Freelance Copywriting, marketing and social media tips

You’re most probably aware of the recent EU Privacy and Communications Directive that came into force at the end of May that affects all UK websites.

Basically, it states that website owners must get their users’ consent (via an opt-in basis) to be able to use non-essential cookies to track their data.

If you’re unsure what a cookie is, it’s a small text file that stores data about website users. An example would be Google Analytics, which provides anonymous tracking data about users.

(In case you were wondering, essential cookies are those used to remember the goods you’re buying when you reach checkout, those used in internet banking and those that help pages load quickly.)

90% of UK website owners are ignoring the new legislation

That’s right, according to a recent article in Business Matters, as many as 90% of UK website owners are currently ignoring the new legislation.

The actual ruling came into force in May 2011, but British website owners were given 12 months in which to comply with the legislation.

The most common of the non-essential cookies used by UK businesses is Google Analytics. Although the legislation does allow for those websites that work on ‘implied consent’ where users have been made aware of revised privacy policies, this is still a bit of a grey area, so it is best to use a pop up to explicitly gain the users consent.

The cost of non-compliance

The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) has the power to fine website owners £500,000 if they don’t comply – that’s going to make a huge dent in anyone’s wallet.

But, they don’t have a stealth team out and about tracking down miscreants.

In fact, the ICO have confirmed that even though they are currently receiving complaints from users of UK websites that aren’t complying, in the first instance they will work with the site owners to improve their cookie policies rather than enforcing the rather hefty fine.

What you should be doing now

If you are a UK website owner and you haven’t put any compliance measures in place yet, we suggest that you at least show you are moving towards compliance, just in case the ICO come knocking.

Alternatively, get a notice and opt-in box on your home page that tells users that you use cookies and ask for their consent to use them, along with a link to further information.

Over to you

What are your thoughts about the cookie directive?

What actions have you taken to make sure your website complies?

Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you.

Sally Ormond – Copywriter & Managing Director of Briar Copywriting Ltd

As a copywriter I know the power of ‘you’.

It’s a small word, but one that creates an instant connection between you and your customers. It shows you are thinking about them and how you can help make their life easier.

Back in 2010 I wrote a post about this very subject. It’s such an important part of copywriting I think it deserves a second airing – enjoy:

Those immortal words were famously uttered by Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) in the 1976 classic, “Taxi Driver”.

This post isn’t about that particular iconic film though. Rather, I want to  talk about your website copywriting and how it should be written to gain the greatest effect.

Who do you want to read your website?

This is a topic that I have touched on in the past but it is so important, I’m going to talk about it again.

You might think it an odd question – “who do you want to read your website?” – but it isn’t really.

Look at it another way – what do you want your website to do?

Hopefully you answered “sell” or perhaps “generate enquiries”. But you will only do that if your website copy talks to your reader. Think back to the last networking event you went to. No doubt someone came up and introduced themselves to you and launched into their elevator pitch. What would you find most interesting? Someone who says:

“I’m John, I sell websites. My websites have state of the art features and they look great. They are really eye catching and I work with clients all over the country. I can create ecommerce sites, flash sites and just about anything else you can think of. My company is called Websitearama, this is my card, look me up.”

Lost the will to live yet? I’m guessing that you have now made your excuses and left John to find another victim to bore.

But what if John had said this?

“Hi, I’m John and I can help your website attract targeted traffic that will generate a constant stream of sales. With our software you’ll never lose a sale because it will automatically follow up every lead. You will no longer be walking away from business because you don’t have time to keep in touch with all your prospects – your website software will do it for you.”

In the first scenario John bangs on about his company. At no point does he even attempt to say how he can help his clients. His websites have state of the art features – so what? The are really eye-catching – so what?

But the second attempt starts to address his audience. His website attracts targeted traffic – so what? – so it generates a constant stream of leads. It follows up every lead automatically – so what? – so you’ll never lose another sale.

This time John has qualified the benefits of his product by illustrating what that will mean to his clients.

So what’s all that got to do with websites?

When someone lands on your website they are there for a reason – they want to buy what you are selling.

To make yourself stand out from all the other websites, you have to make sure you give them what they want. If they land on your site only to read all about your company (an Ego website) they’ll get bored and move on.

But if your website copy addresses them directly and tells them what you will do for them, you’ll get their attention.

You

That is a word that should be littered throughout your web copy. By using “you” and “your” you are directly addressing your reader. You are involving them in your website and showing them precisely why they’ll benefit from your product/service.

Stating what your benefits are and what they’ll do for your reader will prevent them from saying those dreaded words:

“What’s in it for me?”

If they have to say that you’ve failed to get your message across clearly.

So next time you are writing your web copy make sure you banish “we” and replace it with “you”. By writing directly to your reader you’ll begin to write benefits driven copy that will sell. It may take a bit of practice but stick with it as it will pay off.

By the way, this is also true for your other sales materials.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Yes.

OK, that’s not much of a blog post, but it sums up what follows.

One of the main arguments for businesses not engaging in social media is that they don’t have time to do it.

Really?

You don’t have time to:

• Promote your business?
• Talk to your customers?
• Build relationships with new customers?
• Add value to your existing customer base?

Well, that’s a shame because if you did have time to do all of that, your business would be flying high, even in today’s economic climate.

You may think that you do enough face to face networking to bring in the new customers you need, so why bother with social media too?

Well, fair enough, you can find new customers that way, but what about looking after the ones you’ve already got?

We all know that it costs about 6 times more to get a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, so surely it makes sense to ensure the service you’re providing keeps your existing customers happy.

I’m not just talking about saying a big ‘thank you’ when they buy from you, or sending the occasional newsletter. Social media gives your customers the opportunity to engage directly with you. In an instant you can make them aware of special offers and events through your Facebook Business Page or Twitter.

Social media is all about a two way conversation between you and your customers, adding value to your connection with them through hints, tips, offers and entertaining conversation. It’s all about relationship building.

If you’re still not convinced, here are some facts for you that might get you to change your mind:

• Social media users’ revenue grew at 19%, whereas non-social media users’ only grew at 6%
• The client base of social media users grew at 12%
• 61% of LinkedIn users gained a client through social media
• 35% of Facebook users gained a client
• 47% of blog owners gained a client
• 36% overall gained clients through a social network

(Source: The Business Success Team)

Are you beginning to see the bigger picture now?

A facebook Business Page is great for your business.

Once indexed by the search engines, it gives your business greater visibility, you can tell your fans about special offers and events really quickly and you can engage with them. Plus, as there are 500 million users (and growing) on Facebook you can drive an awful lot of traffic back to your website.

And that’s just for starters.

But how can you maximise your chances of your Facebook Business Page being found in the search results?

Well, Facebook have posted a video on their website, created by Distilled.net, to teach you the basics of SEO along with a few suggestions on how to improve the ranking of your Facebook Page in the search engines. You can view it my clicking on the image below:

The video lasts about 7 minutes, but is well worth watching.

Distilled.net have also put together a PDF on SEO for Facebook Pages, which you can find here.

Thanks guys.

One of the main reasons businesses don’t use Twitter is that they don’t know what to tweet.

There appears to be a common misconception that tweets generally comprise of ‘I’ve just had a cheese sandwich’ or ‘time for a coffee’ or other such mundane updates.

There is a lot more to Twitter than that and no, by being part of it you’re not going to be subjected to an onslaught of dietary updates from all your followers.

The whole point of Twitter is to engage with others, to chat with them, share great information and offer help and advice wherever possible.

But if you’re still sat there, fingers poised over keyword, without a clue what to tweet, take a look at the list below.

Things you should be tweeting about

1. Share links

If you blog, every time a new post is published, tweet the link. Tell everyone you have a new blog post out, give its title and then insert the link. You will be offering them great information and promoting your blog at the same time.

Also, if in your daily reading you spot and article or blog you found interesting, share the link with your followers, you never know, they might find it interesting too.

2. Ask

Rather than just pushing your opinions on people, ask what they think about current issues, or things happening within your industry. This is a great way to get conversations started and draw new followers to you.

3. Respond

Twitter isn’t just about you pushing your stuff out there. You also need to listen to your followers and respond to their questions too. If they have a problem that you can help them with, tweet back to them and lend a hand.

4. Business updates

Let your followers know what’s going on in your business. If you’re involved with local charities, tell them. If a member of your team has a story to tell, let them. This is a great way to show the human side of your business. If you have photos of events etc., share those too.

5. Tips

People love to get helpful tips. So if you tweet something that’s going to add value to your followers, they’re more likely to start engaging with you.

6. Retweets

If someone you follow tweets something interesting, retweet it so other people that follow you can also see it.

7. Shout out about others

If you deal with a company that offers great customer service, or helped you out when you needed it, tweet about them. You will come across as the caring, sharing type and they’ll benefit from greater exposure.

8. Talk about events

Even if it’s a local networking event, tell people about it. You never know how many other tweeters are there. Also, it’s a good idea to tweet about it before the event so fellow tweeters can let you know that they’ll be there too so you can have your very own mini tweetup.

9. Comment on news

If there’s something new happening in your industry tell people about it and stimulate discussions.

10. Have fun

Twitter is supposed to be fun. It’s a great way to engage with people, so be human and share videos and photos that made you smile.

So there you have it, 10 things to tweet about. But remember, much like texting and email, intonation and sarcasm don’t translate well in tweets, so:

• Don’t get dragged into arguments, you’ll always end up looking bad
• Make it clear when you’re being flippant
• Don’t tweet something that’s going to cause offence

In other words, think before you tweet.

Over to you

How are you using twitter? What successes have you had?

Leave a comment below.

Sally Ormond (@sallyormond) – copywriter