Most people will either love social media or hate it – with the odd few thrown in who simply don’t ‘get it’.

But the problem is for those who hate or don’t ‘get it’, social media is here to stay and it will continue to grow. We’ve already seen Google join the party with Google+ so your days of keeping it at arms length are numbered.

It’s time to join in.

Personally I love it. Working as a freelance copywriter it has helped me not only gain new clients but its also enabled me to meet great people, boost my online exposure and find people to help me in my hour of need.

If you think to be effective you have to sit on Twitter or Facebook all day, you don’t. Having said that, an occasional look in when you feel like it won’t help either. You must have a regular presence but that doesn’t mean it has to rule your life.

What social media is all about

Have you ever been guilty of saying:

“I can’t see the point of Twitter”

“Why do I want to know what a complete stranger’s had for lunch?”

“It’s not as if anyone reads that stuff anyway.”

“None of my customers use it so why should I?”

The strange thing is, people view social media as some sort of ‘new age’ passing fad and yet it’s just traditional networking that is carried out online. It makes people more accessible so you can actually get to speak with those people who normally hide behind a wall of stern secretaries.

It’s a social activity so it’s just about chatting, building relationships and being interested in other people – just like face to face networking. The only difference is you don’t have to get into your car and drive to an event (which in itself is a God send considering the price of petrol these days).

What’s there not to get?

If you’re an avid face to face networker all you have to do is transfer those skills to the online community. You already know that a sales pitch never goes down well at networking events so you’ll know that’s not how to conduct yourself on social media either.

Build a strategy

Just as with traditional networking, you won’t get results overnight. You have to devise a long term strategy that’s right for your business.

If you decide to blog you’ll need a plan, lots of ideas and a blogging schedule. When you start to tweet you must build time into your day and make it part of your routine if you want it to be effective.

Becoming part of the growing online community is a great way of getting your business known. Be generous with your information, have conversations, ask and answer questions – by participating and engaging you will draw people to you and start to see results.

Over to you

Have you started using social media? If so leave a comment and tell us how you’re getting on.

Perhaps you’re still resisting – what’s stopping you from joining in?

Leave a comment below and let’s start a conversation.

Internet marketing is vitally important for your business.

Not convinced?

OK, utilising activities such as article marketing, social media, blogging and other content creation will have a dramatic effect on your business’ online visibility and exposure.

Just in case you are still sitting there shaking your head, take a look at a few facts and figures that were compiled earlier this year by Pingdom about internet usage, social media, email etc.

So if you’re ready, prepare to be blown away.

Email

Whether you use email as a marketing medium or simply as a method of communication, it is a vital part of your business. Just take a look at these stats:

• 107 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2010
• 294 billion – Average number of email messages per day
• 1.88 billion – The number of email users worldwide
• 480 million – New email users since the year before
• 89.1% – The share of emails that were spam
• 262 billion – The number of spam emails per day (assuming 89% are spam)
• 2.9 billion – The number of email accounts worldwide
• 25% – Share of email accounts that are corporate

Amazing eh? When you see those sorts of numbers you suddenly realise how reliant we have become on technology for our businesses and every day lives.

And that’s just the start.

Internet

This is the biggy – especially if you’re still unsure whether your business should be online or not. Bearing in mind there are 255 million websites (as at December 2010) with 21.4 million added in 2010 there is an enormous opportunity for online marketers.

Add in the following stats on internet usage and you’ll see why the internet is the place to be:

• 1.97 billion – Internet users worldwide (June 2010)
• 14% – Increase in Internet users since the previous year
• 825.1 million – Internet users in Asia
• 475.1 million – Internet users in Europe
• 266.2 million – Internet users in North America
• 204.7 million – Internet users in Latin America / Caribbean
• 110.9 million – Internet users in Africa
• 63.2 million – Internet users in the Middle East
• 21.3 million – Internet users in Oceania / Australia

When you view these figures as a potential market for your products and services you’d be mad not to be making the most of it.

But what about the new(ish) kid on the block? Well…

Social Media

Yup, social media is here to stay and is sure to morph into all sorts of new forms over the coming years.

It has opened up new lines of communication making it easier than ever for consumers to voice their opinions.

If you are one of the many people who still think social media is just a passing phase, take a look at this:

• 152 million – The number of blogs on the Internet (as tracked by BlogPulse)
• 25 billion – Number of sent tweets on Twitter in 2010
• 100 million – New accounts added on Twitter in 2010
• 175 million – People on Twitter as of September 2010
• 7.7 million – People following @ladygaga (Lady Gaga, Twitter’s most followed user)
• 600 million – People on Facebook at the end of 2010
• 250 million – New people on Facebook in 2010
• 30 billion – Pieces of content (links, notes, photos, etc.) shared on Facebook per month
• 70% – Share of Facebook’s user base located outside the United States
• 20 million – The number of Facebook apps installed each day

That doesn’t look like a passing fad to me.

If you want to grow your business exponentially, get on the internet and join in the social media conversation.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter, blogger and social media groupie

In the good old days customers would communicate with you via letter, phone or in person. Today things are very different. Now they can send you a tweet, post a comment on your blog or leave you a message on Facebook.

In the past if someone was unhappy with your service the ‘bad press’ was usually limited to a few of their friends and family (unless it was seriously bad service and the wrote to the Editor of your local paper). Now a single tweet or Facebook message could potentially be seen by millions.

Now, more than ever, you must have procedures in place to deal with social media communications. You have to think about how you will monitor them, how you will respond to both positive and negative comments and how you’ll interact with your audience.

Enhancing your online reputation is essential in todays transparent culture. Here are 3 easy things you can do to make sure your company holds its head up high and shines.

1. Thank you

Manners cost nothing and a simple ‘thank you’ can be a very powerful tool.

When a follower retweets you, leaves a comment on your blog or sends a referral to you, thank them. It doesn’t take a lot of effort and shows that you are listening and that you care about your customers. And in the eyes of your customers, that translates into the image of a company they want to do business with. 

But you don’t just have to keep an eye on your social media platforms. There are many other ways you can be talked about online so it’s important to monitor the internet to find out what’s being said. There are a number of tools out there such as Google Alerts which will email Google results based on your query or topic:

Or Social Mention which works in a similar way but searches social media channels:

Using these tools will help you keep track of what people are saying about you online so you can see how your brand is perceived and, as a customer service tool, enables you to solve issues quickly before they get out of hand.  

2. Blogging

Loads of people blog so that should tell you its a valuable tool to use within your business.

Not only does it allow you to own more of the web, it also is a great way to add value to your customer relationships because you can offer them tips and advice that will make their lives easier. Plus it will help position you as an expert in your field which is always good.

But the trick is to ensure you write stuff your readers want to learn about. If you are a building firm and blog about holidays, you’re not going to be adding value. But if you wrote about important issues in your trade, design ideas etc., you would create a connection with your readers and inspire them to make the most of their homes.

Take this blog for example, as a freelance copywriter I not only write about copywriting but also general marketing issues, social media, brochure copy etc., which are all topics business owners find useful. Therefore not only do I get traffic to my website, the people that come also find the experience useful.  

3. Focus on benefits

Whenever you write about your products or services, always focus on your customer; why they will benefit from it. By writing for them you are showing that you understand what’s important to them and want to help them achieve that.

Showing that kind of connection will identify you as a company that cares about its customers and not just its profits. And let’s face it, you tend to buy from people you like and trust. So if you come across as arrogant people aren’t going to buy from you.

When marketing your business it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in it and lose sight of what’s really important – your customers.

Make sure they are at the forefront of everything you do because without them you don’t have a business.  

Interact with them, thank them and go out of your way to make sure they are happy. Use social media to your advantage.

If you’re an online marketer you need traffic – and a lot of it.

Why?

Because your traffic is your customers and more customers means more money.

How do you actually get more traffic though? And, once you’ve started to get it, how do you convince them to buy from you?

There are various things you can do to encourage more people to your website and make it more visible in the search engine rankings. And no, that doesn’t mean plastering it in bright colours with loads of flashing images.

Here are 4 ways to help boost your traffic. Remember though, gaining more traffic isn’t going to happen over night. It is something that’s going to require commitment on your part.

1. Keywords

This is hardly going to be a surprise as keywords are vital when it comes to online marketing.

You are the person who knows your business best and your market. As such, you should have a fair idea of what they are likely to be searching for when they need your products or services. So by using those keywords, you’ll attract more of your target market.

Of course that doesn’t mean stuffing them in your web copy left right and centre. You must incorporate them sensitively within your SEO website content, articles and blogs. Oh yes, keywords aren’t just for your web copy. Everything you write and publish on the web has the potential to drive traffic so make sure you optimise all your opportunities.

The main thing to remember is to ensure your choice of keywords is correct and relevant to what you do. After all, loads of traffic is all well and good but not very useful if they are not looking for what you offer.

2. Adding video

Have you noticed how many companies are now using video marketing?

More and more people are watching videos online so it makes sense to give them what they want by adding one to your website or setting up your own YouTube channel (which can be linked to your website).

What should your video be on?

Well, you can make short videos that showcase your products, act as interactive ‘how to’ guides, case studies and even video testimonials. The possibilities are endless.

3. Picture galleries

When you walk into a physical shop you have the advantage of being able to see what you’re going to buy, you can touch it and even try it out.

But online marketing doesn’t allow you to do that – well, other than see it.

No one likes to buy something without seeing it first so make sure your website offers high quality images of your products (coupled with detailed descriptions) so they know exactly what they’ll be getting.

4. Regular contact with customers

Keeping in touch with your customers will open up sales opportunities and allow you to add value by giving advice and tips.

Whether you do that through newsletters or email marketing it gives you the ability to maintain regular contact with your customers and prospective customers.

These 4 ideas are simple to instigate but very effective and can make a huge difference to your traffic.

Your website needs traffic if it’s going to be effective. If you’ve invested heavily in your online presence it makes sense to ensure people see it.

But it not only has to attract visitors, it also has to convert them into buying customers. You can read more about conversion here.

You’ve heard it time and time again that blogging will help your business’s online exposure.

You’ve probably got your blog set up ready to go but there’s a question lurking in the back of your mind…

How do I start blogging?

If you’ve got this far you’ve probably already answered the question “why do I want to blog?” Just in case you haven’t, you need to think about it carefully.

A blog is an online platform from which  you can give your opinion and offer tips and advice. It will add value to your customers and provide a rich source of back links for your website.

If your answer was “because everyone else is doing it”, forget it. Blogging takes stamina – it’s not something you can do every now and then. If you want it to be effective you have to blog regularly – and that means at least weekly.

To illustrate this point you may be interested in a post that I came across on socialmediaexaminer.com outlining The 5 Pillars of Business Blogging Success which shows that blogging is about far more than writing random posts and sending them out into cyberspace.

In essence you must:

1. Plan  - define your target audience and write for them using your chosen keywords. Decide why you’re blogging and what you want to achieve from it. 

2. Content -  write your posts in simple language (no jargon). Make them interesting and relevant to your audience and pay attention to your headings to make sure they’re eye-catching.

3. Design – looking at the bigger picture, the design of your blog should be attractive and make people want to hang around. Make sure it’s clean and uncluttered.

4. Marketing – if you want people to read your blog you have to tell them it’s there. Promote your post through social media and get an RSS feed showing the latest posts of your website.

5. Engage – write to your reader (use the second person). This makes it personal to them as though you are confiding in them.

There’s a lot to think about when blogging.

If you are going to be successful you have to be committed and be able to generate a constant stream of valuable information.

Not only will it benefit your customers by giving them advice and tips it will also help your SEO strategy by building links to your main website.

Have you had success blogging? If so leave a comment and share your experiences.

Website copywriting is just one of the services I offer my clients. Creating copy that is effective is essential if you want your website visitor to become a paying customer.

Generating copy that is interesting, relevant and that sells isn’t as easy as it sounds and there are a number of factors that you must consider when creating your website copy.

In fact, these factors are equally relevant when writing copy for all your marketing materials such as brochures, case studies, newsletters, emails etc.

Even though you are writing about your products and services, it is your reader who must be at the forefront of your mind. Ask yourself:

• Who am I writing this for?
• What do I want to achieve through this copy?
• Why do I need to write the copy?

That’s a lot to think about so the easiest way to explain how to write effective website copy is to look at it from a journalist’s point of view:

Website copywriting for your customers

W-W-W-W-W-H

No, I haven’t gone mad. Let me explain a bit further.

Who

Think about who your product or service is going to help. If you can answer that you know who  your target market is. When you know that, you can establish the tone and voice you will use to convey your message (i.e. conversational, formal etc.)

What

This might sound a bit daft but think about what you’re writing and what it will mean to your customers. This thought process will help you identify the main benefits of your product or service – essential to help them reach a buying decision.

Where

Asking you to think about where your customer can get your product or service probably sounds stupid but you’d be amazed at how many websites omit this vital piece of information. If you copy does convert them into buyers but you don’t tell them how to get their hands on your product you’ll lose them.

Why

This one is all to do with the benefits again. Rather than just list them, relate them back to your customers life to illustrate how your product or service will help them. Whether it’s saving time, money or making them more glamorous, tell them directly as you should never assume they’ll instantly see the bigger picture.

