Whether you’re a small business owner, marketing executive or business professional, you know the importance of copywriting. Effective copywriting plays a critical role in your content marketing strategy by drawing people into the brand, perpetuating an image and connecting with customers. 

However, hiring full-time copywriters or outsourcing the work to freelancers can get pricey, and copywriting often takes a backseat in priorities when compared to producing products or improving services. Fortunately, there is a way to make copywriting a priority and save money at the same time—boost your own expertise. Here are sure-fire ways to improve your copywriting skills.

1. Do your research.

The first step in writing better copy is one you’re already doing: researching. There are plenty of books, articles and podcasts out there that explain how to be a better writer, complete with practice assignments, topic ideas and more. If you genuinely want to improve your copywriting, then you must do the background work by researching beforehand. Look online for various resources to get started, then ask other team members to check your writing afterwards to see how you improve.

2. Hook the reader.

If you ever took a writing course in school, you may remember the teacher telling you to “hook the reader” with the introductory paragraph. Copywriting is no different. In today’s fast-moving world, people do judge a book by its cover, which means your copywriting needs to have an eye-catching headline every single time. And if the headline is the most important component, then your introduction follows shortly after. Here’s a good rule of thumb: establish your headline by promising the reader what they will gain from the article, then introduce the reader by delivering on the promise.

3. Keep it simple.

Like we mentioned: today’s world is fast-moving. This means your articles should be short, sweet and to the point to catch and maintain readers’ attention. Even the most interested readers will skim, scan and skip throughout your writing. This means use shorter sentences with powerful words, break the copy up into smaller paragraphs and cut words where you don’t need them. State the point, support the point and wrap it up. It’s not that your readers are unintelligent or even uninterested; they are simply overwhelmed with information, so your marketing copy is not a priority. By keeping it simple, they tune in easier.

4. Talk about them.

Too often, companies and individuals make the mistake of talking about their business, their products and their services. While this is all fine and dandy, more often than not, customers simply don’t care. They want to know what your business can do for them. When copywriting, use language that focuses on the customer, such as the second person. Change your emphasis to second person references like “you” and yours,” and discuss the beneficial effects your products can bring for customers, rather than the products themselves. When customers read your writing about them, they will pay better attention.

5. Utilize CTAs.

Ultimately, copywriting is useless unless you ask the customer to do something at the end of it. And writing won’t help sell unless you call the reader to action. Incorporate CTAs whenever applicable throughout the copy, and don’t be afraid to be assertive. For instance, an assertive person has a strong handshake, looks you in the eye and speaks directly. They are bold, confident and clear. Use this same style of CTAs in your copywriting. Once you explain the point, wrap up with what you want the customer to do with the information.

Copywriting is critical to successful content marketing, but just because you can’t afford a copywriter doesn’t mean you have to push it to the back burner. Consider these tips as you explore the world of copywriting to see how you can improve your skills and grow the business.

The post Sure-Fire Ways to Improve Your Copywriting Skills appeared first on Boyds Direct.

Ask any small business owner and they will tell you: a newsletter plays a critical role in an effective marketing strategy. Newsletters provide a fast, cost-effective way to connect with customers about the business, products and services provided. They’re the greatest public relations tool businesses can use to bring attention to themselves, whether you’re connecting with potential clients, past clients or consistent clients.

However, writing an effective newsletter for your small business can seem like a daunting and overwhelming task. Where should you start? Fortunately, there are some tips out there to help you write a powerful newsletter in order to connect with customers, promote the brand and grow the business. Here’s how to write a small business newsletter.

1. Decide on a medium.

Deciding on a medium for your newsletter is a critical first step in the creation process. There are a few media out there to consider, such as: plain text emails, HTML emails, HTML web pages, PDFs and printed documents. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages. For instance, a plain text email might be simple to create, but isn’t very visually appealing for customers. On the other hand, a print newsletter can be more creative with graphics and imagery, but is more costly to print and mail out in hard copy. Research potential newsletter media for your small business and decide which format you think would be most cost effective.

2. Know your target audience.

As you begin to develop the newsletter, be sure to know your target audience inside and out. Who are your ideal clients? What do they enjoy? How would you communicate with them? By identifying the target audience and demographics, you can choose the best tone, look, content and delivery method for the newsletter. For instance, if a small business works with an older generation, then slang and trendy expressions might not be very appealing—or even appropriate. Make a list of how you identify the target audience and how your newsletter should connect with those demographics.

3. Generate the content.

Next, it’s time to generate the content. Keep in mind: you don’t want the newsletter to simply be a sale ad. You want the newsletter to actually connect with customers. While your newsletter should definitely contain information on the products and services, be sure to let your personality shine through, as well. Use the newsletter as a personal way to identify with consumers and build customer loyalty in the process. For instance, share about the brand, company events or team members. Position the company as an industry expert by including tips and helpful information around the business in the newsletter. Whatever content you decide to include, be sure to mix it up to keep the newsletter interesting and relatable.

4. Create a publication schedule.

Finally, once you’ve built the newsletter’s content—and added in a few graphics or images—create a publication schedule. Establish a schedule which will fit in easily with team members’ busy work week. Depending on its size, creating a newsletter can take a lot of time and effort from a variety of different employees. So be sure your publication schedule isn’t too demanding of employees’ time. Choose a frequency which will also allow you to promote trends in the business and seasonal opportunities without becoming burdensome or overwhelming for either you or the customer. Once you have a publication schedule put in place and a system set up, you’re ready to start!

Writing a small business newsletter can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few easy steps, you can have a well-written and efficient newsletter ready to go into production for the company. Try out these tips to create an effective newsletter and see the business grow.

The post How to Write a Small Business Newsletter appeared first on Boyds Direct.

The post Elevate Your Marketing Results through Audience-Based Copywriting appeared first on Boyds Direct.

Many business websites contain blogs, and for good reason. They’re fantastic ways to market your business online. Blogs are often informative, and they make it easy to digest information. You’re reading this one to be informed, right?

Blogs can do a lot for your business, and we’re here to tell you exactly what benefits they can deliver. 

Blogs drive traffic to your website.

Blogs are great for driving potential customers to your website, and it’s cheaper than paying to advertise. Think about it. Every new blog creates a new page on your website. That’s one more chance for you to appear in organic search engine results. It’s telling search engines that your site is active and being updated, which is great for search engine optimization (SEO). 

Your blogs also help you get traffic from social media. You should be posting and tweeting links to new blog posts, which people click on to visit your website. This can expose you to a completely new audience, generating leads.

Blogs establish authority.

In order for your business’s blog to be successful, it should answer common questions your customers and leads might have. By constantly creating relevant content, your target audience will begin to see your business as a valuable resource. 

Establishing authority is particularly helpful for organizations who sell products and services. Once you’ve demonstrated your business’s credibility, users visiting your blogs will begin to browse your other offerings.Your blogs should be pointing people in that direction. Be sure to mention and link relevant products or services in your blogs for people to access easily.

Blogs have long-lasting results.

Blogs have seemingly eternal life online. Say you post a blog today. You email it to subscribers, you post on social media, and you link on your website’s home page. The blog gets 250 views and 30 leads over the next week when it’s time to write a new one. You might think the life of the blog is pretty much over. Think again.

Your blog is now ranking in search engines. Until—and maybe even after—that blog is taken down, it will appear in search results for years to come. That one blog post could continue to generate traffic and leads long into the future. 

Starting a business blog is one of the best strategies to implement into your marketing tactics. It’s inexpensive and can drive a ton of potential customers to your website. These are just a few of the many benefits of blogging, but we think they’re pretty convincing. Start your blog today, and see the results for yourself.

The post The Benefits of Blogs for Your Business appeared first on Boyds Direct.