No Slingshotting: Content Writing Tips to Make Your Readers Yearn for You

Posted on February 28, 2012 by admin

You’ve built a great site, and added all the latest widgets and tools to it. You’ve launched your social media campaigns and an eNewsletter – but still, the traffic to your site is more like a leisurely Sunday drive than the rush hour expressway you were hoping for.

Want to build a strong base of site users who will become tangible leads? You already know that well-written content across all your platforms is essential, but here are some suggestions from Copyblogger that will enable your content to really connect with site users and get them to take an action step.

Present a Treat
Each opportunity you give your readers to engage with you should also give them a treat –something to keep them coming back. That treat generates a reward response, and over time, the reader knows that you have something good to offer, that he should open your materials and that it’ll be worth his time.

What Does the Treat Look Like?
Content that feels like a treat to your reader has two objectives: it answers a challenge or
problem about something your reader is interested in, and it is fun or engaging to read. After a few positive experiences, where the content is useful, engaging and not full of junk, your reader looks forward to getting his next treat from you.

Friend Wanted: Must Enjoy Good Talks, Funny Movies
It’s not enough to just have a lot of friends across your social media platforms. You’ve got to act like the kind of business friend people want. Show your expertise in your field, but not in a hoity-toity way. Instead, adopt a casual tone that shares your know-how with a sense of trust and meaning. In other words, you’re straightforward about your knowledge, but you can have fun doing it.

Not a Slingshot, but a Slow Burn
Your content across multiple platforms – such as your social media posts, web writing and your eNewsletters – is all working to build trust and yearning for your product. It’s not going to pelt your reader with a single stone; rather think of your content as delivering great reasons to buy and squelching hesitation through repeated experiences. Share tales of how customers have seen their lives improved because of your product. Create a sense of true need for what you have to offer.

It’s our specialty at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions to help you establish a familiarity between you and your buyer, and then get them to believe in you and enjoy your presence. Doing this first makes your call to action so much more effective, and creates the meaningful traffic you always hoped you’d have.

Posted in Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Messaging, Social Media, Text Messaging, Uncategorized, Website | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

How to Avoid the Facebook Pitfalls

Posted on February 27, 2012 by admin

There is so much hype about social media, it is disturbing to know that some still don’t use it to its full capability. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be excellent tools for your company when used properly but if used the wrong way, it can be a ticket to disaster.

According to this article published on the PR Daily, you should behave on social media sites as you would at any social event. Here are some simple, yet very common, mistakes to avoid when advertising your company on Facebook or any other social media site. By following these simple rules, you can leverage social media for what it is, and avoid alienating your current and prospective customers.

  1. Use Good Judgment With Photos – Even though a picture of a mistreated animal, starving baby or a person with a disfigurement might grab the attention of some, these can be disturbing pictures to others. Use discretion at all times.
  2. Avoid Hard Sales – Not everyone can afford expensive make-up, multi-million dollar homes or other things along this line. Make sure you are advertising something that everyone can enjoy.
  3. Make Sure Your Statements Are True – Don’t post something you think people “want” to hear, only post things that you “know” are true. People will run to Snopes to verify something if they aren’t sure, so don’t get caught up in a lie to sell your product.
  4. Avoid Obscenity’s of All Kinds – Whether you are using foul language or talking bad about another company’s product, it will all get noticed. Selling your company or product by vulgarly belittling another is not the best approach.
  5. Always Share Links – If you are trying to sell a new product or service you should always include a link to it through your company. People not only want to hear about a product, they want to see it for themselves.
  6. Don’t Give Bad Advice – If you aren’t sure, don’t post it. This is the best rule to follow to avoid angry customers/readers.

All-in-all, social media is a powerful tool. Knowing how to use it is the key difference between success and failure.

If you’re ready to put together your social media strategy, or you simply need help with your content marketing. Contact Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions and we’ll help you get started.

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Finding the Worst of the Worst in Social Media: Part 3

Posted on February 24, 2012 by admin


Tin ears, hashtags, trying too hard or whatever else the case may be. Social media mistakes can make a company’s numbers drop like a lead balloon. In this SmartBlog article, the plethora of mistakes was evident as we read through the list at its entirety.

We have highlighted the worst of the worst for you to enjoy. Here are the final chapters of the Suxorz awards.

Politics

1. Former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s social media blunder.                                       Unfortunately for Mr. Weiner, he doesn’t understand social media. Messages that he thought were private were actually public, with pictures. Probably not a good thing during an election year.

2. Pets with Newt was an epic fail.
Newt created a spoof “Is your pet cool enough to be a pet with Newt”. The spoof
not only got no response, but I am still trying to figure out how this had anything to do
with the election.

Even though we have focused on the worst of the worst, here are a few highlights to end with. Not all social media is bad; only badly played on the part of some.

Well Played

1. American Airlines vs. Alec Baldwin.
Kudos to American Airlines for not backing down to a celebrity. Not only was he
thrown off the plane for not following the rules, American Airlines had no problem
talking about it on Facebook and not backing down to him because he
was famous.
2. Heinz rebounded with 35,000 bottles of ketchup.
Heinz released their latest balsamic vinegar ketchup on Facebook exclusively.
Unfortunately they were having trouble with their e-commerce platform and the fans
were not happy about it. Heinz took it upon themselves to fix the problem and shipped
35,000 of the new balsamic vinegar ketchup two days later.

As long as you have some social media savvy, the benefits are amazing. However, if you are like some that we have written about here and don’t know exactly what you are doing, you may find yourself on the 2012 worst of the worst list with the Suxorz awards.


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To Pinterest or not to Pinterest

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

What is all this Pinterest commotion?  Why all the hype?  Well, first of all it’s fun.   And secondly, it might just be the next big thing in social media.  Just like most other social media sites, Pinterest started as a way for people to connect  with each other . It is a virtual bulletin board that allows you to keep track of the interesting things found on the internet and share those interesting things with others.   It started as a way to look back at recipes, informational pieces, or instructions on how to plan the perfect wedding.  It has definitely evolved.  Pinterest is all grown up and ready to take on the challenge of making your company visible.

A company doesn’t have to employ a graphic designer  to make this site work for them.  Any photo, video, infographic, or any visual piece can be pinned.  And the beauty is, when someone clicks on any given image, Pinterest automatically directs the viewer back to the site it originated from.  Free advertising that is visually stimulating, fun, and, as an added bonus, it adds to your search engine optimization.

Depending on how you initially categorize the images that you pin, for example “social media humor”, that is how you can be found in the  Pinterest search.  Users choose what topics interest them, so you know that when people are looking for a specific product, they are landing on your pin with purpose.  Because everything you pin, directs them back to your site, this could definitely lead to potential new clients.

It does take a few days to get started with Pinterest.  You have to wait for the anticipated invite, but once you receive it – go crazy. Have fun with it. It is an easy site to navigate so there isn’t a learning curve to get past and it’s a fun way to do business. Social media is constantly growing and changing, and so must your marketing strategy.

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Finding the Worst of the Worst in Social Media: Part 2

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

We began Part 1 by looking at some of the worst of the worst in social media bloopers.

Unfortunately, these are made more often than current offenders would like to admit. In Part 2 we will continue on that journey of examining the mistakes by taking a look at some of the categories provided in a SmartBlog article for the Suxorz awards.

Fun With Hashtags

1. Entenmann piggybacking on the Casey Anthony not guilty verdict.

Just because you want to find a large audience (as in the Casey Anthony trial),
doesn’t mean you should jump on the bandwagon to advertise wherever you can.
Promoting your product on the same site as the not guilty verdict will probably get
you more negative feedback than it will new customers.

2. Toyota spams the Super Bowl tweeters.

The Super Bowl might as well be a national holiday. If you are going to win
customers over, spamming the ones who tweet regarding the Super Bowl is
probably not the best idea.

Hijacked Twitter Hashtags

1. McDonalds started a twitter account.

Sounded like a good idea, right? Wrong! Unfortunately the customers told the
restaurant exactly how they felt regarding their food. Ouch! The Golden Arches
are better off with a one-way conversation.

2. Qantas opens a twitter account.

The bad part about this story is they did it while they were a focus in the media
due to their pilots leaving their planes grounded. Bad timing maybe, or just bad
advice from their marketing department?

Trying Too Hard

1. Woody Harrelson joined Reddit’s AMA (Ask Me Anything).

This is a great idea for an actor to promote their movie, unfortunately AMA
means exactly that. Sounds like he didn’t think this through when having to
endure the list of personal questions. Unfortunately for Reddit, the people voiced their opinions.

2. Kayak.com pulled their ads from “All-American Muslin”.

To each his own when it comes to advertising. Removing your ad and making
the statement that you are “Not a bigot” is probably not the correct way to handle things.
Did I mention the CEO did this?

As I said before, social media can be a great tool or your worst nightmare. See how things play out in Part 3 where you can view the rest of the Suxorz awards along with some not so bad social media moments.

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Get More Bang for Your Blog: Some Simple Tips

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

You are, or you aren’t. Blogging, that is. While many organizations think it’s something for twenty-somethings or people who have strong opinions and lots of spare time, the reality is that blogging is a way of dialoguing with buyers, listening and getting your clients and donors to take action.

Even more powerful is the reality that consumers tend to overlook or bypass online ads, but many articles explain that consumers really do read and react to good blogging. They also enjoy using blogs as a way to praise (or criticize) your products.
Here’s another way to look at it:  without quality, consistent blogging, your other marketing and public relations efforts will literally run out of gas. Quality writing on a consistent blog schedule is the fuel that keeps people actively using, reading and clicking on your other tools, such as your web site and eNewsletters. Blogs are also the fuel for your social media strategies, as they direct the user straight to your site – and not only that, but to distinct pages through which you can build their trust and get them to take that next step.

How do you get started? First, start reading good blogs and the comments they inspire. Get a feel for how blogs approach a sense of tone or style, and how they incorporate facts and opinions in a very digestible way. Set up a simple blog page of your own on WordPress, a popular and straightforward blogging tool that makes it easy to keep posting fresh content.

Now, decide on your outcomes for a blog strategy. Do you want to have higher search rankings? Do you want to draw more readers to key phrases that relate to your business? Do you want to address topics with your consumers that will help you develop a stronger and more loyal following?

All of these are the outcomes of successful blogging, but you’ll only get great results if you set up a strategy. One way is to identify which topics and keywords you want to use, and when, and set it up in a simple table. Assign it to a writer and put the date posted. Many top bloggers respond and react to current news headlines in their industry, so you may also want to build a  library of strong articles to blog about for your strategy.
Blog often, and focus on relevant, useful information that also is engaging to read. Include two to three useful hyperlinks in each post, and you’re well on your way to capturing the amazing value of blogging.

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Finding the Worst of the Worst in Social Media: Part 1

Posted on February 17, 2012 by admin

Choosing the best tweet or Facebook post for the day can be a simple task. What caught your eye, made you laugh or inspired you to share? This isn’t about the greatest social media ideas though; this is about finding the worst of the worst.

The Suxorz award exists to present the worst in social media. For 2011, there were many different “winners” of this award including David Berkowitz, Twanna Hines, Brian Morrisey, and B.L. Ochman.

Take a look at some of the worst social media screw-ups for last year as noted in one article.

Tin Ears

  • A condom-maker sent a friend request from an unborn child.

No matter what your stance on contraceptives in or out of marriage, this approach is just simply wrong. The condom maker not only missed this point, they actually took the request and branded it – so bad.

  • Nikon boasted that cameras take pictures, not people.

Not only should you never tell a customer they are wrong, but to make it worse they basically told them “they didn’t matter”. I guess we could also say that cars kill people, not the drunk drivers behind the wheel?

  • Jockey International asked “Can Tebow WIN you FREE underpants?”

I think this one speaks for itself.

Don’t Mess With Bloggers – It WILL Come Back on You

  • ConAgra Foods, along with the agency Ketchum, misled their bloggers.

ConAgra invited their bloggers to an event to discuss the topic of gourmet food.   Unfortunately, they chose to serve frozen foods! Hmmm, wonder what the bloggers did next?

  • Ragu spammed a dad blogger with a video poking fun at him.

In the video, the comment was made that “When mom cooks it rocks, when dad   cooks it’s bad”. Mistake maybe? I guess next time they better ensure that the mother is in the video, not the father.

As you can see, social media mistakes happen all the time, by well-established brands. This is just the tip of the iceberg in the Suxorz awards for 2011. Stayed tuned for Part 2 and we’ll continue to look at the worst of the past year.

 

Posted in Messaging, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Team at SJC!

Posted on February 14, 2012 by admin

A taste of social media candy for your Valentine’s Day!

CREDIT: Original photo by CLS Design | Shutterstock.com

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The Power of Social Media

Posted on February 13, 2012 by admin

For those questioning the power of social media, check out this video. It’s no longer hype – you really do need to engage in the conversations. Set out to build those direct relationships with your customers and donors. If you don’t, your competitors will.

Are you ready to put your social media strategy together? We can help – contact Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions today for a free evaluation.

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What is Your Social Media Strategy….Part II

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin

As promised, we’ve returned with the remaining four tips for your social media strategy. We borrowed these tips from the Social Media Examiner as we respect experts in our field. Plus, these tips jive with the research we do on our end, supporting the key initiatives in any social media campaign. If you want to see measurable success, these tips can help you along the way.

In our previous post, we examined the importance of defining your goals, doing your research and developing your connections. Once you’ve completed these steps, it’s time to dig a little deeper:

Get Into the Conversation –

Social media as a marketing tool differs greatly from the traditional approach in that you no longer want to blast your message; you want to engage the audience. To engage requires that both parties take action. In this case, you want to engage the audience in a conversation. Post comments on blogs and forums, answer questions on Yahoo! and LinkedIn, join groups that relate to your industry and join in on Twitter chats. If you’re not in the conversation, you might as well stay out of the game.

Build the Relationships –

If your business sells a product or service, you know that people buy from people. These same people want to engage with other people. You have to build relationships if you want to move a prospect to a customer. Don’t hide behind an avatar or false profile. You have to be willing to put yourself out there or your ideas, comments and suggestions will be easily ignored.

Remember – it’s assumed that the proliferation of social media has removed the importance of face-to-face interactions. The opposite is actually true – social media makes you more accessible, so build this concept into your social media strategy.

Measure Your Results –

You’re ultimately engaging in social media to connect with more customers and eventually generate more revenue for your business. If you’re not measuring the results of your efforts, how will you know if you made a smart investment? Keep in mind that you are measuring your Return on Investment and Return on Influence – both designated with ROI. Here are common elements to consider in your measurement activities:

  • Improving your brand presence across all social channels
  • Increasing positive sentiment within the industry regarding your brand
  • Relationship development for future opportunities
  • Increased traffic to your website

Analyze and Improve –

Don’t simply measure for the sake of measurement. You need to analyze the results, identify weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats and then make changes to accommodate your findings. In doing so, you can set your sites on constant improvement.

Are you ready to launch into the world of social media, but still struggle on knowing where to start? Contact Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions and we’ll help you develop the right approach to your social marketing strategy that will generate results.

Posted in Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments