This is the trick of any good writer - making words look simple.
The truth is writing isn't simple by any means, but the selection of words, their arrangement and their meaning should all flow together for smooth and easy reading. If you manage to get your clients to read, understand and be persuaded by your content without having to go over previous paragraphs, you've done your job. And if this all seems too difficult for you (as it is for most people), then make the most of content production companies like us! We can create any web, social media or print literature you need to help your clients read exactly what you want to tell them. Contact Natasha Al-Atassi Copywriting Services by emailing [email protected] or by clicking here.
0 Comments
What does January mean to you? Detox diets, booze-free Fridays and penny pinching? Cold nights (and days), grey skies and wishing spring to arrive? Well, for me and every other freelancer out there, it means all these things and more, because January is famously known as the month of the freelance famine. What is the freelance famine? I started Natasha Al-Atassi Copywriting Services properly in January 2015, so I naively thought the quiet month was simply the result of getting the company up and running and trying to a make a name for myself. What I didn’t realise was that the silence I experienced last year would, most likely, repeat itself year-in-year-out. And I’m not alone – after a quick search online, I found hundreds of freelancers united over their complaints about January, dry for them in so many ways. It seems this month is simply a slow-go for all freelancers, whether you’re a copywriter like me, a musician, a videographer, a beautician or whatever. If there’s anything more depressing than the end of Christmas, it’s knowing the famine is on its way as well. Why is January so slow? It turns out there are many reasons why January is so slow, which is why it shouldn’t really have come as a surprise when the emails stopped rolling in. - Tax deadline The first is it’s tax deadline month. The loom of January 31st hangs over bigger businesses just as much as it does freelancers, and companies try to conserve their spending to pay for their large annual tax bill at the end of the month. That means anything unnecessary is ditched – and this includes us freelancers, at least until after tax day. - Post-Christmas saving Everyone overspends in December, whether it’s because of too many nights out and costly presents, or you’re a big business that purged a fortune on expensive Christmas parties and prize-giving ceremonies. Come January, therefore, everyone is tightening their belts, and this has a knock-on effect for you and me. If your clients’ customers aren’t spending, your client won’t have the money coming in and, subsequently, they can’t afford to pay freelancers. This is all part of the financial food chain, and how much consumers are spending at any given time directly impacts how much work you will receive. While spending drops, so will your work. - No-one holidays in January Do you find yourself getting busier at popular holiday times, such as during the summer or over Christmas? Well, there’s a reason for this. It’s because companies have fewer staff during these periods and that’s why they outsource copywriting freelancers. However, unless you’re Simon Cowell who needs a month-long break in the Bahamas after The X Factor has finished, you’ll probably find most people stay at home during January, fighting the rubbish weather and post-Christmas diet without a hint of sunshine or a rum cocktail in sight. And because of this, businesses don’t need to outsource their content as all their staff are in the office. There’s not much you can do about this except wait it out and hope ski season and the half-term holiday give your famine a much-needed break.
Although, next year I think I’ll go on holiday.
This is a great quote I've found ,and so very true. A lot of time in my line of work, I have to explain the value of copywriting and how successful it is in pulling in readers, attracting web traffic, boosting SEO performance, increasing social media coverage and creating awareness for brands.
But I can sometimes see the words I say flutter gently over people's heads, as though I am literally talking gobble-di-gook. Whatever people might think about the growing influence of technology, social media, and the internet on businesses (whether you're a modern thinker or stuck in your ways), there's no denying that as writing goes there is no more profitable industry. Except ransom notes, of course. I've never really struggled with writer's block, as I know I'm up against tight deadlines and clients expect me to produce well-written content even when I'm not feeling my most creative.
But what Jodi Picoult said is true - you can always edit bad copy, but you can't edit nothing. The same goes for businesses who want to use my editing services. Don't worry about how rough your draft is or how bad you think it reads - I can transform your copy into effective, result-producing, interesting content as long as I have something to work with. So get scribbling! When it comes to selling online marketing support, clients typically want to know what sales conversions you can offer them before they sign up to your services. One of the hardest things to explain though is the fact you can't give them a figure of how many extra people will visit their website or buy their products. What you can do is increase awareness of their brand - through viral social media campaigns, great blogs, improved SEO, higher website clicks, longer webpage visits and the internet equivalent of 'word of mouth'. In the end, these result in an increase in sales, but clients have to play the long game to see results. It isn't instant. That's why I think this quote sums it up well. In order to achieve success, you have to improve your brand awareness first through social media marketing, a solid website, and blogs that highlight your knowledge and expertise. After all, if people haven't heard of you, they won't buy from you either. Your jeans are too tight, you’re still finding pine needles everywhere, and the chocolates have been locked away for a few weeks (or hours, if your willpower is anything like mine). It can only mean one thing – it’s the new year. And if you have a business, this is the perfect time to start implementing some exciting new content marketing campaigns, so your 2016 is as profitable and successful as possible. That’s why I’ve come up with some great new year’s resolutions you have to keep this year to boost your content strategy. 1) Don’t neglect your blog It can be easy to get distracted with other more obviously pressing tasks, but it’s important for companies to not neglect their blogs. While they might appear to simply be a way for readers to find out a little more about the firm, they are fantastic at boosting your profile, awareness and web traffic. Here are just a few things blogs are great at doing:
You never know which blog post is going to be the ‘hit of the year’ so put as much effort as possible into each one, and don’t let missing a few entries become a bad habit. 2) Don’t forget to promote Set aside enough time to promote your blog posts and help them gain interest. There’s no point writing a fantastic piece, putting a token message about it on Facebook and then forgetting its existence. Getting a few likes might seem good at first, but not if the post is worth hundreds or thousands of shares. Spend time plugging it on social media, adding the right share and like buttons to your blog page, and creating content that is so engaging it will entice readers to spread it around online. 3) Only write what you’d want to read It can be easy to fall into the trap of writing content that simply hits all your keyword targets. However, if you or anyone you know wouldn’t realistically find it thought-provoking, funny or informative to read, why expect potential customers to do so?
4) Don’t be a victim of false headlines Obviously, you want to attract attention to your stories, but don’t use click-bait headlines to do so. As soon as someone clicks on your headline to read the piece and realises the rest of the content has very little to do with the attractive header, they’ll stop reading and leave the site. What’s more, they’ll probably never return, distrusting the way you promote yourself. The answer is simple – create great content that creates great headlines. And you’ll see the visitors come. 5) Have a plan and stick with it The most important resolution to keep this year is to have an editorial calendar and stick to it. Having a plan of what content you should push and when will definitely help you target audiences at the right time – whether in the lead up to Mother’s Day, during mid-season sales or when everyone’s going on a diet and getting fit (hint hint, that’s now). Create great content that creates great headlines. Having a plan is a great way of really targeting your audience and giving them what they want and need.
Be warned though, editorial calendars often have a way of getting neglected by springtime, so make an effort to stick with them. If you do, you’ll be reaping the rewards by the time next January rolls round! And if you failed to commit to your 2015 New Year’s Resolutions (you know who you are), take a look at them again for some great tips on how to improve the success of your content marketing campaigns this year. For extra help with your content strategy, give us a bell by contacting us here. Natasha Al-Atassi Copywriting Services can provide a huge variety of content for your website, from blogs and landing pages to newsletters. |
T: 07774002599
Natasha Al-AtassiRead my thoughts and ideas on the latest search engine updates and copywriting trends that could improve your business marketing plans. Archives
October 2018
Categories
All
|