Category: writing

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Content marketing: what are you posting?

Content marketing

Content marketing can get overwhelming at the best of times. Even when you’ve got a clear idea of who your customer is and what kind of content they’ll like, there are still lots of decisions to be made. Your marketing could be a full time job, but you haven’t got time for that (even I haven’t). I’m a big believer in repurposing the content you’ve already created. It’s a bit like recycling except it won’t have any significant impact on climate change. Here’s how I approach getting as much use out of my content as I can.

Write a blog

Writing a blog can seem like a massive effort, particularly when you’re struggling with it. If you’ve ever sat down and tried to write a blog only to end up with something you’re not happy with, you’re not alone. However, it is worth persevering. (Or getting someone like me to write one for you.)

A blog is a big, chunky piece of content in comparison to virtually anything else you’ll create. You can take the topics you’ve chosen and use them to inspire other posts. You can even lift phrases straight out of your blog and use them on social media.

Sharing tips

One of the best things you can do in your blog is to share tips and advice with your audience. These will vary depending on what you’re talking about. For example, I write about reasons why you might want to blog and what the benefits are. I’ll also talk about ways to get started or come up with topics.

If you’ve written a blog with multiple tips, separate them and create images with one tip on each. You can share these on multiple platforms so they go further. You can also create videos – and no, you don’t have to be in them if you don’t want to! Facebook lives tend to get better reach than other types of video so I’d recommend doing some if you can. However, you don’t have to go face to face with the camera. You could just show your hands demonstrating a tip or use computer screen capture. I also create tip videos using images with overlaid text.

Motivational content

Unless you’re in the habit of writing motivational quotes or meme-worthy copy in your blog, this one will involve going off on a bit of a tangent. Take your blog topic and use it to search for related quotes. You don’t necessarily have to stick exactly to the topic if you find something that will resonate with your audience. For instance, I wrote a blog about finding time to blog and one of the quotes I found was this:

Not directly relevant to the topic, but certainly something that would get lots of us nodding our heads. You can use the same approach with memes, particularly if you search on Pinterest. I post a fair bit of stuff that isn’t directly related to writing but which I know my audience will enjoy. However, I often find this type of content when I’m just doing my own social media scrolling so don’t worry if the repurposing/search approach doesn’t work well for you here.

There’s also a different kind of motivation you can offer. Helping your audience to gain expertise (or realise that they know more than they thought) is really worthwhile. You can do this by sharing useful resources or by asking questions about their experiences. This helps them to share their knowledge and also helps you get to know them better.

Further resources

If you’d like some hints and tips on writing your blog, start here.

My favourite video capture tools:

Screencast-o-matic for screen capture videos.

Ripl to animate your images with overlaid text.

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How are you?

How are you social distancing?

I had a completely different blog post written for this week. Yet somehow I couldn’t bring myself to publish it. It felt a tiny bit irrelevant to tell another story when the world has turned upside down. So here I am. The only question running through my head is ‘how are you’? Not just for you, but for myself as well. The last time my eldest son went to his fun football session, I got a funny look from one of the dads because I coughed. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him it was his aftershave! Now, every time I cough I wonder if it’s the first sign. Trouble is, I am a cougher. My youngest boy is too. Blame the asthmatic ancestors whose legacy wasn’t the condition itself, but extra sensitive airways. The last couple of weeks have seen me in extra vigilant mode in case the usual coughs become unusual ones. I’ve also been conscious of the different ways that people have reacted to this. I’m not going to talk about the crowds who treated social distancing as a green flag to flock to their local beauty spots. It’s a waste of energy and I’m going to need all mine. What I will tell you about is what’s helped me and what definitely hasn’t.

The personal networks

I’m lucky to be in a brilliant range of business networks, but there are some beyond that too. The parents at the school gate and the local community associations are all a part of my network. It’s been heartening to see how many people have stepped up to help. There’s been co-operation that has helped quarantined families and vulnerable people to be fed and supported in other ways. There have been social media posts in my school groups giving ideas for things to do with the children. There’s also been a phenomenal level of whingeing. I know it helps some people, but the difference between that and the alternative is really striking.

