Posted on Leave a comment

Why my workshops don’t critique your writing

workshops critique writingAre you a business owner or a writer?  It’s completely possible to be both, especially if you have a writing or marketing based business.  However for most people it’s one or the other.  If you went into business to make a product or offer a service that’s nothing to do with writing, the idea of a workshop that focuses on writing blogs could seem like a complete nightmare.  A room full of people picking your writing to bits? No thanks!  Of course, there are services and workshops that are designed to provide critiques.  They’re mostly for writers.  Here’s why my workshops don’t.

My workshops aren’t for writers

There are lots of workshops out there that are designed for writers.  They’re for people who want to write for a living or get published. Go along to one of those and there’s a general assumption that you’re already quite good at writing but you want to get better.

Mine aren’t like that.  I work with business owners who may never have written a blog or a piece of marketing content in their lives. My workshops are designed to get you writing something so you can improve it over time.  Progress over perfection.

Your writing is your own

Well *duh* (slaps own forehead for such stupidity).  Of course.  Everyone’s writing is their own.  Professional writers use lots of different copywriting techniques, but you’re probably not interested in them.  If you were, you’d be writing for a living already.  When you create your own blog it’s your voice and your audience that matters.  If you work with a professional writer we’ll get to know you and your business first then apply our own techniques to producing content for you.

The beauty of writing your own blog is that it lets your customers hear your voice.  It might need some tweaks to make it more effective but a group workshop probably isn’t the place for that.  Even if all the other people in the room are in the same industry as you, they won’t have exactly the same message or audience.  What you need to communicate is unique to you.

The follow up

My workshops are designed to let you create a plan for your first blog.  You leave with a framework then write your blog later.  That’s the time for feedback.  Everyone who comes to my workshops can send me their finished blog and I’ll provide some feedback then.

The main reason I do this is because everyone who comes to my workshops arrives with a blank page.  Workshops that are designed to critique writing will usually ask you to come along with something you’ve already written.  Either that or it’s a weekend retreat where you can create something new and get feedback on the following day.  I’m only asking for half a day out of your life so I’ll email you some notes afterwards instead.

Would you like to come to a workshop that gets you writing a business blog without picking your work to bits?  You can find out more about my upcoming workshops by completing the form below to sign up to my mailing list.

Posted on Leave a comment

What to expect at a blogging workshop

what to expect blogging workshopTrying something new can be a bit scary.  You hear all these people who say ‘what have you got to lose?’ and ‘you get more confident when you try scary things’.  (Actually, I do that last one.)  Asking what you’ve got to lose is a complete minefield.  We all get those questions running through our heads.  What if I make a fool of myself? What if I’m not clever enough? If you’re thinking about coming to one of my blogging workshops but have some of those pesky questions running through your head (or even some of your own), I’m here to help.  Here’s my guide to what to expect at a blogging workshop.

Say hello and have a cup of tea

This sounds obvious, but workshops work better if you know a bit about the people you’re with.  Plus my brain doesn’t function without tea.  At my favourite workshop venue* you can get amazing chocolate brownies too.

Obviously, if it’s an online workshop you’ll need to supply your own refreshments, but we’ll still make the introductions.

Think of some topics

The first stumbling block a lot of people hit when they start writing a blog is knowing what to write about. Everything’s boring, or obvious, or the topic’s too big for one blog.  We start with some ideas and questions to get the creative juices flowing.

The main aim of my workshops is to help you create a plan that will enable you to leave the workshop and write your first blog.  So, you get a few minutes to make a list of some things that you could write about.

Make a plan

Planning your blog in advance helps you to avoid blank page syndrome.  (That may not be a medically recognised condition, but it’s definitely real.)  A well planned blog gives you happy readers and makes your life easier so the next bit of my workshops focus on that.  You get advice on the different ways that you can break your topic down and present it in an easy to read way.

Of course, you’ll also get some time to create your own plan based on one of your topics.

Talk about writing

This is another massive stumbling block for a lot of people.  You might be able to explain your subject really well when you talk to people, but writing it down is another matter.  We’ll discuss some ways to overcome that and you’ll also have the chance to talk about any challenges that you have.

In my face to face workshops we also break off to have a discussion in pairs that’s designed to help you get something written down. (Another blow for blank page syndrome!)

