Long copy or short copy?

Many people assume it takes a lot longer to write 500 words than it does to write 50 words.  Wrong!  It is much easier to write 500 words on a given subject than to summarise that message into 50.

Try it for yourself: write a twenty word sentence and then try to say exactly the same thing in four or five words.

Writing short copy needs economical use of words, command of the language and a great deal of skill.  It’s not something you can do in five minutes.

The copywriting process

Before starting writing, your copywriter needs to understand your business. That takes time.  If you engage your copywriter on an ongoing basis, they will of course become knowledgeable about you and your company, which speeds up this part of the process.

Your writer will also have to be briefed.  They must understand the ‘proposition’.  For example: they need to know the purpose of the copy, how and where it will be used, and who your target market is.  That takes more time.

With that information under their belt, your copywriter will move into the planning stage.  Everyone works in different ways.  Some writers will plan the copy on paper or make a list of the main points perhaps, while others map it out mentally.  Time-consuming research is often needed too.  How are we doing for time?  Is that five minutes up yet?

The next stage is actually writing the draft copy.  While an average typist will have a typing speed of around 40 words a minute, remember this is a  copy typing rate.  It does not allow for the creativity and time needed to craft powerful copy.

Once the draft copy has been written, it must be printed and checked.  The copywriter will check every word carefully to make sure it is correct, accurate and is delivering the right message.  Here at WORD-right, the copy is always checked by two different people.  That’s because when you try to proof something you’ve written yourself, you only see what you think you’ve written, not what is actually there.  Is the time up yet?

Next, the copywriter has to compose the email to you, attach the file and send it – OK that bit doesn’t take long!

Now it’s over to you: the client.  You might want some revisions.  So the copywriter goes back over the copy, ‘tweaks’ it, and the printing and checking stages are done all over again.

So even if you just want a short bit of copy, can you really expect anyone to do all that in five minutes?

A staggering number of people who provide professional services don’t actually use their name on their websites.  Instead, they hide behind an anonymous company name.  In my opinion, this is a big mistake, because people search online for people.

You are much more memorable than your company.  That’s because you are a real person!  If for example, you’ve met someone at a networking meeting, they are much more likely to remember your name is John Smith and you’re a marketing consultant, than trying to remember something like JMS Associates.

If someone recommends your services, the chances are they’ll say something like, “Speak to John Smith – he’s really good. I don’t remember his company name, but you’ll find him online”  Now if John Smith can’t be found online, he might be losing valuable opportunities.

We regularly see traffic on our website or our blog from people searching for others – perhaps their name is at the bottom of a testimonial or they have been mentioned in our blog.  Yet they don’t have a presence on their own website – they are invisible!

So if you run a small service business and you want referrals, make sure people can find you.  Get your name on your website,and on sites like LinkedIn and make it easy for people to contact you.

Google your name now and again and if you’re not there do something about it – make sure you’re not the Invisible Man (or woman).

So if capital letters are your stumbling block, here’s an explanation which might help …

Capital letters at the start of sentences

The first word in a sentence must start with a capital letter. That’s not just because we’re picky copywriters, it actually serves a purpose.  The capital letter helps people to scan read the information.  It helps identify where a new sentence starts.  That way, we can understand what we’re reading.  Without the capital letter, all the sentences appear to run into each other and you end up with gobbledegook.

Proper nouns

No matter where it is used in a sentence, a proper noun should always be started with capital letter.  If you’re unsure, a proper noun might be someone’s name or the name of a place.  For example: Fred and Thelma live in Manchester.  Fred, Thelma, and Manchester are proper nouns.

Using a capital at the start of someone’s name is about recognition and respect.  We are all unique and individual, so to omit the capital suggests that person is like all the other Freds or Thelmas in the world.

Proper nouns are used when describing something specific.  For example: if we write about the British Government, the word ‘Government’ is describing a specific establishment, so it needs a capital letter.  However if we were to write about governments in general

... ‘and governments today are expressing concern about …’

we wouldn’t use a capital G.  That’s because we are not referring to a specific government.