Business support

Most of all, there’s been business support. The panic that your business won’t survive doesn’t last long when you’re in a community of amazing women who’ll help you to brainstorm ideas one minute and teach you how to implement them the next. They’ve also helped to alleviate the guilt. It’s more than working parent anxiety just now. It’s the feeling that you shouldn’t be promoting your business when other people are struggling. The truth is, you shouldn’t feel bad about offering something that will help people. There’s also nothing wrong with putting on your own oxygen mask first. If you can keep a roof over your head and food on the table you’re less likely to need a bail out and that’s better for everyone.

How’s your social media?

Life is being lived on social media more than usual at the moment. There’s been extra positivity because support groups are mobilising on Facebook. There have been the usual spats, but no more than usual. The thing that’s got to me, more than anything, are the people predicting what’s going to happen. I don’t mean the experts. I’m hugely grateful for the people who are providing proper data and explaining the psychology behind the guidelines. I mean the people fretting about stuff that hasn’t happened yet, if it ever does. It took me a long time to stop worrying about things I can’t control, which means I can’t deal with other people doing it. I appreciate that’s my foible but it’s made me much more careful about where I spend time. 

I hope you and your loved ones are OK. Saying ‘how are you?’ has taken on a whole new seriousness, hasn’t it? If you need anything, whether it’s practical support, a listening ear or absolutely anything else, please shout. I’m helping quite a few people with finding the right words to market their business at this strange and crazy time, so let me know if I can do that for you too.

In the meantime, take care and I’ll speak to you soon.

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Is your blog too serious?

Is your blog too serious?
Does your blog need to smile more?

When you first write a blog for your business it can be hard to get the tone right. Too serious and your potential customers will stop reading (unless it’s so dry you’ve actually caused them to nod off mid-sentence). On the other hand, if it’s completely off the wall you run the risk of looking unprofessional. So what do you do? Here are a few ideas from me.

What’s your personality?

I feel as if most of the blogs I’ve written start with knowing your customer. While this is still true, when you’re writing a blog you need to show your personality. The subjects that you talk about need to be ones that are important to your customers. That way you share your expertise and show them that you can help. But what if there are hundreds of other businesses sharing the same sort of content?

If you offer a service that needs to be delivered in person you’ll be competing with other businesses in your area. Go online and the pool is even bigger. Skills, experience and price are important but your customers will often choose to work with you because they like you. You don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not. I know two fantastic marketing experts. One is in your face and bold, the other is calm and quiet. They both get results and their clients love them. You can do the same.

How do you talk to your customers?

If you’re wondering how you get your personality into your blog while still sounding professional, the answer is pretty simple. Think about how you talk to your clients face to face. When it comes to marketing, consistency is key. You build trust by sharing your knowledge and showing your customers how it helps them, but that’s not all. When you write a blog you’re giving them insight into your personality and what you stand for. If the way you come across is at odds with how you are in real life, the trust will be lost.

In practice, this means developing an awareness of the way you naturally speak to your customers. It’s also worth thinking about how you present yourself in other ways. If you’ve blogged about your green business credentials it’s not going to go over too well if your client arrives at your office to find you dressed head to toe in endangered animal skin. OK, I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea.

Blog in your voice

Most of us shift quite naturally between the tone of voice we use with business contacts and the way we speak to our friends. You might not even notice the shift. If you’ve found yourself wondering how you actually sound, start with your emails. They’ll give you a flavour of the way you communicate in writing in a business context. I often suggest recording yourself talking about your business when you’re trying to blog. This can be problematic as voice to text generally needs quite a bit of editing. Plus, if you’re talking to clients they might not want you to record them.

The best emails to look at are ones that you’ve written to people you’ve worked with for a while as you’ve already built a rapport. The way you write to them is likely to be on the informal end of the spectrum, while still being professional. When you write your blog in the same style you’ll give potential customers an insight into the kind of relationship you could ultimately develop.

If you’d like to start writing blogs that sound like you, I can help. Email me at info@kirstyfrancewrites.co.uk to find out how you can outsource your blog writing or get training that helps you to write your own.

Otherwise, sign up to my mailing list for monthly hints and tips on blogging and lots of other useful marketing stuff.

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When not to blog for your business

When not to blog
Don’t give yourself a blogging headache

I know, I know. I’ve been urging you on to write a blog for your business since the last decade (feels weird to be able to say that) and now I’m telling you not to?! Well, no. Mostly, a blog is still a really good idea for most businesses. If you need a quick primer on why that is, here you go. Despite that, there are times when a blog just won’t be the right choice for you, either because of the industry you’re in or just because it’s the wrong time. If you’re thinking of writing a blog but any of the following apply to you, think again…

A blog won’t work for your industry

There aren’t many businesses that I would actively advise against blogging, but there are a few. If your business is scientific or sells something technical that’s on sale to the general public, a blog can be great. It helps you to demystify your product or service and make it more accessible. If, on the other hand, you only deal with other members of the scientific community a blog is pretty pointless. Blogs are chatty and conversational. If your audience is already very well informed and your articles need to set out technical data, a blog is just the wrong format.

It should (hopefully) go without saying that the same applies if your work is subject to a blanket NDA or national security level secrecy. If you want a blog to work you need to be able to share something about your background or life in general. If you can’t do that, a blog probably isn’t for you.

You don’t have time

Lack of time is one of the main reasons people tell me that they haven’t started a blog. It’s understandable. When your blog isn’t a core part of your business it’s one of those things that you can easily put to one side. While it’s great for marketing it doesn’t earn you anything on its own. Focusing on activities that generate income is far more important and I know you’ll have your own list of tasks that take priority over writing.

If you think you haven’t time to blog, this gives you some ideas for fitting it in. But what if you really haven’t got time? Either hand it over to someone like me or don’t do it. If you don’t have time to commit to writing and publishing a blog at least once a month, it will fizzle out before long. It won’t help your SEO and if potential customers come across it they might even think you’ve stopped trading.

It won’t be any good

This might sound a bit harsh. One of the advantages of writing a business blog is that anyone can write one. Of course, this also means that absolutely anyone can write one. For yours to work you need to put a bit of effort into making it good. Otherwise, it’s just going to disappear into the mass of boring, badly written blogs out there.  The good news is there is lots of advice and guidance out there to help you. (Including mine.) You just have to make time to
absorb it and put it into practice.

To put it bluntly, there’s no point writing a blog that no-one wants to read. If you’re already struggling for time, put the effort into creating something that your audience will find useful.

Do you need some help?

Sign up using the form below for monthly blogging tips (and lots of other useful stuff) straight to your inbox. Or, if you’d rather get some personalised help from me, whether that’s blog writing training or outsourcing, please get in touch.

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You can find the time to blog (honest!)

Time zone clocks

OK, I know that’s a sweeping generalisation. There will be plenty of you who really can’t find the time. If adding another thing into your week means giving up sleep or spending time with anyone you care about, don’t do it. Maybe you don’t even want to blog, and that’s fine. That’s what I’m here for. Writing a business blog isn’t right for every business. There’ll be more on that in a future post, but if you’re a small or micro business a blog is still a great marketing tool for most businesses.

The problem, in most cases, is that you think you need to find masses of time all at once. You will need to sit down in front of a screen at some point, but that’s the most time consuming bit. With the right approach everything else can be fitted in around your other daily tasks and will even make the writing part easier. Here’s how I break everything down.

Preparation

Nothing kills inspiration faster than sitting down in front of a blank screen and wondering what to write about. Having your topic ready to go before you start is a major time saver and you can think of ideas while you’re doing other things. You can write answers to your frequently asked questions, share insights on your services and learn about your customers’ struggles at networking events.

After that, create a quick outline plan by breaking the topic down into smaller sections and giving each one a subheading. I often do this when I’m making my lunch. Then when I start writing there’s a guide ready to go.

Writing

I can’t lie, this is the most time consuming bit, but there are ways to make it easier. When you make your plan, if any key phrases spring to mind, write them down. Make voice notes if you like. Recording yourself can also work really well if you find it easier to talk through your topic. Even just talking to yourself could help you to get the words flowing. 

Once you start writing, keep going. Your blog will be better if it sounds like you and that will come more easily if you aren’t constantly worrying about your grammar. That’s what the next stage is for…

Editing

The editing stage is every writer’s best friend. My mantra is ‘you can edit a bad page but you can’t edit a blank one.’ When you’ve written your post, leave it for at least a day then go back with fresh eyes. Run it through a spelling and grammar checker if you like (or visit Grammarly.com). Then, read to see if it makes sense. The best time for this is when you’re (relatively) relaxed. If you’re not already in the habit of taking proper meal breaks or stopping for an afternoon cuppa, this is the perfect excuse.

If you’re feeling brave give your blog to a friend and ask them if it makes sense.

Time for the finishing touches

The finishing touches on your blog are actually a series of tiny tasks that become much more straightforward when you break them down. Finding a good header image, on page SEO and sharing to social media can all be done separately when you have a few minutes. I put an appointment in the diary to find images for future posts, but do what works for you.

It can be a bit of a shift but when you stop viewing a blog post as one solid chunk of work and think of it as a series of smaller tasks, it makes it much easier to work out where you can fit it into your working week.

This is a lightning run through the things that go into a good blog post. If you’d like a bit more detail, sign up to my mailing list for monthly hints and tips on blog writing and all manner of other business marketing stuff. You’ll also receive a copy of my free guide ‘Stop hiding your business’ as a thank you from me.

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How you can write a blog stress free

Stress free blogging
The look on your face when blogging gets easier…

I’m going to hazard a wild guess that since you’ve clicked on a link about stress free blogging, you find blogging stressful. Is that a fair assumption? The source of your stress could be the idea of getting your blog started in the first place. It could also be that you’ve got started but are finding it tough to keep going. I get it. I’m fundamentally lazy and will only work hard at something if it’s absolutely necessary. For me, the only things that fall into that category are strategic planning, client work and keeping my accounts straight. Even writing for clients gets easier as I get to know them better. Writing my own blog is about as stress free as you can get.

The thing is, if something causes you stress you’re more likely to dump it sooner rather than later. (At least, I hope you are.) But blogging doesn’t need to be stressful. You might never love writing blogs as much as I do but there’s no reason why you can’t have some fun with it.

Remember who you’re talking to

Knowing who you want to reach with your blog makes it about a million times easier than going in without a clear idea. The reason I refer to it as ‘talking’ is because it is a bit like a conversation, if a very one sided one. Writing a blog when you know what your audience is interested in is like having a chat with someone you already know. Compare that to doing a talk to 500 people you’ve never met before = loads more stress.

If you can relax and imagine the kind of person you’re talking to, your stress level drops. You can write in a way that feels natural to you. 

Pick your topic

It’s a good idea to come up with a few potential topics before you plan to start writing. You can find some suggestions for ways to do that here. Then just mull it over for a bit. Which topic would benefit your customers? Is there something you particularly want to tell them about? Could you remove an obstacle that’s preventing someone from becoming a customer?

When you’ve chosen a topic, break it down. Take your time and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What knowledge do they already have and what don’t they know? Break it down into smaller subsections. Doing it this way means you can tackle each section at your own pace, which means, you guessed it – less stress.

Get fired up

When it comes to actually writing, stop being logical and just write. Your blog is your chance to talk about something that really matters to you. Enthusiasm is infectious so get excited and let people know why they need to know about this stuff. You might be thinking that the results of writing from your gut might not be too professional. I won’t say it doesn’t matter, because it does. If you want people to trust you as a professional you can’t be completely chaotic. But professional, or even formal, does not mean dull. Churning out bland content will only get boring for you and the reader. You don’t get the results you want and wonder why you’re going through all this stress for nothing.

The key thing to remember is that you can always edit. Write your first draft without putting any restrictions on yourself, then read it back. If there’s anything that won’t work for your audience, you can change it and no-one else will ever know.

If you want to get started blogging put need a push in the right direction, you can sign up for my blogging challenge using the form below. Over 5 days I’ll take you through 5 simple tasks that will leave you with a stress free, finished blog by the end of the week.

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How you can get started blogging

Blogging for beginners

If you run a small business it’s likely you’ll have been
bombarded with marketing advice from various sources (including me). It would
be completely incredible if blogging hadn’t featured somewhere. Blogging isn’t
the only way to market your business but it’s a good one. There aren’t many
businesses that a marketing blog wouldn’t suit. (There are some, but that’s for
another post.) A blog helps you to build trust with your audience and offer
useful information that shows you know what you’re talking about. It’s also
recyclable – you can take one blog post and use it in lots of different ways.

If you think this all sounds great but you have no idea how
to get started, this post is for you.

Choose your blogging platform

Technically, you don’t have to have a website to blog. You
can write mini blogs on Instagram or Facebook or articles on LinkedIn. The risk
of doing it like this is that those social media platforms don’t belong to you
and could, in theory, be taken down. When you blog on a website you’re in control.
If visitors to your site spot something else interesting you still have their attention
but that won’t necessarily happen on social media.

There are loads of website providers to choose from. I’m on
WordPress as it’s easy to maintain and the self-hosted option means I have my
own website address rather than one with WordPress in it, so it looks more
professional. Choose something that works for you.

Choose your blog topic

There are loads of different ways to choose topics for your blog. There are a few ideas here. One of the simplest ways to start if you’ve already had some customers or enquiries is to write a blog answering a frequently asked question. This works on the principle that if prospective customers are asking you when they get in touch, they might be searching for the answer online as well.

Keep your topic quite specific so you’re not overloading
people with information. If I were to include every possible way of coming up
with topics in this post you’d be reading all week. Choose a few simple ways of
answering the question and break it down so you cover a little bit in each
paragraph. That helps you to keep things structured and to the point as well.

Start writing (or talking)

Blank pages can be completely terrifying. If you sit down
and find that your mind empties at the sight of a blinking cursor, there are a
couple of ways to deal with it. If you want to stick with the paper, type or
write your paragraph headings then jot down some notes about what you want to
cover. They don’t have to be perfect sentences, just enough to give you
something to work with.

Alternatively, record yourself. This takes practice, but
works if you find it easier to explain your subject when you talk to people.
Record what you say and get it transcribed, then you can edit the notes to turn
it into a blog.

The finishing touches

When you’ve got a blog post down on paper, read it back. You
might cringe but you can spot typos and it will also help you to see bits that
could work better. Getting feedback from someone you trust can also be really
helpful. I’m in a few Facebook marketing groups and they can be a good place to
share for support if the rules allow it. The main thing is to get it out there
as you only start improving once you do.

If you’d rather get a professional involved, I can help too.
I polish and edit blog posts and other stuff for all sorts of businesses. Of
course, if the whole thing is making your head hurt I can write them for you as
well.

Have you already written a blog? Share a link in the
comments if you have, I love to share!

Further reading

For more about putting the finishing touches to your blog posts, read this.

If you’d love to get some brilliant marketing and blogging tips straight to your inbox, sign up to my mailing list using the form below. I don’t spam and I will never share your information with anyone else. (Guide’s honour.)

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Christmas blog: Can you write one when your business has nothing to do with Christmas?

Firstly, an apology. I know that now we’re past Halloween the floodgates have opened and your social media feeds are full of Christmas. I can’t be helping with my Christmas blog posts and festive marketing tips either. To be perfectly honest, I should be talking to you about Easter marketing by now. I’ve spoken to two people who are already working on Christmas 2020.

If you’re fed up of Christmas marketing because your business isn’t Christmassy, I’m actually here to help. You might not think that your business has anything to do with Christmas, but you’d be surprised. Even if you don’t sell gifts, decorations or Christmas food, you can still write a Christmas blog. It’s the season of goodwill and you can raise your business profile by joining in. Without further ado, here are 5 ideas for your Christmas blog.

1.  Family focus

Christmas with our loved ones can create both warm fuzzy feelings and total panic and your Christmas blog posts can tap into both. I once wrote a Christmas blog for a bathroom company about stress free ways to share your bathroom with guests. Do you have some house sharing wisdom to offer?

If you’re a counsellor, a tips post would be perfect. Show people how they can minimise stress or avoid arguments. After all, even families who get on well can feel the strain at Christmas.

2.  Looking forward to New Year

If you help people to transform their lives long term, why not encourage their friends and family to support them? You might think that a voucher is a bit naff at Christmas, but what if it’s for personal training that could improve their health? A blog post about Christmas gifts that could change your life gets people thinking – plus they’ll remember you when they make their New Year’s resolutions.

If you help small businesses*, a blog with gifts for business owners could help you find a new audience.

3.  Christmas emergencies

If you can help with an emergency that doesn’t need a 999 call, tell your customers. Your Christmas blog post could show people how to avoid emergencies. Can you advise on home security or fire safety checks? If you run a garage, talk about vehicle maintenance so they won’t break down on a Christmas road trip.

Oh, and if you’re open on Christmas Day, put it on Facebook. Our local garage saved our roast potatoes when we ran out of cooking oil and didn’t notice until Christmas morning!

4.  Wellbeing in your Christmas blog

My self-care is a bit hit and miss generally and goes completely out of the window in the run up to Christmas. If you have a wellbeing business, your Christmas blog can offer people ways to look after themselves when they don’t have time.

You could even take a different approach. I love supporting small businesses and hate city centre shopping so I’ve had a shopping party at home and am going to a couple of local fairs. Could your Christmas blog talk about ways to shop stress free?

5.  Christmas preparations (or the aftermath)

Professional cleaning tips go down well all year round, but especially at Christmas when you’re expecting guests. You could also write about the benefits of a professional clean at Christmas.  When I planned this blog I mentioned it to my cleaner, who was hoovering near my desk. She told me that it’s a sign of a good cleaner if they can clean properly without disturbing your decorations.

Use your Christmas blog to tell your customers how you can help them get ready and throw in a few surprises if you can.

*Like I do with great value blog packages. (If you’d like to buy the small business owner in your life a month’s worth of blog posts from me, I sell gift vouchers. Click here to find out about my packages or email me if you’d just like to send them a few quid to use as they like.)

If you want some ideas for posts to take you through December and up to Christmas Eve, sign up for my mailing list using the form below. You’ll get a copy of my free guide to creating your ultimate Christmas marketing plan.

Further reading

If your business does have something to do with Christmas and you’ve missed my earlier blogs, here they are:

This one is for you if you sell great Christmas gifts.

This one is for those of you who help your customers to create the perfect Christmas celebration.

Here’s another take on blog post ideas for a non-Christmassy business from www.business2community.com

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5 Christmas blog post ideas for businesses that create the perfect day

Perfect Christmas blog post ideas

There are lots of fantastic businesses selling perfect Christmas gifts, but what about the rest of you? What if your business helps your customers to create the perfect Christmas? There are a whole range of businesses that offer everything from Christmas essentials to the finishing touches. Food, drink and Christmas decorations are obvious examples but there are lots of areas where people need some help to create the perfect Christmas. There can, of course, be plenty of overlap. I always feel as if I’m preparing for the apocalypse when the Christmas food delivery arrives, but there are always a few bottles of wine heading out as gifts too.

If you sell fashion or beauty it’s easy to focus on gifts but do your customers also need help deciding what to wear to the Christmas party or while they’re serving up turkey? Think about what will go into your customers’ perfect Christmas and talk about that. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

1.        Making the perfect Christmas easier

Creating the perfect Christmas sounds like a great idea but it can get stressful pretty quickly. If you offer something that helps to take some of the stress away, tell people about it. It could be anything from a handy short cut to Christmas on a plate. Do you offer pre-stuffed turkeys or a gift wrapping service? Can you deliver to their door to save them yet another trip to the shops?

If you give Christmas preppers one less thing to think about, let them know.

2.        Feeling good at Christmas

Are your customers are people who generally feel frazzled by the time Christmas is over? Help them out with a blog post that helps them make things better. It could be anything from advice on taking time out and still getting everything done through to nutrition to stop them getting ill.

Maybe they want to feel dressed up but not overdressed for Christmas dinner. I know there are people who feel perfectly comfortable dressing up to the nines to scoff sprouts – personally, I’m not one of them.