How

This is the nitty gritty of your product. Make sure you explain how it works, how much it costs, where they can buy it, what the guarantee is, what the postage costs are etc. Make everything crystal clear so they don’t have to go looking for answers.

By taking all of those areas into consideration your website copy should address all your customers needs and questions.

Other than that, make sure:

• You keep it simple using simple language and no jargon
• Use a clear call to action so your reader knows what you want them to do
• Never make exaggerated claims – be honest
• Any offers you use must appeal to your market and you can make them extra beneficial by limiting the offer to a time period or number of customers

Writing your copy with your customer in mind will help you focus on what is really important. Make sure that information is at the beginning of your copy to get them hooked straightaway. Other information, such as features, can go further down to reinforce their decision to buy.

Getting someone to find your website is one thing. Encouraging them to read your content while they are there is something entirely different.

If you market your business online you probably spend hours producing content that is designed to promote you and your business and build links.

To target your audience you would have done a mountain of research to come up with a list of topics for your blog posts, articles and website copy.

Once you’ve uploaded your fantastic value-laden information and hit publish…

…absolutely nothing happens.

No matter how often you check there are no tweets (not even a re-tweet), no comments, no nothing.

Your immediate reaction is probably “Argh! My writing must really suck.”

But don’t despair – your style of writing is probably fine. It is more likely that the structure of your articles and blogs is leaving your readers bemused.

When writing for the web the best thing you can do is forget everything your dear old English teacher taught you.

You need to spend less time writing and more time thinking about how you structure your work.

Writing online

When reading from the web people tend to scan read rather than read every word.That’s because they are searching for information and if they can’t find it quickly, they’ll move on to another website.

So if you want to keep them engaged you have to rethink your writing style.

1. Snappy

The length of your writing should be just long enough to cover what you want to say without waffling.

If you’re writing about a very complex issue it may be worth breaking it down into several posts. Not only will that make it much easier for your reader to follow, it will also encourage them to come again for your subsequent posts.

Plus start at the end – with your conclusion. That might sound odd by that way you are immediately giving your readers what they want. The all you have to do is provide supporting evidence point by point.

2. White space

If your text is in one long wall of text or several long paragraphs it won’t look very inviting.

Lighten it by increasing the amount of white space on your page. Break it down into small paragraphs (no more than 3 or 4 sentences each). Or you could go really mad and use a single sentence paragraph.

3. Sub headings

Inserting informative sub headings between your paragraphs will help your reader get the gist of your post while they are scanning the page.

4. Bullets

• Using bullet points creates interest
• Highlights important points
• Are instantly scan-able
• Draw the reader’s eye as they break up the rest of the text

5. Links

By all means link to your own website through your posts but don’t forget external information sources too. This will show your reader that your information is well considered (and it may also generate a link from your source too).

6. Bold

Use bold text to pick out important concepts within your post. These, coupled with the sub headings, should help your reader fully understand the topic you are covering and whether it will be of interest to them.

7. Numbers

Some people have said that the days of the numbered posts—such as “8 Top Tips to Improve Your Copywriting” are gone. But reader’s still love them.

8. Check and check again

Before publishing read through your work to make sure it makes sense, This will also check for rhythm, typos and other errors.

Writing informative posts is one thing but if you want people to read them they must be presented in a way that:

• Gets your concept over immediately
• Looks attractive and readable
• Gets to the point

As a website copywriter, I have been know to harp on about your website copy should address the needs of your reader.

What do I mean?

Basically, your content must focus on the benefits of your product/service to the reader rather than focusing on your company and its accomplishments.

That may sound easy but it isn’t. To create great copy that’s compelling, you have to distance yourself from your business which is why many companies opt for the services of a professional copywriter.

Writing for your reader is the way to go but that doesn’t mean you have to totally forget about yourself. You still need an outlet on your website where you can shout about you and what you’ve done. And that’s what your ‘About Us’ page is for.

Do people really read the About Us page?

Yes.

We all need to know who we are buying from - the face behind the business. We want to be reassured they are someone we can trust which is why the About Us page exists. So don’t blow it.

Meaningful

Make it meaningful which means don’t fill it with jargon and technical speak. You won’t impress your reader just because you know a few long words. If your content isn’t meaningful it won’t have an impact.

Be yourself

This is your opportunity to sell you as a person. Which means don’t use a stock photo on your About Us page, use one that shows you and your team – why hide?

Be real

Write in a friendly conversational style. Tell your reader why you started your business. The process you went through to develop it into the company it is today. Make it a human interest story – but make sure it is real. Don’t try and pull the wool over your readers’ eyes.

Don’t hide

If you want your contact details on this page make sure they’re accessible and include:

• A valid email address
• Telephone number
• Full postal address
• A map

Back it up

Include testimonials or sound bites from happy customers. But make sure you reference them – a testimonial without a name is worthless.

Your About Us page is very important. It’s not a main sales page but it shows your reader who you are and why they should do business with you.

Use it to show your human side and connect with them.

Are you a serial blogger?

You know, the type of person who churns out a post, forgets about it and then churns out the next.

The content you produce for your blog is very valuable so you must make the most of it. Unlike other forms of communication, a blog post won’t disappear or be used as tomorrow’s chip wrapper.

Once you’ve hit ‘publish’ it’s up to you to make the most of that content and keep it alive.

If you want a long shelf life on everything you post, follow these 6 simple steps.

1.  Follow up

The world is constantly changing so your original blog post may need updating at some point.

Rather than going back to it and adding new information, write a follow up post and link it back to your original one. This will help drive traffic to your existing content as well as add value to your reader by updating them on new ways of thinking.

2. Internal links

If possible, relate new posts to old ones by linking to them, especially if they are linked by subject or (as in the case of number 1) are providing extra/updated information.

3. Re-Tweet

Twitter and blogging go hand in hand. It’s a great way to promote your content to a wider audience and a way your readers can spread the word for you by re-tweeting it.

Plus, you can always breathe life into past posts by tweeting them from your archives, especially if their content is relevant to something happening in the news.

4. Repurpose content

As you’ve spent time creating the content in the first place, why not reuse it? Spinning it into an article will help get your name out there as an authority on your topic. Plus using keyword rich links back to your website will help your SEO strategy.

5. Optimise

SEO isn’t just for your web copy. By targeting specific keywords within your blog posts you can drive targeted traffic to your blog. Choose well and your blog post could remain a prominent fixture in the search engine results for a long time.

6. Newsletters

Companies that send out monthly newsletters often find it difficult to come up with content. Well, if you blog, why not use some of your posts as the basis for news and information?

All you have to do is use a snippet of the text and add a ‘read more’ link to take your reader to the original post. This is a great way to pass on valuable information and boost your blog’s readership.

Blogging generates great and valuable content so make the most of it.

Do you have any other ways of making the most of your blog posts? If so leave a comment and share your ideas with us.

Despite living in a virtual age there are still many businesses out there resisting the urge to have a website.

Some of the common arguments about not buying into virtual real estate are:

• It wouldn’t suit our customer base
• We get enough customers without having an expensive website
• I don’t understand all that computer stuff
• It’s too expensive
• I don’t want to sell online
• I don’t have time for one of those

The problem is just about everyone else is online, especially your customers. So when they search for a supplier they’ll be choosing from your competitors – you won’t even be in the picture.

To convince you it may be worth taking the plunge, here are 4 reasons why you should consider a website for your business:

1. 24/7

Do you really want to have to be physically there for your customers all the time?

Achieving the ultimate work/life balance is tough but when you own your own company it can be impossible.

Unlike you, a website doesn’t need to eat, drink or sleep and is open for business 24/7. Your customers can browse it whenever the urge takes them. By giving them all the information  they need they can research at their leisure. Plus if you offer a comprehensive FAQ section, you’ve practically got your own online customer service team.

2. Credibility

People research before buying. Your website and its content will help instantly build rapport and credibility with perspective customers. Talk to them directly through your copy and they will be more inclined to do business with you as they will already feel as though they ‘know’ you.

If you don’t feel confident enough to create your own website copy, hire a professional copywriter to write it for you. That investment will ensure your website contains copy that is powerful, search engine friendly and will convince your customers to get in touch and buy.

3. Money

As I mentioned before, a website is open 24/7 so you’re not restricting your trading times. People can shop with you in the middle of the night if they really wanted to. With over half of all UK consumers now regularly shopping online (Forrester UK Online Retail and Travel Forecast 2008-2014), if you don’t have a website you’ll be turning your back on a vast untapped marketplace.

4. Widen the net

Your website will widen your marketplace. You won’t have to rely on local customers and word of mouth anymore. With a website you can reach national and international markets. This could lead to business growth, diversification…the opportunities are endless.

Budgets are tight for everyone at the moment so if you can’t quite run to a full blown website try some of the alternatives. I’m thinking of websites such as BT Tradespace and myProspot. Both of these offer the opportunity of utilising their powerful platforms and extensive social marketing tools to market your business.

So as you can see, there really are no barriers to getting a website.