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Lauren Jefferson

Lauren Jefferson is the Co-Founder and CEO of FocusCopy – a full-service copywriting agency. She loves everything copy, digital marketing, and coffee!

7 Red Flags Of AI Writing To Be Aware Of In 2025

7 Red Flags Of AI Writing To Be Aware Of In 2025

Copywriting / By / January 16, 2025

You thought AI dominated in 2024…

Look again. 2025 demands that every person and company must use some form of artificial intelligence (AI) if they don’t want to be left behind to fossilize. 

Especially as it pertains to the content creation landscape, entrepreneurs must become increasingly savvy at identifying AI-generated content – both in their competitors’ work and potentially in content delivered by their own teams or contractors. While AI writing tools offer tremendous benefits, knowing the telltale signs of poorly implemented AI content is crucial for maintaining high standards and protecting your brand’s reputation.

Let’s dive into the 8 red flags surrounding AI writing!

1. Unnatural Repetitive Language & Redundancy

One of the most glaring indicators of AI-generated content is unnecessary repetition. AI models often struggle with semantic memory across longer texts, leading them to sound repetitive using slightly different phrasing. This creates a circular, redundant reading experience that human writers naturally avoid. 

Writers need to be vigilant about identifying and addressing instances of redundancy in AI-generated content.

For example, you might notice a paragraph about “the importance of customer service” followed shortly by another section essentially saying the same thing with minor variations. Repetition often occurs because AI tries to hit specific word counts or expand on topics without introducing new information, unless you’ve already provided it.

To counteract this red flag, writers can experiment with different variations in their prompts and even the AI writing platform itself. This encourages you to evaluate which AI platform is right for the prompt. But it also challenges you to use various prompts as your AI explores diverse language choices. 

Reading through the content and editing it yourself is also a must to eliminate any repetitive elements. This ensures a more engaging and thoughtful piece.

2. Generic, Surface-Level Analysis

AI tends to play it safe, offering broad generalizations rather than nuanced insights. Which kinda feels like drinking that bad cup of lukewarm coffee you get at a networking function or hotel because it’s already there – even if it’s not good. This results in content that reads like a collection of obvious statements without the depth that comes from real-world experience or critical thinking.

You don’t have time to waste to read that surface-level content. And your buyers are the same…They want insights, personality, and more importantly, confidence that you know what you’re talking about. 

Watch for passages that state widely known facts without providing unique perspectives or practical applications. If the content feels like it could have been written about any business in any industry, it’s likely AI-generated without proper human refinement.

So if you’re a service-based entrepreneur, here is our advice:

  • Talk to your target audience directly
  • Bring up examples that they will understand and resonate with
  • Add in facts, stories, and examples that are unique to you 
  • Don’t be afraid to get personal (even if it’s talking about where you failed)

3. Inconsistent Voice & Tone

While AI can be prompted to write in specific styles, it often struggles to maintain a consistent voice throughout longer pieces. You might notice jarring shifts between formal and casual language, or sudden changes in perspective that wouldn’t occur in human-written content.

These tonal inconsistencies are particularly noticeable when the content attempts to incorporate brand voice or industry-specific terminology. For example, the AI might alternate between highly technical language and oversimplified explanations within the same paragraph.

Additionally, it leaves out your uniqueness. 

And while we’ve been testing how to prompt AI to generate custom brand voice responses, it’s failed. 

That’s why we’ve developed our whole Fundamentals Package – where we document your brand messaging, brand voice, customer avatars, and marketing foundations. And this has been fundamentally changing the game for all of our clients. Suddenly, they have the focus and clarity around their message and how to communicate it with their target audience. And now, we’re excited to share it with you!

Interested in nailing down the Fundamentals? Explore our options here. 

4. Factual Inaccuracies Or Outdated Information

AI models have knowledge cutoff dates and can’t access real-time information. This limitation often results in content that references outdated statistics, defunct businesses, or superseded best practices. While human writers naturally incorporate current events and recent developments, AI-generated content may feel strangely disconnected from present reality.

Pay special attention to any specific dates, statistics, or industry trends mentioned in the content. You’re likely dealing with unedited AI if none of what you see looks accurate or up to date.

Review and fact-check all content produced by AI to ensure that it aligns with your current knowledge and industry standards. Providing clear instructions to the AI about the context and desired tone can help improve the accuracy of the generated content.

5. Lack Of Original Examples Or Case Studies

Human writers naturally draw from their experience to provide specific, relevant examples. AI-generated content often relies on hypothetical scenarios or extremely generic examples without adding real value to the discussion.

When reading content, look for concrete case studies, specific industry examples, or detailed scenarios that demonstrate practical application. Their absence – or the presence of only vague, theoretical examples – often indicates AI authorship.

It’s time to show your experience and expertise to the world! 

You’ve earned it.

6. Awkward Transitions & Flow

AI can struggle with creating smooth, logical transitions between ideas. You might notice abrupt topic changes or connections that feel forced or artificial. Human writers naturally build bridges between concepts – ensuring each paragraph flows naturally into the next.

Watch for transition sentences that feel mechanical or sections that seem to jump from one topic to another without proper context or connection.

Doubting whether you’ve edited your AI content enough? Try reading it out loud. This has been a tactic we’ve used long before the wide adoption of AI. And it works because the way we write is different from the way we speak. You want to sound more human, as if you’re sitting across from your reader chatting about the subject over a latte. 

7. Over-Optimizing Content For Keywords

Human writers can naturally incorporate keywords into their content. AI, on the other hand, often takes a more mechanical approach to SEO optimization. You may notice this resulting in content with: 

  • Awkward keyword placement
  • Unusual phrase repetition
  • Sections that seem written purely for search engines rather than human readers
  • Unnaturally placed keywords (especially in headings or the first sentences of paragraphs) 

P.S. We’re actually seeing a decrease in the prioritization of keyword placement in SEO. Google and other search engines are prioritizing storytelling and quality content. 

8. Ownership Of Content

One of the most discussed concerns when using AI for writing is the inadvertent generation of content that closely resembles existing material, potentially leading to plagiarism accusations. AI models, while powerful, may draw inspiration from their training data, resulting in content that mirrors existing articles or publications, leading to questions such as…

Is it possible to legally own AI-generated content? 

Is AI-generated content owned by the user, the AI company, or is it public domain?

Can AI-generated content be copyrighted?

Avoid overthinking it with these tips:

  • Add your brand’s voice, tone, and style to all AI-produced content (tell your story)
  • Fact-check and provide sources, where needed
  • Edit, modify, and adjust all content aligned with your brand’s standards

What We’re Using AI For At FocusCopy

At FocusCopy, we’ve embraced AI as a powerful tool while maintaining our commitment to human-crafted, high-quality content. In other words…this special brew isn’t going anywhere! Here’s how we’re strategically implementing AI in our workflow.

Research Assistance

We use AI to quickly gather initial research on topics, helping us identify key themes, relevant statistics, and important considerations. However, our human writers verify all information through primary sources and supplement it with their expertise and industry knowledge.

This approach allows us to work more efficiently while ensuring accuracy and depth in our content. AI helps cast a wide net in the research phase, but our team’s critical thinking skills determine what information is truly valuable for our clients.

Brainstorming & Ideation

AI is an excellent brainstorming partner, helping us generate initial ideas for content angles, headlines, and topic clusters. We use it to explore different perspectives and identify potential gaps in our content strategy. We also use it when we’re looking for a word that’s at the tip of our tongue but we can’t quite figure out what that word is…You know the feeling? 

However, we rely on our human team’s expertise to evaluate these suggestions, selecting and refining the ideas that align with our client’s goals and industry realities. The final direction always comes from human strategic thinking and industry knowledge.

Editing & Refinement

While we don’t use AI for primary content creation, we do employ it as one of many tools in our editing process. AI helps us identify potential issues with readability, consistency, and grammar. However, human editors make the final decisions on all changes, ensuring our content maintains its authentic voice and strategic value.

Our editing process combines AI efficiency with human judgment, allowing us to maintain high-quality content while meeting tight deadlines. The technology helps catch technical issues, while our editors focus on ensuring the content delivers real value and an authentic message to our clients’ audiences.

There are some great AI tools out there, such as Grammarly, HemingwayApp, and AISEO.

Moving Forward With AI In Your Business’s Marketing Plan

The key to successful AI implementation isn’t avoiding it entirely. But you should understand its limitations while using it strategically. 

Remember, AI is a tool to enhance human creativity and efficiency – not replace it entirely. The most successful content strategies will combine AI’s capabilities with human expertise, ensuring the final output is both efficient to produce and engaging enough to read.

At FocusCopy, we’re committed to staying at the forefront of AI technology while maintaining the human touch that makes our content truly effective – creating copy that’s brewed just for you. Explore how we build the foundation for all your brand messaging here. 

avoid shiny object syndrome

The Most Effective Strategy To Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome

Entrepreneurship / By / January 8, 2025

Ever get started on a project and find that you’re coming up with a million different (and brilliant) ideas that are simply teasing you for your focus? 

No, it’s not your ADHD or ADD kicking it. 

It’s shiny object syndrome. 

But you may also have heard it referred to as “shiny penny syndrome”, “chasing a squirrel”, or something similar. 

And that’s because it’s attractive to chase after, but otherwise really deviates you from your primary goal or objective. 

You do not have time to fall into this trap anymore. 

With the wide adoption of AI, virtual assistants, and automation, you will certainly fall behind if you do not have an effective strategy to avoid shiny object syndrome. 

Don’t be that person this year! 

Discover just how we’ve avoided this syndrome from copy baristas who are constantly coming up with different recipes for success. 

What Is Shiny Object Syndrome? 

It’s all in your head…but really! Shiny object syndrome (SOS) is a psychological concept that illustrates our ability and tendency to get distracted by all the new ideas that we come up with while attempting to focus on something else. This concept is not only detrimental to making progress, but also stops you from seeing results as quickly as you want. All of which often leads to imposter syndrome. You may even start to doubt whether the project you’re working on is really the one you need to focus on. Is that idea good enough for your focus?

SOS is not something bad. But it is something that needs to be managed before it spirals out of control – taking time and resources away from your bottom line. 

How Shiny Object Syndrome Distracts Entrepreneurs From Reaching Their Potential 

Specifically, entrepreneurs often face SOS. It is the ultimate roadblock from you reaching your fullest potential in the timeframe you envisioned without all of those distractions. This looks like…

  • Falling behind on your content calendar
  • Scrambling to prepare for meetings
  • Trouble managing big ideas and essential next steps

You may also encounter decreased productivity, analysis paralysis, imposter syndrome, and procrastination. If you have any experience as an entrepreneur, you know each SOS means money, money, money. 

Don’t you deserve more for all the hard work you put into your business? 

From our perspective…Yes, you do!

Our Proven Strategy To Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome

But knowing what to do about your shiny object syndrome can be a distraction in itsself. At FocusCopy, we are big on creating systems because…

  • We’re constantly coming up with new ideas
  • We need to be productive and focused on the deliverables we’re writing for clients
  • We have a whole host of other challenges we need to battle, including writer’s block

However, there’s one strategy that we’ve refined, not only helping us focus on the task at hand but also to generate better, on-brand ideas for the copy we’re writing for our clients. 

Want to access our systems? Now, you can inside Copy Systems – our monthly membership where you implement every system we’ve developed over the years so that you can be more efficient and effective in your marketing efforts. Discover what’s inside here. 

1. Get Focused On What You Want To Accomplish

First things first, you need to determine what you want to accomplish. This could be something as simple as…

  • Create your Q1 content marketing plan
  • Generate 52 email newsletter ideas to write about over the course of the year
  • Launch that new offer you’ve been dreaming of for 5 years

Once you get clarity on what you want to accomplish, it’s time to focus. 

2. Create Milestones To Reach That Goal

The best way to focus is to build out the milestones needed to reach your goal. Depending on your objective, there may be 1 or 50 different milestones. Whatever it is, break it down into manageable, bitesize pieces.

We love to do this inside of ClickUp – our project management tool. We create a space or list – depending on the magnitude of the project. Then we break it down by milestones. Finally, we list every single task that needs to be checked off for us to pass through that milestone victoriously! 

Bonus: implement a reward system for how you’re going to celebrate your progress. That could be as simple as your favorite latte from a local coffee shop or awarding your team with a bonus. 

3. Designate A Brain Dump Process

Finally…And what really addresses the shiny object syndrome challenge…Designate a brain dump process. You as an entrepreneur have so many ideas – some brilliant, million-dollar ideas and some not-so-hot ideas. But when you let your brain spin when you’re supposed to be focused, you neglect your potential. That’s why we’ve developed a brain dump process. 

Your billion-dollar ideas don’t show up in the middle of dramatic distraction. They show up when you have the business and personal discipline to make space for your creative mind to flourish.

– Robin S. Sharma

Remember, your ideas aren’t the enemy here. Your distraction is. 

What Is A Brain Dump? 

A brain dump is simply a place or document where you dump all your ideas for you to revisit later when you’re ready to tackle them.

How Do You Organize Your Brain Dump?

Depending on your role in the company, it may look different. But as an entrepreneur, here is how I organize my ideas: by “department”. 

Inside our ClickUp, I’ve broken out each “department” or area in my business into a “Space”. From there, I have a Doc for that area’s brain dump. This is especially useful for departments that require a lot of infrastructure (i.e. product development, operations, sales, etc.).

For marketing purposes, I’ve created “statuses”. Only when I’m filling in our content calendar do I actually evaluate any of my ideas. You would be surprised at the number of marketing concepts that I either delete, edit, or merge to meet our FocusCopy standards. 

When Do You Revisit Your Brain Dump? 

Only on Fridays or pre-scheduled ideation dates do I actually revisit those ideas. And to vet each idea, I’ve created a process to evaluate each concept.

  1. Does this align with our brand? 
  2. Will implementing this idea reach our annual strategic goals or even a quarterly goal?
  3. Do we have the resources to execute this idea?
  4. When is it feasible for us to implement this?
  5. Does it feel right? 

At the end of the day, you know your business the best. So trust your instincts when evaluating your brain dump. 

Ready To Create A Process To Filter Through All Your Ideas Before Getting Distracted?

Is shiny object syndrome ruling your life? Distracting you from what’s in front of you? Pulling you from your goals? 

If you said “yes”, it’s time to implement a process to filter through your ideas before getting distracted. 

And, you can find the exact process we use for all our clients and our business inside of Copy Systems. Don’t wait to implement proven strategies to make your copywriting, marketing, and sales that much more efficient. Let’s create something brewtiful!

B2B lead generation ideas

5 B2B Lead Generation Ideas To Implement In Q1 2025

Marketing / By / January 6, 2025

At the beginning of each year and quarter, entrepreneurs scramble to figure out the best strategy to implement to beat out the competition. And we’re not seeing anything different in Q1 2025. But as we look at B2B lead generation ideas, understand that 2025 is all about “Human First” experiences. Build the relationship, connect on a human level, put a face to your company brand, and ultimately…be human. 

If you lead with that strategy, you will almost certainly win. 

And that’s because even in the age of AI, your buyer is HUMAN. And people buy from people that they know, like, and trust. 

So as you’re investigating B2B lead generation ideas, consider these. 

5 B2B Lead Generation Ideas That Will Put Your Brand Ahead In 2025

Get ready to pull your brand ahead of the competition with these B2B lead generation ideas. 

1. Automate & Personalize Your Email Campaigns

No, this does not mean putting in a “Hi [Name]” and calling it a day! In fact, automation and personalization in 2025 are more human-centric and organic. You may remember the days pre-COVID when the bulk of marketing took time, multiple touchpoints, and a lot of effort to make a conversion. Then in the COVID era, our buying behaviors changed. 

Well, in 2025…You’re expected to be more responsive, more organic, and more authentic if you want to be successful. But how does that look? 

  • Implementing responsive follow-up campaigns for every activity (i.e. networking, conversion, nurturing, customer service, etc.)
  • Expressing personal stories that are both authentic and vulnerable 
  • Considering how to get your subscribers to love you as a person (even if you’re a brand)

What does this mean for your email marketing lead generation? 

First, it means creating automations that are behavior-based. If they click on link A, they enter campaign A. But if they don’t open email B, then they are sent into a re-engagement campaign. 

You wouldn’t not respond to that hilarious meme your best friend texted, right? 

And you wouldn’t not react appropriately to a prospect’s behavior…Why would you do the same in your email campaigns? 

2. Create More Authentic Content

Every single piece of content that your marketing team produces needs to be oozing with authenticity. That means sharing faces on social media, getting on video even if you despise hearing your voice, expressing your vulnerabilities through storytelling, and even embracing your mistakes publicly. 

For example, we saw the most popular LinkedIn posts being those that shared raw stories. Stories that pulled heartstrings or even connected with others on a human level. That’s why I’ve challenged myself to do the same, more consistently on LinkedIn. Follow along for authentic content post ideas. 

3. Publish Case Studies

The other thing that will help generate more leads for your business is to publish case studies. Include metrics, testimonials, and transformational stories of how your offer impacted a person and organization. 

Basically, answering the question…How have you made your clients’ lives easier?

This is a great way for you to prove that you can do what you say you do. But it also provides a platform for you to emotionally and logically connect with your target audience – making the need to buy a snap decision. 

4. Host In-Person Events

Along the lines of “human first”, hosting in-person events is an amazing lead generation idea for your brand. And from our strategic partner and event planning experts, Go Savvy, here is what they would highly recommend:

  • Put a twist to the type of event you’re hosting by making it experiential 
  • Immerse an experience into the event by touching the 5 senses (touch, see, taste, smell, and hear)
  • Do not neglect the follow-up to your event

We covered a lot of this in our AMPLIFY workshop series in 2024, but event follow-up is the #1 most neglected event activity but the one that yields the most ROI…if done right. 

Ask yourself…What do you want every single event participant to do after your event is over? When catering has cleaned up and gone and the valet wraps up for the night…What else do your clients need from you to move forward in the journey? And how can you get them from strangers to raving fans of your brand? 

5. Consider The Entire Customer Journey

And finally, as you are generating more leads for this quarter, you must evaluate the entire customer journey. 

  • How do they become aware that you exist? 
  • What engagement activities create goodwill in the relationship between your brand and your buyers? 
  • What do they need to do to subscribe to your message (and is your messaging clear)? 
  • How do they convert to a paying customer? 
  • What do you do to get them excited about working with you and reduce buyer’s remorse? 
  • How do you move them throughout your entire offer catalog? 
  • What transforms them from regular buyers to raving fans who continue to push your brand and its offerings for you? 

When you ask those questions, you start to uncover small parts of your customer journey that need your attention to either refine or create a completely new strategy to reach your goals. 

Pro Tip: Establish metrics for each stage of your customer journey and measure them across a designated period (i.e. a quarter). Where you are falling behind is where you need to put your attention. 

B2B Lead Generation Will Look Different In 2025…Don’t Get Left Behind!

Are you an entrepreneur or business planning to thrive in 2025? 

Now more than ever, businesses are scrambling to navigate their marketing with the introduction of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the mass adoption of AI, and ever-changing algorithms. This is why we’re giving you the heads up now to keep your ear to the ground of what technically needs to happen before moving your marketing forward. At the end of the day, the key to successful marketing is to prioritize your humanness and your ability to build a relationship with your target audience. 

Struggling to understand how to stay ahead of your competition? Let’s pour a cuppa and dive deep into your business.

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Our Foolproof Strategy For Choosing A Theme For Your Year

Our Foolproof Strategy For Choosing A Theme For Your Year

Entrepreneurship / By / December 30, 2024

As service-based entrepreneurs, we’ve all been there…Another year begins, and you’re armed with a list of ambitious resolutions that inevitably fade by February. Between managing clients, scaling our businesses, and navigating personal growth, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or scattered.

But what if there was a more powerful, intentional way to approach your business goals? 

Enter the transformative concept of choosing a theme for your year – a strategic compass that goes far beyond traditional resolutions. By the end of this blog, you’ll have the tools to select your own word of the year and set the tone for a successful and fulfilling year ahead.

The Entrepreneurial Dilemma Of Scattered Efforts & Burnout

Let’s be honest…Running a service-based business means wearing countless hats. 

You’re the strategist, marketer, salesperson, customer service rep, and chief problem-solver – all rolled into one. It’s exhilarating, but it’s also exhausting. You only have so many hours in the day! Without a clear focus, you may find yourself constantly spinning your wheels – jumping from one task to another and never truly making meaningful progress.

This is where the magic of a carefully chosen theme comes into play. It simplifies decision-making and provides a clear sense of direction – all while still allowing for flexibility and adjustment as the year goes on. Here’s why it matters:

  • Alignment: A theme ensures your daily tasks and long-term goals are moving in the same direction.
  • Focus: It helps you prioritize what will make the biggest impact – reducing distractions and overwhelm.
  • Consistency: By rooting your actions in a guiding principle, you can build habits that drive sustainable growth.

This year, our guiding stars are “Focus” and “Consistency” – 2 powerful principles that can revolutionize how you approach your business. You’ll find throughout this blog how we are weaving these themes into our entire operation. 

Decoding Focus Requires More Than Just Concentration

Focus isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter. For entrepreneurs, focus means ruthlessly prioritizing what truly moves the needle in your business. It’s about saying “no” to good opportunities so you can say “yes” to great ones.

So as you look to choose a theme for your year, remember that it’s more than just a catchy phrase. Your theme is a compass that directs your actions and decisions. By aligning your efforts with a clear theme, you can:

  • Increase focus and productivity while prioritizing tasks and eliminating distractions.
  • Improve decision-making with a reliable framework for evaluating opportunities and making choices.
  • Enhance creativity and innovation with a theme that can spark new ideas and inspire fresh perspectives.
  • Gain a greater sense of direction and purpose, keeping up with your clear vision for the year ahead.

Practical Focus Strategies That Actually Work

As a busy entrepreneur, you need practicality. And what’s simpler than 4 focus strategies that you have probably already heard about but not implemented all of them…yet? 

  1. Quarterly Priority Setting: Instead of overwhelming yourself with year-long goals, break your focus into quarterly priorities. What are the top 3 objectives that will significantly impact your business this quarter?
  2. The 80/20 Rule: Identify the 20% of your activities that generate 80% of your results. These are your focus areas. Everything else is a potential distraction. Remember, you can always adjust the next quarter if you didn’t get it quite right. 
  3. Time Blocking: Dedicate specific hours to your most important tasks. Protect these hours like you would a crucial client meeting. I am a big proponent of color coding the calendar. Before the week starts, I block off my calendar to work on specific tasks. Then each type of activity is color-coded so that I can see from a high level where I’m spending the most time.
  4. Distraction Elimination: Turn off notifications, create a dedicated workspace, and establish boundaries. Your focus is your most valuable asset.

Consistency Is The Unsung Hero Of Business Growth

If focus is your strategic compass, consistency is the engine that drives you forward. It’s not about being perfect – it’s about being persistent.

That’s why “consistency” is our secondary theme for our upcoming year. 

Successful entrepreneurs aren’t those who do extraordinary things occasionally, but those who do important things consistently. Think about it…A social media post every day beats a viral moment once a year with a digital lifespan of 15 minutes of fame. A steady stream of quality client work trumps sporadic, inconsistent efforts.

So I think we can all agree that consistency is the unsung hero of business growth. 

Building Consistent Systems That Scale

At the base of all consistency is systems.

  • Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Document your key processes. This ensures quality and allows for potential delegation.
  • Automate Routine Tasks: Use tools that can handle repetitive work, freeing you to focus on high-value activities.
  • Establish Tracking Mechanisms: What gets measured gets managed. Create simple dashboards to track your consistency.

Struggling to produce the right message for your business? All effective marketing begins when you have the right systems in place. Explore how Copy Systems establishes the foundation for you to build your entire strategy around.

Our Foolproof Strategy: Choosing Your Theme

Are you ready to finally access our foolproof strategy for choosing a theme for your year? Let’s get into the 3 simple steps. 

Step 1: Radical Honesty & Reflection

Take a brutally honest look at the past year. What worked? What didn’t? Where did you lose focus? This isn’t about self-criticism – it’s about understanding your patterns and learning where you need to improve. Ask yourself questions like:

  • What were my biggest wins last year?
  • What challenges held me back?
  • Which habits or behaviors supported my growth?
  • Where did I feel the most aligned and fulfilled?
  • What are your goals for the year?
  • What areas of your life do you want to improve?
  • What challenges do you anticipate?

For example, our reflections revealed that while we achieved some big wins, distractions and inconsistency often derailed our momentum. That insight led us to choose “Focus” as our theme for the year.

Step 2: Vision Mapping

Translate your reflection into a clear vision. Take a moment to envision your ideal outcomes in both business and personal life. For service-based entrepreneurs, this might include:

  • Scaling your business by attracting ideal clients
  • Streamlining your offers to focus on high-impact services
  • Creating a better balance between all the roles you hold

Your vision should be aspirational but also grounded in reality. For instance, we envisioned a year where we focus on fewer, high-impact goals rather than spreading ourselves too thin. 

“Focus” to us means building specific rhythms in our operation that deliver amazing results over and over again, create exceptional client experiences, and generate a predictable marketing strategy.

Step 3: Tactical Implementation

Now comes the fun part: selecting your theme. Your word should:

  • Resonate emotionally: It should feel exciting and motivating.
  • Be actionable: It should guide your decisions and behaviors.
  • Reflect your priorities: It should align with your big-picture vision.

Some examples of themes include:

  • Simplify: For those looking to streamline their business operations.
  • Elevate: For entrepreneurs ready to take their brand to the next level.
  • Balance: For those striving to harmonize work and life.

For us, “Focus” felt like the perfect word to guide our efforts this year.

Then, you’ll want to break down your themes into actionable quarterly goals. If your focus is on creating consistent marketing, this might mean:

  • Developing a content calendar
  • Scheduling weekly marketing activities
  • Setting up automation for social media and email marketing

Bonus Points: Layer in a secondary theme.

A secondary theme complements your primary word and provides additional depth. It’s especially helpful if your primary theme addresses a big challenge and you want a supporting word to balance it out.

For example:

  • If your primary word is “Grow,” your secondary word might be “Sustain.”
  • If your primary word is “Create,” your secondary word might be “Share.”

Our secondary theme, “Consistency,” ensures that our efforts to focus are sustained over time – creating habits that lead to long-term success.

Avoiding Common Entrepreneurial Pitfalls

When choosing a theme for your year, there are a couple of common entrepreneurial pitfalls I want to help you avoid: 

  1. Overwhelm: Start small. Choose 2-3 key areas to focus on, not 20.
  2. Motivation Dips: Create accountability. Share your themes with a mentor, coach, or business group.
  3. Flexibility vs. Commitment: Your theme is a guide, not a rigid rulebook. Be prepared to adjust while maintaining your core focus.

Your Action Plan

Ready to choose your theme? Here’s your action plan:

  1. Reflection Worksheet: Spend 2 hours this week reviewing last year’s business performance.
  2. Theme Alignment: Write down how your chosen theme specifically applies to your business.
  3. Quarterly Goals: List 3 concrete objectives that embody these themes.

We’d love to hear what you come up with! Share your word of the year in the comments or tag us on social media with your theme.

Final Thoughts: Your Theme, Your Journey

Remember, choosing a theme isn’t about perfection – it’s about progression. Some days you’ll nail your focus, other days you’ll wobble. That’s not just okay; it’s part of the entrepreneurial journey.

Your themes of Focus and Consistency are more than words. They’re a commitment to yourself, your business, and the impact you want to create. Embrace them, but also be kind to yourself as you grow.

Are you ready to make this your most intentional, focused, and consistent year yet?

Start by building Copy Systems into your marketing. This new membership gives you everything you need to build focus, consistency, flexibility, and scalability into your marketing. And who doesn’t want that? Explore how this membership could transform how you approach your marketing.

12 Swipeable Email Newsletter Topics To Steal For Your Next Content Ideation Workshop

12 Swipeable Email Newsletter Topics To Steal For Your Next Content Ideation Workshop

Marketing / By / December 12, 2024

Email marketing is one of the highest ROI marketing efforts you can invest in. And it’s been that way for years. And there’s a reason for that.

Relationships are built over time. With email marketing software, you can boil down an audience and hyper-personalize campaigns based on behavior and demographics. This makes building the relationship easier. 

One of the best ways to start your email marketing efforts is to create an email newsletter. But what do you even talk about in those newsletters (especially to avoid the dreaded unsubscribe)?

While we’ve created 52 prompts that you can also apply to your email newsletter, here are 12 swipeable email newsletter topics or themes to workshop. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Newsletter

Everyone has questions…And your audience may turn to someone or something (like Google) to answer those questions. But what if you could be the source they go to for all their questions related to your area of expertise? 

For example, a wellness coach who focuses on menopause can start a FAQ newsletter that answers questions like:

  • How to avoid hot flashes
  • What to expect with menopause
  • When do you know you’re in menopause

Tutorial Or Hack Newsletter

You could also send a hack newsletter. This is great if your brand is very education-focused and you’ve been able to boil complex ideas down to simple steps. And the goal? To make the process easier for your readers. For example, Zapier’s blog and newsletters frequently offer workflow automation hacks.

Behind The Scenes Newsletter

Another newsletter option includes taking a behind-the-scenes look at your process or your development. Show the human side of your business by sharing the day-to-day operations or the journey behind a project launch. This type of newsletter creates a lot of buy-in since they’ve seen an idea or project come from its inception to fruition. Don’t forget to include videos or a photo gallery of your work.

Curated Content Newsletter

A curated content newsletter compiles valuable resources, articles, tools, or events relevant to your audience. This is a great idea if you don’t have much time to write the content or don’t know where to start. Start by researching topics impacting your target audience and industry. Then include a roundup of the apps or articles on a specific topic. 

Want to speed up your curation? Prompt AI to curate the articles and provide a quick summary for you to copy/paste into your email service provider. 

Tech Stack Newsletter

Have a cool tech stack that you can’t stop talking about? Turn it into a newsletter. Share the tools and platforms you use to run your business efficiently – explaining their role and benefits. Buffer – the social media scheduling platform – often shares the tech and strategies they use internally.

Lesson Learned Newsletter

Vulnerability is key to building connections. Reflect on a past mistake or success and the lessons it taught you, offering actionable advice. This could look like: What we learned from launching too soon (and how you can avoid it).

Our Copy Roast is a combination newsletter, but most often features our lessons learned. This is the perfect newsletter for busy entrepreneurs who want to communicate better with their target audience. Subscribe here.

Core Values Newsletter

Become a thought leader in your industry by sharing your core values. Highlight your company’s guiding principles and how they shape decisions and culture.  Patagonia often shares newsletters emphasizing its values. One of my favorite emails they send each year is around Black Friday and their reasoning for not being open on Black Friday…They want you outside, exploring and enjoying nature (and it makes sense for them to say so). 

Mythbusting Newsletter

Debunk common myths or misconceptions in your industry to provide clarity to your audience. HubSpot frequently tackles marketing misconceptions in their blog and email content.

Your Why Newsletter

Go a little deeper with your target audience…Explain the purpose behind your business or product in detail, noting its impact on your audience. Need some inspiration on where to start? Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” message often translates well into newsletters.

Advice Newsletter

Ever read The Morning Brew? They include actionable business advice for readers – making it one of the more popular newsletters. And the results? They make over $70 million annually…From a newsletter.

Provide actionable, expert tips for tackling common challenges your audience faces.

News Newsletter

A news newsletter is just as it sounds – the news from inside of your business or even where you have been published lately. This newsletter is more occasional than regular, depending on how frequently you have news about your brand to share. For example, Crunchbase’s newsletters focus on startup and funding news.

Process Newsletter

Have the best processes? Break down your workflows or strategies so your audience can replicate your methods. Trello often shares how they use their platform internally.

It’s Time To Nurture Your Email List With An Engaging Newsletter 

Email marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing tactics you can deploy in your business. But saying you’re doing email marketing and actually doing it…2 entirely different things. That’s why it’s critical you consider the best type of newsletter for your target customer and how that fits into your customer journey.

Then you can start thinking about the topics…Our favorite part!

Don’t know where to start? Download 52 email prompts to start brainstorming your upcoming newsletter.

Prospects Slipping Through The Cracks Of Your Sales Pipeline?

You may be leaving money on the table if you aren’t following up with them regularly and relationally. 

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The USP Framework Builder To Skyrocket Sales

The USP Framework Builder To Skyrocket Sales

Copywriting / By / December 9, 2024

How are you unique?

If you can’t answer that question in a few seconds, it may be time to investigate your uniqueness and reveal your authentic self. Now in the age of AI and the competitive business landscape, it is more important than ever to differentiate your brand from every other brand – especially as the use of AI is becoming even more prevalent. 

You have a uniqueness that is just waiting to be uncovered in your unique selling proposition (USP). It’s what sets your product, service, or brand apart from competitors. The right USP doesn’t just communicate why you’re different; it also convinces customers why they should choose you. Crafting a powerful USP can seem daunting, but with a framework to guide you, you’ll be on your way to skyrocketing sales in no time.

What Is A Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

At its core, a USP answers this simple question: Why should customers buy from you instead of your competitors?

Your USP isn’t just a catchy tagline or slogan – it’s a promise that highlights your brand’s distinct value. Whether it’s a unique product feature, a superior customer experience, or an unbeatable price point, your USP should clarify why your business is the obvious choice.

Now, what happens if your company does not have a USP?

Without a clear USP, you risk blending into the sea of competitors. A compelling USP not only attracts your ideal customer, but also helps you focus your marketing efforts, streamline messaging, and build customer loyalty.

And who doesn’t want that?

In this blog, we’ll share exactly how to build your USP to skyrocket your sales.

What’s The Difference Between Value Proposition vs USP?

Some companies use the terms value proposition and unique selling proposition interchangeably, but using them this way is highly inaccurate. Your value proposition is built to show your value and your difference makers as a brand through your process or offer. The USP is a little more focused on a specific offer and area of your business. And it communicates to your audience the difference between who you are and every other brand in your space. 

How To Create A USP That Skyrockets Sales

To craft an effective USP, follow these five steps:

  1. Know who your target audience is (i.e. your customer)
  2. Identify your key differentiators
  3. Highlight your benefits (not your features)
  4. Keep it clear, focused, and concise
  5. Optimize, optimize, optimize

1. Understand Your Target Audience

Customer centricity is at the core of all effective marketing. That’s why this is you need to know who your target customers are, what problems they’re experiencing, and what would push them to make a buying decision. And your USP should directly address your ideal customers’ needs, desires, and pain points. 

To understand them, start by creating detailed buyer personas, conducting surveys or interviews with them, and finally analyzing customer reviews for patterns.

For example, Dollar Shave Club understood that men wanted affordable, convenient razor subscriptions without the hassle of shopping in-store. Their USP? “A great shave for a few bucks a month. No commitment.” As a result, Dollar Shave Club went from generating $4 million in its first year of business to $150 million two years later.

So who is your target audience? 

2. Identify Your Key Differentiators

What makes your business stand out? This could be a specific feature, benefit, or approach no one else offers in your space. Some great questions to ask to find these key differentiators include:

  • What problems do you solve better than anyone else?
  • What are you doing that competitors aren’t?
  • Do you have proprietary processes, technologies, or experiences?

Apple – the technology company – differentiates itself with cutting-edge design and seamless integration across all devices. And as an Apple user, I can conclude how easy this makes my life as an entrepreneur. Their USP could be summed up as: “Elegance and innovation in every detail.” Remember these catchy campaigns?

3. Highlight Tangible Benefits

Your USP should emphasize benefits over features. Your audience cares about what your product can do for them – not the technical jargon behind it. So consider what would make their life better and even the transformation they’d love to see. 

For example, HelloFresh’s USP isn’t just about meal kits. It’s about convenience and healthier home cooking: “America’s #1 meal kit, making dinnertime easy, delicious, and stress-free.” If you’re a busy family, this USP appeals to you because it brings dinner back to the table and eliminates the time component.

4. Keep It Concise & Clear

We’re inundated with so much content and information daily. So the clearer and more concise you make your USP, the better. Make it short, memorable, and easy to understand. The best USPs stick in the minds of your audience and can often double as a tagline.

For example, M&M’s USP is: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.” This simple phrase highlights a unique product benefit that solves a common issue with candy.

5. Test, Refine, & Optimize

We’ve always said it…Marketing is simply a big experiment. It’s also why you need to test, refine, and optimize your USP consistently. Does it resonate with your target audience? Are people drawn to it? If not, tweak your message until it clicks.

Examples of Outstanding USPs

While we’ve already given you some amazing USPs to use as examples, let’s break down some real-world examples to inspire your own USP creation.

1. TOMS: “One for One”

TOMS revolutionized the shoe industry by embedding social impact into their USP. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates a pair to a child in need.

Why It Works: It appeals to customers’ values, not just their need for shoes. People love to feel that their purchases make a difference.

2. FedEx: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”

FedEx built its USP around reliability and speed. This proposition reassured customers that they could depend on the company for urgent shipping needs.

Why It Works: It addresses a specific, critical customer pain point: timely delivery.

3. Tesla: “Accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

Tesla’s USP focuses on innovation and environmental consciousness, appealing to customers who value sustainability and cutting-edge technology.

Why It Works: It aligns with a powerful mission and positions Tesla as a leader in the electric vehicle market.

4. IKEA: “Affordable solutions for better living.”

IKEA’s USP emphasizes affordability and practicality, catering to people who want stylish furniture without breaking the bank.

Why It Works: It balances cost-effectiveness with design, making the brand accessible and appealing.

Common USP Mistakes To Avoid

Crafting a compelling USP is as much about what to avoid as it is about what to include. Avoid these common pitfalls as you build out your USP. 

1. Being Too Vague

Your USP needs to be specific. Broad claims like “great service” or “high-quality products” don’t differentiate your brand. They are as vague as ChatGPT gets. So get specific about your uniqueness – infusing authenticity and genuity into your USP. 

When we ask clients what they want to be known for, we often hear “our intelligence, trustworthiness, and service”. But doesn’t everyone want to be known for that? Get specific. 

2. Focusing on Features Instead of Benefits

Your customers don’t just want to know what your product does; they want to know how it will improve their lives. That’s why it’s so crucial that you know how to transform features into benefits. 

3. Trying to Appeal to Everyone

A strong USP speaks directly to a niche audience. Trying to be everything to everyone dilutes your message. A mentor told me over and over again…If you serve everyone, you serve no one. The same is true here. Just because you can serve everyone with your offer, doesn’t mean you should. We’ve often found the more targeted you get, the higher the conversion rate you have. And you even find that people outside of your target will engage with your offer. 

4. Ignoring Competitor Analysis

If your USP isn’t different from what competitors offer, it won’t stand out. That’s why we recommend conducting a competitive analysis before you start building your USP. 

How to Implement Your USP

Once you’ve nailed your USP, integrate it across all aspects of your business, including your:

  • Website 
  • Marketing campaigns (ad copy, email campaigns, and social media posts)
  • Sales pitch 
  • Customer support

This should extend beyond marketing and should infiltrate every single area of your business.

Remember, your USP isn’t static – it evolves as your business and market grow. Regularly revisit your USP to ensure it aligns with your audience’s needs and stays ahead of competitors.

For example, Netflix’s USP shifted over the years. Initially, it focused on DVD rentals with no late fees. Today, it’s centered on unlimited streaming and exclusive content: “Unlimited movies, TV shows, and more. Watch anywhere. Cancel anytime.”

Ready To Skyrocket Sales? 

Crafting a strong unique selling proposition is both an art and a science. By understanding your audience, highlighting what makes your business unique, and communicating those benefits clearly, you’ll be able to stand out in the marketplace and drive sales like never before.

Take the time to use this framework to develop a USP that resonates with your audience. When done right, your USP becomes more than a marketing statement – it becomes the reason your customers choose you, time and time again.

Need help to build a USP that skyrockets your sales? Schedule your discovery call with our team today. 

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The Power Of Customer Centricity Our Hot Take On The Newest Jaguar Campaign

The Power Of Customer Centricity: Our Hot Take On The Newest Jaguar Campaign

Marketing / By / December 3, 2024

Over the last 2 weeks, Jaguar has been making the headlines with their…controversial rebrand launch. Watch the ad that caused a ripple effect of wild conversations.

After the dust settled and we gathered more information, we wanted to share with you our take on where Jaguar hits and misses with their rebrand and why the power of customer centricity is critical to any marketing plan. 

What Is Customer Centricity? 

First, what is customer centricity? Customer centricity is when a company or brand prioritizes what its target customers want, need, and desire over their own priorities. They ask questions like:

  • What pain points are my target customers experiencing? 
  • Is there a solution that they are currently using that isn’t working to meet 100% of their needs? 
  • How are they communicating their primary pain points? 
  • Does our solution solve their pain points at a price they are willing to pay (and at which we’ll be profitable)?
  • What does our target audience care about in this economy, environment, culture, situation, etc.? 

When you are a customer-centric brand, you base every single decision you make in the company around what would best serve your customers. 

So why do we bring up customer centricity around the newest Jaguar campaign? Because it’s the biggest shift we’ve seen in their customer base since the UK brand’s founding in the fall of 1922.

The Jaguar Campaign

So what happened with Jaguar and their newest campaign? 

On November 19, 2024, Jaguar released its Copy Nothing campaign that featured zero cars. As a high-end British carmaker, Jaguar is expected to exude luxury, sophistication, and you guessed it – snazzy cars. But their campaign included neither a big reveal nor a single second of footage of a car driving, offroading, or even parked for that matter. 

Before we dive into what we think about this campaign, let’s go over the facts. 

Their target audience is primarily made up of upper-middle-class professionals and executives – those who can afford and want to drive a luxury vehicle. Their audience is predominantly male. Jaguar has tried to create offers that will attract younger generations (i.e. Millennials) since 2015 (Jaguar).

The luxury car market is seeing growth with a compound annual growth rate of 7.7% from 2024 to 2033 (The Business Research Company). However, Jaguar’s partner company Tata Motors Ltd has been seeing a steady decline in its stock since August of this year. Maybe this rebrand is a way to jumpstart its growth again. Time will only tell. 

Now, with the prevalence of electric vehicles (EV), it does seem that Jaguar needed to differentiate itself enough so it didn’t look like the rest of vehicle manufacturers designing EVs. But let’s break it down even further.

Our Thoughts On “Copy Nothing”

Here is where we believe Jaguar missed opportunities with the launch of their Copy Nothing campaign: 

  1. They pushed the limits of what their brand was known for – ignoring what their brand has been known for over the last century. And more importantly, they didn’t connect the dots about how “Copy Nothing” has been a part of their DNA for years. For someone familiar with Jaguar, this seemed very incongruous with the brand. 
  2. Jaguar neglected to feature or even hint at their offer – cars – in their new campaign (at least first). This left many of its audience confused about what the ad campaign was even about. End game? The Internet lit up with conversations about Jaguar but without any clarity for its current or potential new customers.

This was one take we read: 

  1. They wanted to appeal to everyone, not their target market. In their official launch video, they even mentioned how it’s hard to get attention anymore so they had to do something different. 

Now, time will only tell what this campaign will do. Maybe they wanted to get fresh eyes on their brand and get free press? Well, they succeeded in that – especially before their big launch of its Jaguar Type 00 in two trendy shades, Miami Pink and London Blue. 

But the bottom line is they disenfranchised their target market to get eyeballs on their brand. And neglecting to consider what your target audience actually wants is a big no-no in our books. 

On the other hand, Jaguar may have some insights that the upcoming generations (Millennials, Gen Z, and so on) may not care for the branding that’s worked for them over the last hundred years. Now, does this mean that just anyone and everyone can do this? No. They’re Jaguar.

How To Successfully Rebrand Your Business

Now, the one thing they did well is get eyeballs on their brand. And we want to make sure that we set you up for success! So check out what to know about rebranding your business.

Never Forget Who Your Target Customer Is

Your target customer should be at the center of every single decision you make. How is this going to affect them? Will this drive them to make a buying decision quicker? Does this solve their problem or pain point? Will this solution transform their lives for the better? 

Everything should come back to them. 

Your customer. 

And Jaguar, we feel, missed the mark by trying to appeal to everyone. On the other hand, their intention may be to go after a different audience. Regardless, they haven’t been a part of the regular conversation like Tesla, Kia, or BMW with their EVs. 

Don’t Follow Trends Unless It Aligns With Your Brand Or You’re Willing To Risk Losing Business

Trends are killing brands – especially when they choose a trend that either lands them in hot water or makes the brand out to be like everyone else. 

As a brand, you need to put on those blinders and do what feels authentic to you. That means if doing some flashy campaign feels disingenuous, don’t do it. 

If everyone is telling you that you need to be on social media, but email marketing is serving you perfectly well, don’t waste your time on social media. 

I’m not saying this to avoid trying anything new. But what I am saying is to try marketing ideas that still feel in line with your brand. 

Now, I will say that if you’re trying to do a complete 180 on your business and are willing to grind it out for the next 6-12 months, go for it. But don’t expect immediate gratification when you launch a massive change in a rebrand. 

Know Who & What Your Brand Is Before Marketing

Before you start marketing, you need to know a couple of things:

  • Who you are
  • What value you offer
  • Who you target
  • What message resonates

When you know all of these things (and have them well documented), it makes it so much easier to come up with new ideas, vet ideas, and refine how you communicate to your audience. 

Identify Your Value & Stick With It

You know your value, but do you know how to communicate your value? As a brand, you should start by defining your value and how your target audience actually defines it. You may be surprised at how different the language is. 

Then after you define it, stick with it. 

Sure, you can experiment and test the words, but you need to know the value at its core. 

Changing Your Logo Won’t Fix All Your Problems

Lastly, changing your logo will not fix all your problems. In fact, it may even show you all the areas that you need to improve. 

We highly recommend you start with your brand messaging first. Begin by describing your brand, your value, and your offer first. Then move on to how you visually communicate your message. 

If you need help, we’ve created our proprietary Fundamentals Package where we define and document your brand messaging, voice, customers, and marketing objectives in a comprehensive package. And now, you can access it through either a done-for-you or a guided practice. Explore what this could do for your business here. 

Cover The Fundamentals To Successfully Rebrand

Vince Lombardi said it best, 

“Excellency is achieved by the mastery of the fundamentals.”

That’s why we’ve crafted the Fundamentals Package to craft the most important items you need to market your business and sell your offer effectively. Explore how you can create a launch pad for energizing transformation here.

Why Every Business Should Have A Website

Why Every Business Should Have A Website

Marketing / By / November 30, 2024

Don’t you love it when a prospective client says something that you’ve been preaching from Day 1? 

Recently, this prospective client approached us and said that he’s lost business because he did not have his website ready. Of all small business websites that are up, 70% lack one simple yet critical component on their homepage – an action button for buying visitors.

And that’s not something any business owner needs – especially in this economy and this culture that demands instant gratification. Now there are a lot of arguments for not having a website (and we’ll cover those), but the truth is…every business should have a website. What you do with that website…Well, we’ll get into that too. 

P.S. The #1 neglected thing on a website is the copy. Shocking! And AI is not going to take you the distance you need it to go. Schedule a virtual coffee with us to discover your website’s potential.  

The Top Arguments To NOT Have A Website

Now, we’ve heard a ton of arguments for businesses not to have a website, including:

  • I’m not selling online
  • I get my clients from word of mouth
  • I don’t know how to build a website
  • Website developers charge too much
  • That’s what social media is for

And while those are valid comments, they do not hold any weight in today’s digital world. Your target audience relies on Google for information – to see if you’re open, what you offer, and how to work with you. And you don’t need a professionally designed website to do so (although that is helpful). 

I’ve been able to generate over $20,000 of monthly recurring revenue from a website that should’ve probably been redesigned 5 years prior. And lastly, a website is like a piece of real estate. There is more value in owning than renting and being hostage to your landlord (read: social media platforms). 

So let’s dive into why every business should have a website (regardless of whether they think it’s necessary). 

7 Reasons Why Every Business Should Have A Website

Your website should be an extension of your marketing and sales team. It’s not a nice-to-have… It’s a NEED-to-have. There is simply not enough time, resources, or money to do it all without a website. So let’s get into it!

You Legitimize Your Existence

If no one knows about you, do you even exist? 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard of a coffee shop, restaurant, or other service-based business recommended to me that didn’t have a website. After a quick Google search, I’ve automatically deemed it not worth my time if they don’t have a website. 

Why? Because I want to verify information about that business before I brace Houston traffic – only to find out that the business did not meet expectations or even exist in the first place. 

Put your flag in the ground and yell from the rooftops that you exist…starting with a website. 

P.S. If you don’t have a website just yet, create a Google Business Profile to legitimize your company. 

Prospects Verify Your Credibility

Credibility is one of the most important components of earning trust from prospective clients. You can talk until you’re blue in the face about your credentials, experience, and expertise. But that person is most likely going to validate what you say by Googling you. 

And what happens when they don’t find you? 

They don’t think you’re legit and you’re most likely a scam artist. 

Ouch!

One of our clients recently expressed that he lost several clients because he didn’t have a website. His experience, personality, education, or any other items of credibility meant nothing because his prospects couldn’t reach him through his nonexistent website. 

You Become Searchable

Part of creating a website is also becoming searchable. Sure, we have people Googling FocusCopy, but a majority of our traffic comes from people googling B2B copywriter, website copywriter, or even strategic copywriter (just to name a few). When you optimize your website for search engines (i.e. SEO), you expand your imprint so that more of your target audience will find you. 

Then when they get to your website, that’s when the real magic happens (especially if your copy resonates with your target audience and primes them for conversion).  

Your Reach Expands Beyond Your Network

Although you’re an amazing networker and person to know, you have the same 24 hours in the day as everyone else. With a website, you can connect with more people, more prospects, and more referral partners in a very systematic way. 

Because of our website and our work to optimize the site, we’ve connected with dozens of qualified businesses to either work with or partner with. And it’s made my life as an introverted entrepreneur that much easier. 

Ready to go beyond your network and find more prospects? Let’s start the conversation on how to make that happen.

You Differentiate Yourself From Competitors

Whether you acknowledge it or not, your industry is swamped with competitors (even if they shouldn’t be considered as such). You need to show the public how you’re different and even better than your competitors. You can do this by:

  • Explaining your unique process
  • Showing how your offer is better than your competitors
  • Demonstrating how personable and likable you are

It Provides A Communication Platform

Think social media is the only communication platform? Think again. Even the most popular and profitable social apps are known to experience significant downtime now and then.

A website is a great way to update your status, share about sales, and communicate your process. You can do a lot with your website that you’re limited to when you rely on social media or email marketing alone. 

Your Business Owns It

Like I said before…a website is a piece of real estate. It’s more profitable and beneficial if you own rather than rent (like you would with social media). So create an asset for your business and start to build your website. 

Effective Websites Start With The Right Copy

Having a website is a great first step. But having the right words on the site will take it to the next level. And AI will not cover all the bases you need it to because it lacks one crucial thing…The human element. You need to remember that people do business with people they know, like, and trust. That means that regardless of how big your brand is, you need a human touch to it. 

Discover how to create custom, human-touched copy with FocusCopy.

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

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What Every Entrepreneur Needs To Be Successful In 2025

What Every Entrepreneur Needs To Be Successful In 2025

Entrepreneurship / By / November 6, 2024

2024 is the year we’re coining the Year of Life. So many life events have happened to us, our clients, and our partners. From family deaths, illnesses, hurricanes, burnout, and priority shifts, life doesn’t wait for the perfect moment in your business to slow down. 

No ma’am. It continues whether you want it to or not. And while that’s frustrating, it’s taught me a couple of crucial things you must have in place if you desire continuity in your business and life. 

6 Things Every Entrepreneur Needs To Be Successful In 2025

While success can be defined in a million different ways, we define it as making progress towards your specific goals. Ideally, success is even reaching those goals. They can be financial, physical, emotional, spiritual, or any other -al variation. The key is it’s a big win for you and your business. 

Solid Strategies To Filter Through The Noise & Find Your Focus

When applied, focus truly amplifies your impact. And while it’s probably the most underrated skill, it’s also one of the hardest things to do with all the distractions thrown at us.  It takes time to build in focus. But 2 things have really helped me focus on the right things. 

First, I’ve created systems in ClickUp – our project management software – that help me focus my energies on one area of the business at a time. For example, if I’m in our Clients space, I am all about each of our clients – focused on delivering the best results, customer service, and communication. But if I’m in our Marketing Schedule space, you better believe I’m throwing all sorts of ideas at the wall to see what sticks. And it wouldn’t be focused if it wasn’t color-coded either. So because of the division of tasks, color association, and knowing what mindset I need to be in, my focus is that much more amplified. 

Secondly, I’ve created a place to dump all my amazing (and not-so-amazing) ideas. As entrepreneurs, we are constantly thinking of new ideas, strategies, and ways to accomplish our goals. And while there is a time and place for that…It can stifle our productivity. But what if it’s a million-dollar idea? Write it down in one place so you can pick it back up whenever you’re ready. 

A Strong Business Referral Network

It is simply impossible to have your ear in every conversation so that you can identify and talk to every single person who’s interested in what you have to offer. But what you can build is a strong business referral network to help you mimic that. This network is either a formal or informal group of individuals who know what to listen for to make an introduction or pass a referral to you. They are usually interacting with the people you want to connect with – so start building, reviewing, or reshaping your list of contacts. 

Lauren, how do you build a strong business referral network? 

There are 2 ways we’ve seen this done:

  • Join a referral networking organization like BNI (Business Network International) or Network In Action to build a formalized network. 
  • Do it yourself and find people who understand your value. The key here is to document and regularly maintain those relationships. 

Want to start building your network? Let’s grab a virtual coffee to see if there’s something to explore. 

A Curated Collective Of Business Besties

Having a business bestie (or a few) takes your referral network to the next level. Whereas the previously mentioned option is based on referrals, a collective of business besties is based on seeing you succeed. 

You could have 1-2 or 5-10 business besties. As long as your business besties are other entrepreneurs who…

  • Want to find and send referrals to you
  • Are vulnerable enough to confess their business challenges
  • Are confident to cheer you on when you feel weak
  • Will help you strategically overcome challenges in your business

The only rule? There should be an equal balance of giving and receiving, expressing challenges and celebrating wins, and support for one another. 

You cannot force this type of relationship. But as soon as you find it, you’ll know it and grab tight onto those people. 

Documentation For ALL Your Processes

Ever dream of…?

  • Selling your business
  • Getting acquired
  • Adding an investor to your team
  • Growing your team beyond yourself
  • Leaving a legacy you’re proud of

Well…you need documentation. Consider every single thing that needs to happen inside your business to make it operate. Then start by tackling each “department” and get it written down. The best way that we’ve found to do this is…

  • See one. Host a team training to teach them how to do a single process.
  • Do one. Have your team do the process with you so that you can adjust or correct their steps. 
  • Teach one. Once they are proficient, have them teach that same process to other team members. 

P.S. Copy Systems is your way to document, implement, and experiment with all your copy- and marketing-related tasks for your business. Explore a membership here.

A Better Recipe To Write High-Converting Copy

No matter where you stand on copywriting (you love it, hate it, loathe it, AI it, outsource it, do it yourself, etc.), you need good copy to connect, engage, and convert prospects into clients. But there are a lot of barriers to creating effective copy…

…Starting with you. You may not like it or even have the time to do it. So you have 3 options:

  1. Do it yourself and (probably) hate yourself for it every single step
  2. Use AI and settle for subpar, inauthentic, and robotic-sounding copy
  3. Outsource it to a copywriter (hopefully not to a freelancer who is not fluent in your specific language)

While there are obvious issues with options 1 and 2, let’s dive into option 3. Even if you hire an outsourced copywriter, you still need to communicate your brand, messaging, voice, target customer, and marketing objectives. 

What happens when you don’t have any of that? The copywriter will fail to achieve your goals…every single time. Then, you’re stuck with editing until it’s perfect (another pain point for most entrepreneurs) or rewriting it yourself anyway. Yeesh!

That’s why we’ve developed Copy Systems to help you build out the core tenants required for effective copywriting – whether you write it yourself or outsource it. Explore your membership here. 

More Time To Pour Into Your Business

You may be laughing at this point, but hear me out…When you have more time, you have:

  • More space to think and dream
  • Increased capacity to actually get everything you need to get done
  • Freedom to spend your time as you please (whether that’s with family, traveling, or at a coffee shop alone)

And who doesn’t want that?!

Here is how to build more time into your schedule. 

  1. Create a theme for the year and break that up by each quarter. 
  2. Assign one SMART goal that fulfills your theme. 
  3. Choose no more than 3 sub-goals that fulfill that 1 big goal. 
  4. And do nothing else besides that. 

Sure you’ll think of plenty of ideas. Create a place for you to dump those brilliant ideas for you to pick up when you’re ready to focus on other areas of your business. But the idea here is when you are laser-focused, you create more time because you aren’t chasing the shiny objects or squirrels. Your distraction and tenacity to dream may be the one thing limiting your schedule. 

For Q4 2024, here is how we structured our time: 

  1. Theme: Building better rhythms
  2. Primary Goal: Build a more sustainable business (starting with the financial side of the business)
  3. Sub-Goals:
    1. Launch our brand new Copy Systems membership program. 
    2. Continue to be profitable. 
    3. Grow our recurring revenue. 

Filling each of these out for yourself does not need to be complicated. In fact, the simpler you make it, the easier it’ll be to follow. 

Implement Better Systems To Set Your 2025 Up For Success

…Starting with your copy. 

We’ve developed Copy Systems to be an easy-to-implement membership that dives into specific topics that will make your marketing and messaging so much more effective. And when you have the right words, you connect with the right clients and convince them that you’re worth investing in. 

We believe that people want to work with other people and, ultimately, businesses they know and trust. This is another reason why we’re giving you the same tools we use to define your brand, target your audience, and write marketing materials that speak to the core of your successes.

Start towards your path to success today with Copy Systems!

When Your Company Does Have SOPs

When Your Company Does Have SOPs (Get Your Free SOP Framework)

Systems / By / November 6, 2024

Implementing a free SOP framework into your business gives you the tools to improve your entire operation. In case you missed it, one of the very first blogs we ever wrote was What Happens When Your Company Doesn’t Have SOPs. Surprisingly, it has remained one of our most popular blogs ever.

Why? 

Well, we have our suspicions, but we believe it’s because entrepreneurs don’t want to be managed. And System Operating Procedures (SOPs) simply manage us. It feels like the antithesis of why we left working for someone. 

But in reality, SOPs create consistent and continuous results…For your business, your clients, and your professional network. Implementing well-documented SOPs in your business model has potential benefits to…

  • Boost business productivity by up to 25%
  • Reduce errors by as much as 60%
  • Reduce employee training time by 40%

…To name a few.

Ready to transform your marketing to be more efficient, productive, and effective? It starts with building our Scalable Marketing SOPs. Download our free SOP framework to get started.

How SOPs Transform Business Operations To Enhance Customer Experiences & Support A Collaborative Culture

Explore what happens to your company when you implement SOPs into your marketing (and more importantly, into your business). 

1. Companies Perk Up & Become Efficient 

Systems make businesses more efficient (duh, Lauren). And your team members in management, HR, and accounting know this. However, it isn’t enough to simply produce SOPs. You must also ensure that you implement and use them. Especially for emerging entrepreneurs, small businesses with SOPs are 75% more likely to survive their first 5 years.

This is a staggering statistic, but survival isn’t the only benefit of implementing SOPs. Making your business more efficient with SOPs also has the potential to improve your…

  • Process automation
  • Communication
  • Data management
  • Scalability
  • Customer experience

Most importantly, SOPs give you a tool to use whether you need training materials or a comprehensive process refresher.

Looking for a free SOP framework? Access our Scalable Marketing SOP Framework.

2. Your Processes Improve With Every Customer Engagement

When you know what you’re doing, it’s easier to improve your processes. One thing we changed two years ago came from some client feedback. He asked us to wrap a “red bow” on the project, wanting to meet. Never before had we thought of having a Close-Out Meeting for a project. But it made sense! 

Immediately after that meeting with our client, we revised our SOPs and implemented Close-Out Meetings into our overall process. It was just the type of detailed feedback that we needed to improve our systems right away.

The results? We’re able to gather feedback from our clients and immediately apply it. Our processes are 100 times better than when we first created them. And our end product is also better for it – benefiting both the client and our team.

This proactive approach not only enhances our workflow but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement. By regularly integrating client insights and refining our methods, we create a feedback loop that drives innovation. Each project becomes an opportunity to learn and adapt, ensuring that we’re not just meeting but exceeding expectations. This commitment to improvement strengthens our relationships with clients and positions us as a leader in our industry.

3. You’re Not Being Held Hostage By Employees

As a business owner, it’s easy to feel like you’re at the mercy of your team. But let’s flip that narrative: you’re not being held hostage by your employees. Instead, think of your workforce as a dynamic group of partners who can help propel your vision forward.

When you build a team grounded in trust and authentic connections, everything changes. Say goodbye to the “sacred cows” or those seemingly untouchable employees who seem to hold invaluable company information that they keep close to their chests. Instead, you foster an environment where every voice matters and every idea counts.

This mindset encourages open communication and transparency. You can tackle challenges head-on without fear of resistance. Working with people you genuinely vibe with transforms the workplace into a collaborative space where creativity thrives.

Embracing this approach not only eases the weight on your shoulders as a leader but also enhances job satisfaction for everyone involved. When you cultivate a culture of collaboration, your team evolves from a collection of employees into a community united by shared goals.

4. Your Company Operates As A Team

In today’s fast-paced business world, collaboration isn’t just a buzzword – it’s essential. When your company operates as one unit, you unlock the potential for creativity, efficiency, and a positive work environment. So, how do you nurture team spirit among your employees?

Take the time to understand what drives each team member, their strengths, and their preferred collaboration styles. Listening and learning more about your team members’ preferred workstyles gives you untapped tools to create a culture where everyone feels empowered to share ideas and take bold steps.

Teamwork goes beyond occasional team-building activities. It’s woven into the fabric of your daily operations through:

  • Regular check-ins 
  • Brainstorming sessions 
  • Internal communications 

When employees know their input is valued, they become more engaged and invested in their work and its quality. Celebrating team achievements is equally vital. Whether it’s a small win or a major milestone, recognizing collective efforts reinforces the message that everyone plays a crucial role in the company’s success.

Use a free SOP framework to ensure your company is set up for a collaborative experience from your team member’s first day on the job to every major milestone afterward.

5. Operations Continue Regardless Of Who Is Working

I’ve had copywriters take over a week of vacation. I’ve personally taken a week-long vacation as CEO. And I was even able to take a maternity leave for 8 weeks in 2023. And guess what? Our operations continued seamlessly with little to no hiccups because we had documented and anticipated just about every scenario – including weather-related emergencies.

This level of preparedness creates immense freedom – not just for me as the business owner but for the entire team. Employees don’t feel the pressure of being irreplaceable or that they can’t take a well-deserved break. That’s a lot of pressure to put on their shoulders! Instead, they know that the systems and processes we’ve put in place will keep things running smoothly, no matter who’s in the office.

When your operations are well-documented and your team is trained to handle various situations, it fosters a culture of trust and empowerment. Team members can step away, recharge, and return with fresh perspectives, knowing that their responsibilities are covered. This not only boosts morale but also enhances productivity, as employees are less likely to experience burnout.

Moreover, this approach encourages a sense of ownership among team members. They understand that they play a vital role in the company’s success, even when they’re not physically present. This mindset cultivates a proactive attitude, where everyone is more engaged and invested in the overall mission.

Effective SOPs Start With A Solid, Free SOP Framework

When you work with us, you aren’t getting the same deliverables we wrote 4 years ago. We’re constantly evolving, improving, and creating to make a better product for you. If you want a future-focused strategic partner, we’re ready to link arms with you – entrepreneur to entrepreneur. 

Searching for your free SOP framework? Access our Scalable Marketing SOP Framework to start the documentation process with ease and structure.

Implement Our Scalable Marketing SOP Framework & Scale Your Marketing Processes With Ease

become more process-oriented, productive, & focus on what moves the needle the furthest with this framework
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FocusCopy® caffeinates your brand messaging so it energizes your target audience to take action. 

(281) 916-4949 | info@FocusCopy.com

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