Category: marketing

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How you can reuse old marketing content

Reuse old marketing content

Batch-creating content is one of the easiest ways of creating consistent marketing content when you’re busy, but it’s not the only way. If you’ve been marketing your business for a while, you might think you’ve covered every possible subject. You could be right, but there’s always a new way to address the same topic. Here’s how to reuse old marketing content and give it a fresh spin.

Choose the right content

Sometimes, you write a blog post or share something on social media, and it strikes a chord, while other things fall flat—understanding which is which can help you decide which posts to use again. When you reuse old content, make sure it’s something that worked well the first time around. Alternatively, choose an evergreen topic that won’t date.

Look at your social media statistics or Google Analytics to work out what went well.

Share something again

Reusing content can sometimes be as simple as sharing it again. If a topic is still relevant and the advice you’d give hasn’t changed, there’s no harm in reposting it. Newer followers won’t have seen it, and it can be a helpful reminder of key principles for people who’ve been with you for a while.

Think carefully about timing so your content doesn’t get repetitive. I’d recommend waiting at least six months, possibly longer, before sharing something again.

Update an old blog post

You might have a post where the subject is still relevant, but some of the information you want to share has been updated. You can reuse old content by tweaking it instead of writing a new post.

For example, a post on financial planning might have the same core advice, but you need to update it to reflect that some of the tax rules have changed.

Reuse the idea

Reviewing your old content can reveal old posts where the topic is still relevant but where you’d give completely different advice. For example, there may have been a change in the law, new research or advances in your industry, or you’ve got more experience to share.

You’ll need to write a new post, so it isn’t a quick fix when you’re short on time. However, it’s great for SEO, showing Google that your content is still relevant.

Go in-depth on a subheading

This is an easy way to come up with a new topic, but you’ll still have to find time to write a new blog post. If you’ve written a general overview of a subject, pick one of the subheadings and write a more in-depth piece.

For example, if you’ve written a post about healthy eating, you might have a paragraph on eating your five a day. That could turn into a post about the health benefits or tips on ways to eat more vegetables.

Change the format

I’ve talked about ways to make your content go further before, and there are loads of ways to do it. You can reuse old content by changing the format. That could mean breaking down a blog post, sharing the same content in a video or turning a series of blog posts into an eBook.

You can also share old content on a new platform that you want to try out.

Do you want to stop creating your own marketing content? I can help create posts that make your content go further. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with helpful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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How you can batch-create content

Actual footage of me batch creating content
Image by Julie Grant Photography

“Why should I batch-create content?” I hear you cry. The simple answer is that it’ll save you a whole load of time. That’s a massive win when your business is busy, or you want to take some time off.

So, here’s how you can batch-create content for your business, along with a few other reasons why it’s a great idea.

Pick a theme

Picking a theme for each month’s marketing means that all your content can refer back to the same thing. You don’t have to wrack your brains coming up with new stuff for every post, so it saves you time. It also helps your audience understand what you do because they see you mention the same thing each time.

Choose a theme that relates to a particular service or your customer’s needs, for example, helping them get ready for the summer holidays.

Create a plan

After you’ve chosen your theme for the month, start planning how you’ll cover it. For example, I have a few themed posts that I do every month, such as quick tips, buzzwords and testimonials, and I supplement them with other ideas based on my theme.

I plan how many posts I need throughout the month and jot down ideas next to dates in my planner. Doing it this way helps me to see what I’m going to post and when, so I don’t panic and share something random because I haven’t posted in a while.

Write one (or two) blog posts

When I batch-create content, I always start with blog posts. They’re big pieces of content that cover a few different points. Depending on the length of each post, they can help your audience to understand a subject in depth or give them a quick overview. They can talk people through a detailed process or link to other useful resources.