What next?

A blog can be a wonderful thing to read but there are a few more things to think about. If you write a blog, why not get it working harder for your business?  In the last part of the workshop I talk about the importance of a call to action (CTA) and some ways that you can reuse your blog.  Your CTA and the ways you reuse your blog will depend on your business goals so most people go away and think about what they want to do.  There’s time for questions at the end and then you can go home and get on with your day.

Finally, once the workshop’s finished, you can stay in touch.  You’ll get a pack of notes and my contact details so you can always ask questions if they come to you later.  Remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question!

 

*Bawdon Lodge Farm – here’s the link if you’re looking for a brilliant meeting room in Leicestershire.

If you want to find out more about coming to a blogging workshop, you can sign up to my mailing list my completing the form below.

Posted on Leave a comment

Do you need a blogging workshop?

blogging workshopDo you need a blogging workshop? How do you begin to decide? How do you decide what training you need in your business? Or, to put it more accurately, how do you decide what you actually need when you’ve been bombarded with an endless stream of adverts and emails telling you why this course is the one you absolutely have to have.  The minute you joined that Facebook group for small business owners or changed your employment profile to ‘self-employed’ or ‘owner’, your card was marked.

I almost feel that I should apologise.  Content and copywriters like me help to make each and every new thing seem irresistible.  It can take time to work out who you can trust to deliver something worthwhile.  Equally, it can get kind of dispiriting when you’re on the other side of the fence.  If you offer training as part your business it’s easy to feel that you’re hidden away while people with a bigger audience and a bigger budget than you get all the attention.

If you’re tempted to write a blog but aren’t sure whether a workshop is right for you, I’m here to help.  First, a disclaimer. What follows is all based on my own approach to running workshops.  Others may vary.  Here are some of the reasons why you should consider a blogging workshop as well as some of the reasons it might not work for you.

Workshops are for beginners

My blogging workshops are designed for absolute beginners. You don’t have to know anything about blogging and everyone else in the room will be a beginner too.  You’ll need to know who your ideal customer is. Also, if you’re not sure whether you actually want to blog, this isn’t for you yet.  Get some guidance on the kind of marketing you want to do first.

You’ll go through step by step

My workshop is designed to make sure you leave with a plan, ready to write your first blog.  I also talk about using your blog in different ways once you’ve written it.  There’s plenty of time so if you need to go over anything again or need to ask a question, you can.  Which brings me on to…

There’s no such thing as a stupid question

That question that’s in your head? Ask it.  You’re probably not alone. I’ve been asked some random and brilliant questions that have helped me to make my blogging workshops better.  There’s also the fact that you know your business. You might need to do things differently to make it work.  You’ve taken the time to come along so why not ask for help when it’s available?

They won’t teach you how to write

Most people can write, it just comes more easily to some people than others.  If you find it easier to talk than to write a workshop can give you techniques to help.  I can also help you with blank page syndrome if you suffer from that.  If you really struggle to express yourself, you may be better off just finding someone to do it for you.

You won’t be abandoned

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I like to offer a bit of follow up.  Everyone who comes along to my workshops gets a review of their first blog.  I love seeing people take what they’ve learned and make it their own.  Equally, if you get home and think ‘I wished I’d asked…’ you still can.  I put my contact details in the pack you take away with you so don’t be shy, ask away.

If you think a blogging workshop might be for you, complete the form below to sign up for my mailing list and hear all about my upcoming workshops and training sessions.

Posted on Leave a comment

What do you get out of a conference?

conferenceI’ve been to a few different conferences during my working life and they’ve all taught me something different.  The biggest benefit is that I’ve become more discerning about the ones I attend.  The drive to behave like a business owner and only invest where it’s warranted gets stronger every day.  In terms of attitude I think I went from one extreme to the other – either ‘I mustn’t spend any money’ or ‘I’m going to spend everything I have spare – it’s probably worth it.’  I soon realised that ‘probably worth it’ didn’t cut it.  Now I’m somewhere between the two. I have to consider whether it’s worth my time and the money I’m spending on it.  So, here are a few of my conference experiences so you can think about what you get out of a conference – hopefully I’ll save you from making some of the mistakes I did.