The personal pronoun – I

If you’re writing about yourself, the word ‘I’  should always be a capital.  Sadly, text speak is creeping into our language and all too often people don’t bother.  That might be OK among friends, but if you’re writing for your business, it looks sloppy.  If you’d like more information about the importance of avoiding ‘text speak’, check out our earlier post on the subject.

Abbreviations

Capital letters are always used in abbreviations: BBC, AA, RAC, etc.   But just to muddy the water, this does depend on the abbreviation.

For example: MiDAS stands for ‘Minibus Driver Awareness Training.  The letter ‘i’ is not a capital because it is the second letter of the word ‘minibus’.  It has been used to make the abbreviation more user-friendly.  Because the ‘i’ doesn’t stand for a separate word, it doesn’t warrant a capital letter.

Capital letters in titles

If you’re writing the title of a book, or a TV programme perhaps, these should always be capitalised.

However, if you’re writing for something like a website or a brochure, you might want to include headlines or titles in your copy.  You have a number of different options here.  Rather than re-inventing the wheel, why not take a look at our earlier post which explains which is the best way to use capital letters in titles and why.

Capital letters and search engine optimisation

In today’s world, everyone wants to get their website on the first page of Google.  And a frequent mistake is using capital letters on keywords in the hopes it will help.  Sorry folks … it won’t.  Google and the rest of its search engine cronies won’t score you extra points for popping in unnecessary capital letters.

Instead, using capital letters on random keywords on your website might do more harm than good. The search engines won’t care one way or another.  But doing this actually makes it harder for your human visitors to read what you’ve written.  Again, you’ll find out why on our earlier post.

So if this has helped you un-knot your capital knickers , don’t forget to leave a comment below.

Trends change in marketing as they do in everything else. Terminology changes too, which can be confusing.  How do you find your way through the endless maze of marketing jargon … inbound marketing, outbound marketing, relationship marketing and even such incomprehensible terms as ‘Nano Campaigning’ and ‘Horizontal Integration’?

Content marketing has its share of aliases too: article marketing, customer publishing, branded content, etc, etc, etc. Whatever it’s called, you can be sure the days of high pressure, foot-in-the-door sales techniques are long gone.  Today’s customers are more informed and
sophisticated – they might want to buy, but they don’t want to be sold to.

Content marketing is a popular online strategy and its simple name sums it up perfectly …  writing content which is published online.  It is an effective and proven way of increasing sales.  With statistics showing as many as 80 – 90% of people research online before making a buying decision, it isn’t hard to see why content marketing is so effective.

Content marketing isn’t about selling.  It is about informing and (much as I hate the word) ‘empowering’ your prospective customers.  Tell them what they want to know, give them the information to help them make decisions, answer their questions, and you are more likely to make the sale.

By writing informed articles about your product or service, you boost your credibility.  You also increase your ‘internet footprint’, which in turn helps your website’s SEO (search engine optimisation).  The more you work at your content marketing, the more awareness you create.

As I said earlier, content marketing isn’t a thinly disguised sales pitch.  Writing ‘how to’ or ‘about’ articles is powerful.  Fun articles attract a lot of interest – we all like to be entertained.  Banbury solicitors Brethertons, published a very amusing article in December about why eating mince pies on Christmas Day is illegal.  It received hundreds of hits and was circulated widely on social media channels.

One company which uses content marketing to great effect is Simply LED in Milton Keynes. The company, which sells LED bulbs, publishes regular articles  on every aspect of LED technology.  Posts on the Simply LED blog include facts, uses for LEDs, how to install them, and their use in domestic and commercial applications, to name but a few.

The company has made itself  an authority on the subject of LEDs without any sales pitches or ‘buy now’ calls to action.  They even write about LED applications and products they don’t actually sell, simply because they know their prospective customers want the information.

Simply LED has invested heavily in its content marketing.  As a result, the company dominates the front page on Google on LED-related searches.  This in turn drives traffic to their website and online shop .

So give it a go, and think about what can you write about today to kick start your company’s content marketing.

