Lauren Jefferson

Why You Need To Create A Consistent Business Brand Voice To Make An Impact

Marketing / By Lauren Jefferson / September 15, 2023 September 15, 2023

Apple, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, and Tik Tok.

No, we’re not simply listing large companies. Instead, we would like to ask what comes to mind when you think of these brands.

Whether you shop their products or not, it’s fairly clear that each of these companies has a very recognizable brand voice. If these brands were individuals and you heard them talking on the street, you’d probably have a good indicator of who they are and what they are about.

Even for brands that have evolved over time, their immediate recognition is why it’s so important for brands – no matter how small – to build a brand voice.

Need help refining your brand’s voice? Watch what we can brew for you!

4 Reasons Why You Need to Create A Consistent Business Brand Voice

Aside from having the potential to boost your revenue by 23%, your brand voice also builds trust between you and your audience in these 4 ways:

How recognizable you are
Your ability to build and maintain relationships
Your uniqueness in the marketplace
How authentic your audience believes you are

1. Your Recognition

What makes your brand stand out from the competition?

The content you produce can make your brand both memorable and immediately recognizable, which is essential to the customer journey. The more someone recognizes your brand, the more likely they are to convert to a buying customer. And, eventually, a loyal customer if you continue to think about the customer journey in every business aspect.

2. Your Ability To Build Relationships

The more someone recognizes and interacts with your specific brand, the more likely they are to grow attached to you over time. By keeping your content transparent and true to your purpose, you continue to relate to your customers and build a relationship based on trust, similar interests, and mutual understanding. It’s kind of like dating with fewer strings attached.

3. Your Uniqueness

Most likely, you are not the only one of you out in the world. Likewise, we are not the only copywriting firm out in the marketplace. But we are the only FocusCopy out there. So we’re going to lean on our own uniqueness. And that’s something no one can steal from us. We combine our…

Years of experience
Ability to teach others
Love of coffee

…And other special tidbits to create a brand voice that’s credible and colorful. But that’s not quite all.

4. Your Authenticity

Authenticity should always be blended into your brand voice. In a world where only about 31% of customers trust most of the brands they use, continue to be true to yourself. Lying about your company, services, or products will set you up for failure and ruin your reputation. It’s best to be honest and connect to your audience on a human-to-human level than tell them whatever they want to hear.

Ready to see more of your distinct brand in your copy? Let’s talk shop!

Breaking Down Your Brand’s Voice

Alright, from the top!

What exactly is a brand voice?

Your brand voice is broken down into 3 distinct categories: Consistency, Clarity, and Character.

Different Cup Of Copy, Similar Quality

Consistency in your brand’s voice is where strategy and uniformity meet. Whether your audience is looking at posts on your TikTok, Instagram, website, or any other platform, your brand’s voice should be consistent across every single one of them.

Apple is a fantastic example of a company that is consistent about its brand voice. They prefer short, clean copy that explains simply what their product has to offer. A few ideas from previous ads include:

Light. Years ahead. (MacBook)
Thinnovation (MacBook Air)
Privacy matters (iPhone)

Creating your own brand’s consistent voice doesn’t mean making 1 person responsible for creating all of your content forever. We do suggest hiring copywriters (like us) who can learn your voice and apply it to all future copy. Especially since it takes about 5-7 impressions before someone starts to truly recognize your brand.

Make It Simple To Understand

Clarity is just as it sounds in that any copy you create should be concise, direct, and easy to understand. Being too verbose or detailed can actually turn your audience off. Give them the big picture in a summary and tack on highlights to answer their frequently asked questions. An easy way to structure your content is by ensuring you answer the who, what, when, where, and why for whatever it is that you’re writing about.

An example of this can be found in Fitbit’s ads that use phrases like…

Know Your Heart Rate
Track Activity
Your best wellness tracker yet.

Their copy is straightforward and lets you know right away what you can expect from their products.

Add Shots Of Flavor

Character is the pop of personality you decide to add to your brand’s voice. It’s that something extra that sets you apart from the rest of the crowd. You may decide to adopt a certain persona to fit what your audience likes. Or you may start using certain words or phrases to fit a theme you’d like to align your brand with.

