Never Run Out of Blog Ideas with These Simple Tricks
You've taken some marketing advice and added a blog section to your website. You have learned all about keywords and how they work. Now you need interesting topics to explore to keep your content relevant for search engines. All this information might be overwhelming, after all, perfect SEO strategy is a numbers game and isn't exactly conducive for getting your creative juices flowing, at least not at first. Coming up with new, exciting blog post ideas can be tough, especially when you're struggling to stay original and avoid plagiarism. It's easy to fall into the trap of rehashing old topics or directly copying other bloggers but that's not going to help your blog grow. Here are some simple tricks for organically generating new and interesting blog post ideas to keep your blog’s content fresh and your readers engaged.
One quick tip is to research your own interests. Get inspiration from people who are writing about the same subjects you are excited to learn about in your field. Go down some rabbit holes. It doesn't always have to be directly related to a topic you think is timely or relevant at the moment (though that can help if you're really stuck), you can find ways to relate anything in your copy with practice. This makes it easier to create evergreen content. Evergreen content refers to anything published that can be viewed for a long time and stay relevant to the reader in some way. This is great for SEO because older posts can continue to provide value and introduce people to your blog and therefore your website as a whole. This post is an example of evergreen content, by the way.
A second way to get inspired to write something new is by looking at other blogs in your industry and checking out what topics they're covering. Listen to podcasts for side notes for inspiration you can explore and turn into larger, unique stories. Review posts that have resonated with you before and think of ways you can add something original to the conversation. You can also search Twitter and other social media platforms by hashtag to see what people are talking about in your realm. You may be surprised at the inspiration you can find when you look beyond your own ideas of how you should be getting it. If people are having conversations about it on social media, then it is usually relevant enough to warrant a whole post. And you won't need to copy anyone, give your own take on the things being discussed and cite your sources as needed.
Another way to get fresh blog post ideas is by looking for data related to your topic. Data can provide insights into trends, help guide decision-making, or even just provide a good story to tell. You can search the internet for relevant studies or even do your own survey of people in your industry on your Linkedin page. Use the results scaffolding to craft an interesting narrative that will engage readers and lead them to take action.
Finally, keep track of all of your ideas in a running list so you don't forget any of them. Brainstorm regularly and keep your list organized so that you can refer back to it when you're looking for new ideas. You never know when an old concept might spark a fresh idea or lead to something completely new and original.
Like any other skill, it takes practice to hone your ability to come up with original topics but if you start making a habit of casually researching and brainstorming on a regular basis, in no time at all you'll have a steady stream of blog post ideas to choose from.
3 Common Logo Mistakes that May Be Costing Your Business Sales
Your logo is one of the most important aspects of your business. It is the first thing potential customers see and it can make or break a sale. That's why it's essential to make sure your logo represents your brand well. Here are three common logo mistakes that might be costing your business sales and how to fix them so you can make a great first impression that accurately represents the quality of your products or services.
Too many colors
Keep in mind that when someone sees your logo they should be able to identify it quickly and easily. Too many colors can make it harder for customers to remember your logo, so try to limit yourself to two or three colors at most. Additionally, make sure the colors you choose will look good together and complement each other.
Too much text
The best logos are simple and memorable. Try to stick to one or two words at most. If you have a longer name for your business, consider using an acronym or symbol instead of spelling it out completely. This will make it easier for customers to remember who you are and what you do.
Not versatile
You want to make sure that no matter where someone sees your logo they will recognize it immediately and easily. This means designing a logo that looks great on everything from business cards to digital ads. You also want to make sure that your logo looks good when it's stretched or compressed, so be sure to keep this in mind when creating it or reviewing potential logo designs for your business.
By avoiding these three common mistakes you can ensure that your logo will leave a great first impression and help attract more customers. With just a few simple adjustments, you can create a logo that will make your business stand out from the competition. Not interested in making your own? Hire a graphic designer to make a professional and clean logo.
Marketing Sensitively in Tough Times: What To Do (and What Not To Do)
It's happened again. A national tragedy leaves the nation reeling, and marketers are left wondering how to proceed and if they can do so sensitively. Every time there is a national or global crisis, there seem to be new questions about how to market in a time of crisis. Carry on as usual? Pull your ads? Change your social media strategy? Acknowledge the situation in your newsletter?