Text messaging has a lot to answer for and this is creeping into a lot of web content.  News updates, blogs, and all sorts of online content are suffering from the text message syndrome.

While it might be OK to use all lowercase letters for speed and convenience when you text your friends, it’s never an acceptable business practice.

One of the most common examples is that smallest of words: ‘I’.  Writing ‘i will’ or ‘i did’, instead of ‘I will’ or ‘I did’ in your business communications makes you look sloppy.  It damages your reputation and undermines all the time and effort you spend in promoting your company.

In our competitive world, we need to present the most professional image possible, and attention to these small details goes a long way to achieving this.

Remember: everything you write says something about your business.  Don’t take shortcuts – if time is an issue, it’s worth considering using a professional copywriting service.  But whatever you do, please … please avoid  ‘text-speak’.

There are a host of different email marketing applications available.  Some, like www.ymlp.com and www.mailchimp.com have free versions available.

If it’s so easy, why do so many businesses still get it wrong?  I had a speculative email yesterday from a local pub-come-restaurant.  This particular hostelry hasn’t got the best customer service reputation in town.  So no, we probably weren’t going to rush out and book a table for their Christmas party night.

So what made this email such a major blunder?

1. It was sent from their normal email address, using the BCC (blind copy) facility.  That makes it looks amateurish at best.
2. They didn’t use an opt-in list, so it wasn’t targeted in any way.
3. Instead of putting the Christmas party information on their website to encourage traffic, they sent two attachments with the email.  Would you risk opening a file like that?  No, nor did I.

OK, these are common mistakes and can be forgiven.  But the biggest blunder of all … their mailbox is full!  Any email responses simply bounce back with a message saying … ‘Mailbox disk space quota exceeded, please try again later’.  They clearly didn’t come to WORD-right.

And if you’re wondering how I know, I replied immediately asking to be removed from their mailing list.  But suppose I wanted to make a booking …

The Cutting Edge Hair Salon Reception

If you’ve thought about using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but wondered if it’s effective, read on …

Yesterday we launched the new website for Banbury hair salon: The Cutting Edge.  The site went live just before 2pm.  The salon directors understand the importance of social media and how it can help their marketing.  They use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn extensively.

Despite it being a Sunday, a day when there tends to be less social media traffic, Kirsty Pearce (Salon Director of The Cutting Edge) started promoting the new site on their Facebook page and through Twitter.

The launch of a new website is always an excellent marketing opportunity and it’s possible to generate a significant volume of traffic using social media.  We always help our clients promote their new sites and keep a close eye on the website stats to measure the effectiveness of the launch activity.

Thanks to Facebook and Twitter,  record numbers of visitors looked at the new Cutting Edge website. In less than half a day, 858 people visited the site and a staggering 2,739 page loads were registered.  How does this compare to the hits on the average small business website?

This clearly demonstrates the benefits of social media as a marketing tool.  If you’re convinced, but don’t know where to start, you can get a free copy of our WORD-right guide to using Twitter here.

Tomorrow's lunch?

To get the best results from your marketing, as with your gardening, you have to work at it.  Growing a business is a lot like gardening … would you expect to plant some seeds today … and have cabbages for lunch tomorrow?  If only ….

The garden is your business; the plants are your customers; the flowers and fruit are your sales; and the weeds, slugs and other predators are your competitors!

Marketing your company, like gardening, takes planning, effort and imagination.  So how can you make ‘your garden grow’?

• Prepare the ground: think about your branding & niche markets
• Preserve the older, more mature plants:  look after your existing customers.  Making repeat sales to them is 5 times easier!
• Condition the soil with lots of good organic material:  make sure your marketing material is well-written, ideally by a professional copywriter
• Choose good quality seeds: invest in your marketing materials – they say everything about your business
• Watch out for predators!  Did you know a slug has 27,000 teeth? Develop a USP (Unique Selling Point). Your competitors will!  There are a lot of slugs about!
• Nurture your seedlings:  develop good customer service strategies
• Water & feed regularly:  communicate with your customers.  Send them newsletters … drip feed them with information
• Propagate your own plants: ask for referrals and work on your networking
• Boast about your garden: think about PR, and make the most of your free opportunities

Harvesting the fruits of your marketing?

