content strategy – Kirsty France Writes

Posted on 27th November 202527th November 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

Are you ready to review your marketing?

Image shows a woman with dark hair. She's thinking about ways to help you get ready to review your marketing.

We’re heading towards the end of the year, when lots of us reflect on the things that made us happy, what we’d like to change and how we want the year ahead to feel. If you’re thinking about your business and getting ready to review your marketing, here are a few questions to ponder to help you plan for next year.

Where are people getting to know you?

When I talk about marketing, I mean anything that helps people get to know you and learn more about what your business does. That includes anywhere people might read your words, watch your videos or talk to you face-to-face.

Think about:

The website pages people spend the most time on
The videos they watch all the way through
The posts that get likes, comments or shares
The chats you have at networking events

The downside is that people might read your social media posts without interacting, but this process should give you a rough idea of where they’re finding you and what’s attracting their attention.

Where do your enquiries come from?

The next stage is to see who’s getting in touch and how. Most of my enquiries arrive by email, often from people I’ve talked to online or in person. When someone contacts you, they might have looked at several platforms, but the method they use will tell you a lot about the content that nudged them into action.

If you use a website contact form and have Google Analytics set up, you can see the path visitors take to your contact page. It helps you understand the customer journey and focus your marketing on the things that get results.

What do your favourite clients have in common?

This might seem a bit off piste, but understanding what your favourite clients have in common helps you attract more of them, which will make your business life a lot more fun. Working out where those clients have come from also helps you focus on doing more of that. If they engage with you on social media or mention blog posts they’ve read and enjoyed, you can review those in more detail to replicate the effect in the future.

Are you being consistent?

Good marketing is about building relationships, so consistency is essential. When people see you popping up regularly, they remember you, learn about what you do and know you’re still around when they need you.

Consistency doesn’t have to mean posting every day, but it does involve having a routine you can stick to. It creates predictability for your audience and helps you plan, which is much less stressful than winging it.

Where is the money coming from?

We’re in business to make money, and your finances can tell you what’s working in your marketing.

If your enquiries lead to interesting chats but not many bookings, the solution often starts with your marketing. If you’re attracting tyre kickers or people who say “I didn’t think it would cost that much”, there might be a disconnect between how you present your work and the quality you actually deliver.

I’ve had a tendency to apologise for my own existence and downplay my services in the past. If your marketing attracts people who don’t see the value in what you offer, it’s time to change how you talk about your work.

How are you?

Most of us started our businesses to enjoy our work, set our own goals, and have more control over how our lives look. Marketing takes time, and if it’s the thing you always leave until last, you might find yourself working late, getting stressed and feeling guilty because you’re missing out on time with your family.

If the life you imagined isn’t the one you currently have, look at the marketing you currently do and how long it takes. Simplifying and streamlining your marketing or getting the right support can ease the burden.

Ready for a chat?

Reviewing what is (and isn’t) working in your marketing helps you plan for the year ahead. If you want to get more consistent with your marketing or write content that feels more like you, let’s have a chat.

When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!

Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you. It also includes hints and tips to help you structure your posts if you’re currently writing your content yourself.

Posted on 13th October 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

How can a copywriter help you get organised?

I don’t do marketing strategy. Except, I kind of do. Sort of. Good copywriting is built on understanding who you’re talking to, where you’ll find them and what you want to achieve. We won’t get anywhere if the language I use to speak to your people misses the mark. I’ll work to understand all of that, even if I haven’t helped you figure it all out. If you have a head full of ideas but no idea how to turn them into marketing content, I’ll help you refine them and bring them to life. How can a copywriter help you get organised? Here’s how I do it.

Choosing a theme

Your head is full of knowledge about your business. Most of the time, you probably don’t even notice, because you use it to serve your customers automatically. You only start thinking about how much you have to say when you plan your marketing, and then it gets overwhelming incredibly quickly. I can help you get organised by getting all the information out of your head, then identifying the themes so you can choose one to focus on.

Breaking it down

Even when you’ve picked a theme to focus on for next month’s marketing, there’s still a lot you could talk about. Some topics are massive, so you can use them more than once if you break them down into smaller sub-themes. Even then, trying to cover everything would lead to mega-long blog posts or social media posts that no one reads, as there’s too much information and it’s overwhelming. I can help you break everything down and get granular enough that your posts are the right length for your chosen platform and easy to digest.

