Blogging is a great marketing tool for your business. While you may all ready have a webpage in tact, a blog shows customers your voice Whether you add tips, information or use it to start a conversation with clients, it’s something that will make a difference in your business.

What’s unique about blogging is the ability for customers to leave comments and thoughts after your articles or tips. It can start a conversation, and can help you identify needs of clients. Maybe a customer will read an article, and ask a question you hadn’t thought of before. It’s a two way street, and communication is always good. Of course, if you’re only looking to offer information without commentary, it’s easy to turn comments off.

What’s special about blogs is that search engines love them. They are updated regularly, they’re fresh, and relevant content. That means you can rank higher in the search engines that by just using Search Engine Optimization techniques. The combination of the two will have you on the fast track to better search engine rankings.

Blogging is simple. With the right software the work is done for you. (I love WordPress) I can sign in, write a post and press publish, and in a few seconds, you can see what I’ve written. It’s simplified the publishing process. When you learn more about blogging, you’ll want to learn about plug-ins as well, as many can do extra work for you!

Once you’ve decided you’ll have a blog, the next step is deciding what you want that blog to be about. What kind of information do you want to share with your clients and customers. They are a great place to share reviews, comments, new product releases, as well as helpful hints.

Blogging is easy. Once you’re set up, you’ll be able to find your way around in no time. It’s like having a blank piece of paper. Get your words out there, and be heard. When you blog about your relevant topic, you can build credibility and become an authority in your field. People will value your information if it’s helpful. This is a great way to reach out to future customers.

Fresh sales copy has more personality than even your mother-in-law.

Did you know FRESH COPY is more appealing than morning breath?**

It’s true!

In fact 2 out of 3 dentists recommend** fresh copy over stale copy.

** This is a grossly exaggerated statement- I’ve not actually surveyed dentists, though I’ve thought about it. Using humor is a great way to get your future customers to “keep reading”.

Why do you need fresh copy?

Fresh copy does two things, it triggers an emotional response and a physical response. You want your readers to relate to what they’re reading and react. Are you looking for better conversion rates? Leads? Subscribers? Sales?

Without a connection or emotional response, your copy is laying flat like a cold, wet fish. Inject personality into your copy and watch it come to life.

Fresh copy is:

creative

provoking

persuasive

…and quite frankly coaxes your customers into taking action.

Is your sales page lacking drive? Are clients showing up at your site, only to leave without taking action?

Here’s a way you can measure your copy results:

- if you are getting traffic, but it’s not converting- it’s usually your copy
- if you’re not getting traffic, then it’s time to look elsewhere and focus on SEO or laser targeted advertising

What can fresh copy do for you?

Fresh copy can offer persuasive and compelling copy that grabs your reader’s attention and keeps it.

The longer you have their attention, the better chance you have to make that sale.

Are your sales dismal? Maybe it’s time you switch to fresh copy.

Still reading?

That’s the point! It works the same way with future customers. If you can capture their attention, you’re that much closer to a sale. Add that with the right call to action, and you’ll have a better bottom line.

I understand the need for a good ROI. I not only write but design websites, and market my sites. My experience in writing and marketing websites make for a double whammy. I understand not only the need for the “right words” that get people to buy, but also the need for search engine appeal.

A winning combination includes:

fresh copy

SEO

usability

along with a great image

Often, your customers aren’t even reading your full copy!

What?!!!

You spent all that money, and they aren’t reading it? Did you know that many people just scan your copy and skim your pages? How can you capture the skimmers? Well placed subheadings with impact can make a difference, and can turn skimmers into buyers.

It’s time to see the difference that genuine, well-crafted copy makes.

Fresh copy…grab em, keep em, and convert them into buyers!

One thing that you need to do is give a plan a chance to work. On the other hand, if you’ve been trying something for awhile, and it’s not working, stop what you are doing. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea in the first place. Go back and re examine what you had hoped to achieve and see if you can figure out why the plan isn’t working like you had thought it would.

You then have the option of continuing it as it is, changing a piece of it and trying again, or trying something new. Don’t get caught in a stagnant pattern, because you’re in love with the idea of a plan. If it’s not working, it’s not working; try something fresh! Sometimes things just peak and aren’t going to grow anymore…other times it’s a small change that can get things going again. Be honest with yourself about why it may or may not be working.

Change can be scary, but if you want to see continued growth, you have to be willing to change with the market.

Keep it simple when it comes to writing copy.

So many ideas get lost in too many words. Keep things short and sweet!

Always let people know how something will benefit them first, and then list the features that are available.

Lastly have a call to action.

What do you want the person to do after reading the copy? You want them to subscribe, make a purchase or follow through with something. Give them somewhere to go, and make it easy to find!

That’s it…clear, concise copy that shows people what your product or service will do for them, and give them a way to follow through!

What exactly do you do? Do you sell shoes, or do you sell women’s shoes? Do you sell electronics, or do you sell cameras? Maybe you focus on digital cameras, either way you’ve narrowed down your focus.

If you had to describe your business in one sentence to someone who had never heard of it, could you? Or would you have to ramble on to cover all the different things you do? If you can describe your business in one brief sentence, you have focus.

Focus is the spotlight of your business, and when it comes to marketing your business, knowing where and how to market it can all come down to your focus. If you sell baby clothing, you’re not going to spend your time marketing to the fishing crowd, even though they may be married with children of their own. You’re going to target people who are LOOKING for baby clothing. Looking is the keyword, because a lot of your marketing effort isn’t going out to reach people, but helping them find you! While we want to reach out to clients, we also want them looking for us. Make yourself visible, when somebody would search for you. If you were a new parent, where would you be searching for baby clothes?

If you were a client looking for travel information, where would you look? Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and you may find new avenues to be found in.

Not only should you know about your own business, but you should know about your competition. Who is your competition first off, and how far are they located from where you’ll be? Do you offer something different or unique, or have something that makes you stand apart? How do you compare?

Let’s say that there are 3 similar stores within a 10 mile radius of my house. If store A and store B offer the same product, and you don’t offer a difference in price, value or selection…why do I need a store C? It’s those things that make you stand apart that will gain you new clients. If a customer or client is happy where they are, they won’t feel the need to try the new business in town. How are you different? Why should they try your business instead of where they’ve been going?

How can you become more valuable to that potential client or customer? If you’re just a little bit farther, what will get them to come to you? If you’re new, why should they trust you over the loyalty they have to the other business?

These are all questions to ask yourself…what makes you stand apart? Would you choose going to your business over the other ones nearby?

I was looking for a new place to get my nails done, so I hit the search engines and popped in a few local places into Google. Do you know that out of the all the nail places I entered, only one had a website. The information was sadly lacking, but at least they had made an attempt. Most of the day spas I checked had web presence with a services menu, contact information, and specials.

What happened to the simple nail places? None of them had web presence. I didn’t know if they welcomed walk-ins, if they had good prices, or if they offered special services like reflexology. This is just one tiny example. Think about it…if I had gone and searched for them, others probably had too.

How many potential new customers are they losing because they lack a web presence?

Web sites aren’t just for big business. It’s crucial int his age of technology to have a presence. More and more people search online before buying a new product or trying out a service.

Is your advertising working for you? Did you know that sometimes just changing how you say something can bring you more customers? There have been studies, and people respond to logos with rounded corners more than triangle shapes. Certain colors can impact your business logo, and wording whether in the ad, or your catch phrase can make a difference in how people perceive you.

Let me give you an example of two ways of working something.

Get a free computer today with a purchase. Read details at store.

With a purchase, you can receive a free computer. Read details at store.

The first one puts the strength on “free computer”….the purchase is an after thought in the person’s mind.
The second one says, you have to spend money to buy something, and then maybe get a free computer after filling other possible obligations. They both say the same thing, but by playing with how something is worded, you can make a bigger impression.

How about something simple like this:

Complimentary dessert with dinner
Free dessert with dinner

Complimentary, gee- it’s a gift for me coming to their restaurant. How nice it comes with dinner…
Free dessert…that’s aimed at bargain hunters, ooh, I can save money on dessert and get it free…

Look at how you’re saying something and try saying it differently.

Are you giving people an action choice? Call now for details, buy now, limited time, act now, from 4-6pm only….

Let’s look at the prospect of selling products through your website. One of the first things you need to consider is that you want to present the product in the best light. Take the time to get good quality photographs of the product your selling. I don’t care if you’re selling a book, a car or a bird bath. If it doesn’t look good, people aren’t going to want it.

Remember that a website is like a store without the bricks and mortar. You want it to represent your business in a good light. Taking time to pay attention to details will make the difference in your conversion rate when it comes to making that sale.

Is it easy to pay for the item that you’re selling? Have you made a clear and easy way for the customer to choose a method of payment, go through the process and not be confused? Have you included information like shipping and handling, or expedited delivery services.

Once you make the sale, have you gotten permission to contact the client in the future. A client today, may once again be a client tomorrow.

One fast, hard rule when it comes to business: If a client is pleased, they will tell 3 people. If a client is displeased, then will tell 10. These days, with the internet, those 10 people can turn into 1,000 on a blog, just as easily as those 3 people can turn into 300. Make sure you not only meet, but exceed your customer’s expectations!

What if the customer wants to return the product? Have you clearly stated your terms of agreement? Is there an easy process, and do they receive credit or a full refund. These things must be clearly defined.

Lastly, remember to thank the customer for shopping with you!

You’ve finally taken the first step and created a website for your small business. The next thing you have to figure out is how is the website performing? When you learn to analyze these results, you’ll be able to see what’s working for you, and what could be improved. You’ll be able to see details like how long a visitor was on your site, what pages they were looking at, and what keywords they used to find you.

You should keep records, and work towards a goal. Let’s face it, if you had 1000 visitors to your small business website this week, your goal may be to have 1000 visitors each day. When you set goals, you’ll be able to measure where you started, and how far you’ve come.

What do you want your website to accomplish? Do you want to collect names of possible future clients by having them fill out their email or information, or do you want to sell a product or service from your website?

Getting people to your small business website is only the first step of the process. You want them to stay there, and then perform an action, whether that action is requesting more information, buying something, or sticking around to read more. Once you learn to analyze your website information, you’ll be able to measure not only how many people are visiting your website, but how many of those people are converting into sales or future customers.

When you learn to analyze your information, you’ll also be able to find out what is and isn’t working, what pages of your site are the most often visited, and you’ll be able to clearly define what the next step is to making your website more efficient.