All Posts
A content writer or business blogger (whether plume or keyboard, or in my case, both) takes on the identity of his/her subject as though they are vicariously living as the CEO or decision maker for that business entity. It is in this forum where jack of all trades requires that you master, at least on some level, all & not none. A good content writer or blogger assumes the identity of employee/employer and advocate for that business.
Taking on a client who is part of an industry in which you’ve never been employed can seem overwhelming or to some impossible. Do you take that client on and fluff your credentials as though you have had a million clients in that same industry…a been there done that so of course you should hire me attitude? Or do you let them know how darn good you are at research and how becoming a student rather than a “know it all” behooves them and your craft? Because any good content writer will tell you it’s about RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH …and yet more RESEARCH. That includes your company client, their area of expertise, their competition and what’s not being said/done/reflected in their own and competitors marketing identity. You have to write it like you live it, in it…their world, their conference rooms and marketing strategy meetings.
Recently I took on a client in a very interesting and technical industry. And I certainly can admit some hesitation and anxiety prior to the pitch. It was seemingly too technical for a person who spent a good deal of my career in a very white collar legal environment. But I soon realized that this is what it’s all about. What content writers do-we morph. And through many hours of research and allowing my brain to think outside its confines and experience, I soon became intrigued and began to write in such a manner that impressed me (really it did) and my client. This is what allows you to write from a position of “seeming” expertise and authority rather than obvious novice.
So stay encouraged my fellow content writers and bloggers- embrace what you don’t know, learn what you need to and then write like you live it.
All Posts, Marketing
Our last 4 prospective client requests for websites all had questions about blogs. I personally was pleased because there seems to be a growing conscientious to how effective blogging is to not only your site’s SEO but to your business’s brand. There’s a few things I want to talk about like transparency, effectiveness, analytics, and search engine optimization. Now I know there are many blog platforms out there, but for me a self hosted WordPress site offers so many options and features and the learning curve is fantastic to pick up and go.
The Reach: Taking some time out each week to write a post or two can really help drive some numbers to your website. Mainly because WordPress and search engines get along really well, but also because blogging creates fresh new content on your website where a traditional website may only see new content once a quarter. Even what could be seen as a low-interest website like stamp collecting could achieve visits by the thousands each week based on what they talk about and how. Never limit your business products or services to just what you think may be a small target audience. This is the internet we’re talking about here, millions of people are on throughout the day and night. There’s bound to be hundreds of thousands who share your views and can appreciate your opinions and opposition to a subject matter.
Engage, Engage, Engage: Consider other blogger’s and sites that talk about what you do and comment on their posts. Not so much to try to drive away readers, but to bring up valid points that may have been missed, or a little bit of controversy. We all like drama, and some of the hottest posts aren’t in the original article but in the comments where readers go back and forth trying to one up each other or drive home a point. You’d also be surprised at all the places you post, and who may want to view your blog entries to see if you know what you yourself are talking about.
Crowd-sourcing and Feedback: Without full-out asking for it, blogging can be a way to get great customer feedback. Consider a competitor of yours recently launched a new product. At first it seems like a great idea and may be a great product to those that need it. But what if it has a major flaw or is missing something vital that one of your products has and your clients appreciate much more than your competitors? Well after writing a post about it comparing the two products, you can see how your visitor weigh in with their comments. Of course your post won’t be written in a way to seem like your bashing. We’re not trying to be e-thugs, but a tasteful comparison could lead to better R&D for your brand, even when there isn’t competition.
Search Engines: I wonder when we’ll stop calling them search engines and just refer to Google instead. Google’s algorithms are still quite unknown, but what is known is how well an unknown website can pop-up as a number 1 or 3 organic result for a subject matter. Regardless of what the site looks like, and more so on how relevant the content is to the string of keywords used in a user’s search. With a static HTML site, you’d have to embed keywords, a page description, and some meta-tags to your page’s code. Not to mention the on-page keyword usage and image ALT tags you’d have to remember to include. With WordPress all of that is mostly taken into consideration. When adding an image to a post you easily have the options to put captions and alternate text messages for your images and graphics. You have a categories and tags box to check off and type in your keywords and associated post categories. It all really makes for an effortless optimization.
Overall Effectiveness: If you’re a small business who thinks that no one out there is interested in reading about what you have to say, let me tell you that you’re wrong. Even for the stamp collector, there is plenty to say that people are looking for. Imagine if you were the only blog out there talking about the history of some stamps, or hidden facts about some designs for stamps, or maybe even ways to save money on postage that most people wouldn’t know. I’m not a stamp collector but show me how to save money on postage and I’ll be all over it, and share it with my friends who may share it with their friends. One because its easy to read and share both on computers and mobile devices, and Two because it offers an audience I normally wouldn’t be able to reach on my own through traditional marketing. When I first started blogging late last year, I posted once a month (maybe) and I had traffic to my blog at about 25-50 people a month. Now I have a team of 2 other (3 soon) bloggers and we each post a different subject article once a week. In the past 30 days we’ve had almost 1500 visits (Google Analytics).
I hope that this clears some uncertainty on why you should get blogging NOW! For those of you that already do, add your pointers in the comments below. We can all learn something to be more effective!
Graphic Design
Your design business 2012
2011 just flew by and you still contemplating how to start your own Graphic Design business. Now 2012 is here and you’re thinking you really want to start the year off with your skills and talents in hand with a new business venture. Aside from being a daunting situation if you’ve never started a business before, it can be a mix of emotions and aspirations that can and will change from day-to-day. I wanted to give you some of the tactics and tricks I’ve learned. Here are 5 common keys that will make the difference on your jump-start.
- Word of Mouth: It doesn’t matter in what stage of your graphic design business is, word-of-mouth is one of the most effective ways to land more jobs. First, impress your client with your design skills and business sense, you will be amazed of how word will get around. Belonging to professional organizations is another way to spread the word and meet other designers
- Have your portfolio ready: Companies will choose a designer based on his/her previous work and how this is presented. There are several choices for what type of portfolio to build, and each has their own benefits and drawbacks. Search for options and decide which apply to your case.
- Manage your projects like a pro: It’s very important that you keep in constant contact with your client and follow the project schedule so the job is finished on deadline. Staying organized is another way to keep projects running smoothly, this is a great key to be successful in your new endeavor.
- Marketing your design business: Fortunately, these days there are plenty of ways to market your business. Take full advantage of the Social Media; Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and many more are great options to position your design business on the “know”.
- Never Leave a Client Unhappy Even if it Means Losing Money: This one is hard but you just need to deal with it, finish your job, and send them on their way. Satisfied clients will tell a few friends how awesome you are – unhappy clients will tell the whole world how much you suck.
The secret to a successful long-term design business has little to do with design itself – it’s how you handle your business, how you deal with your clients. Is definite that your design skills matter, but if you don’t get your business end together, it won’t matter how good you are. People simply won’t want to work with you.
What are your plans for 2012? Are you ready to launch your design business?
Marketing
These days we have so many ways to talk about our businesses, products, and services both online and off. From talking about a new addition to your business or soliciting visitors to your brand using social media. The point is, we’re always looking for ways to grab attention to our business. Enter Testimonials. There usually isn’t too much focus on grabbing the feedback we receive from clients when finishing a new design project. Usually the great gratification is a nice email or phone call appreciating the hard work and efforts followed by a nice check or direct deposit. However I’d like to challenge you to sift back through some of your conversations with not only your recent clients but ALL of them in an attempt to modestly “brag” about your design skills.
Testimonials sometimes come in few different ways. Could be a follow-up phone call from a firms executive team thanking you for putting together such a great new website redesign. Or an email from a marketing director who never worked with a designer that actually put to life their exact thoughts for a brochure. Personally, anything you can get in writing is fantastic because you’ll always have their words exactly. A phone call is good too, but try to ask them if they wouldn’t mind being quoted and their testimonial being used on your media.
So how do you use all this to brag? Let me show you a few great ways:
On Paper: A hand written letter from a client may be harder to get than some other means. But most won’t mind typing up a few sentences (or paragraphs), in Microsoft Word and printing it on their company letterhead and mailing it to you. I’ve actually visited a few storefronts where they had a cork board in their entrance that was full of letters from clients. It immediately give you a sense of validity towards that establishment.
Via Email: A really easy and may be a more common way of receiving a testimonial is via email. This is because it’s short, direct and to the point. You can even provoke a client to send you one by pre-emptively sending them an email asking for their opinion or grace of your recent or past work.
From a Phone Call: This one could be a bit tricky. Since we’re all busy, phone conversation usually start one way then drift to another before the call is ended. So remembering what was exactly said (verbatim) may be a bit tricky if you don’t write things down immediately after the call. Also getting the “ok” at the end may sometimes be hard or awkward to ask for.
From Your Website: A great way to capture testimonials that’s almost effortless is your own website. It’s already up right? Why not make it work a little more for you. Setup a page that can be linked from your Contact Us page that will be solely for testimonials. I’ve provided some links to some nice examples below. You don’t have to get crazy elaborate. Mainly you want to have an example of the work you did next to the text of your testimonial along with the clients name. Maybe first name and last initial to keep a bit of their identity hidden.
Testimonial Examples Link 1
Testimonial Examples Link 2
So after all this, I’d love to hear your own success and stories with testimonials. Share with us in the comments below. We can all learn from each other.
All Posts, Marketing
As the end of the year gets closer most of us start thinking more about our family and what we plan to do for the holidays. Family trips, big dinners, presents right? Well a lot of you are pretty talented designers, so why not come up with some pretty cool ways to reach out to your clients to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving in a truly personal way that’s all your own. It’s a really great way to grab their attention from all the other pieces of mail, email, and rudimentary things they’ll be receiving that they plan to immediately shove aside.
Idea One: Give thanks with a custom infographic about their business and your role in it. Use 3-4 statistic examples or metrics that can be replicated easily from customer to customer so you can quickly replicate your efforts. This gives an eye pleasing approach to some facts but also promotes your service back to them.
Ideal Two: A handwritten letter sent via snail mail. Do we even write anything anymore outside of our name as a signature? Sure we’re used to emails and SMS but can you imagine how a client would feel opening a letter from you on a papyrus style paper or something with really good texture? It’s something I’m sure they’d share with others and the livelihood of it being read fully are much higher than a typed letter on regular print paper.
Idea Three: Offer an exclusive and personally direct special offer to some of your clients. Did you design a logo a few months ago? Why not offer a special deal on business cards or letterhead. But take it one step further and create a mockup already made and ready to print for them. With a watermark of course.
Idea Four: Customer Loyalty program. Track back in your previous or past conversations with your clients and see if you can find any hints on some products or services you offer that they may want. Specifically the things they want that they may have felt at the time was just out of their budget. Offer it to them at a sale or discount. They’ll appreciate the sale/discount because they will remember what the true value or price was prior to your new offer. Make it compelling by leaving a purchase window for 24-48 hours.
Any tactics you’ve used in the past that were beneficial that you’d like to add? Share with us in the comments below. If you’d like a copy of the Happy Thanksgiving graphic, request a layered (un-watermarked) PNG here.
A content writer or business blogger (whether plume or keyboard, or in my case, both) takes on the identity of his/her subject as though they are vicariously living as the CEO or decision maker for that business entity. It is in this forum where jack of all trades requires that you master, at least on some level, all & not none. A good content writer or blogger assumes the identity of employee/employer and advocate for that business.