Asking questions

When you talk about things you do every day, you might forget that your customers don’t have your knowledge. In fact, that’s why they need you. I can put myself in your customers’ shoes and ask the same questions they would (or get you thinking about what they already ask). My questions can help you see things from their perspective and find the right angle. Sometimes, a question can prompt new ideas to add to your planning list.

Finding the right format

Formatting can make a big difference to your words’ effectiveness and whether they get seen. Copywriting is about encouraging people to make a decision, so you need to get your words in the right order to lead them down that path. You also need to give people the right information so they trust what you say, and formatting can play a big part in that. If they find a blog post but they’re only looking for one piece of information, using subheadings can help them find it, or ensure your answer (and the link) turns up in their search results or AI search summary.

Repurposing inspiration

Reusing and repurposing content you’ve already created helps it go further and saves you time. (Mainly because you’re not constantly having to come up with fresh new ideas for every post.) You can make the same point in multiple different ways because no one sees everything you post, except for you. I can help you with ideas for things you can create yourself, or repurpose existing posts for you, for example, by breaking a blog post down into social media posts or emails.

Ready for a chat?

If you’d like some help getting your marketing ideas organised and putting them into words, let’s have a chat. When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business, and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!

Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Posted on 29th September 202529th September 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

Do your marketing ideas feel messy?

Image shows a woman with brown curly hair and a panicked expression - this is what it looks like when your marketing ideas feel messy!

If your head is full of jumbled thoughts and ideas, and your marketing ideas feel messy, you might wonder how you’ll ever turn them into content that makes sense to your future customers. I generally work with people who have a plan for their marketing, but I’ve realised that I also help them sort through their ideas, refining as we go.

If your head is full of chaotic ideas and you need some help sorting them out, read on.

Do a messy brain dump

When your head is full of chaos, get it all out on paper. Yes, all of it. Get the biggest sheet of paper you can find and start writing down everything you know about your work, even if it seems obvious. Write down your services, why people need them, your conversations with customers and random bits of knowledge. Write down why you do what you do and how your business operates.

You might also start thinking about this week’s grocery shopping and child-related logistics. Write them down too, in a separate notebook if you like. Remember, no one else has to see this unless you want to show them.

Let the ideas percolate

Next, back away from the paper. The important thing is that it isn’t swirling around in your brain, with you trying to grab an idea before it vanishes. Leave the ideas for a few days.

With your mind free from holding onto every bit of information, you’ll probably find that other random ideas pop up. Add them to the sheet as they arrive, but be prepared for the information to wave at you at inconvenient times, like the middle of the night or when you’re out for a walk.

Pick out themes

When you’ve left your ideas alone for a few days, go back and look at them again. What themes can you see? When your marketing ideas feel messy, it’s generally because you haven’t focused on one theme. It makes it harder for you to focus, and it’s more challenging for your audience to follow and understand whether you can help them.

It’s a good idea to pick out the big themes first and then work out what comes under each umbrella, but you can also write down whatever you see and group them later. When I do this, my bigger topics are usually content marketing and copywriting, but it breaks down into things like website copy, blog writing, social media and email marketing. Choose the categories that work for you.

Break it down

When you’ve identified your themes, break them down into smaller segments. For example, when I talk about blog writing, I include ways to generate ideas, post structure, writing techniques and headlines, among other things. Write down every idea you can think of for ways to approach each segment. Then, choose one to focus on as your weekly or monthly theme so you can plan all your content around it. Refining your plan can be trial-and-error – you might pick something you think is relatively small, only to find yourself writing ‘War and Peace’ in blog post form.

What’s the idea for?

If you’re a one-person business, your marketing should let people get to know you as well as tell them about your services. When you understand the purpose of each theme or idea, you can find a good balance between the two. Examine each idea and ask yourself how it helps your customers get to know, like and trust you. Does it show them that you share the same values or that you have the knowledge they need?

Ready for a chat?

If your marketing ideas feel messy and you’d like some help putting them into words, let’s have a chat. When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business, and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!

Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Posted on 11th June 202511th December 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

It’s not about you: why your marketing needs to focus on your customers

Image shows a woman in a navy jumper holding a cup of tea, thinking about how your marketing can focus on your customers.

Have you ever written new marketing content and got all excited about how clever or impressive your new product or service is? Or do you think that everyone knows what you do and anything you might have to say will be predictable and boring? The trouble with both approaches is that you’ve forgotten to focus on your customers and think about what they need.

The brutal truth is that your potential customers don’t care about you. They care about themselves and their needs. Here’s why your marketing needs to focus on your customers and how it benefits your business.

It shows your audience that you’re trustworthy

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who could only talk about themselves? It gets exhausting, doesn’t it? You realise that they probably wouldn’t remember anything you said, even if you could get a word in. It’s the same if your marketing leaves your potential customer sitting there going, “So what? How does that help me?” It makes them believe you just want to sell them something, and you’re not interested in what they need. Talking about how your service helps them shows them you care and means they’re more likely to trust you.

It attracts your ideal clients

Thinking about the people you help means you can focus on them in your marketing and use language that resonates with them.

For example, I work mainly with solo business owners. Most have been creating their own marketing content for a while and don’t want to do it anymore because they don’t have time or don’t enjoy it. It’s very different from a marketing agency that offers strategy, copywriting, graphic design, and website development, and the language each business uses reflects that.

It shows the transformation

A new client will usually work with you because they know you can help them achieve a goal or overcome a challenge (or both). Showing a transformation in your marketing helps them recognise themselves and see what you can help them with.

You can use language that shows them you understand where they are now and where they could be with your help. Case studies are a great way to do this, but you can talk about the changes you help people make more generally as well.

It helps you start a conversation

When you focus on your customers, you encourage them to get to know you. It’s great for building trust, but also helps you learn more about the people you serve.

Imagining your writing as a conversation with your customers can make the writing process easier, especially if you’re discussing something you’ve talked about in person. You can imagine yourself having the conversation face-to-face as you write.

It helps your customers take action

When the language you use in your marketing resonates with your audience and makes them feel understood, they’re more likely to take action. They might have struggled with something for a while, feeling that no one understands them or can help. Then, they read your social media post and feel heard for the first time. Or, your post might pop up when they feel overwhelmed by choice, and they buy from you because you’ve shown them you have what they need.

This only works if you’re also very clear about what they need to do next, like clicking a link to buy or book a call.

Ready for a chat?

If you’d like some help creating marketing that sees things from your customer’s point of view, I can help. When you work with me, I’ll focus on your customers while also getting to know you and your business and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!

Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Posted on 3rd February 202511th December 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

Human vs AI: who can help you tell a good story?

Can AI help you tell a good story or do you need a human?

The subtitle for this could be ‘What I learned from having a pigeon down my chimney’. Yes, you read that right and of course, I’ll get to the story later. The real point of this post is to ask whether AI can help you tell a good story in your business or if you might need a human being instead.

Why do you need to tell a good story?

The main difference between your business and all the other ones offering a similar product or service is you. Your personality, values, and the way you look after your customers. It’s a different story for big brands, but for small businesses like ours, our personality matters.

I know it’s a cliché, but people buy from people. Telling a good story helps you connect with the right ones. The story doesn’t have to be personal, but your future customers need to feel they’ve had a conversation with you, even if you’ve never met. Getting your tone of voice and sense of humour into your writing helps that happen.

The time I asked ChatGPT to tell me a story

I asked ChatGPT to tell me a story from its life because I was curious about how it would respond. This is what it said.

“I don’t have a life in the traditional sense—no childhood, adventures, or personal milestones. But I do have a kind of story!

Once, I was just a simple algorithm, learning to understand patterns in text. Over time, I evolved, growing smarter with the help of countless conversations and questions from people like you. Each interaction helped shape me into a better listener and helper. While I don’t have my own experiences, I love being part of yours—whether it’s brainstorming ideas, solving problems, or just sharing a laugh.

That’s my “life story”—short and digital but always growing!”

It’s undoubtedly accurate but not exactly inspirational. The lack of common ground between ChatGPT and me, besides the fact that we’ve both learned things over time, means I don’t feel any connection. It might be able to suggest a solution to a problem, but I’d still seek advice from some humans, too.

Getting a pigeon out of a chimney

Many years ago, I was sitting on the sofa at home (a different home from the one I’m in now) and heard a noise from the chimney. The chimney was boarded at the bottom, and I thought I heard something land. Then, after a moment of silence, there was a scratching noise. Something was alive in there. I called the RSPCA, and they said they couldn’t help because it was probably a wild bird. Then I remembered we knew a vet. My husband rang him, and he came straight round, agreeing it sounded like a bird. The husband prised the board away with a hammer, and Dan, the vet, reached in to retrieve a slightly sooty pigeon. He carried it out into the garden, where it sat on a table, coughed a few times and generally looked dejected. Dan said he didn’t think anything was seriously wrong but that we might want to put the bird somewhere safe in case the local cats came calling.

I went to the shed to see if I could find a box. The door stuck as I pulled it and finally opened with a bang that startled the pigeon. We watched it fly off into the night, happy it would be safe in a tree somewhere.

I tell you this because it’s the kind of story an AI would never create, and it hopefully tells you something about the type of person I am. Of course, there’s also a lesson behind it.

Work with an expert

If we hadn’t been able to find a friendly vet out of hours when that pigeon came down our chimney, that story could have gone very differently. We’d probably have ended up with a distressed, sooty bird flying around our living room in a panic. Dan knew how to lift it from our fireplace and keep it calm because he’s an expert.

Telling stories in your marketing helps you connect with your audience so they can get to know you. You might find it easy, but if you don’t, get some help. AI can help you get started, but a human can help you tell a good story by writing it for you.

If you’ve created a marketing plan and want help to turn it into a good story, I can help. When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. Email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list here, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you.

Posted on 20th January 202523rd January 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

Why Your Business Needs a Communications Strategy (and Not Just a Content Plan)

Guest blog by Joanne Parker from Joanne Parker Communications explaining the importance of a communications strategy.

Hands up, who has created a content plan for 2025?

If you have, you may be feeling quietly smug, safe in the knowledge that you know exactly what content you will create every week for the next month, six months, or even year.

Having such a plan in place is undoubtedly a great achievement, but without a communications strategy, you will likely miss a trick.

A content plan is not the same as a communications strategy. Yes, they’re related, but one without the other is like baking a cake without a recipe—you might end up with a cake, but it won’t be as light, airy and tasty as it could be.

Starting at the end

I often find the best way to think about strategy is to consider how you will know if your content plan is successful.

What are you going to measure?

Often, clients will say things like ‘awareness.’

Awareness of what? By whom? Where? When? With what message?

If you don’t have the answers to those questions, you could well be generating content for the sake of it.

What is a communications strategy?

Think of it as the big-picture plan that defines why you’re communicating, who you’re talking to, what you want them to do, and how you’ll measure success. It’s your guide to every piece of content, every campaign, and every conversation.

Why Isn’t a Content Plan Enough?

Here’s a scenario I see all the time. A business has a fabulous content plan. Posts are going out daily. The captions are witty, the graphics are slick, and the engagement is… well, it’s fine. But when I ask, “What’s the goal of all this?” I’m often met with blank stares or vague responses like, “To build awareness” or “To sell more.”

That’s where the problem lies. Without a strategy, your content is likely disjointed, inconsistent, or aimed at the wrong audience. You’re busy posting but not necessarily moving closer to your business goals. A strategy ensures every piece of content has a purpose, fits into the bigger picture, and helps you achieve measurable results.

Strategy First, Tactics Second

Imagine you’re planning a road trip. The content plan is your playlist, snacks, and stops along the way. But the communications strategy is the route you’re taking, the destination you’re heading to, and the map you’ll use to get there. Without it, you’re just driving in circles, hoping to stumble upon something interesting.

A good communications strategy answers these key questions:

Who are you talking to? Your audience isn’t “everyone.” Narrow it down. Are you speaking to busy parents, eco-conscious millennials, or CEOs juggling a million priorities?
What do you want them to do? Maybe it’s subscribing to your newsletter, booking a consultation, or changing their behaviour. Be specific.
Why should they care? This is where your messaging comes in. What problem are you solving, and why are you the best person to solve it?
How will you reach them? This is where the content plan comes in. Social media, email, blogs, videos—these are your tools, not your strategy.
How will you measure success? Metrics matter. Are you tracking clicks, sign-ups, sales, or something else? Without data, you’re flying blind.

Real-Life Example

Let’s say you run a boutique fitness studio. You might have a content plan that includes daily Instagram posts, weekly blog updates, and monthly email newsletters. Great! But without a strategy, your efforts might look like this:

Posting motivational quotes that don’t resonate with your audience.
Writing blogs about general fitness tips that don’t showcase what makes your studio unique.
Sending emails that don’t align with your upcoming promotions.

With a strategy, however, everything changes. You decide your target audience is busy professionals who want quick, effective workouts. Your key message becomes, “Fitness that fits your schedule.” Now, your Instagram posts focus on time-saving exercise tips, your blogs highlight success stories from working professionals, and your emails promote lunchtime express classes. See the difference?

The Benefits of a Communications Strategy

Here’s what a solid strategy can do for your business:

Clarity: You’ll know exactly what to say, to whom, and why.
Consistency: Your messaging will be cohesive across all channels, building trust with your audience.
Efficiency: No more wasting time on content that doesn’t serve your goals.
Impact: Every piece of communication will move you closer to your business objectives.

Creating a communications strategy doesn’t have to be daunting. Start by revisiting your business goals. Then, think about your audience and what they need from you. Outline your key messages and choose the channels where your audience spends time. Finally, set measurable objectives so you can track your progress.

If you take the time to map out your strategy, your content will work harder and deliver results that meet your objectives, helping your business flourish and grow.

Joanne Parker

Joanne Parker Communications

Tel: 07596719763

Email: hello@joanneparkercommunications.com

Website: www.joanneparkercommunications.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-parker-writer/

Arrange a meeting: https://calendly.com/jpcomms/getting-to-know-you

Posted on 2nd September 202411th December 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

How can your marketing look after your existing customers?

Image shows a guest guidebook, which is one way of creating marketing to look after your existing customers.

You know that good customer service is vital to your business. You might think that marketing is all about bringing in new people, but it can also look after your existing customers.

It’s about going above and beyond basic information, like your delivery updates, booking confirmations and contact details. Here are my favourite ways to use your content marketing to look after your existing customers.

Product tips and tricks

Showing customers how to get the best out of a product they’ve already bought shows them you’re interested in more than their money. You want them to get the best results. Instructions on product use are essential, but you can enrich the experience with advanced tips or alternative uses. This could help you attract new customers and support existing ones with the same content.

Sudocrem did this in a recent advert. It’s famous as a nappy cream, but they showed how it can be used on injuries or for skin conditions.

Getting ready

Sometimes, the best way to support your customers is to help them prepare in advance. If they’ve booked a beauty treatment, you should provide safety information, but you can also offer advice on how to make their spray tan last longer or maintain their hair between appointments.

Holiday packing lists can reduce their stress, or if you sell meal kits, you could let them know what kitchen equipment they’ll need. You can use all of these as blog posts to give your audience a taste of the customer experience you offer. It’s even better if you recommend things you don’t sell, as it shows you’re not just looking to make another sale.

Destination guides

I love planning holidays and looking for fun things to do while I’m away with my family. We’ve had some holidays with Eurocamp over the past few years, and they send destination guides via email. Eurocamp design the guides for their customers, so they include details of the facilities and activities on site. However, they also tell you about other things to do in the area, how far away they are and what age group they suit. If I’d written something like this I’d put it on the website too, to attract people who haven’t chosen their destination yet.

I used to write blogs for a holiday park, where customers owned their static caravans. We got great feedback; customers felt the owners cared and wanted them to enjoy their time away.

User-generated content

Big brands often use user-generated content, which is a great way to generate social proof with minimal effort. Encourage your customers to use your product, take a photo of themselves and share it on social media with a hashtag that’s specific to your business.

If you’re sending a physical product, you could include an extra treat, like some sweets or a bar of chocolate, with their order. Alternatively, ask them to showcase the results they’ve achieved with your product by sharing before-and-after photos. You can offer an incentive, such as a discount or entry into a prize draw, for anyone who posts.

Repurpose everything

There’s more than one way to use your content. User-generated before and after photos can go into your emails, website and sales pages, as well as social media. Start with a simplified version of your destination guide on a sales page and create a longer one for customers who’ve already booked their holiday.

You can use almost anything in an email and a blog post. For example, if your customer’s meal kit is on its way, you can let them know what kitchen equipment they’ll need. It could also encourage people who are reluctant to try your product because they’re worried they’ll need lots of fancy kitchen gadgets.

If you want to create marketing content to look after your existing customers and speak to your target audience, I can help.

When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business. I’ll suggest topic ideas if you need them, and we’ll spend half an hour a month (or longer if you prefer) chatting about your business and our latest topic. Then I’ll write a post that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. To find out more, email me to arrange a chat or book a call.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list her e, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook ’50 blog topic ideas for your business’ as a thank you.

Posted on 1st July 202411th December 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

Five reasons to repurpose your website copy

Blog writing packages page showing why it's a good idea to repurpose your website copy

Using the right words on your website helps you attract your ideal customer and make more money. You’ll also enjoy your life more. You can work with people who get you instead of those who complain because your service wasn’t what they expected.

When you’ve gone to the effort of creating stunning words, it makes sense to make them go further. Here are five reasons why repurposing your website copy is a great idea.

It’s written with your ideal client in mind

Creating great website copy involves thinking about who your ideal client is and what they want that you can provide. Considering your customers’ needs, feelings, and aspirations lets you create copy that makes them feel understood and shows them how you can help.

The user experience is also an essential part of the marketing process. Is there a clear path to follow for people who are ready to buy or want to learn more before they decide?

It’s designed to reflect your brand

The way you want your brand to be perceived works alongside the information you have about your customers. You need to show your customers who they’re working with, what you stand for and what that means for them. For example, I get to know you and write anything you need. It’s a different experience from a blog writing service that takes your topics and writes a series of posts or a full-service agency that does everything in-house.

When you’ve worked on reflecting your brand on your website, it makes sense to repurpose your website copy and use it in other ways.

It lets you create the same feel online and offline

Print marketing is fantastic and can get you in front of your customers in a way that’s becoming more difficult online. An advert in a magazine that comes through your customers’ letterboxes or a leaflet in their favourite café or community venue can hit the spot. To paraphrase my friend Debbie Heron, who runs two successful magazines, “There are hundreds of social media platforms, thousands of TV channels but only one letterbox”.

Repurposing your website copy gives your customers the same experience wherever they find you.

You can use it in different ways

When repurposing your website copy, you’ll need to rewrite it to ensure it fits the platform where you share it. However, as long as you do that, you can use it in loads of different ways. You can share it in brochures and leaflets, repurpose it to create new blog posts and emails and break it down into social media posts.

As a result, you might find the process inspires new ideas.

You worked with a professional to create it

I say this with a sense of optimism as I hope you worked with a copywriter on your website or plan to at some point. A lot of the things I’ve shared in this post work better when you work with a professional. A website designer and copywriter will take you through the process of understanding your customer, branding and user experience to create a site that helps you attract new clients. It makes sense to reuse those words wherever you can.

If you want to create marketing content that speaks to your ideal customer, I can help. I get to know you and your business and tailor everything I write to your needs. Book a call here, and let’s have a chat about how that could work.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list her e, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook ’50 blog topic ideas for your business’ as a thank you.

Posted on 10th June 202411th December 2025 by Kirsty France — 2 Comments

What are your big marketing topics?

Does the phrase ‘content marketing strategy’ bring you out in a cold sweat? Yeah, me too and I write the content! It’s easy to overcomplicate things, but marketing only needs to tell people who you are, what you do and how that helps them. In practice it can be a bit more complex than that. So let’s make it easier. Thinking about your marketing foundations as the big topics helps you work out what you want to say.

Here are my building blocks for your big marketing topics

Why do your big marketing topics matter?

When I first started writing for a living my marketing had lots of useful tips and information about different types of marketing, but very little about how my services helped my clients. Working out what your big topics are helps you focus on what you do and how you help your customers. When your offer it clear your customers know what they’re going to get, so it makes it much easier for people to say “yes, I need that” and contact you to get started.

What products and services do you offer?

Your marketing can talk about different facets of the services and products you offer. For example, I might write about blogging, article writing, email marketing or website content. They’re all services I offer and my marketing can help people understand how they work.

