Five Ways a Copywriter Can Give Your Business a Boost

I get it; running a company can be tough - and I’m a firm believer that the busier the business, the more the website needs finessing. Yep, really.

Rushed-off-their-feet company owners often contact me and say something along the lines of:

‘I wrote the content on my website myself years ago and it doesn’t at all reflect who we are or what we now do”

The thing is, when you’re so busy working in your business, it can be hard to find time to work on your business.

So, how can a copywriter help? Here are five things we content writers can tick off your to-do list…

Website Content

Website content is the obvious one, isn’t it? Whether you need your full website writing from scratch, or you’d simple like someone to make some tweaks to your existing content, I can help.

I also offer a convenient ‘Content Audit’ service, whereby I take a look at the text on your site and prepare a document with some hints, tips and minor edits.

I use the Comments function in Microsoft Word to leave you some helpful pointers, allowing you to tweak your own content and saving you the money it costs to have a copywriter like me write your website on your behalf. It also gives you an element of control over how your website sounds, which for many businesses is another plus point.

Get in touch if you think this will work for you.

Social Media Copy

Need someone to plan out your social media strategy in full, or post bitesize snippets of content onto your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds? A copywriter can help you do that too.

Taking another task off your plate, social media content outsourcing makes perfect sense for the time-poor business owner.

Printed Literature

No time to create that flyer ahead of a big business event? Or perhaps you’d like some content for a banner ad? Working alongside some trusted graphic designer pals, I can help create printed literature - from flyers and brochures to company merchandise - that works for you.

Email Newsletters

Email marketing may be another task that falls by the wayside when you’re as busy as you are. So, allow a freelance copywriter to relieve you of the burden of creating the content for your weekly email or monthly digital newsletter.

Press Releases

Want to promote your business to the press? I’ve worked in journalism and copywriting, which puts me in a great position to help you get your message across to local and regional news outlets. Chat to me about my press release writing service by clicking the link below.

Need a helping hand with any of the above? Get in touch with me, a Huddersfield copywriter, by saying hello here.

Until next time…

How to Write Content for Social Media

I’m not going to lie, I’m not a huge fan of writing content for social media. Although it’s a service I offer, social media management can be quite a niggly task, involving lots of regular content in bitesize chunks. It’s probably why a lot of people outsource it, to be fair.

If you don’t have the budget to task a professional to do it for you, though, here are my top tips on writing content for social media…

Engage With Your Audience

Do you know your audience? If not, it’s time to get to know them (not in a stalky way, you understand).

Keep an eye, though, on the comments and feedback from your customers, though - learn what makes them tick, as well as what doesn’t - and try to feed them content you know they will enjoy.

Take time to reply to the comments they leave on your social media pages, too; opening up a dialogue with your customers can help shape your content later down the line.

Keep it Simple

Don’t force content for the sake of it; if you don’t have anything relevant or interesting to say, don’t bother posting.

Your customers’ attention will be being pulled this way and that, so it’s important to keep their interest when they do land on your social media pages. Make your content short and snappy and use relevant imagery to ensure it stands out on their Facebook feed or Twitter timeline.

Collaborate with Similar Businesses

Without linking to direct competitors, it’s always a good idea to create something of a community of followers based on similar social media pages. Link to relevant content and ‘share the love’, as it were, for other creators. It isn’t necessarily about bringing more traffic to your site, but about bringing the right traffic to your site - and giving fellow businesses a pat on the back in the process.

So, for example, if you run a gardening business and you know your followers are also interested in all things interiors, why not team up with a home décor business to create a fun series of social media posts together? As a freelance Yorkshire copywriter, I’m not adverse to pairing up with other people in the same - or similar - arena; connections and collaborations can be key.

Try Something New

If what you’ve been doing so far just isn’t working, try something new - whether that’s asking customers for their opinion on key business decisions (which packaging design should you opt for, for example) or running a promotion or giveaway.

Has this blog post helped you with your social media strategy? Let this friendly Huddersfield copywriter know by commenting below. Or say hello!

Until next time…

A Day in the Life of a Copywriter

Well, this certainly feels very self-indulgent. It really does.