A large-scale example of a brand’s character is seen in the Houston Astros content. Their copy is, of course, aligned with baseball but also uses space themes and references to its hometown NASA roots. Another example is Chick-fil-A – known for its misspelled ads and a touch of Southern charm.

Create A Consistent Brand Voice With One Copywriting Firm

We write content for a variety of industries like bookkeeping, aviation, construction, and even chocolate (so much fun). And we like to partially attribute our portfolio to the process we’ve worked so hard to develop and define over time.

If you’re done sitting on copy that never seems to get published, we’re the copy baristas you need to bring your brand to life. Reach out today to get started.

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

Let’s Grab A Virtual Coffee With Us To Discover How To Boost Your Words

#1 Mistake Female Entrepreneurs Make In Their Businesses

Business / By Lauren Jefferson / September 7, 2023 September 7, 2023

After speaking with hundreds of female entrepreneurs and watching my personal journey as a female entrepreneur closely, there is one mistake female entrepreneurs make above the rest.

If you’re like me, this one mistake…

Limits your ability to stretch yourself and get things done
Forces more tasks onto your already neverending to-do list
Increases stress and burnout levels beyond what is healthy

And the mistake female entrepreneurs make is…?

The need for control.

Yep, we’re going there but don’t worry! We’ll talk through why having control can feel so important AND why following that feeling can hurt your business more than you may know.

Ready to stop sitting on all of your business copy that’s still in draft mode? Schedule a discovery call with us to get started!

Where Does The Need For Control Come From?

One of the main challenges female entrepreneurs face is setting up unrealistic and irrational expectations. You may be familiar with this if you’ve ever felt the need to do it all. As expert multitaskers, women often feel the need to be able to juggle multiple responsibilities at once without fail. But this frame of thought can end up creating more problems than solutions. Ask yourself a few simple questions…

Do I often or always feel the need to do it all?

Do I delegate tasks to those I trust around me?

Am I quick to ask for help when I need it?

Many female entrepreneurs believe that having control and doing it all themselves is the best way to conduct business. But if you find yourself burned out, exhausted, uninspired, or overwhelmed, having too much control can actually limit your success. Take a look at why this may be and how to let go.

Why Is Control Limiting Growth?

Just because we can control it doesn’t mean we should or that we’re the right person to do so. When you don’t lean into your own personal superpowers, you spread yourself thin over all the other tasks. Pushing yourself into overdrive once or twice to get everything done is one thing. But if you find yourself unable to…

Delegate to your inner circle
Meet self-set deadlines
Let go of perfectionism
Stick to a healthy work/life balance

…Then that sense of control is costing you time, money, and your mental health.

Reflect with us for a second…Are you sitting on copy you’ve written for your business that has yet to be published (or even edited)? Copy for your business is one of those tasks that you can (and should) delegate to the experts. Otherwise, your copy continues to sit untouched for as long as you promise yourself that you’ll get to it one day.

We see it all the time as copywriters, and you should know that you are not alone.

Psst! It’s okay to let go a little (or a lot). Talk to us today and get your business copy brewing.

How To Overcome The #1 Mistake Female Entrepreneurs Make

Female business owners generate $1.8 trillion in revenue for the U.S. economy. By questioning your need for control, we’re not questioning your power as a female entrepreneur – that impact is clear (and don’t you forget it).

However, the need for control could be limiting you from reaching your true earning potential and future opportunities. Breaking free from this thought process all starts with step #1…

Step 1: Identify You Are A Control Freak

Hi, I’m Lauren Jefferson and I’m a control freak. Hi, Lauren!

There’s a reason why AA has you identify yourself and that’s because when you say it out loud, it becomes real.

I’ll be honest with you. Telling yourself (or someone else) that you’re struggling is no small accomplishment. But you should know that it is just that – it’s an accomplishment to identify your feelings and ask for help moving forward. It sounds so easy to do. Yet, female entrepreneurs (like me) struggle with it regularly.