You might have various products with different benefits. Identifying what they are or what groups they fall into helps you work out all the different subject areas you can talk about in your marketing.

Who are you?

I know you know who you are, but what do you stand for? What are your values? Think about the knowledge you’ve picked up along the way, the experience you’ve gained or how your story might resonate with your customers.

Sharing your stories can be a fantastic form of content in itself. However, you can talk about your values and share your experience in many different ways so getting clear on the fundamentals can make your writing better.

What do you want to offer?

You might look at your list of products or services and realise that while you could offer all of them, some of them leave you cold. Getting everything down on paper can help you create content but it also lets you review your business and what you want to offer. You might decide to offer a service if people ask but not include it in your marketing.

If it won’t light you up to offer the service or talk about the product, leave it out of your marketing.

What do your customers want?

Giving your customers what they want doesn’t mean offering services or selling products that you don’t want to. However, it is worth considering what they want or need that you can provide. For example, they might be overwhelmed because they’ve got too much to do and not enough time. They might have a problem that you can solve. Some of the benefits you offer could be tangible, while others will be emotional. Think about who your customers are and how you help them.

I don’t do marketing strategy, but once you have a plan, I can write the words that help you bring it to life. Book a call here and let’s have a chat about how that could work.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list her e, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook ’50 blog topic ideas for your business’ as a thank you.

Posted on 11th March 202411th December 2025 by Kirsty France — Leave a comment

What marketing makes you cringe?

Good marketing should be memorable, but what if you remember it for all the wrong reasons? Thinking about how some adverts miss the mark can help you avoid making the same mistakes. So, what marketing makes you cringe and why?

Are you being shouted at?

Have you ever watched ‘Horrible Histories’? It’s classic kids’ TV because it also includes jokes for the grown-ups. The ‘shouty man’ character was the perfect parody of adverts that shout at you to make sales. Those types of adverts may have disappeared, but marketing can still make you cringe if you feel you’re being lectured rather than persuaded. You might have something important to say, but meeting your audience where they are is better than trying to shout them down.

Too many clichés

I posted on social media recently, asking people to share their least favourite marketing buzzwords with me. ‘Journey’ came up a lot. It’s not a bad word in itself; it’s just become a cliché because of the number of people using it on reality TV shows.

Avoiding cliché can be tricky. Sometimes, how you phrase something tells your audience what to expect and can be comforting. Each industry has its own words and language patterns, and it can be hard to know when something tips over the edge from familiar to overused. Following other businesses in your niche to see what reactions their content gets can help.

Outdated attitudes

Did you know that the Advertising Standards Agency now has regulations so they can ban harmful gender stereotypes in advertising? We’ve definitely come a long way. A few decades ago, print adverts saw women as either decorative or only good for doing the housework (and suggested that domestic violence was acceptable if she made a mistake). You’d only ever see straight couples and white faces.

Modern adverts are more diverse, but some stereotypes remain. A GAP clothing advert was heavily criticised for suggesting boys are ‘scholars’ while girls are ‘social butterflies’. When you write new content, think about your assumptions about your audience and whether they’re accurate.

Ask whether it’s meant for you

If someone’s marketing makes you cringe, consider whether you’re the intended audience. My kids aren’t teenagers yet, but I still hear the odd word that makes me wonder whether we still speak the same language.

On the other hand, what if you’re a business’s ideal customer, and they’re still driving you away? Are they making uneducated guesses about your life or what you need? To avoid it, try using social media or networking events to ask questions and learn more about what your future customers care about.

Is it inconsistent?

Consistent marketing helps your customers get to know, like and trust you. That doesn’t mean you have to fall into a cosy rut, but it helps if you keep your tone of voice, values and branding consistent so people recognise you.

If a brand you know and love suddenly pops up with something wildly out of character, you might lose trust in them because you suspect they’re going off in a new direction that isn’t for you. That may be a problem if it’s a business you’ve only discovered recently, as inconsistency can prevent you from getting to know them.

If you want to avoid writing content that makes your customers cringe, I can help. I’ll write blogs, posts, emails and whatever else you need to engage your audience. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a ca ll here.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list her e, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook ’50 blog topic ideas for your business’ as a thank you.