A whole post about meeeeeee and what I do for a living. Pah. Bear with me, though. There’s a reason I’m writing it - and it’s this: I get more than a few emails a week from would-be copywriters asking me how my day pans out and if I’d recommend writing for a living.

The answers? No two days are the same and: ‘YES, ABSOLUTELY’. Copywriting’s a very rewarding - if a bit challenging, sometimes - career.

I love it so much, in fact, that it doesn’t feel like a job and is more like a happy little hobby I happen to get paid to indulge in. Yes, really. For me, there’s nothing better than getting to the nitty gritty of a person (or their business) and ensuring my content does them and their work the justice they deserve.

If you love words and people, too, you’re bound to get as much joy as I do from writing words for people.

What exactly is copywriting then?

I get asked this a lot, too. Basically, ‘copy’ means ‘text’ or ‘content’ - so copywriting is essentially the writing of any kind of text.

Seriously, any kind of text you can think of.

Text for websites, brochures, e-newsletters, menus, signs for vans and cars, banner ads, Spotify adverts, radio adverts, press releases - and anything and everything in between. If it has a physical (or digital) surface, try me; I could probably write something on it.

Here’s what a copywriter isn’t:

1. Anything to do with the ‘copyright’ of products, brands or films. It’s a confusing one because, while it sounds the same, it’s spelled differently

2. Someone who ‘copies’ people’s work. Well, I can’t say the same for other copywriters, but all my ideas are legit my own. I know; I’m not as daft as I look.

So, how does a normal day pan out for we copywriters?

Again, I can’t speak for other copywriters. Some work from home (like me) and others craft their content in-house for a company or an agency. But for a self-employed copywriter like me, here’s how a normal day from home might go…

And while I started putting this blog post together weeks ago, I’m hoping now is as good a time as any to share it. What with the covid-19 pandemic, more of us are working from home, so my own productivity tips may well help you, too.

7am - My alarm goes off and I bound out of bed. I jest, because these days I’m not much of a morning person and my kind of bounding out of bed usually means reluctantly slipping out of the sheets, onto the bedroom floor and into the bathroom for a shower. It’s easy to think I’ll just hit ‘Snooze’ on my alarm for another hour when ‘you’re the boss of you’, but I imagine that’s a slippery slope to not doing enough work and letting down clients.

So, I try to make my day as ‘routine’ as it might be if I was heading into an actual office and not my makeshift one at home. A quick change, some breakfast (eggs usually, if you’re asking) and half an hour or so in front of the news on t’telly and I’m more or less ready to begin work.

8.30-9am - Some mornings are slower than others but I tend to sit at my desk - in my lovely little home office - no later than 9am. It’s when my clients will email or call (should any of them need anything) and I don’t like to leave anyone waiting too long for a response. I’ll usually pick a vinyl record or a Spotify playlist to play while I’m typing away - and once my laptop’s on and I’ve written a quick to-do list, I’ll crack on.

9am - My first job of the day tends to be to update a few of my clients’ social media accounts with fresh content their followers can enjoy. If I was a really organised copywriter, I’d have planned a month’s worth of content in advance (and sometimes I do), but thinking up a new update on the day itself means I can ensure it’s a bit more ‘topical’. Currently, I create social media content for the following companies: AAAtraq and Breton Shirt Company (as pictured below).

10am - Once I’ve uploaded or scheduled those small snippets of content, I’ll have another quick check of my inbox and my own social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram, to reply to any enquiries from new or existing clients.

Then I’ll get my teeth into any larger projects I’ve been working on. This varies from day-to-day; I can be working on anything from a full website rewrite to a proofreading job, or even script editing. My online portfolio gives you some indication of the kind of projects I take on - just click on the individual images to see my range of services.

Solid Writing Time

I work in blocks, allocating at least an hour at a time to any piece of work.

I tend not to exceed about two hours in one sitting. If you’re a copywriter too, you’ll know writing can be quite emotionally draining. If you’re not a copywriter, I often compare solid writing time to sitting behind the wheel of a car on a driving lesson or a test. That was a long time ago for me (and it took me six tests before I passed, so I know all too well how draining it is); that level of concentration can’t be sustained for more than a couple of hours at a time - and it’s the same for me when writing copy. Any more than a couple of hours in one sitting and I need at least half an hour or so to do something else entirely.