Don’t forget your company’s marketing activities will be what your prospective customer or client will use to judge you.  While you should always present yourself in a positive light, don’t over do the ‘fertiliser’!

Marketing your business takes time.  Like your garden, you shouldn’t expect results overnight.  Your objective is to build solid, long-lasting relationships with your customers.  This way you can look forward to repeat sales, referrals, and a sound customer base.

Do you want to join in the ‘Buffet and Bop’ fun at:

• Rye Hill Golf Club
• Wednesday 7th December
• £19.50 per person

Why not bring along your other half?  They’re the ones who support us throughout the year and put up with all the ups and downs of our business life.  Now’s the chance to say a big thank you to them too.

You’ll see the full details of the menu etc on my earlier post.

Book now!

To book your places, email me telling me how many places you’d like reserved.  Payment is by cheque only (£19.50 per person), payable to Rye Hill Golf Club.   I’ll email you by return telling you where to send the cheque.  Please note: payment MUST be made by cheque.  We can’t accept cheque or debit / credit card payments.

Booking Deadline

• Bookings and cheques must be received by Friday 25th November to secure your place(s).

• Bookings will depend on availability at Rye Hill.

Well … what are you waiting for?  Email me and write that cheque today!

Happy Christmas!

• Do people value or ignore free advice?
• Would they be more likely to act on advice if they’d paid for it?

Like many other people, we’re happy to share our knowledge and experience if someone needs the help.  While it might make good business sense, it does seem morally wrong to put a price tag on everything you do.

But what if that person ignores the free advice?  It is their choice, of course.  But if they ignore the advice and continue to complain about the same old problems, it really is a waste of everyone’s time.

It’s good to stop …

A young person we came across is in the early stages of launching a new premium service.  She is spending a lot of money (which she can’t afford) on advertising.  The advertising isn’t generating any business.  But that’s not surprising because she hasn’t done the basics.  She doesn’t know her market, has no defined product or branding, and she has what can best be described as a make-shift website.

She is one lucky lady though – she has a mentor: a skilled professional, who has given hours of his valuable time and asked for not a penny in return.  Sadly, all his advice has been ignored.  She still hasn’t done the basics and continues to waste her money on press advertising.  Her mentor is rapidly coming to the conclusion that … like banging your head against a wall … it’s good to stop.

The cost of buying that level of one-to-one mentoring would have amounted to several hundred pounds, if not thousands.  Perhaps he shouldn’t have given freely of his time.  If she’d been footing the bill, she might have successfully launched her business by now.

What can be achieved …

About a year ago four local women, Team Attitude at Altitude, undertook an arduous trek up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.  They were highly motivated and determined to meet their target of raising £20,000 for the charity.

We met them at the very start of their fundraising.  While they were determined and had lots of great ideas, they knew it was going to be a huge and quite daunting challenge.

We sponsored their appeal website, and spent an hour or so giving them a crash course in social media and Internet marketing.

We gave Team Attitude at Altitude free advice, but the difference was they took it all on-board.  They went out and made it happen.  They had supporters … literally world-wide.  They smashed their target and raised over £26,000 for the charity.  We’re not claiming any credit – we did nothing more than give them the tools – they put in the effort and made it work.

But I suspect this was an exception, and most people don’t really value advice unless they have to pay for it.

So should you offer free advice?

If you subscribe to the Chris Cardell school of marketing, you’ll know he advocates giving free advice.  He gives free advice … but only in limited amounts and to a wide audience.  I can’t believe he spends time advising anyone on a one-to-one basis without charging them a big fat fee.

So is this the answer?  Should we give advice only to the wider audience via our blogs, email newsletters, and YouTube videos, etc, and save the one-to-one help for those who are prepared to pay for it?

What do you think?  Please leave us your comments.