If you’re still here with me, let’s practice doing this together. Breathe and then say out loud (or to yourself), “Hi, I’m Your Name, and I’m a control freak.”

Hi, I’m Lauren and I’m right here with you!

Now that we’ve done that together, let’s try shifting the way we think about controlling every aspect of our business to construct a fruitful future.

Step 2: Gain Perspective

Your authority, leadership, and vision all work together in your favor as a boss and business owner. But what many female entrepreneurs don’t realize is that being a leader also means being able to trust your employees, partners, and team members to clear your plate of necessary tasks that don’t need your immediate attention.

When you don’t entrust the people you hired to do what you pay them to do, they may feel worthless, not needed, or even like they can never succeed under your leadership. Yikes! No one wants to feel that.

So expand your perspective on how others perceive your control tendencies and how it impacts their role in your business.

“The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.”
Chris Pine

This week, work to prioritize the items on your to-do list while delegating other tasks. This will help you get them done without stretching you beyond your limits.

Step 3: Build Accountability

You need a team to call you out – especially if you’re prone to making the #1 mistake female entrepreneurs make. That could be your spouse, employees, business coach, bookkeeper, friend, strategic partner, etc. But first, you need to confess to them and tell them how they can help you out. A few common areas of accountability female entrepreneurs need assistance with include:

Organization
Scheduling
Setting clear expectations
Tweaking processes
Transparency

Be honest with yourself and pinpoint your areas for improvement. Then, share your challenges with someone who can help you remain accountable.

It’s hard to let go. It’s also hard to hear criticism from those you respect. But gaining feedback from those you trust to set you up for success is one way to thrive as a business owner AND allow those you care about to grow and problem-solve on their own, under your direction.

Step 4: Recognize Real Wins

Always late to appointments? Pat yourself on the back for a full week of on-time meetings and phone calls.

Behind on replying to emails? Treat yourself to a glass of wine with dinner after you’re all caught up!

The point I’m trying to make?

It’s hard for female business owners to celebrate success when it doesn’t feel perfect. I understand that, however, I also know that you deserve to enjoy every milestone (even the smaller ones). Give yourself grace when times are challenging and give yourself praise for meeting various goals.

Step 5: Start Small Then Grow Big With Letting Go

Maybe the thought of giving someone else complete control over your Instagram is too much to handle right now. That’s okay! You can start small by thinking about the minor tasks that don’t need your full attention.

Remember the accountability list above? Find small to-dos that you can pass on to others in your inner circle and delegate away! It doesn’t have to be awkward to hand over something you need help with. If you’ve chosen the right people to lift you, they won’t have a problem stepping in to support you and your business when you need it.

As you get more comfortable delegating tasks, you can move on to bigger responsibilities that take up too much of your time. Think email and social media scheduling, sales calls, blog posts and publishing, etc.

Let The Control Over Your Copy Go & Avoid The #1 Mistake Female Entrepreneurs Make

Female entrepreneurs spend so much time writing, rewriting, and holding on to copy that never seems to get published. This is a huge problem if your website, social media, landing pages, and blogs either don’t reflect your current business OR have the right information but never get published.

If it isn’t online and up-to-date, it doesn’t exist for your target audience. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Breathe – you’ve got this! Get help from a team of professional digital marketing copywriters to bring your business to center stage.

We’re your copy shop barista to support your growth goals. Let’s talk shop!

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

Let’s Grab A Virtual Coffee With Us To Discover How To Boost Your Words

6 Keys To Writing An FAQ Blog Post

Content Marketing / By Lauren Jefferson / September 1, 2023 September 1, 2023

If you’re tired of answering the same questions regarding your business, these 6 keys to writing an FAQ blog post might take care of that for good!

Imagine this…

Instead of using your time to respond to emails, phone calls, and contact form messages answering the same questions over again, you can create a blog post that does it for you. Your customers have one place to look for all their pressing questions. Plus, you won’t need to keep copying and pasting the same response repeatedly.