The posh one

AKA the expensive one, especially for a brand new business owner. To be honest, the cost was worth it for the chance to stay in one of the most amazing hotels I have ever visited, to be wined and dined and meet great people.  Yet when the chance came to go again, I decided against it.

Why? The speaker panel was almost too targeted for me.  I knew that I would learn something great from some of the speakers, but wasn’t sure about the final two.  One was an expert in something I still have no interest in pursuing.  The other was talking about how to use a platform that I was a long way off exploring.  It was still a great experience – it’s just taught me to trust my gut when I’m not sure how much I’m going to learn.

The massive expo

I dabbled in travel marketing for a little while and went to the world’s largest travel expo at the ExCel in London.  It was massive.  There were exhibitors from all over the world and I talked to loads of them.  I’m an introvert which doesn’t mean I avoid talking to people, I just have to have some time off to recover afterwards.

The lesson from this one was a fairly slow burn.  I knew that I didn’t want to be an ‘influencer’ but thought that I could still work with some of the smaller travel companies.  After the expo, even though I changed my marketing I kept getting enquiries from other kinds of small business.  I thought it would be easy to turn them down, but actually they were great projects.  Crucially, they were also the kind of people that I wanted to work with.  Eventually I realised that I just love travelling for fun, I don’t have to focus on it in my work.

The one where I was a speaker

This one was a real challenge for me.  When my friend said she was organising a conference and asked me to be a speaker I said yes immediately.  I wanted to support her and thought that I could work out how to do it afterwards.  At the time I hardly did any public speaking and I’d never run a workshop before.  The best advice I was given beforehand was to remember that I knew something that the audience didn’t.  They wanted to learn from me.  I was nervous to begin with but as soon as I saw people nodding and taking notes I knew it was going to be fine.

The best thing about that conference was that I didn’t just teach.  I was surrounded by women in business just like me.  I learned from the other speakers and the attendees as well.  It taught me to think about who I’m going to spending my time with.  (Although I must admit that the delicious food, gorgeous hotel and spa time helped to make it wonderful too.)

If all of that sounds good to you, we’re going to be doing it all again at the end of September.  You can sign up to my mailing list using the form below, then you’ll be the first to receive all of the details! You’ll also get to hear all about my workshops and training options.

Posted on Leave a comment

How you can use brainstorming to boost your business

BrainstormingI know, I know – brainstorming is such a corporate word you’re probably squirming already.  However, I’m afraid to say that it’s the best I have for this particular subject.  ‘Putting your heads together’ and ‘having a strategy session’ where you ‘think outside the box’ are equally bad as potential entries in buzzword bingo and ‘coming up with new ideas’ is just a bit pedestrian.  I quite like brain dumping but that means something a bit different for me.  So, what am I on about? If you aren’t already using brainstorming in your business it’s probably time to start.  Call it whatever you like, it’s the perfect way to boost your business.

Get a new perspective

It’s easy to get stuck in a bit of a bubble when you work by yourself.  You decide exactly what you spend your time on and how you approach things.  If business is good then there’s a good chance you’re taking the right approach, but you run the risk of becoming complacent and failing to anticipate change or adapt to it.  If things aren’t going so well you could struggle to work out why. You might have had comments from customers but dismissed them as unreasonable. Or perhaps another business owner made a suggestion but you rejected it as unhelpful.

That’s when brainstorming can be really helpful. When you get a group of people together they’ll all have different viewpoints.  Some will do things in a completely different way. Others will have things in common with you but may still have something new to offer.  Sometimes just having a range of opinions can be useful.

Challenge yourself

Offering yourself up for feedback can be scary.  That’s why it’s crucial that you find the right group of people to work with.  Brainstorming only really works when you’re completely open about the challenge you’re having and you can’t do that with people you don’t trust.  Equally, sometimes it’s better if they aren’t close friends.  Your friends are (hopefully) only interested in making you happy.  Someone you don’t know as well might come up with a solution that works but that you won’t necessarily like.  It’s not because they’re being malicious, they just don’t know that you don’t like ringing people up.

If you find yourself resisting what is logically a good idea, it can be an opportunity for personal growth.  Ask yourself why you feel that way. Are you rejecting an idea because you genuinely don’t have the right skills or couldn’t learn them? Or are you making the decision based on fear?

Brainstorming is magic

I’m part of a coaching group where each member gets a spotlight session. You can focus on a particular challenge you’re facing in business and the group works together to help you find ways to solve it.  A typical brainstorming session involves making suggestions for specific solutions.  The spotlight sessions are a bit different in that the other members ask questions to get you thinking about the problem in a different way.

However you do it, brainstorming can completely transform your thinking. I’ve had lightbulb moments from being asked a question that completely turned my problem on its head. I just needed to approach it with an open mind.

If you think you need a bit of brainstorming perspective in your business there are all kinds of ways to start.  If you’re a member of a networking group, ask if any of the other members want to get together.  Search for small group coaching (or just a good coach) in your area.  Even Facebook groups can be a good place to ask questions and get lots of different suggestions.  Just choose carefully!

If you’d like some time with me brainstorming your content marketing strategy, it’s yours!  Click here to find out more about my strategy sessions.

Posted on Leave a comment

How to develop your content strategy

content strategyYou know that you need a content strategy which aligns with your goals (and if you don’t read my last two blogs here and here). Actually coming up with one is a whole different kettle of fish.  If you haven’t got the faintest idea where to start, you’ve come to the right place.  Your content needs to take your goals and targets and flip them on their head so that you see them from your customers’ point of view.  Simple right? Here’s how you can develop your content strategy to make it work.

Start with your customer

I know, if you’re a regular reader you’ve heard this one before.  Identifying your target market should always include a bit of work to find their interests and media habits. Essentially, it allows you to put your content where it’s most likely to be seen.

It also allows you to concentrate on the types of content that your target audience will like. If they’re on Facebook you could post anything from text to images to video. You might assume video will always win, but some people find them annoying and prefer written content. Try a few different things and see what works.

Choose your focus

I talked about focusing on one service or product in my last blog and it can help you to get your content strategy organised. Having a focus helps you to decide what you’re going to post on any given day. You can break things down by looking at the different ways that your services benefit your customers.

For example, I write blogs for people for all sorts of different reasons. They might be too busy to do it themselves. Some are just better at talking than they are at writing. Others need a different perspective on their business.  Write a list of reasons why people might need to buy from you and you can write a blog post about each of them.

Diversify your content

The reason that I always recommend blogging is because it gives you a good chunk of content to be going on with.  Sometimes coming up with a content strategy is daunting because you think you need to come up with a huge variety of stuff.  You really don’t. If your content strategy includes a series of blog posts you can repurpose them.

You wouldn’t want to read out a whole blog post on video (I hope). However you could do a short video highlighting the key points or giving a demonstration. For example, if you sell skincare you might write a blog about protecting your skin in winter. Then you can do a video showcasing the moisturiser you talked about so people can see the benefits as well as reading about them. You can use quotes from your blog to share links and images on social media and even put them in your email marketing.

What do you want people to do next?

When you come up with a content strategy you’re basically encouraging people to engage with your business.  Every piece of content should have some kind of call to action.  That could be posting a link to your blog on Facebook because you want people to read it. When they click through, what then? You might include a link to let people contact you, but what if they’re not ready? Asking them to sign up to your mailing list could be a good intermediate step to let them find out more.

Whatever you create, ask yourself what you want your audience to do next.

Have you got your content strategy planned? If you need some help click here to find out more about my strategy planning sessions.

Posted on Leave a comment

Does your content marketing strategy match your goals?

content marketing match goalsBelieve it or not, there are those who think that people who talk about strategy are out of touch with their clients’ lives.  They probably think that a strategy is created somewhere off in cloud cuckoo land. I disagree.  You can use whatever word you like for it, but a strategy is basically a plan.  You’ll probably have seen a meme that says something like “a goal is a dream with a deadline”.  If you have a goal, you need a plan to make it happen.  That’s all a strategy is.  So the question is, does your strategy match your goals?  If not, here’s how to make it happen.

What are your goals?

Goal setting can be a tricky beast.  Even when you have an amazing vision of what your life could be with a successful business your own brain can start getting in the way.  It doesn’t help that there are eleventy billion gurus out there chucking around terms like ‘6 or 7 figure businesses’ as if it’s commonplace.  Some people have no problem visualising themselves there.  Others feel that they’re somehow unworthy.

