"Why is no one reading my email newsletter?"

Seriously, though…why is no one reading my email newsletter?!

I don’t mean mine. I mean yours.

The above is a question I get asked a lot as a copywriter.

If you’ve built up a healthy mailing list, but the people on it don’t seem to be engaging with the stuff you send them, you may as well not bother. You’re just wasting your time - and theirs.

I know that’s a bit blunt, but I’ve learned the hard way.

I write marketing copy day in, day out - but I struggle to write my own newsletter. Maybe it’s because I’m ‘too close’ to it; maybe it’s because my mailing list is made up of a ‘hard-to-market to in a single email’ mix of clients, would-be copywriters, and friends and family.

I don’t always have time to write multiple versions of my monthly (or often bi-monthly, if I’m really busy) email, so I don’t - and I try (and fail) to hit the mark with content that makes everyone on that list sit up and take notice. Let’s face it, my Mum and Dad LOVE my email - whatever’s in it. I wouldn’t expect anything less.

My friends tell me they like it, because that’s what friends do. My clients might find some value in it from time to time, too - because it features a handful of hints and tips (and for free) on improving your website, or heck…even improving your email newsletter.

And would-be copywriters, they may enjoy it for the fact that it sometimes features a snapshot of my day-to-day life* as a copywriter - and who wouldn’t want to know that if they were also considering entering the industry?

Hint: it often involves a slice of cake or three.

So, why is no one reading your email newsletter? Here’s what I’ve learned…after much trial and error, because, yes, I write content for a living, but long copy - for websites, blogs and such like - is my forte. Snappy, clickbait-esque, subject line-driven content isn’t. Well, not always.

But the following will help you no end:

• Segment your audience - In Layman’s terms, this means splitting up your mailing list by ‘type’ of subscriber - in my case, friends and family might go in one; clients in another; and would-be copywriters in a third. Once you’ve segmented your audience, you can create content that’s perfectly targeted to them, thus creating a higher level of engagement. What that means to you is comments, shares, maybe people parting with their cash for your product or service. Have a look at the analytics section in your email newsletter platform of choice for some insights. If you haven’t yet started sending e-newsletters to your customers, I recommend Mailchimp - as it’s easy to use and free, too, providing your mailing list isn’t too massive.

• Add Value - Once you’ve segmented your audience, ‘give the people what they want’. No one wants to hear about you - and how you’re ‘so proud of the awards you’ve won’, etc, etc. They want to know why the fact you’ve bagged that award will benefit them. Instead of saying: ‘we’re raising a glass to our latest trophy’ - why not say: ‘You - our loyal customers - have helped us continue to do what we do. As a result, we’ve won this trophy, so we’d like to thank you by giving you 10% off your next spend with us.’ You know…that kind of thing. People don’t always want deals, though, they just want to know what’s in it for them.

• Track, Track, Track - Don’t just blindly send out your e-newsletter without giving its level of engagement a second thought. Once it’s out there, monitor its response via that analytics section - see what customers clicked on and which parts people didn’t like so much. If you include clickable links - to your site and elsewhere - in your email, you’ll have an idea which bit(s) of your content attracted the most people. If something worked, ask yourself why. If something didn’t, don’t dwell - move on from it; learn from your mistakes. e-marketing’s a marathon not a sprint. So grab your running shoes and slather your feet in talc.*

  *Nah, don’t do that. It won’t help a jot where content is concerned.

  But do try things - and if it doesn’t work, take it on the chin. Once you’ve hit on the magical email marketing formula - i.e. the content that gets people clicking on your content like it’s that proverbial hot cake - you’ll have a better understanding of your customers and your company.

  Want a freelance Yorkshire copywriter to write your email newsletter? Say hello via my site.

  Until next time…

10 Tasks You Can Do Now to Improve Your Website’s SEO

Googling your business name again? Don’t worry, we all do it. There’s something strangely addictive about checking your Google ranking, after all. We hope for the best but even if it’s not as good as we'd imagine, there’s still some grim satisfaction to be gained, because we know that with a little elbow grease, we’ll start to see our site rise up the ranks.

The hard part is knowing exactly which tasks will help you improve your website’s position. There are plenty of background tweaks and content checks you could work on, but without a solid idea of what you need, you may be concentrating valuable resources on areas of your website that won’t actually make that much of a difference to your Google ranking.

That’s why I’ve put together 10 tasks you can get on with straight away to improve your website’s SEO, with no gimmicks or shortcuts included. Read on...