Plus, with this one blog, you can also increase web engagement, gain quality leads, and garner more interest in your business and services. We’re here to show you how with the following 6 keys to writing an FAQ blog post you can use right now.

Need a copywriter to take care of your blogs for you? Schedule a discovery call to get started.

Try These 6 Keys To Writing An FAQ Blog Post & Save Yourself From The Repetition

Here’s your cue to take voice notes or be ready to type out your thoughts. Because, as soon as you finish reading this blog about the keys to writing an FAQ blog post, all of the content you need will be right there in front of you.

1. Ask The Questions, Type Out The Answers

The first part of creating your FAQ blog is simple. Ask yourself…

What are the top 10 to 20 questions I’m asked most about my business that I can easily answer right away?

Type or jot these questions down and be sure your answers are succinct and clear for your audience. Before you know it, these questions and answers can assist you in creating bold headlines that are easy to understand for even the fastest blog skimmer around.

2. Do Your (Quick) SEO Research

Search engine optimization does more than autofill your search for you when you’re online. SEO includes trackable data that changes based on what everyone around you is searching for. This is immensely important for businesses that want to know more about their target audiences’ wants, needs, and wishes.

Even if you offer an extremely specific service, your audience may not know the same technical jargon that you do. As an example, if you own a floral shop, you might want to answer questions that also include popular search terms (in bold) like…

How does Valentine’s Day flower delivery work?
Can I pick up my flower delivery order instead?
Can your business do flowers for a wedding or big event in my city?
Can I buy red roses by the dozen?

You may know that you sell baccarat roses, Ever Reds, and Freedom roses but the average customer will not. This is why pairing your FAQs with commonly used SEO keywords or phrases assists in making your business, its FAQs, and your services more visible on popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

There are also many free web analytics tools available online like Clarity from Microsoft and Google Keyword Planner, so you don’t need to spend a dime to get started.

You can also use a team of professional copywriters to help you get the job done. Schedule your discovery call with us right now.

3. Discover More FAQs

Speaking of using SEO tools for your FAQ blog post, you can also use various online forums to find more FAQs to answer while you’re at it. A few platforms you should think about exploring include…

Quora
Reddit
TikTok (yes, seriously!)

In fact, about 40% of young people use TikTok alone as a search engine. This may not sound incredibly important right now, but your prospects will soon include a younger generation of buyers than you may be used to today. So, it is worth keeping in mind.

4. Define Technical Words & Phrases

Another one of our keys to writing an FAQ blog post is ensuring you understand that it’s okay to simplify your answers for your average customer. If you’re a business owner with a typically well-informed customer base, you may not need to worry about this as much.

However, if you often find that your answers go over most people’s heads, it’s time to take a step back and clarify those answers. Speak to your audience in a way they will understand. If it helps, offer a mini glossary or answer individual questions defining commonly used terms or phrases in your industry.

Take FocusCopy for example. You may see us answer what we view to be “simple” questions like…

What does SEO mean?

What is backlinking and what does it mean?

Is a copywriter and copyright the same thing?

We would define keywords and phrases with each of these questions while breaking down their definitions so they’re easier to digest.

5. Support Your Answers With Statistics

You cannot get rid of all of the misinformation online regarding your business or expertise. What you can do is fortify your answers with reliable statistics to back them up. This is yet another one of our keys to writing an FAQ blog post that works in favor of your business and your customers.

Remember, you’re the industry expert!

That said, think of 2 to 5 industry-related resources that you trust. A few examples might include:

Established associations
Government-led groups or studies
Industry organizations or clubs
Individual industry leaders
Top-performing companies

If you follow these people or organizations online and subscribe to their newsletters, you can keep up with them consistently as new information is shared. Don’t forget to cite your sources within your blog by adding a link or footnote leading your audience to the source.

6. Share It

Have someone other than yourself read through your FAQ blog post to make suggestions and offer other forms of advice. Perform a spelling and grammar check (and don’t worry too much about perfection) before publishing your brand-new blog.

Once that’s done, you can share your blog on social media, by email, or by asking others to help spread the word for you.

Bonus Tip!

So, you have one well-written blog post answering the most commonly asked questions about your business. Did you know you can split this 1 complete blog into several separate blogs, social media posts, and (possibly) a podcast script?

Think about each point you’ve made so far. Chances are you can talk about one or several of them more in-depth – so do it! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Think of lessons learned
Reflect on former customer stories
Answer more questions related to each FAQ

For social media posts, pull headlines and the most important part of your answer to create quick posts you can share that add value to your social platforms.

We Write Blog Posts For Businesses

Does writing an FAQ blog post take time? Yes. We would be lying if we said it didn’t take at least some time to strategize, write, and approve a blog post.

If you don’t have that kind of time, that’s okay! We do. Schedule a discovery call with us today!

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FocusCopy Turns 4 Years Old (PLUS 7 Lessons We Learned In Our Fourth Year In Business)

Business / By Lauren Jefferson / August 16, 2023 August 16, 2023

We’ve graduated.

Well, not really. But it kinda feels like it as we celebrate our fourth business anniversary today – August 15, 2023. You spend 4 years in high school, 4 years in college. 4 years seems to be the amount of time it takes to establish foundational knowledge and feel confident about being fully sufficient.

But as we go into year 5, we’re now stepping into mastering business so that we can better serve our clients, offer more to entrepreneurs, and lead business owners to more success.

So here is our annual letter, giving you a deeper understanding of what the lessons we learned in our fourth year in business and what we’re doing differently going forward.

Want to see the other lessons we’ve learned over the years?

Read Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3

The Year 4 Mindset

Year 4 for me as a business owner has been one of deep reflection. What am I doing that is causing more stress and unrest? Where can I find more enjoyment and space? Who do I want to be as a wife, mom, and business owner?

So this year’s mindset has been one of cultivating a CEO, authority leader, and person that I can be proud of putting my name on.

7 Lessons We Learned In Our Fourth Year In Business

Ready to skip the learning curve and take your business (and life) to the next level? Read the 7 lessons we learned in our fourth year in business.

1. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Are you like me and overcomplicate everything?

I’m constantly thinking of the best way to accomplish a goal, even if it requires 245,420 steps. My genius solution suddenly becomes overwhelming – even plaguing. And nothing happens.

You get me? That’s why my word of the year is SIMPLIFY.

In every single thing I do, I aim to simplify. Simplify processes and to-dos at home, in my relationships, in my business, and in every other aspect of my life. What I’ve seen is…

Better conversations
Less stress
Deeper relationships
More progress
Increased enjoyment

2. Optimism Is Not A Business Strategy

In addition to overcomplicating, I’m an eternal optimist. I tend to see the best in people (even if my gut tells me otherwise), set ambitious and often unrealistic goals, and lie to myself when things are going wrong by saying “it’ll be fine”. This year, I’ve learned that optimism is not a business strategy.

In fact, relying solely on optimism without having an actual strategy to back it up will put you in financial ruin, unmanageable stress, and an overall sticky situation. While being positive is generally a good thing, don’t be afraid to pull back the curtains and give your business a hard look.

3. Enforcing Contracts Is Key

My late mentor, Jim Wilkinson, would always say a contract is only good if you enforce it. The problem is that when you are a people pleaser and understand the struggles a business owner goes through, it can be difficult to impossible to enforce the terms you both have agreed to. For me, that was invoicing and collections. And we all know that cash is king in business.

To give me the confidence and wherewithal to enforce, we got new contracts drafted that made it easy for me to follow. And I had someone else other than me collect. This allowed me to keep the client relationships how I wanted without crippling my business.

4. Assign People To Call You Out

When making big changes in your behavior – such as simplifying or not being too optimistic in decision making – you need accountability. That’s why I’ve employed people in my life to call me out when I need it. That can be your bookkeeper, your spouse, or a mentor. Give them the authority to give you the real picture – no matter how harsh it may be. You won’t regret it, even if it stings in the moment. Your business will thank you!

5. Create Space In Your Schedule

The first 3 years in business, it was all hustle and grind. Back to back meetings. Tight, tight deadlines. Little to no flexibility in scheduling. And while I’m thankful I made those sacrifices to bring FocusCopy to where it is today, I didn’t start the business to become a slave to it.

