Freelance Copywriting, marketing and social media tips

Congratulations, you’ve taken the bull by the horns, spent a shed load of cash on search engine optimisation, you’re website is finally in the top 10 for your chosen keywords so you’ve made it, right?

Wong.

Yes, you’re ranking well but there’s something missing…you’ve got no traffic.

Is that possible? Can you have a top ranking website that doesn’t get traffic?

The simple answer is yes and it’s probably caused by one of these three reasons:

1. You’re Not Really Ranking
2. Your Keywords Don’t Deliver
3. Your Results Don’t Get Clicked

Confused?

This post on seomoz.org explains all. Entitled I’m ranking, so where’s my traffic it explains why, despite your bank balance’s best efforts, you’re not getting traffic to your website.

It could be anything from distortion from Google’s personalised search results, badly chosen keywords or the fact that you’re not attracting those all important clicks when you do appear in the search results.

If you’re website isn’t performing as you think it should, it’s well worth taking a few minutes out of your day to read this article – it could help turn your under-performing website around.

A beginner’s guide to social media interaction

Social media – does it strike fear into your heart?

Do you suddenly experience hot flushes when someone asks if you’re on Twitter or Facebook?

Do you have the blankest of all blank moments when it comes to starting your blog?

You’re not alone. Those that ‘get’ social media make it look effortless and will wow you with their success stories. Those that don’t ‘get’ social media will tell you it’s a complete waste of time.

One of the biggest hurdles a social media newbie will experience is working out what they’re going to say, when they’re going to say it, and how to interact with other people.

I have put together a few tips to help you on your way and to demystify some aspects of social media.

How should I look on social media?

Once you’ve set you account up, you should upload your avatar.  Some people upload company logos, others don’t upload anything and just use one of the platform’s generic images.

First off, use a photo of yourself and not your company logo, especially if you’re a sole trader. People like to know who they are interacting with. If your company is a partnership or larger organisation, try adding a photo of the person that tweets on your Twitter home page.

Use a good photo (not something that’s grainy or hard to make out), and a recent one. That way you’ll avoid the embarrassing moment when you meet face to face and you’re unrecognisable.

How do I follow people?

As you know Twitter is a social media platform where you gather ‘followers’.

If you want to control who follows you, you can protect your tweets so people have to ‘apply’ to follow you. The only problem with that is that you come across as being very secretive and unapproachable and therefore may actually put people off interacting with you.

One thing I’m often asked is what if you don’t want someone following you? Well you can block them if you want but the main thing to remember is that you don’t have to follow them back if you don’t want to.

The most important thing about Twitter is that you follow people you want to follow and that you interact with your followers. Very few people will check out who’s following you first before they decide whether they want to or not. A following decision is usually based on:

• Who you are?
• What you have to say?
• Are in an industry relevant to them?
• Are your tweets interesting?

One of the great things about Twitter is that it makes people accessible – people you wouldn’t normally have contact with. But don’t worry if not everyone follows you back. Celebrities for example don’t always return your follow.

As for whether it’s the done thing to follow your competition, why not? They’ll follow you and you can learn a lot about them from their tweets. Most people enjoy interacting with people in the same industry. As a freelance copywriter I follow a number of fellow scribes and enjoy interacting with them, exchanging stories and tips for best practice.

What should I say?

The first thing to remember is that social media channels are social – they’re not paid for advertising space which you can constantly promote your business through. If you do, you’ll become very lonely very quickly because people will get fed up with your constant spam.

Comment on other people’s tweets/posts/blogs and promote them to others if you find them interesting.  If someone shares your content by retweeting, thank them but don’t retweet their praise and then thank them – that’s bad form.

If you want to retweet something (or blog about someone else’s work), make sure you credit the original source. Also if someone does retweet your content, comment on your blog or post something on your Facebook page, thank them.

What else do I need to know?

When inserting links in your blogs, tweets or Facebook updates, make sure you always disclose whether they are affiliate links, or a link that you’ll benefit from in some way – be honest.

In the same way, if you’re writing about a client or using them within a case study etc., make sure you mention them and link back to them.

I get the interaction stuff now, but how can I promote my business too?

Blatant and constant self-promotion will be frowned upon, but that’s not to say you can’t promote your business.

Giving great information and sharing with others will show you as someone who is knowledgeable, approachable and an all round good egg.

If you have special offers you want to promote, tweet about them but not constantly.  And balance your own promotional tweets with plugs for other people.

Plus if you want to encourage people to retweet your stuff, make sure you leave room for them to do so. Tweeting something that’s 139 characters long doesn’t make retweeting very easy.

The final aspect I want to cover is the use of direct tweets and direct messages on Facebook. Promotions made this way are really annoying because you are targeting people specifically – it’s a bit like having a doormat full of junk mail all day long.

Go forth and socialise

If you’re not already on social media, do it. It’s not scary, it doesn’t have to take over your life and it can be great fun and a great source of new business too.

Using Facebook (I’m at freelance copywriting) and Twitter (@sallyormond) have been great for my business and they can be for yours too.

Feel free to follow me and ask for any pointers, I’ll be happy to help you get to grips with the wonderful world that is social media.

More companies are beginning to utilise the power of online content marketing. It enables them to educate, communicate and, influence readers generating a stream of new customers.

However too many understand it is what needs to be done in today’s online world but jump in without thinking.

Their lack of strategy, experience, understanding and their unrealistic expectations lead to the onset of apathy and bewilderment resulting in the misguided belief that online content marketing doesn’t work.

But as a copywriter, I have been using online content marketing to promote my business for the past 4 years and it really does work. You just have to know what you’re doing.

Get an online marketing plan

The number one mistake made by companies that launch headlong into content marketing is their lack of empathy with their readers.

They write about what they want to know about rather than what their readers want. It’s this disparity that leads to a big fat nothing in the effectiveness of their marketing.

So before you even consider blogging, tweeting or Facebooking you must find:

• What they’re looking for
• How they want it presented (their content preference)
• When they need the information

How do you find that out?

There are a number of ways you can research the information you need to know –

Ask them – the good old fashioned survey either through email, blogging or just asking them face to face. Do they need ‘how to’ guides? If so, what format (eBooks, video, podcast etc)?

Analytics – look at your website analytics and see what they’re looking at. If your website has a video on it and it’s not getting any hits, perhaps your visitors are trying to tell you something.

Social media – if you‘re using social media, listen to what your customers are saying, that can give you some great clues about what their needs are.

Keywords – going back to your analytics, the data on your keywords can tell you a lot about what people are looking for, the words they use to find you etc.

If you want your content marketing to be successful you must listen to your customers and provide them with what they want, when they want it and in a format they like.

Of course not everyone will want the same things so your strategy will have to flexible. But listen, understand and then react.

Why is it that everyone else seems to totally ‘get’ social media?

Are you beginning to feel left out of a world that is passing you by?

Yes, there are loads of workshops and courses you can go on, but do you really have time to do them? Not everyone can take time out of their hectic schedules to try and get to grips with the likes of Twitter, Facebook, blogging etc.

But there is another way.

Using YouTube to improve your social media skills

We all know YouTube contains millions of videos on all sorts of subjects, but have you ever considered it for social media training?

Chris Brogan has written a post about this very subject and has even inserted a few videos to show you what’s available.

You can check it out here – Improve your social media efforts.

Using video tutorials like these are a great way to hone your skills. Plus…

• You don’t have to leave the office
• It won’t cost you a fortune
• You can learn at your own pace and at a time that suits you
• You can concentrate on the areas which you are interested in

So why not have a search though YouTube and see what you can find. It might be a bit of a DIY approach to learning social media but its flexibility will enable you to learn the skills you need at a time that’s convenient to you.

The art of a great article – other than interesting content people want to read – is a striking headline that makes it stand out.

Articles are a great way of building back links to your website and so give a boost to your SEO. Whether you write them yourself or you hire in a copywriter, a steady stream of submissions will give your online visibility and reputation a boost.

Every article website out there contains thousands and thousands of articles on just about every subject you can imagine, so if you want yours to be read and shared it has to stand out and be visible.

There are numerous posts around the internet on how to write great headlines but below are 7 simple tips that will help you create something that will make people stop and loiter at your article.

1. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate the use of exclamation marks. I will generally go out of my way to avoid using them.

If your point is really vital use language and tone to convey its importance not an exclamation mark. To me it’s a very lazy way of making a point. Plus it gives the impression you’re shouting at your reader and that’s not a nice thing to do.

2. Be honest

You might think a great way of dragging readers into your article is by offering them the world. But if your headline offers something other than what’s in your article you’ll lose their trust and they’re unlikely to read anything else you read.

3. Don’t over-egg it

This is similar to number 2. But this time rather than using the headline to make a statement that is obviously untrue, over-egging it means giving an over exaggerated claim. For example giving a headline saying “Discover the top 3 tips that’ll make you a millionaire over night” – yeah, like that’s going to happen.

4. Overstatement is bad

Rather than exaggerating and making false claims to grab your readers’ attention, why not get creative. Have fun with language and use it in a way that’s eye-catching. Use words that will intrigue; use puns and play with the meaning of words to create something memorable.

5. Shhhh

If at all possible resist the urge to use the word ‘secret’ in your heading. There are very few things you are likely to write about which are truly secret. And if you did the chances are you’d be hauled off to a Government covert installation somewhere, never to be seen again.

6. Humour

If you are able to write humorously to grab attention then do so. But be warned. Very few people can pull this one off. Just because it makes you laugh doesn’t mean it will make everyone laugh.

I’m sure at some time you’ve sent an email with an ‘ironic tone’ only to find you’ve offended the recipient. You see, what sounds ironic or funny in your mind as you write may not be conveyed that way when it’s read so extreme caution should be used when trying to be funny in writing.

This 6 simple tips will help you create headlines that work. By pointing out what not to do, you should be able to create something honest, eye catching and intriguing that will draw your readers to you time and again.