In truth, the answer is different for every company and every situation. You don’t want to disturb your target audience who may be grieving and you also don’t want to stop your marketing efforts completely–the competition likely won’t. We’re in a time of near-instant communication and it is easy to make marketing mistakes when we don’t have a clear plan for handling difficult, unforeseen circumstances.
Here are some general principles that can help you navigate difficult times with your marketing strategy. In this blog post, we'll discuss what to do–and what not to do–when something terrible happens that affects the majority of your target audience like a pandemic.
Acknowledgement is (usually) the first step
You’ll want to tread lightly here but avoiding direct acknowledgement of the reality of the tragedy will become cumbersome for most businesses, especially if the industry as a whole is affected. A cheery ad that was appropriate before the event will fall flat or worse, come off as insensitive. Some businesses can get away without saying anything but since you’re marketing to people, keep in mind that the more human your business can relate to them the better in most cases.
Acknowledgement can be short and done through a public statement on social media, an email blast to your customers or even a blog post on your website. Expressing sympathy for those affected by the tragedy will establish trust with your audience, and show that you understand the gravity of the situation.
Pause promoting temporarily
Unlike all other times, it is important to avoid being overly promotional in your statement if you choose to create one. Now is not the time to be overtly selling products or pushing new deals. Definitely avoid sandwiching your condolences between advertisements for your products. It's best to stick with messages of empathy and support in times of collective despair. This will help you maintain your relationships with customers while showing respect for those affected by the tragedy. And this will, in the long run, provide a better outcome for your business’s overall health.
Check your content schedule and adjust if needed
It's also important to remain sensitive when creating new content and evaluating what is pre-planned for the coming weeks. Avoid anything that could be insensitive or inappropriate in light of the current situation and make adjustments accordingly. It's a good idea to check in with people who are directly impacted by the tragedy when possible before posting any pre-planned content–even if it doesn't appear offensive at first glance.
Remember the human
Finally, if you do decide to pull ads or alter your social media strategy, make sure to communicate this clearly and succinctly. This will help ensure that your customers, who are human like you, know you are being respectful of the situation and show them that you care about more than just your bottomline. The people who buy your products are first and foremost human. So are the people on your teams who help run your business smoothly. We know it, but when wrapped up in creating effective strategies we can forget who is making our business profit. Speak directly to their human-ness during tragedy and don’t over complicate the message. The more unnecessary words, the more likely something in your statement or newsletter condolences can be constructed as insensitive.
Conclusion
Marketing in a time of national or global tragedy can be challenging and should be done with careful consideration, but following these guidelines can help you navigate the situation sensitively and respectfully. Remember to check in with your team and take interest in the well-being of your clients who may be affected. By doing so, you'll be taking steps to build trust with your audience and internal staff during difficult times.
Avoid These Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes
Social media is a helpful tool for marketing and can be a great way to connect with customers and promote your business for free. By now we know, not all attention online is good attention especially when you’re trying to promote your products in a positive light. At best, these mistakes can lower your engagement but you’ve probably witnessed a few high-profile business’ online blunders or seen their headlines in the news. Learn from these common mistakes and avoid a PR nightmare for your own business.
Assuming more engagement will convert to more sales
Don’t bank on more likes equating to more sales. It simply doesn’t work that way for most businesses. Quantity matters for staying visible and appeasing the algorithms but the quality of posts that are directly related to your products will yield more sales. Growing your account and having satisfying engagement is nice but not the end goal. Keep that in mind and look at what content you’ve posted with the highest sales rather than only paying attention to what posts got the most user engagement. Attention is good but conversions are better.
Not diversifying your content types
With the exception of Tiktok and Youtube which are video-only or other platforms that are all one form of content, consider sharing a mix of images, videos, and text posts. This will keep your viewers interested in what you might post next.
Trying to grow on multiple platforms at once
You can grow multiple platforms at once but this can quickly become a full-time job. Make one your primary focus and then branch out to others. Consider which platforms are most appealing for your ideal clients and shift your posting power there.
