by Francois Muscat | Oct 9, 2019 | Copywriting
We’ve all had those moments when the inspiration starts to dry up just as the deadline looms. We also all come through it – in one way or another. Here are three things you can try to stop you from getting stuck and keep the inspiration flowing:
1.Remind Yourself That Writing Is Something You Want to Do
There is any number of jobs you could be doing, from cleaning toilets to selling insurance to balancing corporate books. However, you chose to be a writer, and here you are; doing what you chose to do. That, in itself. is a blessing few people have. So, next time you’re struggling with a tricky topic or client, just remind yourself of your fortunate position. As soon as anything becomes something you want to do, rather than have to do, it gets a whole lot easier.
2. Find the Balance Between What Your Client Needs and What You Like
As a writer, you need to write about what fires you up, about things that you find interesting, written in your own inimitable style. You may well say: “Yes, but that’s easier said than done when you’re filling a copywriting brief.”
The trick is to be inventive and find a way to join the brief to your interests and style. When you do so, it makes your job more fun. There is also a certain gratification in mining for and unearthing the connections between client demands and your own sensibilities.
3. Don’t Try to be Original
If you’re writing a lot of technical or sales-driven content, you may start to feel like there isn’t much space for your voice. “How can I make this original?” you ask yourself, leading to a lot of time wasted in staring at the screen, drafting and deleting whole paragraphs, and needless self-criticism. Just remember that you can’t help but be original. No matter how many times a topic has been approached by other writers, none of them see it or write it exactly as you can. Just put your fingers to the keys – and there you are.
WSI OMS specialises in great copywriting and all other aspects of online marketing. Let us help you refine your digital marketing copy.
by Francois Muscat | Oct 8, 2019 | Social Media Marketing
It’s old news that B2B and B2C marketing are very different animals, and to be approached in distinctly differing ways. What is less known is how exactly this translates into social media marketing. Most marketers already alter their approaches to each intuitively, but it helps to set down some broad guidelines. Here are some general guidelines to keeping your marketing strategies distinct and targeted for each sector.
Content: keeping it professional vs. making it personal
The rules of content creation for B2B vs. B2C, are largely the same as on other marketing platforms, namely:
With B2B content, you want to come across as professional and authoritative, with reference to industry best practice and facts and figures. Link to case studies, white papers, infographics and similar documents, as these prove to readers that you are well versed in the intricacies of the industry in question. Let your promotional material speak (without appearing to sell) to these facts and figures.
On the other hand, consumers want to know what your product can do for them – simple as that. How will it increase their comfort, status, ability to carry out a particular task, etc. Tell them in an easy, straightforward manner, as if talking to a friend.
Platforms: targeted baiting vs. a wide net
When targeting clients in the business world, particularly in one specific trade, you need to narrow your platform. LinkedIn is the ‘go-to’ place to find groups within your niche. Join groups and start connecting with your potential clients, colleagues, alumni and everyone you do business with.
With B2C, you want to reach as wide an audience as possible, so hit Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, making sure to modify your content to suit each channel and its audience. With B2C, you’re fishing in a smaller pond with very specific fish in mind. With B2B, you’re casting a much wider net.
KPIs: generating leads vs. going viral
B2B marketing is about generating convertible leads. So the first thing you measure is the amount of web traffic being generated from your social media posts. Then you measure how many of these are actually being converted into sales/ subscriptions, etc.
Likes and follows are your currency with B2C, although you also want these to convert to something monetisable. So count your likes and follows, measure your web traffic and tally the sales that have arisen from them.
As a rule of thumb, it appears that B2B is more targeted while B2C is more general. It is actually a little more complicated than that though. Targeted strategies are needed even if you’re casting your net wide. At the same time, refined strategies should never be so exclusive as to miss out on potential leads. The overall rules stand, however, and you can best decide how they apply to your campaigns.
WSI can help you tailor sharp, effective social media marketing strategies. Contact us.
by Francois Muscat | Sep 25, 2019 | Conversion Rate optimisation
It’s all very well getting lots of traffic to your site. But, what you’re really looking for is conversion. You want those visits to turn into sales. Now, this is by no means something you need to just leave up to fate. There are numerous actions you can take to optimise your conversion rate. These are factors built into your marketing approach and your UX/UI design, amongst other things. It need not have to be complicated. Here are just a handful of ideas you can use to optimise your conversion rate today:
1. Don’t Require Unnecessary Information
This is especially true when it comes to forming fields. If people have to fill in long forms with all kinds of facts and numbers, they are likely to lose patience and go elsewhere. Decide what is really essential and cut down these fields as far as possible.
2. Gear Your Design and UX Towards Conversions
Don’t make people search for your call to action. Make it bold and clear, so that, when they are ready to buy, they know exactly where to click. Whatever else you put on your pages, gear everything towards that final call to action. Keep this in mind with all aspects of your design, from the colours you choose to the positioning of elements on the page. While you’re at it, get rid of image sliders and stop using stock photos too.
3. Always Add Value
Let potential customers have no doubt about the innate value of your offering – and then add a little more. Even if your product is high-value in its own right, you are likely to close the deal if you throw in that little bit extra. If the reader likes your product, they’ll like it even more when you throw in something free. Whatever your value offering, add something more.
WSI OMS is an expert in online marketing. Contact us for help to increase your conversion rate.
by Francois Muscat | Sep 9, 2019 | PPC
Pay-per-click advertising works for various businesses despite their size. It is a lucrative way to get more leads and make more money. What many small business owners get wrong, however, is not combining their content marketing with their paid online advertising strategy.
While PPC is a great way to advertise your business to people who are looking for the products and services that you offer, you will get a lot more bang for your buck if it is combined with a content marketing strategy. When you create content based on niche long-tail keywords, advice blogs that educate your customers or how-to guides, you will be able to create different PPC campaigns that are tailored to these pages.
One of the quickest ways to throw away a hot lead is to direct them from a PPC ad in their Google search results to the home page of your website. If you sell used sailboats and have articles about buying used sailboats, a 10-point checklist for buyers or how to refurbish sailboats, you can create ads that speak directly to this content.
The reason why combining your content marketing strategy with PPC is so powerful, is because people are searching for information online. Very few people open a search engine with the intent to buy someone. A PPC ad can put your content front and centre so that you can start to build a relationship with a potential client, give them the information they need and showcase yourself as a leader in the industry.
Contact WSI OMS to help you manage paid online advertising, PPC and digital marketing efforts.
by Francois Muscat | Sep 6, 2019 | Website Design
Creating a great web page is often a delicate balancing act – one that is not always easy to achieve. Not only does the designer want to build a stunning and unique site, but the client also wants to ensure that user experience is simple and profitable, while digital marketers want to stay at the top of the search results. Design, UX and SEO thus sometimes come into conflict, resulting in frustration all around.
All of these factors are important and can be reconciled. SEO has become such a high priority for most companies seeking to build their online presence, and so it is perhaps worth considering the potential conflict from this perspective. SEO experts have cited a number of main factors that frustrate them when it comes to web design. These can be resolved without sacrificing UX or web design. On the contrary, considering these points could create a win-win and ensure that web design and SEO need not be in opposition to each other.
When SEO pros look at a website, they essentially consider five aspects: crawlability, usability, readability, accessibility and findability. Certain popular web design choices can interfere with one or more of these, which makes SEO measures difficult to implement. Here are some of the worst offenders:
– Menu Designs:
The “hamburger” menu, accordion style, confusing dropdown design and mega menus. All of these will make an SEO specialist cringe. Navigation needs to be simplified for a better UX, which will ultimately enhance the site’s SEO standings.
– Decisions That Are Not Based on Data:
A website is not an artwork, it is an interface with your potential customers. A scientific approach is needed, based on analytics and other research.
– Image Sliders:
Image sliders not only look pretty, but they can also be good for UX – provided the user has a really fast connection. Otherwise, it tends to slow down the website and will frustrate your clients and visitors.
– Lazy or Poorly Thought-Out Redirects:
Incorporating the H-hierarchy into design decisions and using the logo as an H1.
The list continues. The point is not to stop web designers from following their creative desires, but rather to persuade them to make their decisions on the basis of analytics, rather than just what looks or feels good. SEO and web design don’t have to be enemies. In fact, they can easily work together – and should do for the benefit of both.
WSI OMS is a well-established expert in web design and SEO. Contact us to discuss your plans for your website.