3.        Perfect Christmas entertainment

We’ve all been there – Christmas dinner is over and everyone just wants to slump in a chair. Christmas telly sounds like a great idea until the arguments over who wants to watch what get going. Either that or the kids have opened all of their presents and are bouncing on your last nerve whilst you’re trying to cook.

If you have the solution to either of those challenges, tell your customers about it. I promise they will love you for it.

4.        A green Christmas

Environmental issues are on everyone’s minds. The drive to reduce the volume of single use plastics we throw away every year is now a key influence in lots of people’s buying decisions. Of course, you’re not restricted to talking about plastic. You can tell your customers about anything you do to help lessen your (and their) environmental impact.

Give people 5 ways that they can use your products to have a green Christmas and you’ll be on to a winner.

5.        Christmas tips

Tips posts are a great way to catch your customers’ attention at any time of year, but they’re especially valuable at Christmas. This type of blog post works because it gives people information in easily digestible chunks. They’re perfect for busy people (which is basically all of us at Christmas).

I’ve talked about helping people who want quick fixes, but there is just as big an audience for advice on how to do things properly. If you have advice on preparing the perfect Christmas dinner, expert wrapping tips or the best way to decorate your tree, share them.

If you haven’t planned your Christmas marketing yet and want some ideas for posts to take you through December and up to Christmas Eve, sign up for my mailing list using the form below. You’ll get a copy of my free guide to creating your ultimate Christmas marketing plan.

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Microblogging: why you need to start small

Microblogging - small is beautiful.

The idea of writing a blog can seem a bit daunting. Maybe writing doesn’t come naturally to you or you’re just out of practice. Sitting in front of a blank screen trying to come up with something good to blog about could be your worst nightmare. Either that or you try it and end up spending a whole day getting it to sound right (or giving up because it doesn’t). If that sounds familiar, microblogging could be your new best friend. Read on to find out what it’s all about…

What is microblogging?

Microblogging is basically a mini blog (sorry for stating the bleeding obvious). If you’ve never heard the term before, you actually see microblogs all the time. Tweets, Facebook updates and Instagram posts are all microblogs. The essence of microblogging is about sharing a quick snippet of information. It could be anything from a link, to a photo, some text or a video.

The key thing to remember about microblogging is that it’s relatively short and to the point. A standard blog post could be anything from 350 words up – generally a microblog should be shorter than that. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules. If you’ve got something to say and you want to put it on Instagram, knock yourself out. You’ve got over 2,000 characters to play with so you can say quite a lot. As always, the key is to think about what you have the time and skill to produce and what will be helpful to your audience.

How you can use microblogging

Microblogging is a brilliant way to get used to writing because you can be brief while still saying more than you usually would. I know that sounds as if I’m completely contradicting myself, but bear with me. If your standard Facebook post only runs to a couple of sentences, is it because the things you talk about don’t need more than that or because you feel you have to keep posts really short? If it’s either of those, think about what that’s telling your customers. As small businesses we need to build trust with our audience. That only happens when you offer useful information or let people get to know you.

The next time you go to a business event, try posting more than ‘here I am at X for networking’. Relax and talk about what you get out of the event as if you were telling a friend. You don’t have to write loads but it gives people a bit of insight. Also, because it’s social media you get immediate feedback.

The downsides

Of course, there can be downsides to microblogging. One of the main potential pitfalls is if you don’t establish clear boundaries when you start. I’ve talked about maintaining your privacy when you blog before but it bears repeating. Letting your audience get to know you is great, but not if you let it intrude too far into your life. For example, would you want some random person to see your Facebook posts and be able to work out where you live or where your kids go to school? There has even been debate about whether the availability of information on Twitter made super injunctions pointless.

From a practical point of view, microblogging on social media has one major drawback. It doesn’t help your search engine rankings. A website based blog, updated regularly, helps you to get found on Google whereas social media just builds your profile. That’s why I’d suggest building your confidence with microblogging then moving on to a blog. Then you get the best of both worlds.

Further reading

You can choose subjects for microblogs in the same way as you would for a traditional blog. Here’s how to get started.

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