Not having a plan
Before you dive into social media marketing, it's important to have a clear plan with specific goals and objectives. Without a plan, your strategy can easily become disorganized and unfocused.
Not listening to customers
Engaging with customers is a key part of social media marketing, so it's important to listen to their feedback and respond quickly. When you take the time to understand what your customers want, you can create better experiences for them.
Inconsistency
Consistency is key when it comes to social media marketing, so make sure you post regularly and at the same times each day or week. You also don't want to overwhelm your followers with too many posts, but you also don't want to be forgotten about by not posting enough. Find the right balance for your audience and stick to it.
Ignoring negative comments
Negative comments are inevitable, but it's important to remember that they don't always have to be a bad thing. You can use them to your advantage by addressing customer issues and showing that you're willing to make changes.
Responding to public feedback harshly
It is better to say nothing or respond kindly when someone is behaving badly in your comment section. In some cases, it’s best to delete their comment altogether–but beware people may retaliate if there are multiple people sharing the same sentiments. Your (or your account manager’s) response is what other potential customers will notice in these interactions.
Not proofreading
Most typos are no big deal but sometimes they are. A misspelling or autocorrect error could make your brand look sloppy or worse, run by bigots. Double-check your content before hitting publish to make sure it reads as you’re intending.
Not tracking results
Last but not least, it's important to track the results of your social media marketing efforts. This will help you understand what's working and what isn't so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
Avoid these mistakes and you'll be well on your way to creating a successful social media marketing strategy. Take the time to understand your audience and create content they'll enjoy, and you'll be able to reap the rewards. If this sounds like a lot of work, that is because it is. You can hire a social media strategist with experience to push your accounts further.
4 Ways Your Website May Be Costing You Clients
In this digital age, you are already acutely aware of how important a cohesive web presence is for your business. Your website is the online face of your company–the first thing many of your potential customers see. If you don’t also operate out of a brick-and-mortar location, consider it to be the only storefront you have to showcase your products and services. Your website should make a positive impression and guide visitors to the action you want them to take.
Most business website mistakes are not unique. They fall into the same few categories of being hard to read, hard to use, and show a general lack of clarity for engagement.
Visually unappealing
Have you ever visited a website with blurry photography, mismatched text styles, or color choices that made it hard to read? It is a common issue but there is a simple way to address it. Standardize all visual elements for your brand identity into one style guide. Your website should match your brand style guide. This is the rulebook for all the stylistic specifications applied to your business’ visual assets including typeface, colors, and company logo. When creating (or approving) your brand’s style guide, consider legibility of the selected fonts and how the colors will appear to your site visitors.
If it isn’t a pleasure to read the copy on your site or the colors are unpleasant for viewers, they will leave your website sooner–before buying your products or learning more about them.
Lack of clarity in messaging
Beyond the look and readability of the text, is it concisely and directly communicating your message? You need easy-to-understand product information and a clear call to action. If the main reason you want people to engage in your website is obscured by other information or is not prominently displayed, viewers are less likely to find it. Think about who you are addressing in your copy, what action you want them to take, and how that action will benefit them. Tailor your copy to facilitate that process. In some cases, you want them to sign up for a newsletter or perform some other action besides buying. You want to make the action you desire them to take explicitly clear and why it matters.
Your website copy doesn’t focus on your targeted audience
Your website copy should not address the entire world. When you write too generally, you’re not speaking to anyone and won’t hold the attention of your readers. It also shouldn’t be too focused on telling your own story at length. Your story matters and has its place but your website copy should revolve around the person reading it, how your products can help them specifically, and the results they can expect.
No clear path for paying
If the process for paying is complicated then customers will give up at checkout. Very few people will take the extra time to email and let you know something isn’t working. This is obvious, and yet extremely common. No matter how great your salescopy is, or how valuable your services may be, if it’s hard to pay then you can expect fewer sales. Take some time to make checkout easy and fast for your site visitors.
Conclusion
Aim to make your company’s website pleasant to use, easy to understand, and simple to purchase what you’re offering. You’re used to navigating your own website and know exactly how it works. Sometimes we look at our own creations too long and lose the ability to see them objectively. Would someone new to your ecosystem be able to easily navigate it? Get an outside opinion or hire an agency to help. There is profit in clarity and a clear path for engagement on your website.
