Have you seen the number of businesses using Halloween as a marketing tool these days? The marketing side of me is proud of how many companies are latching on to the obvious interest of this holiday - particularly among families - and using any excuse to sell their own brand. I'm also going to use this time to advertise my company - encouraging businesses to use Halloween as an opportunity to look at their websites and see if they need to enlist the help of copywriting professionals such as ourselves to fix their dated, inaccurate or badly written content.
Providing blogs, newsletters, news stories, landing pages, web pages, Facebook ads, social media campaigns, e-books, white papers and so much more, we can sort out your website right in time for the Christmas marketing campaigns! ;)
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This is a great quote that really sums up the importance of content marketing. Anyone who doesn't understand its value in the online world should remember how often we use internet searches, how huge the likes of Google is and why we all got excited when we could start to ask Jeeve all those questions. Without content providing the answers, none of us would be searching at all… And just imagine living like that in this day and age! Of course, the value of good content should also be recognised in this quote as well. If we all got rubbish, uninformative and uneducated answers every time we Googled something, it wouldn't be long before we stopped looking anything up. The knowledge to provide useful articles and the ability to write them in an engaging manner is why good content writers are brilliant at what they do.
Here's a great article I also found on ProCopywriters.co.uk as well that sums up some of the difficulties for working for yourself as a freelance copywriter. Enjoy!
One of the biggest mistakes small companies make is thinking they can do their content marketing themselves. This quote sums up my belief that not everyone is a storyteller, not everyone can write, and (disappointingly) not everyone can spell. And it is these things that you need to produce a professional, effective and engaging marketing campaign, website, leaflet, blog or white paper that will capture your target market. So, if you want to attract more customers or clients, get a professional copywriter on board to tell the story of your product or business in a way you'd never be able to.
I have to admit, I’m one of those people who starts getting giddy about Christmas from the minute those cards arrive in the supermarket in August. But it’s not surprising really, as I spend my life preparing for seasonal campaigns months ahead of everyone else. In marketing, it’s so important to have a calendar full of events to target and capitalise on – whether it’s Christmas, BBQ season or the World Cup. Leave your campaign to the last minute and you can miss out on huge opportunities to market your product to potential customers. So, here’s my advice on launching your campaign when it matters: You might also want to stretch the criteria to incorporate other religious or cultural holidays if your target market is overseas, a specific ethnicity, or if you want your business to appear all encompassing. Companies should also make a note of events relating to their field, such as conferences, award ceremonies, productions, and showcases. When all these are written down, you will be able to have a much better overview of what is coming up and what you have to prepare for. 2. Plan three-six months in advance The trick to targeting your market at the right time is to be prepared far in advance. How far will depend on your business and the size of the campaign. If you’re a supermarket chain, for instance, you’ll be thinking about your Christmas products, recipes, brochures and adverts way before the summer has even hit, ready for goods to begin to fill the shelves in August. However, smaller firms don’t have to think this far ahead, but should be considering their content, adverts and social media strategies for the Yuletide season once September begins. That way, they are ready to launch their campaigns as soon as Bonfire Night has come to an end – or earlier if you’re a real festive fan! 3. Produce content Once you have a plan about when to launch your campaign, it’s time to start producing content. You might want an extra page on your website focusing on the event, blogs to drum up interest in it, recipes, menus, tweets or Facebook ads, white papers, leaflets, brochures or press releases (incidentally, all of which is available here!). Whatever content you’ve decided will appeal to your market and sell your product best, you should make sure it is launched at the right time. The trick to this is to know your audience well – are they likely to want to prepare far in advance, such as parents buying or making Easter gifts, or are they young professionals who leave everything to the last minute like organising a World Cup party the night before? Make sure you produce your first batch of content at least a few weeks’ in advance to spark their interest. If you wait too long to tap into your market, it might be too late and they could’ve sought the goods or services elsewhere already. 4. Keep drumming interest Once you’ve released your first bout of content, maintain momentum with several further content launches in the lead-up to the big occasion. For instance, while your brochure, ads and press releases will need to be done in advance, you could commission blogs to publish on your website every few days directly before the event. This will keep online traffic high and constantly remind customers of your seasonal products. 5. Don’t abandon a campaign The summer may be a flop and your BBQ goods seem irrelevant when it’s pouring down with rain, but don’t dismiss the campaign entirely. Everyone knows the UK has the potential to produce a random sunny weekend in October, or some people may be hopeful and buy outdoor furniture, decorations or picnic foods even when the weather’s colder. Whatever you do, stick with a campaign as you never know if your luck may turn. You could also capitalise on the unfavourable situation by producing content that directly addresses it – i.e. you could publish blogs on how to host a BBQ on a soggy Sunday, or tips on holding a garden party indoors.
If you are able to respond to the unfortunate circumstance quickly and publish reactionary content that is now very much relevant to your market before anybody else does, you could find it actually works in your favour! Let’s face it, implementing seasonal campaigns isn’t rocket science, but it does take practice to fine-tune your timings. Once you’ve cracked that though, you’ll be getting your market eating into your ‘healthy New Year’ product launches before they’ve even tucked into their roast turkey. For advice on content marketing schedules or to commission seasonal content, get in touch with us today and we’ll give you a no-obligation consultation and quote! This week's quote is less about copywriting, and more about working for yourself. Sometimes being self-employed comes with lots of stresses, and, dare I say it, defeats.
Even when you have stuck to your commitments and kept your integrity, you can still come across dips in the road, illnesses that prevent you from working and earning money, projects that don't work out, invoices that aren't paid, and circumstances you couldn't have seen coming - even with clients you have good relationships with. It can be really demoralising at times, especially if you take pride in your professionalism just as much as your work. That's why I thought this quote was a good reminder that no small business or self-employed person should remain defeated. I try to look at these situations as learning curves, and know that a bigger, stronger and more professional business (and person) will be born out of them. Like everything in life, little tests are there to challenge us. And it's no different in the business world. Having said that, I'm glad it's Friday and I can enjoy a worry-free couple of days after this week! :) x x x x x |
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Natasha Al-AtassiRead my thoughts and ideas on the latest search engine updates and copywriting trends that could improve your business marketing plans. Archives
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