WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS - Blog

No cost marketing - WRITING ARTICLES

Get into the habit of writing articles on your special topic for print publications and for online sources. Any time you write something for your own newsletter or blog, consider turning it into an article for targeted on-line article banks and blogs.

Re-purpose everything you write from now on. Cost to you - zero, and of course you could get paid in some cases.

Lear more about writing for business

Set aside scheduled time to market your business

I don't usually work on weekends, but today I'm having lots of ideas for blog posts. So I've decided to make the most of it and get all my ideas written down and stockpiled for future use! I'm a great believer in blocking your time so that you can work on related tasks in pre-assigned chunks of time.

For instance, my days for working with clients and running classes are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays I also set aside a couple of hours for concentrated writing projects. Fridays are my business building days where I work on new ideas and marketing plans for Women Mean Business.  I also devote time each week to my own continuing business development by learning new things and working with my own mentors.

Make sure you set aside ring-fenced time to work on your marketing. If you wait till the mood strikes you or you have "enough time" it may get pushed onto the back burner. Why not take out your 2010 diary and schedule a set time every week to work on marketing your business?

No cost ways to market your business - blogging

Times are still challenging for small businesses, but with this new series of suggestions, there's no reason to stop marketing. Even if you have no money in your marketing budget there are lots of things you could be doing for no cost that can keep your business profile and your morale high! I've included the "upgrade" version too for those of you with some budget availability.

Blogging

One of the most effective no-cost or low cost ways to market your business is with your own blog. There are free blogging platforms out there like Blogger and Wordpress. I use Typepad for all my blogging and even for my websites. Blogger is a good starting point but is not flexible enough for my requirements. Search engines love blogs so get blogging.

5 Great Reasons to Start a Blog:

1. Search engines love blogs
2. You’ll be creating valuable content on a regular basis
3. It’s the easiest and quickest way to create a website!
4. You’ll be seen as an expert in your field
5.  You can blog once and appear in several places

See my recent post on 5 Reasons to start a blog for your business  for more information.

(c) Shona Partridge www.womenmeanbusiness.co.uk

Marketing 101 - Tip # 15 Start Your Own Newsletter

You really can get new clients via your own newsletter. I've done it and so can you! Starting your own newsletter is one of the very best "keep in touch" marketing strategies out there. Some small business owners avoid making a start as they imagine it will be a great deal of work. OK - it does take a bit of work and dedication, but the rewards are well worth it.

Like I said in an earlier post  about blogging you'll be creating valuable content as well as keeping you and your business in front of prospective clients. Using a newsletter service like Constant Contact can cost as little as £10 a month. 

Sending out your newsletter less than once a month makes it too easy for subscribers to forget who you are! I made this mistake early on. So I recommend a monthly routine. See if you can come up with 12 topics for articles you could use in your newsletter in 2010.

Blogging for Business - 5 Reasons to Start One Today!

If you’re still resisting setting up a blog for your business, read this post and see if it changes your mind!

A blog is the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to get your business on line. Here are my top 5 reasons why you should set up your blog today, if you don’t already have one.

1. Search engines love blogs

If you’re not blogging, you’re missing out on one of the best ways to raise your search engine ranking. Forget complicated SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), simply write regularly with relevant content aimed at your target niche.

Search engines love fresh content and by blogging two to four times a week you’ll really help raise your Google ranking.

2. You’ll be creating valuable content on a regular basis

Writing a book may seem like an overwhelming task, but short blog posts a few times a week seems a lot more manageable. Some people really have blogged to create their book, which was later published.

Blogging regularly on targeted topics creates valuable content that you can then repurpose – in articles, your newsletter, e-books, Special Reports, guest blog posts and even audio recordings and information products. Once you start blogging regularly you’ll be “primed” to come up with ideas for content.

3. It’s the easiest and quickest way to create a website!

You can get your blog up and running in an afternoon. In fact using a blog platform you can create your whole website in as little as a week. If I can do it, so can you! I use Typepad as the platform for my blog and my website. You can also set up a free blog on Blogger.com or on Wordpress if you’re more technically minded.

4. You’ll be seen as an expert in your field

If you’re still resisting blogging for your business, think about this – your competition may be establishing a strong presence on line with a website and a blog they write on regularly. Do you want to be left behind?

Blogging can be very low cost, or even free, but it can set you apart as a leader in your field if you do it the right way and consistently. A great blog can really help your business. If you’re sharing useful information and tips via your blog, you can create a connection with your potential clients. You could even get new clients as a direct result of what you’ve written on your blog.

5.  You can blog once and appear in several places

Did you know that your blog content can be automatically linked to post to Facebook, Twitter and Linked in? So you write the post only once yet you can appear in at least four different places as a result! Great for visibility and Search Engine rankings.

(c) Shona Partridge, Women Mean Business
 

Get Blogging for More Business

If you've been wondering whether or not to start a blog for your business, you'll want to read this month's Women Mean Business "SUCCESS STRATEGIES" newsletter.

The main article will be "Blogging for Business - It Really Works!"

The newsletter will now be going out on Tuesday so there's still time to sign up to get your own copy delivered straight to your in-box. Plus you'll get other business building bonuses too.

Business writing - top tips for your website or brochure copy!

This article lists 16 top copy writing tips and also includes a system you can use to get unstuck with a new piece of writing.