Once I feel like I’ve made some headway with the piece I’m working on, I’ll consult my list and see how I’m getting on. If I’m happy with the work I've completed so far, I’ll break off for some lunch. If not, I’ll sit a while longer and have another look at the work I’ve created. Sometimes I’ll completely delete it before starting again, but often, I’ll make a quick coffee and see if I can come back to it with a fresher pair of eyes and a more caffeinated head.

A Treat at the End of the Tunnel

I tend not to put more than a handful of items on any one list (usually three, to be honest). Try it, too - it means you’ll feel less overwhelmed.

Another of my top tips for working from home is this: promise yourself a short, five or 10-minute break at the end of each hour’s work. Whether it’s for making a cup of tea or sitting down to a slice of cake, it’ll make you work harder for that hour, knowing there’s a treat at the end of it. I call it a ‘treat at the end of the tunnel’, because, when I’ve been writing for a bit, I feel like you do when you come out of the dark cinema into the light. It’s an odd feeling, isn’t it: like you haven’t seen daylight for a bit.

I’d recommend you hold off checking your inbox during each hour of writing time, as well; falling down the ‘inbox-shaped rabbit hole’ means you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished less at the end of the day.

12pm-1pm (Lunch!)

While it doesn’t always happen, I try to give myself at least an hour’s respite from the glare of my laptop screen. I’d like to say I’m one of those people who heads outside for a spot of fresh air, but I tend to make myself a nice lunch and sit in front of the TV catching up a programme my husband refuses to watch. We have very different tastes when it comes to telly or films, so I use the time to indulge in something completely guilt-free. Sometimes - and while the weather’s warmer - I'll disappear into the garden with a book.

1pm

I allow myself a small slot of time to check my emails and respond to any queries or make a couple of quick calls to clients. Sometimes this takes 10 to 20 minutes, sometimes more. But once I’ve finished doing that, I get back to some more writing and try not to check my inbox..

1.30pm - 3.30pm

Now’s the time to get onto some more writing - and I make sure I knuckle down with minimal distractions. If, after half a day spent writing, I feel I have something worthy of showing a client, I’ll send them a first draft.

I always explain that the first draft is just that - and it’s an opportunity for them to take a good look over what I’ve written and decide if A) they like what they see, or B) they absolutely don’t. Either response is fine.

I tell my clients that, often, it doesn’t matter if they hate what I’ve put together at first, as sometimes finding out what you don’t like is all part of the process. It ensures my work more than meets their expectations in the end.

For example: a client might say, “I absolutely loved this paragraph”, but that paragraph just didn’t sound like me or my company.

It helps me craft copy that hits the nail on the head across every paragraph and every last word. Of course, it all starts with a kick-off call; determining a little more about my client’s business is key to good copy, but getting inside someone’s head is the really tricky part of my role. Sometimes I manage first time, sometimes it takes a bit more to-ing and fro-ing.

3.30pm - 5pm

A quick brew break and another quick check of my emails. I’ll then spend the remainder of the day updating clients regarding my progress on their work. In some cases, I’ll have a sample paragraph of content for new clients to view. In others, I’ll have spent some time researching their brand and that of their competitors.

It’s vital, though, that I get to know each client on a personal level, understanding their quirks and their motives for starting or progressing their business.

My days sometimes involve a spot of ‘traditional journalism’, which I’m always eager to partake in.

I spent five years at a local newspaper and I hugely miss my time there. It gave me the start I needed in writing and developed my passion for people and learning about their stories. I’d like to think that makes me better at my job: getting to the bottom of why my clients do what they do is important when crafting emotive, storytelling-esque piece for their websites.

Some Top Tips for Remote Working

Have you found yourself working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic? I’ve technically been social-distancing for six years (!); as a freelance copywriter, it’s pretty much my day-to-day life to see no one face-to-face.

This is how I cope…

Create a Cosy Workspace

I recently gave my home office a makeover; a lick of paint, a good tidy and some new prints for the walls was enough to breathe new life into the space and give me even more motivation to set up camp there, day in, day out.

Try doing the same, too. While you can’t necessarily bulk buy home trinkets during this social-distancing period, you could see how you could transform it using the storage solutions, prints and pictures you already have. Set about creating a plan for sprucing it up and I promise you’ll be ready and raring to work from home.

Minimise Distractions

Sometimes distractions are good (like when a relative rings you to say hello or the postie pops by with a nice piece of post). But more often than not, distractions will put you off your work for a while.

Try to mimimise the chance of doing the housework or reorganising your wardrobe (the temptation is strong when you work from home) by shutting the door on all those things and holing up in your home office.

Maintain a Routine

It’s easy to get out of a standard 9 to 5 routine when you work from home - and there’s no pressure to even work traditional office hours when you’re your own boss. But try to stick to some form of routine - even if it’s one you’ve created for yourself - and you'll discover that motivation comes much more easily.

Treat ‘Yo Self

I work best when I know there’s a break or a treat coming my way. I talked about this earlier in this piece, but it really does benefit productivity when you work towards a goal: i.e. a piece of cake. Tell yourself you’ll break off for a cuppa and a slice of sponge just as soon as you finish, say, 500 words - and you’ll be writing beautiful prose like the wind.

Don’t Feel Guilty

There’s enough to feel guilty about in life - but not playing by the 9 to 5 rules isn’t one of them. If you work for yourself and you fancy (or need!) a morning off (and you don’t have any looming project deadlines), do it. Similarly, if you just want to spend half an hour on the phone to a friend or relative; if your workload will allow you to do that, go for it. We spend a lot of our life working - and if self-employment gives you the opportunity to be flexible in your approach to the way you work, then why feel bad about that?!

I work a lot at weekends, which means I tend not to feel rubbishy about taking the odd morning off here and there. It’s that little thing called self-care, isn’t it? And sometimes we all have a day when we need some time to relax. Plus, I always find my work is all the better for it when I’m well-rested and ready to get back to it.

Did this blog post help? I hope it gave you some insight into how a copywriter like me plans their day - and why it might make a rewarding career for you, too.

I’m currently preparing some handy, paid-for resources for would-be copywriters - do let me know if you’d like to hear more.

Until next time…

Ditch Linked Postings and Make The Most of Social Media Scheduling

There is one thing I’m asking all of my clients this year, and it’s to please, please, please stop linking their social media accounts in order to create duplicate posts.

It sounds like a time-saver, and once-upon a time it was the perfect (and only) way to post on more than one platform at once. Back when social media wasn’t a major sales driver, all we needed to do was keep our profiles mildly active.

Now it’s a huge part of our marketing and sales strategies, it’s time to start looking at how we make ourselves look on each of our chosen social media platforms.

 Why You Shouldn’t Link Instagram To Twitter

A few years ago, Instagram was bought by Facebook. This severed any friendly links Twitter had with Instagram, stopping Instagram posts from being mirrored properly on their site.

You might have noticed that Instagram posts on Twitter show a truncated version of the original Instagram post, and a URL, rather than an image preview. That’s the way it is now, unfortunately, and it’s not changing any time soon.

This means that your customers and followers are being presented with half the picture (pun intended) and this isn’t how to create an engaging post. Instead, use the same picture and take the time to compose a Twitter post separately. This will ensure the right amount of characters are used, and your image will be shown in-Tweet in all its glory.

Why You Shouldn’t Link Twitter To Facebook

Tweets work on Twitter because everyone using the app understands the short, sharp way we communicate on there. Hashtags are used in a different way to search and build trending topics, but also as punchlines to jokes and as memes, and there are different ways of using gifs there too.

Essentially, Twitter is a different world, and should be treated as such. Linking Tweets to your Facebook page looks weird because the most-read and clicked Facebook posts are laden with pictures and have plenty more words to read and engage with. A single line with a URL looks ideal on Twitter. On Facebook it looks impersonal and robotic.

Luckily, Facebook pages don’t need to be updated as often as Twitter, so if you can only take the time to form a great Facebook post a few times a week, this is fine. It’s much, much better than auto-updating every week with content your customers see as surplus and impersonal.

How To Schedule Posts To Save Time

I manage my social media accounts, and the accounts of my clients, using a range of scheduling apps like Buffer and Hootsuite. By scheduling, I can set aside a couple of hours each week to compose posts and arrange them in a calendar for each business and social media platform.

Yes, you can copy and paste if you think the posts will be just as effective, and yes, you can re-use content over time as long as it remains as relevant as it was when you first posted it. The beauty of scheduling apps is
that you can see right there and then what you’ve planned to post over the coming weeks and months, and there are analytics built in to show you which posts have been successful.

On the whole, I find using scheduling apps saves me hours every week, and I no longer miss being able to mirror posts across platform

Finding it hard to keep on top of your social media calendar? Get in touch and let’s talk about how I can help you out.

Until next time…

“Sue, You’re Shouting At Tea” — How Yorkshire Tea Dealt With An Extreme Twitterstorm - and How You Can Too

As you might know, I’m a tea drinker. There’s nothing better than a proper Yorkshire brew. In fact the only thing I like more than a decent cup of tea in the morning is a decent cup of tea in the afternoon, along with a slice of cake.

As far as I know, tea is a wonderful, warm beverage devoid of moral standpoints or political leanings. So colour me a biscuity-shade of surprised when I opened Twitter this week to find hundreds of thousands of
angry tweets about and directed to the Yorkshire Tea account.

It’s all based on a photograph somebody else had taken of their product in the hands of a politician. As a brand that stands firmly to their “we don’t discuss politics, we are tea” code of conduct, it’s been hard
for them to combat claims that they support the individual who took the photo, or the party they represent.

Some Twitter users have reached out to tell Yorkshire Tea that they are handling this situation incorrectly, and that they are disappointed with their support/denial of support of the individual and/or their party.

As you can see, it’s all gotten very confusing and ridiculous very quickly, and as a social media community manager, I can only imagine how stressful it has been to take care of Yorkshire Tea’s accounts this week. Although this response really made me chuckle:

Over the years there have been a number of social media storms that have caught brands out. The truth is, no matter what your content is, you can never tell what’s going to cause the next big controversy. Sometimes it can be as out of your control as a current event giving your planned hashtag a different meaning, and sometimes — as in Yorkshire Tea’s case — it might not even be something you did at all.

In light of this, here are my top tips on keeping things calm when your notifications are blowing up

Take Some Time Before Responding

Fires thrive when there’s oxygen around. Think of your crisis as a fire, and your attention is the oxygen. Every new Tweet or response you create will feed that fire, and thanks to the rapid speed at which information travels on the internet, soon it will become out of your control.

Before you react with an apology or a defence, take some time to think about why your customers or followers are unhappy. Talk to your teammates and put together a considered response that follows your corporate
guidelines. Then, once you’ve sent it, mute responses for a little while, so that the only response available is your official line.
Be Honest and Accountable

If you’ve made a mistake, hold your hands up. If you’re sorry, apologise. If you’ve done something silly, admit it. Nobody is perfect, not even a social media manager. If you’ve made a mistake, don’t try to muddle through it with a brave face. You’ll only damage your own reputation and that of the brand you’re representing.

Double check your plans to rectify the situation with your brand manager or team leader, and compose a post that shows your humility and/or the reality of the situation. After all: you are just a brand on social media, being made visible by a human being. There are limits to what you can do. Sometimes people need to be reminded of that.

Take Care Of Yourself

Being the subject of thousands of replies-worth of abuse online, even with the protective mask of a brand, takes a lot out of a person. It can be extremely upsetting, and in my experience even just a couple of
disgruntled individuals who got the wrong end of the stick can rattle your confidence for a little while.

Take some time out. Get a brew (or a hot chocolate if you’re the Yorkshire Tea manager — sorry, that’s not funny!) and a fairy cake. Go for a walk. Speak to your managers about how it’s affected you and what you think you need to do next to boost your confidence again.

And always remember — this isn’t about you. You are doing your best.

Make a Crisis Plan

The best way to nip any social media crises in the bud is to have a watertight crisis plan ready to be put into action at the earliest signs of trouble.

Work with the whole team to devise strategies That’ll help diffuse any difficult situations, and put together some posts ready to amend and use should the need arise.

Make sure you build in some community manager internet safety information and self-care techniques within the plan too. Everyone who has to deal with abuse online needs to know that there are structures in place
to keep them safe.

I hope this has helped to show you how important planning
for the unpredictable bad side of social media is. If you have any more tips, please do share them in the comments! And remember:

Until next time…