And I don’t think you did either when you started your business.

So my goal was to create more space in my schedule. That included:

Taking a weeklong vacation where my team handled everything without needing my help
Doing more for me and my family in the middle of the week
Adding more buffer time in between meetings to allow me to do the tasks I needed
Blocking my daily schedule for tasks like marketing, emails, sales, etc.
Reflecting on where I need to grow, what I wanted to do, and how to achieve my dreams
Setting up my business so that I could take a maternity leave with my firstborn

Whatever this next year looks like for you, create a schedule that works for you – not what everyone else is seemingly doing.

6. You Can’t Operate A Business To Pay Everyone Else Besides You

Remember how I mentioned that you should employ people to speak into your life? This was one of the harshest lessons I personally learned this year: you can’t operate a business to pay everyone else besides yourself.

One of my friends and a fractional CFO frequently tells her audience – CEOs – it’s time to pay yourself. And there’s a reason for that! When you don’t pay yourself, you aren’t rewarding yourself for your hard work. You, instead, effectively become a slave to the business.

Even if you can’t pay yourself a market salary, pay yourself something – $100, $500, $1,000… Whatever it is, process that payment at least on a monthly basis. You’ll be in a much better position to lead your company.

7. Don’t Survive Off Of Performing

This last lesson is one that has really impacted my life in the past month or so. In July, I gave birth to my son totally unmedicated. This was something I got in my head a long time ago and with the support of my incredible husband, we were able to achieve our goal of a healthy delivery without the assistance of any medication. Call me crazy!

While in the hospital and when we came home, we received comments from our support team like:

“I’ve never seen an unmedicated labor.”

“Wow! You can actually walk. We don’t see many of those.”

“I’m so impressed with you.”

“I could never do what you did!”

And I got that in my head! So a couple of days later, I picked up a laundry basket full of clothes…And I injured myself. It didn’t matter that I had done something so difficult earlier that week. And I started getting down on myself because it didn’t matter how I performed. I couldn’t keep going at that level for a prolonged period of time. Nope, I had to rest and really rest. That meant relying on my husband, friends, and family to do tasks for me while my body slowly healed.

So if you’re like me and thrive on positive feedback, create a practice of pulling back and relying on others to help you. This will prevent the dreaded burnout that so many business owners face in their first couple of years in business.

Year 5, Here We Come!

Our very first client at FocusCopy was Go Savvy – a purpose-driven event planning and promotions company. Since then, its founder Savannah Becerril has become a friend and a strategic partner. I told her that once we hit our 5th anniversary, I want to host a party to celebrate that accomplishment. It’s a big deal to not only survive your first year of business, but to come through that first year during COVID and make it to year 5…We are celebrating that win!

If you want to come along for the ride, join our insider’s list where we send out regular copy tips, business lessons, and resources to enhance your business. Subscribe here.

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10 Client Red Flags To Watch Out For When Marketing

Business / By Lauren Jefferson / August 8, 2023 August 15, 2023

Are you aware of the most common client red flags to watch out for when marketing for your business?

Here’s a shared experience most professionals are familiar with…

If you work with people across multiple industries, you’re likely aware of exactly what it is that makes you tick. We’re not simply talking about clients that are difficult to work with as those clients offer challenges to help us adapt and grow as writers. Nope, we’re talking about clients with bold, unapologetic, blazing red flags you want to avoid entirely.

With over a decade of experience marketing for many clients, we’ve (nearly) seen and heard it all before. Whether we’re reflecting on corporate experiences or those as a small business, client red flags aren’t always visible right away. But, there are a few client red flags to watch out for when marketing for a company that you may be unfamiliar with.

Here’s our take on what we observe when working with new clients.

Psst! If you need copywriting for your business, we’re only a discovery call away! Schedule your discovery call now.

It’s Okay To Reject Some Sales: 10 Client Red Flags To Watch Out For When Marketing

Do you wish marketing client red flags were more…obvious? You may be missing out on these telltale signs that someone is not a right fit for you and your business.

