like Elance or Guru – this is a great way of accumulating experience whilst establishing a basic portfolio of work (something that will pay dividends when you cast your net out for the bigger catches). This is something that can easily be achieved whilst working your ‘day job’ – I spent a good year developing my knowledge and skills before even considering giving work up.

Perhaps just as important is establishing your brand. A decent brochure website speaks volumes about who you are and how you conduct business. It is your link to the outside world and is vital in conveying the right image – you will be directing potential clients there. There are those that will tell you a simple WordPress page will suffice – I disagree. Take the time to find a designer that understands your business and build your brand from the ‘ground up’. 9 times out of 10 this will be the deciding factor as to whether a potential client chooses you over the competition (of which there is alot, believe me!). Once you have the portfolio to back it up – you’ll have that killer combination.

Never be too proud to learn or take advice from clients – they all have something to teach you, whether direct advice or simply through learning from your mistakes. Design a professional looking quote and invoice template – easily achieveable in Word. Research rates and pitch yourself competitively (but not too much so) – you can start charging commercial fees when you have the experience and portfolio to back it up. Be firm in quoting for work, but not at the cost of losing the job (within reason) – remember when you’re getting off the ground it’s a means to an end.

When you do finally reach the holy grail and quit your day job, remember this: you get out as much as you put in. Some jobs fall in your lap (a nice feeling when it happens!) and some require a great deal of groundwork – never lose sight of your end goal though (and why you started doing this in the first pace). Be prepared for the quiet times when work dips – use the time wisely but also learn to enjoy the privileged position you’re in.

Lastly – communicate, be up front and most importantly take pride in a job well done and you can’t go wrong. Go for it!

www.inscribewriting.co.uk

Make Mine a Pint……..

Can everyone write? Well, of course that depends on how much you value a good pint. Confused?

In modern society the written word remains our principal form of communication. It is generally accepted that language came long before any form of written communication – which is believed to have developed during civilisation’s earliest stirrings, commonly known as the ‘hunter-gatherer’ period.  Language developed first through signs and markings, growing into more complex ‘pictographs’. These rudimentary images went on to represent not just an item, but a theory or concept – a form of communication which remains to this day.

Written language soon began to take form as pictographs were imprinted onto clay to form a basic script known as Cuneiform. At the same time, the earliest building-blocks of organised society emerged in the form of Agrarian culture – rooted principally in  agriculture. This also gives us the earliest evidence of a socio-economic climate (hurrah!).

Which brings us neatly to beer. The principal currency of any agriculturally-based society is grain. Storage of grain lead in a round about way to the invention of beer (we’re quick learners after all). Many inscriptions from this period appear to portray the making and celebration of beer. That’s not to say that the written word was facilitated by the need to record a night out on the p*ss – but it is possible.

Can You Spell ‘Hieroglyph’

The Egyptians came next, taking things a step further by developing their own symbols (yes, you’ve guessed it, known as hieroglyphs). As with many of their innovations (including mass-slavery and torture), they took a principal and made it their own. Hieroglyphs were a giant leap forward towards the advent of the first alphabet – or rather a single sign representing a single sound, snappily labelled acrophony.

From here it splits in two as we travel to the Middle East and the advent of the Semitic languages. The development of this train diversified into four main geographic lines – Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast (liked to keep things simple, didn’t they?). From the northwest came Phoenician, a derivative of Canaanite.

The Phoenician alphabet was adopted by the early Greeks, who took yet another leap forward by symbolising vowels. The accepted predecessors of modern script – Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek – were all developed from Phoenician. The Greek alphabet led to Latin and Aramaic led to Arabic – and the rest is history……..

So, the next time someone informs you that beer is bad for you – you may like to remind them of this small but significant facet to our history.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk