What’s the secret to a successful blog?

What’s the secret to a successful blog?
  
Is it:

• One that’s full of interesting information?
• Somewhere that is regularly updated?
• A place where there are tips and advice?
• Sites that give an insight into the company, their values and ideas?
• All of the above? 

The biggest blogging stumbling blocks for many companies are being able to:
(a) decide what to write
(b) finding the time to actually write it and
(c) keeping the momentum going (something even the best of us struggle with sometimes!)


So what's the solution? Well, blogging should be part of a promotional strategy; it should have a reason and can be planned in advance. Yes, changes can be made to adapt to news items or business circumstances, but on the whole there should be a plan of action and an idea of what to write and why.

The secret for many companies to achieve this is to have a ghost blogger i.e. employ someone else to help them plan and write their blogs for them!

Words of advice: Choosing someone to write your blog for you does contain a large element of trust, so it is wise to spend time with them, putting a strategy and plan together. Decide how often the blog will be written, the topics to be covered and any ground rules (e.g. making sure you see and approve the copy before it is posted).

Hannah Sookias, Founder - Sookias Media www.sookiasmedia.com

PS Sookias Media helps many clients with their blog writing and offers packages to graphic and web designers so they can offer additional services to their customers. Do contact me if you'd like more details!

Does your website pass the 10 year old test?

Do you have a website? Have you read it recently? More importantly, have you asked a ten year old to read it?

You are probably wondering by this point why children aged 10 are important - especially if you sell products and services that are targeted at adults and businesses rather than girls and boys.

Well, I'll let you into a copywriting secret - the best marketing literature is written in language that has a reading age of ten.

That way, your text is easy-to-read, it can be scanned quickly and your messages come across quickly and clearly.

This is all vitally important when you only have between 3-7 seconds to make an impression and persuade a visitor to look further into your site, or turn over the page of a catalogue or brochure.

Yes, you can have more technical pages and documents included, but the main pages need to be easy to read and tell visitors quickly and easily what it is you do and why they should buy from your company.

Hannah Sookias
Founder - The Write Solution
http://www.copywritingandpr.com/

PS If you don't have a friendly ten year old, do give me a call and we'll pass it by ours!

Your brand is more than a logo!

I've recently had the following article published in WiRED, the magazine for WiRE (Women in Rural Enterprise). I've been asked 'what is a brand?' several times recently, so thought it would be useful to copy the article here.


YOUR BRAND IS MORE THAN A LOGO!
What is a brand?
Let’s start with a little experiment. What happens when you read the following words?

• Diet Coke
• iPod
• Cadbury
• Asda

Did you feel the refreshing bubbles on your tongue? Or imagine yourself listening to music wherever you go? Were you longing for a bar of chocolate? Could you see the ‘rollback’ symbol meaning cheaper prices?

Don’t worry if you thought differently to me. Branding is how your company, product or service is perceived. It evokes emotions and knowledge of what it is you have to offer and what your customers can expect from you.

It is the first step in the relationship with a potential client. It’s what starts the ‘I’ll talk to them’ or ‘I’m not going there’ decision process. If you have late deliveries, inaccurate orders and a rude receptionist, your brand will be known for those traits.

Strong brands work hard so everyone perceives them in a particular way with the aim of being THE place to get that product or service.

Deciding how you want to be seen
Branding expert, Martin Griffiths from DE22 shares this advice with my clients:

“Take time away from your business to review what you offer at the moment in terms of products and services.

“Understand your customer needs – what do your customers actually need and why do they buy? They have both emotional and rational values – in this instance, emotional is more important as this is what makes potential customers buy into your brand.

“Then, think about how you would like to be seen by customers and competitors. Is it very different to now?

“Only start work on building your brand when you have decided what you want to be known for and where you are coming from.

“This core proposition then drives the logos, slogans and advertising messages. It determines the look, feel and words used for your website, marketing materials, PR stories and advertising.”

Building your brand
Today, we go to the specialists we know and trust – such as music from iTunes and DIY products from BandQ. We consider Bosch and Miele items for white goods because they have the reputation for being reliable.

In the same way, you can build your brand. Crucially, everything needs to be giving the same message.

For example, if you are promoting an environmentally-friendly product or service, ensure that you are communicating in ways that support this: digitally where possible, using recycled paper and materials where not. Promote eco-friendly stories about your carbon neutral transport or the novel ways you recycle, reduce and reuse.

When you want to be seen as a low-cost option, make sure customers feel they are getting a good deal - budget airlines have learnt to their cost that consumers feel cheated when their ‘bargain’ suddenly becomes expensive with baggage charges and taxes.

To be perceived at the high-end, price accordingly and ensure that you exceed your customers’ expectations. Help them feel they are getting something exclusive and use your marketing to reassure them that they have made the right choice.

Make sure everyone is on board
Ensure you and your employees are clear on your objectives and know how you want your brand to be perceived. Think through the impact of all your marketing activities and ensure that anything used enhances rather than weakens your brand’s image.

Finally, use a ‘think twice, speak once’ approach to avoid costly mistakes. As Gerald Ratner famously discovered, even an off-hand remark can have an effect - his ‘pieces of tat’ comment ruined his jewellery company’s brand and ultimately lead to its downfall.

Hannah Sookias
Sookias Media
Tel: 01283 808460
www.sookiasmedia

What's the difference between advertising and PR?

Many people are confused about the difference between PR and advertising, so here is a little story to help you understand the difference:

Fred wanted to go out with a particular girl, so he walked into the
bar where she went with her friends. However, no-one noticed him due to a lack of publicity and he left without speaking to anyone.

The next time he walked into the bar he paid the barman to shout out, "Hey, look everyone, Fred's here!" The advert caused the girl of his dreams to turn and see how attractive he was, but she carried on talking to her friends.

He decided to go away and work on his reputation. He met lots of new people and worked at being perfect boyfriend material.

A while later Fred went into the bar again. Lots of people noticed and started nudging each other. They began talking about how fantastic he was. Their comments included, "He's a lovely young man, always kind and helpful"; "Fred's got a great sense of humour - he always makes me laugh"; "It's nice to see a man who's got a personality as well as good looks"...

The girl he'd been wanting to talk came over to him and said, "I've heard
really good things about you. How about we go on a date so I can find
out for myself?"

And the rest is history - a match made in PR heaven!

When deciding between Advertising and PR, there are some major differences to take into account:

Advertising

• It is paid-for information about your company.


• It is controlled - i.e. you have complete control over what is shown and said.


• Adverts run as often as you are willing to pay for them to be shown.


• Advertising creates visibility.


• Potential customers know you are paying to promote your business.

Public Relations (PR)

• PR is free placement of information about your business.


• It is journalist-led i.e. they can say whatever they like, however you present the information to them.


• There’s no guarantee that your story will be used by the journalist.


• The editorial created from PR gives a 3rd party endorsement of your business.


• Potential customers view the articles as independent reviews.


• People buy from people who have been recommended.

So, advertising guarantees the placement of your company. Clients know you are paying for it to be there, but it gives an awareness of who you are and what you do.

PR on the other hand generates independent endorsements of your business. These can be product reviews, features or just small mentions of your products and services. Whilst there is no guarantee that your story will be used, potential customers use recommendations within their buying decision process and will rate highly what is said by a third party.

Hannah Sookias

Founder - The Write Solution

Got a question? Please do add a post or email me at info@copywritingandpr.com