I’ve had a number of new business enquiries since the turn of the year, which is always great. SMEs who’ve Googled ‘website writers’, ‘writer for brochure’, ‘advert writing’ etc. have happily landed on my website and called me. From those that’ve never used a copywriter before, one of the first questions I’m asked is along […]
Whatever you prefer to call them: ‘customer story’, ‘application story’, ‘Use case’ etc., a case study can be a highly effective sales tool. It’s a shame then that so many SMEs still don’t integrate them into their marketing communications (marcom) plans. It’s time for a reset. For any business (particularly B2B) selling a product or […]
No. A logo isn’t a brand (full stop) It’s just one element in a larger, more comprehensive brand identity. A brand identity guide will govern overall look and feel, how you want to be seen and recognised. It’s still not a brand though. Your brand is ultimately the result of customer perceptions and experiences; it’s […]
I suppose I’ve always had a slightly jaundiced view of FAQ (Frequently asked questions) pages on new company websites. I’ve often found clients have only asked that I write one because their website guy has suggested it be included as a standard 6-page package deal. Why? I ask. When a website design package is offering […]
I spend a lifetime advising against the use of industry jargon and then I go do it myself. A client rang about updating his company logo and before I knew it out popped half a dozen terms nobody would ever use in a normal conversation. Confusion reigned. So for my own peace of mind (and […]
It’s a fallacy to assume that launching a well designed, written and keyphrase optimised website will mean you’ll always rank well in search engine results. And months or years after launch, when all that great work your website guys did has all been forgotten, it’s time to blame them for a poor showing. Wrong. The […]
The average day rate for a copywriter in the UK in 2017 was £339. It’s not guesswork either. The figure comes from the annual survey of the Professional Copywriters Network, which I’m a member of. Assuming a short 7-hour day that’s about £50 per hour. But that’s an average, and hourly copywriter rates across the […]
I’m not a great fan of too much business jargon, the term ‘customer touchpoint’ though I like. I’m often asked to help improve the ‘customer journey’ (sorry, jargon) and what better way to develop an effective action plan than to just sit down and think (hopefully in a fairly sequential fashion) of all the ways […]
I’ve written a few websites for some great start-up companies lately and I’m pleased to see increasing awareness of the importance of colour in communicating the right message to the target audience. On emailing over the final web-page wordage, I’ve been asked a number of times for my views on what should be the dominant […]
I write a number of press releases for start-ups and SMEs who haven’t got the budget to engage with a press relations agency. More often than not though I’m asked, ‘What’s next?’, ‘What’s the best way of getting it published?’ While I’m happy to discuss the convenience of using the many press release distribution services, […]