I struggle with the ‘6 figure’ talk because it isn’t specific enough.  To me, achievable goals need to have meaning.  I don’t want a mansion in the middle of nowhere because I’m part of a great community where I am.  Plus, I like being able to walk the kids to school.  I base my goals on what’s going to make life better for my family.  If you need some help with this bit I’d highly recommend talking to a good coach.  I’ve worked with an amazing coach who somehow took my vague waffle and helped me turn it into a plan.

goals quote Napoleon Hill

Get specific

Once you’ve set some goals, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty.  If you want to earn £x per month to get the house you want or afford a holiday, what do you need to do?  Do you need to sell a certain number of products or sign up new clients? What’s the easiest way to do that?  If you have a high ticket item or service you might only need to sell one or two. Conversely if high ticket is hard to shift is there something smaller that you can sell more of?

You might decide that you’re going to focus on one product for a month or two then switch.  If you’ve read my last blog you’ll know that focusing on one thing is great because it helps people to get to know you. Once you’ve worked that out you’re ready to plan your marketing strategy so that it aligns with your goals.

Find your focus

If you want to hit your goals you don’t just need to get specific with your business aims.  You need to apply it to your marketing too.  For example, say you’ve decided to focus on selling smaller items in January.  People are feeling a bit skint after Christmas but want to cheer themselves up.  Equally, lots of people are making New Year’s resolutions and are willing to spend money on the right help.

Work out what is going to appeal to them about the service you’re offering.  Is it a fresh start or something inexpensive to make January bearable?  When you’ve worked that out you can start planning your content.  But that’s a subject for another blog.

Does your content strategy match your goals? If you need some help developing a strategy that you can implement yourself, click here to find out more about my content planning and strategy service.

Posted on Leave a comment

Why you need a content marketing strategy

Content marketing strategyI’ve found that there are two types of business owner.  The ones who love strategy and planning and actively seek out tools to help and, well, the other kind.  To be fair even they could be split into two camps.  People who know they need a strategy but just can’t quite bring themselves to do it and the ones who would happily wing it forever.  Ultimately, guess which businesses have greater success long term? Yep, the ones with a plan.  So why do you need a content marketing strategy? It’s an important piece of the overall puzzle. Here’s why.

A focused message = better results

When you plan your content marketing strategy in advance you can work out which products or services you want to focus on.  I’ve talked before (a lot) about focusing on your ideal customer and your content strategy planning should be an extension of that. The TL;DR version is – trying to market to everyone just makes your content bland and boring. Equally, you could sell any product or service at any time, but it’s better to focus on one.

If you’re building a relationship with your customers, focusing on one service helps them to get to know you. Your posts and blogs over a couple of weeks or a month can give them in depth knowledge of that service and what it can do for them.  They might not need that particular thing but it helps them to get to know you and keep following.  If you jump about that trust could be lost.  If you’d like some help identifying where your focus should be, I can help.

Less stress for you

Have you ever sat in front of your computer and thought ‘I need to post something today’. Or ‘I should get a blog out there this week’, without the faintest idea about what you want to say?  A content marketing strategy helps you to overcome that.  You’ll have a theme or product to focus on and you can get everything planned in advance.  Rather than panicking and posting something random, you’ll have time to really think about what you want to say.

It also means that you can get blogs written and social media posts planned and scheduled during quiet periods. Then they’re there and ready to go when you get busier.

A consistent content marketing strategy

I’ll be talking more about aligning your content marketing strategy with your goals in a future blog post, but identifying which products or services you want to focus on is a good first step.  By doing this you can get relevant marketing out there when people are most likely to be looking for it.  It’s why you see loads of holiday adverts on Boxing Day and wedding industry promotions around Valentine’s Day.  Timing is key.

Of course, it’s also important to have a consistent message.  When your content marketing strategy is planned in advance you can ensure it all makes sense.  You can have a theme running through each month’s marketing like a golden thread.  It shouldn’t be exactly the same message every time, but it should all tie together.  As you might have guessed, this month I’m mostly talking about strategy and planning. It’s a good way to start the year. I’ll be writing blogs like this one and sharing tools and resources that have helped me to plan so you can use them if you want to.

Do you have a plan for this year? If you don’t and you need some help, click here to find out more about my content planning and strategy sessions.

Further reading

If you’re wondering why you need content marketing anyway, here’s a great piece from marketing legend Neil Patel.