Planning your blog posts will give you a good idea of what your audience needs to know. Then, you can reuse them in different ways, including breaking them down into individual social media posts. This brings me to my next point…

Squeeze all the juice out of your content

No one will see everything when you use social media for your marketing. This means you can share the same point, or a variation, more than once. I wish I’d come up with the phrase ‘squeeze the juice out of your content’, but I didn’t. It was Clare Mitchell of The Girls Mean Business.

Anyway, it illustrates the point perfectly. When you write a piece of content, write several posts that share the same thing in different ways. Edit each paragraph or your blog post so it works on its own. Cut and paste a tip onto a graphic or use it as a video script.

Schedule your posts

Finally, when you’ve created your content, schedule it so it goes out without you needing to get involved. You can spend an hour scheduling everything for the coming month and then relax knowing it’s all sorted.

If you use Facebook and Instagram, you can schedule posts, Reels, and Stories using Meta Business Suite and LinkedIn have introduced native scheduling too. Of course, you can also use a third-party scheduler if you prefer.

Do you want to stop creating your own marketing content? I can help with that and even help you batch-create your posts. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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Lead magnet ideas to help you attract new customers

How my desk looks when I'm coming up with lead magnet ideas

A good lead magnet can help you attract new customers and subscribers to your email list. The question is, what does a good lead magnet look like? One of the essential elements is to make sure it will only be useful for people who could actually become customers. Beyond that, your lead magnet can be tailored to your business and what works best for your audience. Read on for a few ideas.

Quick and actionable tips

Your lead magnet can help to establish you as an expert, which is particularly important when you offer a service. Offering an eBook, video or webinar that helps people make quick progress (like my free eBook) gives them a taster of the results they could get by working with you. Don’t solve the whole problem; show your subscribers how they could get better results with less effort by becoming customers.

Checklists and templates

A checklist or template might sound too simple to be a good lead magnet, but it can offer your audience real value. A template can give them a structure for anything from a blog post to their CV. Checklists can help someone to plan their wedding, pack for a holiday or sort their legal documents. Having something to refer to so they know they’re on the right track reduces their stress and helps them trust you.

Free samples or trials

Offering either a free trial of a service or a sample of a product lets potential customers try before they buy. It allows them to test your product’s quality and experience your service. A free sample won’t let them see long-term results. However, it will tell them if your skincare gives them spots or if they find your software easy to use.

Discount codes

Discount codes are a great lead magnet option if you can’t offer your audience a free trial or sample, as they can encourage people to take a chance. However, if you choose this option, you’ll need to look at it carefully and consider the potential financial impact on your business. How much of a hit can your profits afford to take as a marketing expense? Will some people only buy if there’s a discount?

Reports

A report may seem like a strange option for a lead magnet, but it can be great for B2B services or products with a lot of technical data. You don’t even have to do your own research for this (although you could). Instead, gather statistics or case studies showing your service’s benefits or how much your customers could save to help them understand what they’re buying.

Quizzes and calculators

You might think that a quiz is a fun procrastination tool that’ll let you test how many 80s songs you remember or tell you which ‘Stranger Things’ character you are. However, if you offer a range of products or services, they can help your customers to understand which one is right for them. Another option is providing a calculator that lets customers enter their details and analyse costs. I’ve seen these used for high-cost investments like insurance or software subscriptions.

Ask participants to enter their email address at the end, and you can send them their results and tailor your follow-up emails to suit their results.

Do you want to grab your audience’s attention with a great lead magnet? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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What kinds of content will help you grow your audience?

Chimp and stormtrooper thinking about content types.
Image by Julie Grant Photography

Growing your business means getting yourself noticed. What content can you create to attract new social media followers and website visitors and let people find out about you when you’re not face-to-face?

Read on for some ideas.

Be creative in how you present information

Whenever you create new content, think about how you can reuse it, so your audience gets the point no matter what kind of content they prefer. For example, you can edit your website copy for leaflets and present social media posts as text, graphics or videos.

Keyword blogs and articles

Writing blogs or articles using keywords your customers are searching for will help you show up in a Google search. You can also share them on your socials and educate people about your services. So, think about your services and what you want to be known for, and write about that.

