Content Management Systems – where to start

The last five years has seen a seismic shift in consciousness within the online domain. No longer just a general source of information, the internet now empowers individual users with the ability to upload and manage their own information, 24/7. This shift has witnessed an explosion in popularity of DIY websites and blog-centric content. Previously the domain of web designers with expensive equipment and programming expertise, it’s never been easier to create and manage your own content online. Indeed these days, it appears everyone’s having a go themselves.

This growth in popularity has brought with it a flood of CMS (content management system) applications onto the market. For newcomers the choice can literally be overwhelming, making choosing the right CMS for your needs an arduous task. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the key features to look out for when choosing your content management system – it could mean the difference between success and failure.

So, whether you opt for current favourites such as Joomla or WordPress or decide on something entirely different, ensure your choice matches these basic requirements and you’ll be off to a great start.

A clear, accessible interface

An absolute pre-requisite for any CMS – users should be able to navigate menus and locate basic functions with ease. Impenetrable front-end design is entirely counter-productive in terms of your time, effort and motivation. A good CMS will guide you fluidly, making micro-management of content and categories a breeze.

Admin

For those working in small teams or allowing external freelancers to contribute content, a clear admin system is vital. The ability to retain tight control over who can and who can’t access certain areas of the system will ultimately prevent any unwanted interference or nasty surprises.

Support

It’s important to choose a popular platform that features a strong community. There are plenty of innovative independent programmers out there creating innovative, invaluable plug ins and modifications designed to compliment and augment your CMS experience. Much of the time these ‘mods’ are designed with one thing in mind – to make life simpler.

Meta-data

SEO has come a long way during the last few years and, whilst no longer the be all and end all, metas still have a vital part to play. Ideally a good content management system will offer full control over each individual page instead of offering a blanket meta description. Try to avoid sites offering default meta-data.

 HTML editing

A basic component of most modern CMSs is a WYSIWYG editor. A CMS that offers this facility offers users the best of both worlds. Those who aren’t familiar with HTML coding can create content quickly and easily, whilst more advanced users can tweak down to the finest detail. For users somewhere in between the two, such an editor enables them to switch between the two – thus catering to coders of all levels. WordPress is a great example of this kind of flexibility.

Statistics and logs

Knowing who changed what and when is essential when it comes to running a tight ship. It will also assist in preventing problems before they occur. Overlooked by many amateur administrators, statistics also provide a useful method of gauging a site’s performance and identifying areas for improvement. Google analytics is a free tool well worth checking out.

Whilst it’s highly unlikely you’ll find a CMS offering every single feature mentioned in this article, the best advice is to decide which are the most relevant to the type of site you intend to create and go from there. Happy hunting!

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

Make upturn the new downturn this New Year

Forget the downturn – this Christmas and New Year, all you should be concerned with is the upturn. In your sales that is. Yes folks, the press have finally lost interest in the nation’s economy and found a new toy to play with – for the moment anyway. This apparent respite has given UK businesses a little breathing room to concentrate on selling their products and services over Christmas and into the New Year.

Did you put together a festive strategy this year? No? You should have. According to UK publication Marketing Week, online sales over Christmas and New Year will reach £8.9bn representing 20% of total UK sales. That’s a pretty big chunk of the pie. Time’s running out - so what can you do to get a piece?

A website paints a thousand words

Websites make or break online businesses. Consider this salient fact: Government statistics estimate that a whopping 70% of UK households now (2009) have access to the internet. This means the internet represents a portal to a potential 40+ million customers in the UK alone (discounting businesses and users outside the home) - that’s some kind of marketing power. Get the message right, and the rest will follow. If your website doesn’t grab a users attention within the first 5 seconds then you may as well not bother – it’s that simple. A good website speaks volumes about you and how you do business - let’s face it, if you can’t be bothered with your website, why should a potential client bother with you? 

Pen (not Zen) – the art of marketing warfare
 
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 (read: pretty) your website or template may be, images alone are unlikely to reach out to your audience. Understand what they need, why they need it and when. Then find someone who can translate this into a message they simply can’t ignore – and there you have the art of Pen. You’re ready to do battle.

Be smart, start simple

So, as the New Year looms consider what you’re able to tackle within a reasonable timescale. No one in their right mind would suggest embarking on a full-scale re-branding exercise at this time of year. Whether it’s a simple pre-Christmas direct marketing letter campaign or finally getting round to giving your website that much needed lease of life, don’t put it off – email or give us a call today and we’ll be happy to help you make the most of Christmas and the New Year.

See what words can do for your business. 
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

It’s All About the Message

Writing for business is about one simple concept – making your message clear. Copy that speaks directly to the reader is far more likely to engage and steer them towards that all important enquiry form. In my experience, conversions (as they are known in the business) account for a good 50% of the equation. Once that potential client picks up the phone or emails, it’s then simply about identifying exactly what they’re after and providing it – easy eh? Well, sort of.

‘The Message’ isn’t just about how cleverly-worded your copy is or how much you’ve spent on an all-singing, all-dancing web-page with flash design (in my opinion overrated). It’s not about how diverse your web-marketing strategy is either. Don’t get me wrong – these things certainly help in the never-ending battle to grab peoples’ attention – but from hereon in it’s equal parts closing the deal and following-through. A fancy front-of-house display is meaningless unless there is some underlying substance. I believe strongly in a ‘back-to-basics’ approach based on good, old-fashioned customer service values:

Email is Not the Enemy!

A prevailing school-of-thought from the likes of bestselling author Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek) suggests that email has grown into a black-hole of a monster stunting the globe’s productivity rate to an alarming degree. There would certainly appear to be some credence to this theory, as email has become a tool to be used and abused within modern office-culture – distributing daily You-Tube clips, jokes and flirtatious anecdotes to work-colleagues. Ferriss goes as far as suggesting the use of auto-responders and a regimented response strategy. Does the same apply to small/medium-sized businesses? Well, this is arguable, but in my experience, no.

To explain – it’s not exactly a new theory that inefficient customer service is damaging established companies and has been doing so for many years. We’ve all experienced that endless wait on hold to ‘customer services’ (only to be cut-off) or an email response one week after your initial enquiry (or worse still, none at all). Hornstein Associates are a leading consultancy firm to some of the globe’s largest organisations. A 2005 survey highlighted the following:

“Online businesses have gotten worse at responding to e-mail requests from web-sites in the last three years…….Only 42% of 38 companies tested with e-mail requests responded within 24hrs, the survey says. In 2002, 63% responded within 24hrs. In addition, 36% of companies did not respond at all” (Source – internetretailer.com)

By 2008 – that percentage had decreased fro 42% to 31% (source – reuters.com), reflecting a steady decline in response rates. So – where does this leave the humble small business? With a chance to grab their share of the pie – that’s where. Small businesses have the chance to capture the hearts-and-minds of clients everywhere by responding in a timely and professional manner to ALL enquiries, large or small. As the global economy suffers, more and more companies are outsourcing to freelancers and independent businesses. There simply is no substitute for a fast, personal and professional response. So, my advice is this – make yourself available. Your email is your company’s life’s blood – check it as much as you feel is necessary, without of course compromising your ability to provide an effective service. Get a Blackberry – this is your chance to shine!

There is No Substitute for a Friendly Voice

As part of your follow-up email, suggest a telephone consultation at a time convenient to the recipient (remember, they’re not yet a client) – this conveys the message that you understand they too are busy people and inevitably places them at ease. Be realistic about what you are able to achieve both in terms of a service and time-frame – there is nothing worse than being promised the earth by a client to be let down when it comes to delivery.

Keep your client appraised and up to date at every available opportunity (a quick email will do) – try to avoid finding yourself  in the position where they are having to ask you for an update. Of course, there will always be those that expect the earth yesterday – a situation which can be avoided by providing a concise, clear service agreement with the initial quote.

Lastly – if the project hits the rocks for whatever reason – don’t be tempted to push it to the back of the queue and ignore it for as long as possible (human nature, i’m afraid). Pick up the phone and speak with the client – more often than not they will be able to either assist or will, at the very least, appreciate your timely honesty.

The message is clear – look after your customers and they will look after you. I have retained a good proportion of clients simply by being accessible, courteous, dependable and prompt. Combine this with solid work that exceeds expectation and you’re onto a winner – take my word for it.

www.inscribewriting.co.uk