1.Fill in adequate meta descriptions

We all know how important meta descriptions are, but when it comes to filling in all those metadata forms in the back-end, it takes a very disciplined person to complete them perfectly every single time.

If you have a lot of products on your site, or a lot of separate pages, you might need to put together a task team to get this done in a timely manner. It’ll all be worth it when you see your domain authority creeping up.

2. Buff-up your security

Google loves safety. So much so that sites with good security measures in place for their visitors get brownie points when it comes to Google rankings.

The first thing to check if your rankings have suddenly slumped is your security certificate. It’s easy to forget to renew it but it can have big implications for your website’s reputation online. Incorporates a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a huge step towards completely securing your site against security breaches. Ask your IT team to create a security plan and implement their suggestions as quickly as possible.

3. Include more pictures - and optimise them!

People find information much easier to digest when pictures are used to break it up. Google recognises this and naturally favours sites with useful, relevant imagery with all the correct metadata filled in.

Good, original photography of your company and the work or products you create is the best possible source for these images. If you’re not in a position to take new photos currently, try looking at free-to-use stock imagery websites like Pixabay for some temporary placeholders. However, be warned: irrelevant, cheesy stock imagery is not a good look for any business.

4. Put a blogging schedule together - and use it

Regularly updated, useful content is always favoured by your customers and that means Google loves it too. Blogging is still the number one way to keep that content lemony fresh, and the beauty of a blog post is, it can be about anything. So, if you’re looking to tell people about a new service you offer, do it here. If you’ve just taken on new team members, a blog post is a great way to shout about it.

Word of caution though - always make sure you slip in one outward-bound link and two inward-bound links in each post. It really helps with your credibility.

5. Be mobile-efficient

Is your website mobile-friendly? Is it actually mobile-friendly?

Here’s how to test it. Send the homepage url to everyone in your office and ask them to open it on their phones. By the natural order of things, there will be a range of different models and ages of smartphones in use throughout your team, giving you an accurate representation of what your website looks like to almost any phone user.

Now the hard part: which bits of your site look weird? Which don’t function? Note it all down in an audit document and send it through to your developers so they can fix what’s broken and send your ranking back up the charts.

6. Make it snappy

If visitors to your website are having to wait for ages for your pages to load, they aren’t going to stick around. Google penalises websites with long loading times because it makes them look bad for recommending them - so make sure your pages load fast!

There are a number of ways you can do this. Look into reducing the size of images on your pages, you could ask your developers to reduce the code size on certain pages, or if you use Wordpress, you could look into plugins that help slim down your load times.

7. Consider your keywords

When was the last time you gave a thought to your company’s researched keywords? If your customers are searching for terms that will lead them directly into your lap, use those keywords liberally, and in useful places.

Headings and subheadings are your best options, but including keywords within block text is another great way to show google that your content is relevant.

8. Make sure it's easy to read

Nobody likes a showoff, especially when it comes to web content. Google loves it when you get straight to the point, and likes it even more when you write in clear, concise sentences.

Instead of writing out a long paragraph about your company on the “about” page, why not chop that content into short, snappy paragraphs with purpose? If you’re writing about a complicated process or service, consider bullet points to help readers take in the information. It really will make a world of difference.

9. Get some authority

If you’re looking to stand out, it might do you some good to align yourself with well-known brands within your field. Some businesses offer guest blog posts to company websites who are more internationally renowned than themselves in order to get some much-needed kudos. Others find it beneficial to link with their local Chambers of Commerce and other local networking groups, with reciprocal hyperlinked badges on their homepages to make sure the world knows they work as a team.

10. Revise/Remake

Scan through your old blog posts from more than 12 months ago. There’s some great stuff on there, isn’t there?

Look, nobody says that your relevant, fresh content has to be totally new every time. Even the best companies revise their content. It’s necessary, especially when you work in a sector or industry where things don’t really get shaken up very often.

You’ll find that some of your best blog posts, or some of the posts that had the most hits, can actually be separated out into two or three different new blog posts. Read through the content and see how you could update it, using new findings, statistics or projects you’ve worked on. Voila - great new posts that your customers will really find useful.

If you would love to give your website the SEO content overhaul it deserves but you just haven't got the resources or time to spend, why not contact me for a chat? Let's talk about how we can work together to get your website climbin' back up those all important search engine ranks.

Until next time...