Source: Marketing Made Simple podcast episode from December 14th
Avoid These Common Mistakes When Writing Sales Copy
For your business to grow, you need effective copy that sells. It is that simple. Simple doesn’t always mean easy, though. There is a lot of free and expensive advice for how to achieve this with varying results. One way to make creating effective sales copy easier is to avoid errors that new copywriters and inexperienced business owners often make. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can increase your chances of making a sale. After all, you’ve worked hard to create your products, you want your sales copy to match their quality so potential customers can clearly see the value in investing in them.
Here are some tips to help you learn to identify them so you can adjust your content around avoiding common copywriting mistakes.
Not doing enough research
Before you start writing, it is important to do some research on your target audience. You probably know your products inside and out. Now get to know the people who will be using them. Answer the following questions before beginning your content strategy: Who is my audience? What are their needs? How can my product help them achieve results or fulfill their desires? This process of identification will help you create effective copy that resonates with all of your readers and speaks to their specific goals and needs.
You will also want to research your competitors. It is important not to copy their content or sales copy. Not only is it unethical, it will do nothing to differentiate your products. You will want to highlight how your products or services are different and how they’re superior to anything else available in your market.
Finally, you’ll also want to research your potential keywords. The focus of this article isn’t SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but knowing the basics and how to choose the best keywords is important for any sales copy you want to be discovered via Google or other search engines.
Lackluster headline
While it is a good idea to avoid gimmicks, the headline of your sales copy should be attention-grabbing and draw people in. It should tell readers exactly what they can expect to get out of reading the post and be relevant to the content you’re writing. A catchy headline shouldn’t come at the expense of professionalism but there is a way to make it all of the above at once. Some recommend writing one hundred headlines after you create your copy so you can choose the best one which contains relevant SEO keywords, properly prepares your audience for the content, and piques their interest. If you don’t have time to write that many, write twenty and choose the snappiest of them.
Forgetting the CTA
A call to action (CTA) is essential for all sales copy. This encourages readers to take action, whether it’s buying a product or signing up for a service. This needs to be integrated into the storytelling of your copy. Don’t worry about appearing too sale-sy with your CTA. It is what tells readers what to do next and is an essential part of effective copy. Once they’re hooked and engaged, then you tell them their obvious next step. An example for social media content is asking them to click the like button. Keep it short and sweet. Without a clear CTA, readers finish your posts and move on, which results in missing out on sales opportunities.
Not highlighting the benefits
It is important to focus on the benefits of your product or service rather than just listing its features. These may be interesting to you (and your competitors) but boring to your target audience. Your readers don’t care about technical specs; they want to know how it can help them in their lives. Focus on the potential results they could get by engaging with your products and frame them as the hero of the story.
A focus on selling rather than telling
This one may be controversial. Isn’t the point of sales copy to sell? It is in the name, after all. Yes but there is a way to do so that isn’t overtly sale-sy and clumsy. Good content isn’t only about your products and why they’re great. This information should be fit into and contextualized by storytelling–and that story should be about your customer and their evolution that is made possible by using your product. Selling happens in the process of telling this story to your audience.
Not proofreading
So you’ve got this amazing story now that you’ve intentionally crafted around your potential customer’s needs and desires. You have spent time setting the scene and showing off your products and all they can do for people. You hit send on your newsletter or publish on your blog… only to realize there is a glaring typo in the introduction. After all that investment of your precious time and energy. We’ve all been there at least once.
Before you publish the sales copy you invested your time in creating, make sure to read through and check for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Better yet, get a second set of eyes on it to make sure it reads how you are hoping for it to come across to your ideal customer. This will ensure that your posts are professional and error-free.
Conclusion
By avoiding these common copywriting mistakes, you can write effective sales copy that showcases your products or services in the best light in a story about themselves and their own potential transformation as a result of using your products. If you don’t have the time to do research and craft exciting sales copy, there is nothing wrong with hiring a professional. In fact, hiring an experienced copywriter can free you up to focus on other aspects of your business and ensure quality without spreading yourself too thin.
Source: https://gotranscript.com/blog/9-common-proofreading-errors
https://ryanhealy.com/copywriting-mistakes/