Web.Search.Social: The Marketing Magazine For Smart Businesses
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Many business owners make the mistake of thinking of their marketing copy as a DIY project because they know more than anyone else about their business and they can type. There are dozens of reasons why this is a bad idea, but I’ll focus on six reasons why business owners should avoid donning the big red cape.
In honor of barbecue season, a season held sacred by this writer/grillmaster, let’s take a look at your marketing copy from a completely different perspective. Put away your red pen and grab your grilling fork and tongs. Metaphorically speaking, are you working with filet mignon or sausage?
I always advise business owners to go through every marketing piece and remove any copy that’s unnecessary, awkward or irrelevant to their core marketing message. Then, go back and cut even more. This forces you to really focus on what’s most important to your target audience and keep your message clear and concise.
Does your marketing focus on your business, your services and your qualifications? In other words, are you inadvertently using your marketing to brag? Do you fill in the blanks with meaningless advertising clichés like “highest quality”, “professional staff”, “conveniently located,” and “for all your (fill in the blank) needs”?
We’re living in the Age of the Keyboard. Faced with tiny touch screens, cruel character limits and a get-it-done-three-hours-ago mentality, we’ve thrown punctuation out the window, followed it with capitalization, and left spelling and grammar bleeding on the sidewalk below. Before you dash off that business proposal, email or postcard ad, brush up on some of the basics.
Composing a coherent email is not a lost art; it’s a never-found-in-the-first-place art. Email is less about language and more about expedience and it’s a great way to get yourself laughed at, sighed over or fired. Here are 5 easy ways to make yourself look like an idiot in writing.
A blog can be a great medium for some companies but that doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. Before you either jump into the fray or dismiss it out of hand you’ll need to assess your business needs. Think before you act and it’ll save you money in the long run.
Here’s a conundrum: how can you waste money on something you’re obviously saving money on by doing it yourself instead of hiring someone to do it for you? While you ponder that one, here’s another question: are you a copywriter? If not then why are you writing?
