Long Live the King and Some Tools of the Trade
Table of Contents
MAKE YOUR MESSAGE CLEAR
Do you find that your company’s marketing content isn’t engaging an audience in creating new business? There is a reason for that. If you’re not attracting potential clients and customers from the get-go then you’re going to lose them in the fluff.
When I mention “the fluff” I’m specifying all the irrelevant content included in your marketing materials. If you’re going to convey a message you need to break it down to the very fabric of your point. I want to discuss how to do that with you.
People are over saturated daily with emails, text messages, social media and a variety of visual stimuli. There’s only so much content one person can take in and so much time that person has to focus on that content in a given day. Don’t make the mistake of making an extra burden to your potential readers by dancing around the message you want to convey.
In order to help make your message direct and concise there are tools available. You could go ahead and hire yourself an experienced writer at websites such as Fiverr.com that offers a fantastic a variety freelancers. You can choose by cost, language, niche and rating.
OR
You could do what I did and take your own personal online crash course with the variety of outlets out there. I would highly recommend YouTube to get started. I learn visually. That’s how I learned most of what I know today through the tutelage of others.
I would also highly recommend picking up a program like Grammarly for those spelling and grammar checks!
A major selling point for me was the program will correct errors on any program on my computer like Word, Social Media and WordPress.
Your business also needs to decide what type of content will be the most effective for continuous growth based on your desired audience. Video is the most effective way to deliver your message. The written word helps your rankings on the top search engines (most importantly, Google). Podcasts reinforce your branding.
When making any content for your business you need to document the keywords that define who you are and the message you is communicating. These words are your anchors to draw in the reader. Use them and abuse them.
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Your title and the first line of your written content or the first few seconds of audio or video is what’s going to invest your viewer into continuing reading or viewing the entire package.
Have you ever started to read or watch something that doesn’t immediately get to the point? I personally do it all the time. You need to hook me right away. If you don’t I am off to another piece of content. I don’t have the time for filler and either does your viewers.
LET’S DISCUSS A SUBJECT CRITICAL TO YOUR ONLINE CONTENT and EMAIL CAMPAIGNS – COPYWRITING
Copywriting is an art in itself. If you have content for your business on your site it’s going to equal copy. This particular practice is not entirely easy and needs a well-practiced copy editor to adopt it correctly.
The foundation for effective copywriting is simple. All people have a need or a problem they need solving even if they don’t exactly know how to approach it or even know they have the problem in the first place.
What many businesses don’t understand is you need to present a given problem. It needs to evoke emotion in that particular product or service for your viewer. And most importantly, you need to offer a solution to that problem. This is good content because you are engaging an audience and providing the solution that turns into sales and revenue.
When trying to drum up those feelings for your readers and/or viewers it’s essential to empathize. It’s also encouraged to put yourself into your writing. We all have experiences others can learn from and it’s ok to put a personal touch into what you’re telling your audience. Be a human being. Don’t be a robot.
My go to for building and maintaining my mailing list is GetResponse. Email Marketing will grow your business faster than any other marketing medium! I use and recommend GetResponse. You can build easy, responsive (pun intended) newsletter and promotions with their prebuilt templates and utilize their custom workflow that is beyond user friendly.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN ABOUT BEING A ROBOT?
No one wants to read some dry article with technical jargon that will even put your cat to sleep. It’s alright to be yourself. It’s ok to add dashes of humor, anecdotes, personal stories and experiences into your media. It’s alright to be a human being. People will appreciate that and connect more to what you’re projecting.
The same thing goes for video and audio presentations. Put personality into that content. Would you rather watch or listen to some monotone person or someone who can articulate emotion and charisma? Remember, be engaging.
And when it comes to video you need to have a level of professionalism and production values involved. Audio is one of the biggest errors I see when watching a company’s video content. You would be surprised how much that turns people off. It becomes annoying when you’re using the microphone from a digital video camera or a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) instead of wireless mics that are super economical.
Here are user friendly Video Editing programs I suggest that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
Video Editors:
Movie Maker
Video StudiosPro
Movavi
Put some time and thought and even a little money into it. As the old saying goes, it takes money to make money.
Another big pet peeve of mine is the background music saturates what the presenter is saying. Why even apply background music? I don’t watch the video for the music. I watch the video to receive your message.
You don’t have to go crazy with your video content either. Look towards a media program at your local universities. I’ve been involved in several student films over the years and it blows my mind what these students can put together. Their films come out equal to television and film quality. They’re always looking for practical portfolio material. And it would be less expensive than hiring a production company and certainly far better than attempting such a production internally.
LET’S TALK ABOUT A SIMPLE THING. LET’S TALK ABOUT A WEBSITE PRESENCE
What amazes me is the number of businesses that don’t have websites or their website designed by something like GoDaddy Website Builder. This is not a slam on Godaddy, but these tools don’t exactly make your websites user-friendly or pop. I’m not going to get into the mechanics of designing an effective site but do your research. If you want people to engage in your content you need to create a site that’s engaging.
Here are a Website Hosting Providers I would recommend.
Website Hosting and Domain Providers:
HostMonster
HostGator
BlueHost
It’s even crazier to the fact that companies aren’t even on social media. The company I work for now doesn’t have a LinkedIn or FaceBook page. This is pretty crazy in a digital age. This particular business is providing virtual representatives to be hired out to work for their clients, but they’re missing a key piece of the building up their business puzzle. And trust me, I just started this job and a social media presence is numero-uno on my “to do” list for them.
Same goes with email lists. Build your list! These are potentially present or future customers. Have an option to sign up for a newsletter on either your website or social media platform. If people on that list aren’t buying now, they’ll buy in the future. Keep your company on those people’s radar with automatic responses and newsletters.
If your content is engaging then the people you are trying to reach are going to come back for more. Online content is a relationship builder. It’s not any different from dealing with people one on one. You give engaging content over and over and they will begin to trust what you are saying. They’ll want to come back over and over to read your content or watch your videos. They’ll even be looking forward to the information you have for them over time.
Just keep in mind that all of what I indicated is a process. Don’t think you’re going to make one outstanding video or post one dynamic blog posting and be instantly successful. For many, it takes time and perseverance. If you practice these tips I’ve mentioned in this article fanatically I guarantee the improvement to move your business forward will grow exponentially.