Case studies

Case studies show your future customers the results you’ve got for real people like them, so it helps them trust you. Sharing them on your website helps your SEO, and you can post them on your socials or make a video telling the story.

Testimonials

Testimonials work the same way as case studies, except they come straight from your customers. Google reviews help your SEO, but you can also make graphics out of positive reviews and share them as posts.

Infographics

Infographics help people remember information so they can make great posts, and you can include them as a summary in your blog posts. They’re good on Pinterest as you can use them to summarise a longer article and post them with a link.

List articles

List articles could include top tips, questions, or your favourite resources; there are loads of possibilities. Post them on your website and break them down into individual social media posts and Reels or summarise the key points.

Personal stories

Sharing your story helps your customers get to know the person behind the business. A story can be an article or a few sentences so you can share them on your website and social media as text, images or videos.

Business cards

Believe it or not, some of us still have business cards (mine are from pre-lockdown). They’re great for networking, but you can carry them all the time; I once had someone ask for my card at a kids’ birthday party!

Leaflets

Leaflets offer more information than your business card can, which means you can pin them on your local noticeboard, leave them on a bumph table in a café or send them in the post.

Brochures

Brochures let you show off your work and give more details about your products and services. They can be pricey, so you could stick to sending them in response to new enquiries, but they can be a great way to introduce yourself to new people, especially if you offer a B2B service.

Merchandise

You’ve probably seen personalised merchandise at expos and trade fairs, but they work well as thank-you gifts and as a way of introducing yourself by post. The great thing about products with your name on is that people will keep them where they can see them, so they remember you.

Do you want to grow your audience by creating content that speaks your customers’ language? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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Where will you find new people to grow your audience?

Marketing has two main goals. The first is to let potential customers know you exist, and the second is to show them how you help them (and that they can trust you) so they become customers. Of course, you need to grow your audience to achieve the first goal, but how do you do that? Where will you find all these new people who haven’t heard about you yet?

Here are a few of mine. If you have some of your own, let me know in the comments!

Your website

Your website can help you to grow your audience in loads of different ways. A good SEO strategy will help them find you on Google and learn about you or buy products from the comfort of their sofa. You can have a contact form so they can get in touch with you quickly or encourage them to sign up for your email list. Even if you aren’t ready to get into SEO, a website can act as a brochure where people who’ve found you elsewhere can check you out.

Social media

This is probably the first thing you think about when you’re trying to grow your audience. Social media can help you to reach people you might never meet in real life or someone who’s just up the road but hasn’t heard of you yet. This could happen because your existing followers share your posts or because each platform shows you new things that it thinks you’ll like.

You must think about what your audience needs, what platforms they spend time on and the content they’ll enjoy.

Networking

The idea of networking can strike fear into the heart of a new business owner, but it doesn’t have to be scary. It can give you a supportive community and new customers if you find the right group. Groups can vary immensely in their approach, so try out a few and see what you think.

The main disadvantage of networking is that it can be pretty time-consuming, but it can also be the fastest way to build a relationship. It can also have other benefits…

Referrals

Your network isn’t just the people you know; it’s also the people who know you. For example, you only have to dip into a community Facebook group to find someone looking for recommendations for a plumber or somewhere to get their nails done.

You could get a referral from an existing client or someone you met networking. That person you spoke to over coffee or in a Facebook group might not need your services but could end up chatting with someone who does.

The real world

How would you find new customers if every social media platform suddenly ceased to exist? I know that isn’t likely to happen, but I’ve seen plenty of people get hacked or banned and lose their business page. The reality is that you’d look to the real world. That could simply be networking or referrals. It could be making your shop front look inviting, so people walk in. Think about where your potential customers spend time offline, and you can expand your marketing horizons.

Do you want to grow your audience by creating content that speaks your customers’ language? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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What you need to know about your audiences’ lives

Here I am, getting to know about my audiences' lives.
Image by Julie Grant Photography

Understanding what your future customers need is an essential first step in creating effective marketing, but you guessed it, there’s more to it than that. Any marketing you create has to compete with umpteen other things. First, you need to learn about your audiences’ lives to understand what they are. Then you can talk to them like a human being, not just another faceless business.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

What will stop them from buying?

Overcoming buyer objections doesn’t mean you have to be a pushy salesperson. It just means that your marketing needs to answer the questions they already have. That could be explaining what you do and how you work, being clear about costs and answering as many potential questions as possible. Sometimes new customers need to do their research before they feel ready to decide.

What demands do they have on their time?

Understanding your audiences’ lives means knowing what they deal with every day. Do they work all day, then come home to cook the kids’ tea and get them to bed before they can sit down? Do they look at social media when they’re still half asleep in the morning? When might they get a minute to themselves? When you know that you can create content that they’ll enjoy and time your posts so your audience will see them.

Where do they spend their time?

It’s easy to focus on social media and which platforms your audience will use. That’s an integral part of your marketing but think about the real world too. For example, if you offer activities for kids or postnatal yoga, consider where the baby groups meet and whether they have a notice board. A co-working space could have room for leaflets that other businesses will see.

What do they value?

It can get disheartening when there’s a cost-of-living crisis, and everyone you know is talking about being skint. What’s the point in marketing when no one’s buying? The truth is that people will still spend money on the things they value. Ask yourself what’s important to your audience and how your product or service ties in with that, and then tell people about it.

What stage of life are they at?

Sometimes the things your audience value most relate to where they are in their lives. A student or someone looking for their first job has very different priorities from a newly retired person. Even if you sell to parents, their needs will change depending on whether they have a newborn or a teenager. That will influence what they care about and how you need to talk to them.

What do they expect from you?

My expectations of a business vary depending on who they are. If I buy from a small business that sells handmade goods, I don’t expect next-day delivery like I would from Amazon. Likewise, the level of professionalism your customers expect might change depending on the type of business they’re looking for. You can influence their expectations through the language you use in your marketing. This works incredibly well if you work in an industry with a stuffy reputation, like law or finance, and want to turn that on its head.

Do you want to create content that reflects your audiences’ lives and speaks your customers’ language? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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How to come up with new content ideas

Coming up with new content ideas
Image by Julie Grant Photography

There comes the point in every small business owner’s life when you think you must have talked about your business from every possible angle. How can you come up with new content ideas when your audience has heard it all before? But, of course, you might be at the other end of the scale, trying to get started but wondering what your audience wants to hear about.

The good news is that there are many ways to develop new content ideas, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. So please read on for my five favourite ways to come up with new topics.

Have a brainstorm

I know that brainstorming sounds like your worst corporate nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. Just write down everything you can help your customers with, then break the significant subject areas into smaller topics. For me, writing about blogging can include topic ideas, structuring your content and writing tips. Each has its own more minor topic; the main thing to remember is that you don’t have to write War and Peace. Smaller nuggets of information are always more digestible.

Get new content ideas from social media

Spending time scrolling social media can be research if you do it right. If you’ve ever avoided posting something because you think it’s too obvious other people’s posts and the comments can help you to find the right level for your audience. Social media research lets you see what questions people are asking; you can comment with an answer and turn it into new content.

Ask the audience

Answering FAQs is a great way to create content, as you can share the answers on multiple platforms. If you’ve got an idea for a subject you’d like to cover but aren’t sure what your audience needs to know, ask them. Your questions can be new posts in themselves; they’ll also give you fresh content ideas to use later.

You can ask for help on your own channels and in groups to help you build your profile.

Update old posts

Updating old posts means you don’t have to develop a new idea from scratch. This is an excellent approach if the original topic is still relevant to your audience, but some of the advice has changed. You can create a new post to replace the old one or write a post supplementing the original content. This gives new followers information they won’t have seen before while also offering something fresh for people who’ve been with you for a while.

Think about what you’ve learned

Forgive me if you’ve heard this one before. All your content needs to be tailored to your future customer’s needs. This means that you only need to know more about your subject than they do. For example, you might already know you want to write a blog but not know how to get started, so that’s what I talk about. Think about what you’ve learned to get to this point and talk about that – it could be more than you think.

Do you want to develop new content ideas and create engaging marketing content? I can help with that. I create content that speaks your customers’ language. Book a call to find out how it works.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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How to match your marketing to your business goals

The image shows a blue sticky note saying 'bright ideas change the world' on a checked background. It's a bright idea to match your marketing to your business goals.
http://Photo by RODNAE Productions: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-printer-paper-on-yellow-table-7414305/

“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” ~ Harvey Mackay

I like this quote for its optimism; you can dream, but you only get somewhere when you make a plan and hold yourself accountable for each step. If you’ve planned your goals for the next 12 months, your next step will be creating a marketing plan to help you hit them.

The question is, does your marketing content align with your targets? When you match your marketing to your business goals, you’re more likely to achieve them. Here’s my guide to the types of content that will help you at each stage of the customer journey.

Brand awareness

To grow a business, you need to make sure that people have a) heard of you and b) understand what you do. SEO plays a big part here; it lets people find you via keywords that describe your business. Personality-filled, shareable blogs and social media posts will help you to reach more people and stay at the front of their minds.

It’s also worth creating guest posts for other sites and collaborating with other businesses. My favourite local café hosts workshops and shopping events, and it helps everyone involved grow their brand awareness.

Engagement

This is the stage where you want people to move from knowing who you are to having a conversation so they can decide whether they like you. Asking conversation-starting questions works well here. You can do this in your blog, on social media posts or ask for interaction on your Stories. You can also invite viewers to ask their questions on live videos.

People are more likely to buy things that their friends like, so ask people to post pictures of themselves with your products.

Lead generation

Lead generation is just a fancy term for encouraging them to opt into a closer relationship where they hear from you more often and start thinking about buying. Asking people to sign up for your email list is an excellent first step, as you can send them an email series that shares everything they may not have known about your business before. You can offer a helpful freebie, such as a checklist, eBook, video tutorial or a free trial to encourage them to sign up. Sharing case studies on your website and social media can help as they show your results.

Sales

Small business owners often struggle with this, but selling doesn’t have to mean pressuring someone into buying. All the work you’ve done to build a relationship means that your audience knows how you can help them; they just need to take the next step.

Sales content needs to take away any doubts people might have. They might need to understand the process or get more details about the product before they buy. Use your content to talk about the benefits and your process, and include technical information as bullet points in your product descriptions. Sharing reviews and case studies lets them see that you’ve delivered for others.

One final thing. Don’t forget to follow up after the sale to help them get the best out of what they’ve bought. Offering hints, tips, or extra support maintains the relationship and makes you memorable.

Do you want to match your marketing to your business goals? I can help with that. I create content that speaks your customers’ language. Book a call to find out how it works.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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Are you making one of these blogging mistakes?

Man writing on a pad and making blogging mistakes.
Photo by Cup of Couple: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crumpled-papers-near-a-person-writing-on-a-notepad-6632868/

A blog is brilliant for letting your audience get to know you and how your business helps them, but it only works if people keep reading and take action when they’re finished. Read on for the top 5 blogging mistakes that will have your readers wandering off to your competitors.

Clickbait

I loathe clickbait with a passion, mainly because I’m not immune to it. There’s always a wonderfully intriguing headline (that’s the point). You click through to find pages of nonsense that don’t deliver what you expect. It only works if your business model is based on high-volume content that generates ad revenue when people click through. If you want to build trust with your audience, it’s horrendous.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Do. Not. Do. This. To. Your. Customers.

Walls of text

Most people don’t read a blog post all the way through. They’ll skim it to get the gist or to find the piece of information they searched for. It’ll put them off if they land on your post and find a big block of text with no subheadings to guide them through. It’s a good idea to plan, so you know what you want to say in the post. Then you can have a subheading for each point and separate paragraphs if there are a couple of different elements to each subheading.

Breaking your post up makes it more visually appealing too.

No through line

Sometimes going off on a tiny tangent can give your content more personality, especially if your topic reminds you of something from your life outside business. However, you’ll lose readers if you wander too far from the point. This can hold true even if your off-topic bit is interesting; it wasn’t what they expected.

That’s why it’s vital to ensure that each section refers back to the central theme, so everything is relevant and you have a clear through line running through your post. Planning will help you do this.

Talking down to your reader

No one likes being patronised. Even if you’re an expert in something and your reader isn’t, they don’t want to be spoken to like they’re five years old. It can be difficult to judge what level of knowledge your audience has, but it’s something you can develop over time as people respond to your content or ask questions in person.

You might also work with professionals who understand business but don’t know the technical terms you use. Professional but jargon-free content is your best bet, or you could offer a quick definition if it’s a term you’ll use throughout your post.

No call to action

You’ve written a helpful blog for your audience that’s answered one of their questions or taught them about an important topic. Now what? How can you keep them on the path to becoming a customer rather than drifting away?

The best way to get someone to do something is to ask them; your marketing is no exception. If you want them to offer an opinion, ask for it. If you want them to book a call or sign up for your mailing list, give them a link or a form to fill in. Your call to action (CTA) aligns with your business goals, so think about what you’re trying to achieve and how your content can help you do that.

If you want to create blogs that will turn your readers into customers, I can help. Book a call, and let’s have a chat.

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5 ways you can blog without needing a website

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/author-blog-create-creative-267569/

You’ve decided to write a blog that’ll stand up on its own or form part of your marketing strategy, but you don’t have a website yet. Maybe you don’t need one at all. You want to start writing and engaging with your audience, but how do you start? Here are 5 ways you can blog without needing a website.

Use a free blogging platform

A free blogging platform lets you start writing your blog without needing a website that you have to pay for. WordPress has free and self-hosted versions so you can choose the option that’s right for you.

It’s worth considering whether you might want to expand your blog into a full website eventually. If you do, it might be worth paying for hosting. That option lets you choose your own URL rather than a link that has the provider’s name in it, so you can build your brand identity from the start.

Write for someone else’s site

Medium hosts thousands of articles on an impressive range of subjects. You can create content and tag the topic to build a following in the same way as you would on social media. There’s a version that pays or you can add links to Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee to let readers send you a donation.

To build your business network, you can also guest blog for other businesses with a similar audience to yours. I’ve hosted blogs from everyone from social media experts to nutritionists as they can help my readers with topics outside my expertise.

LinkedIn articles

I hesitated to include this one as you’ll generally get better reach with LinkedIn posts than you will with articles. However, if you’re trying to build a following articles are still worth your time as it gives you more space to share your expertise than you’d get in a normal post. You can also share articles in your main feed and repurpose them to create a LinkedIn newsletter.

I’m hearing from more and more people who are focusing on LinkedIn for their marketing, so if you want a business audience it could be a great platform.

Microblog on social media

If you’re writing a blog to share your views or offer hints and tips you can do that on social media. The only real difference between a standard blog post and a microblog is that the second one is shorter. That means that a limited character count isn’t a problem.

A microblog doesn’t give you the chance to go in-depth on a subject, but it can help you to learn your writing craft and start building a following.

Create a YouTube vlog

I know I’m all about the writing but creating a video blog on YouTube lets you try out content and build a following the same as any other social media platform. You can also transcribe your videos to turn them into blogs and make them accessible to people who prefer other types of content.

Of course, you can always do it the other way around. If you’ve written a blog on another platform and want to help it reach a wider audience, you can create a video summing up the highlights and include a link to the original post for anyone who wants more detail.

Wherever you choose to blog, the quality of your content matters if you want to build a following and promote your business. If you want some help writing in a way that speaks your customers’ language, let’s have a chat.