• Write in short words, in short sentences in short paragraphs! I was taught this when I was training as a journalist and it is especially important for websites where people will be skim reading.
• On your website, consider putting the first line of text in each paragraph in bold – this makes it really easy for the skim readers to grasp your most important ideas.
• Write as if you are speaking to just one person. Imagine your ideal target client or your ideal current client and address your ideas as if to that one person.
• Make sure that your copy is mainly about your target audience and what they are looking for. Too many websites are all about the website owner and not enough about the prospective clients and their wants and issues.  Most people are tuned in to radio WIIFM – "What's in it for me?"
• Remember to talk about benefits and results rather than processes and features. For instance – what results and changes can clients expect if they work with you?
• Don't use jargon. Use simple direct language and keep the use of acronyms to a minimum. Acronyms like RSPB, NHS, etc should always be written out in full the first time you use them.
• Have a "call to action". What do you want the reader to do as a result of reading your copy? Do you want them to sign up for your news letter, buy a product or enroll in a course? You'd be surprised how many people forget this vital element.
• Always, always get your copy double proofed by at least one other person who has not been involved in producing the content. We see what we expect to see, especially if we are checking copy we have written ourselves. If you don't spot typos and other errors, it can lead to embarrassing mistakes and expensive reprints.
• If you find writing lively copy challenging, try getting a friend to record an interview with you and transcribe the best bits. Some people become overly formal as soon as they approach written, rather than spoken communication.
• If you really want your copy to count and make an impact, do your market research. What does your target market want? Do a short survey and ask them directly.
• Don't be invisible or anonymous on your website. Have a background piece on you plus a good photo. Present the human face of your business. But remember to make your website home page about the potential client or customer.
• Don't wait until you think everything is finished and perfect to publish your website. Remember you can always make changes and add new pages as you go.
• Use case studies and client testimonials in your brochure or website. Third party endorsements can be very powerful. Ideally, get agreement to use the full name and even website for your testimonials.
• Think about why someone would do business with you. What makes you and your service unique or special?
• Make a collection of websites and brochures that you like – and ones that you don't! Analyse the elements that work. What do you think makes them successful. Emulate the elements you like in your own copy, but don't plagiarise their copy.
• Remember too that a picture is worth 1,000 words. It is much easier today to add images and colour to your web pages, yet there are still some mighty drab websites out there.

Finally, here's a system you can use to get started:

• Do a brain dump – just write down every idea that comes to you and don't edit or criticise at this stage.
• Use post-its, 5x4 cards or lists of headings to capture your ideas your ideas. Or try mind mapping.
• Order your ideas into relevant sections. If you feel stuck for an introduction, jump in anywhere. Cutting and pasting later will help you.
• Write a complete first draft.
• Let it sit for a few days.
• Revisit and make any changes/additions.
• Get an objective, informed opinion from a few people that you trust.
• Get it proof read and edited – if not by a professional, then by someone unfamiliar with the text.
• Finalise it and let it go out into the world! You can always change the website page or change the copy in your next print run.

More about writing for your business

 (c) Shona Partridge 2008-2009

 

Keep an ideas notebook

As entrepreneurs and small business owners we often have more ideas than we can currently implement. Sometimes we get so creative and spark so many ideas that it can be downright distracting! I've heard this described as "bright shiny object syndrome". It can mean that we don't take serious action on one project before we're off chasing the next exciting idea.

What I have found incredibly useful is to keep an ideas notebook. You may prefer to open a file on your computer.  Another alternative is to always carry a digital recorder. As long as you have somewhere to capture these potentially million dollar ideas before they evaporate! I also recommend carrying a notebook and pen with you everywhere you go. A brilliant idea may strike you while you're out running or grocery shopping. There's no guarantee you'll remember the idea by the time you get home.

Also, keep a notebook and pen (or your digital recorder) by your bedside. I've had to get up in the middle of the night and rush into my office to capture ideas before now, so now I always make sure my trusty notebook is to hand. Thoughts that may seem clear immediately after waking in the night have a disturbing habit of evaporating by morning.

Write everything down, no matter how "out of the box" the idea may seem to you. It might not make sense to you now, but in a month or two it could be just the idea you need for a new venture. This is one of the great things about capturing your ideas in writing. If you date your entries you can look back and see patterns developing. You can see things at a glance but on a recording you have to listen to each item to get the overview.

When the ideas are safely captured in your notebook they stop taking up space in your brain and there's room for new fabulous ideas as there's less "interference". You've written things down so your subconscious doesn't have to keep trying to remember things.

I can practically guarantee that you'll end up with more ideas than you can possibly use in one lifetime! That's half the fun of being an entrepreneur! But with your trusty ideas notebook you'll be in a position to review all your ideas and start to prioritize the best ones.

(c) Shona Partridge, Women Mean Business 2009

www.womenmeanbusiness.co.uk

Back to blogging

I've been enjoying some time off including last week's Bank Holiday and my eighth Wedding Anniversary. I can't believe I've been married that long - just a wee bit longer than I've been running my own business.

Now I'm ready to get back into some serious work and some more writing, so the blog posts will be ramped up again. Writing has become even more important to my business this year. I'm lucky, I love to write and I've even taught creative writing. I believe writing is one of the most effective and cheapest ways to boost your business.  If you'd like to learn more about how writing can help your business click on this link.

Email etiquette - beware of the pitfalls!

Over the past few days I have been shocked at how many of my contacts have sent out round robin emails displaying the email address of everyone on their list! This is a complete NO NO! If you want to keep people on your list and be taken seriously as someone who respects others' privacy, you simply cannot send out emails this way.  Sorry if I'm doing the equivalent of shouting in this post, but it really is that important. It is a breach of privacy at the very least. And don't forget data protection regulations. If you've been doing this don't worry - I've seen large public institutions doing it!

All you need to do to avoid this, is to use the BCC feature in your email field. Instead of CCing everyone on your list when you want to send out a round robin - just choose the BCC field instead. I mean how hard is that? Of coures if no-one tells you how to do this, how would you know? However, if you want to keep people on your list, make sure you use the BCC field. All this means is that everyone still gets the message, but they don't get everyone else's email contact details. Phew! OK - lecture over!