1. No Respect For Your Time

We aren’t too firm around here about micromanaging our time. We strategize and acknowledge client expectations to determine what we do in a day. We’re also human, so running a bit late or canceling in emergencies is completely understandable – and we account for incidents like these, too.

However, when a client doesn’t respect your time, it usually becomes obvious right away – especially when it comes to meetings.

If you think time might be an issue for your client, ask yourself…

If they are late or no show to a meeting, do they try to apologize and reschedule?

Are they late or do they not show up a little too often?

Do they go MIA after skipping meetings and remain unresponsive?

Sometimes, a meeting is necessary for quality work. But this isn’t the only way a client can show a lack of respect for your time…

2. Expectations Are Unreasonable & Non Negotiable

Aside from scheduled meetings, do your client’s expectations align with your expertise, skills, and education? When it comes to copywriting, we sometimes deal with:

Too tight timelines
A queue of consistently rushed projects

Let’s be clear – we will turn copy around quickly and are happy to expedite for clients that we know trust us and our skills. But rushed new projects typically take away the time we need to research, plan, and execute properly. Seeing too many of these lets us know it’s just not going to work out because we cannot feel completely confident about the quality of work we’re delivering.

We do our best work when there’s time and bandwidth for our copywriters to follow our process and get the deliverable done. And it would be wrong to knowingly deliver low-quality work to simply complete every task. In this case, negotiations and flexibility are key to working well together. Without the opportunity to meet in the middle, your chances of success and satisfaction with your copy are lower.

3. There’s Always A Fire To Put Out

Speaking of rush jobs, we get it. Clients can end up in a bind and really need your support to see them through. And, make no mistake, you are there!

But what happens when 9 times out of 10, this particular client always seems to have a fire they need to put out with your immediate attention?

Diving into daily rush jobs is no way to run a business.

This should prompt you to ask, “How is this a sustainable way to operate for my client?”

It likely isn’t.

4. They Treat Those Around Them Poorly

Whether you’re on a video call or in a shared chat, it’s healthy to notice the way your clients treat those around them. We’re not talking about the attitude that comes from having a bad day (we can forgive and forget). We’re highlighting behavior that isn’t acceptable in any type of professional or personal setting like:

Sexual harassment (no!)
Racist or discriminating remarks (double no!)
Blatantly rude comments
Yelling
Swearing
Aggressive behavior

If your former kindergarten teacher would be ashamed to see it, it’s probably not the type of behavior you want to deal with regularly.

5. Word Travels Fast

Pay attention to industry-related buzz. You can learn a thing or two from those who have worked with a potential client before. Hearing from a disgruntled employee is one thing. But be hyper aware of conversations about your client that have one or several similar things in common like…

Late or missed payments
Legal troubles
Inability to work with others
High turnover

Lookout! Problems like these have the potential to cut into your revenue stream, draining your resources.

6. They Simply Won’t Pay

You don’t need to overthink it. Clients who are routinely unresponsive to communications about missed or late payments won’t change just for you. The truth is that you’re probably not the only vendor having trouble collecting payment. But if you have completed the work required using company time and resources, you deserve to be paid. Period!

7. No Loyal Vendors

If you notice a routine pattern of your client hiring and firing vendors, don’t be surprised when your services end up on the chopping block. It’s a huge red flag for a business without a handful of reliable vendors or other professional partnerships in their corner.

Ready to build your relationship with copywriting professionals you can count on? We’re SO in!

8. Bad Customer Reviews & Responses

Similar to word-of-mouth feedback, it helps to look at Google reviews, Glassdoor, Yelp, and Angi (Angie’s List) for authentic customer and/or employee reviews. Take note of recurring complaints to weigh the pros and cons of the marketing relationship challenges you may face moving forward together.

Bonus Tip: Read their direct responses to negative customer reviews. Replies that are disrespectful and avoid addressing the customer’s problems with empathy are red flags.

9. They Favor The Blame Game

Having the ability to own up to one’s actions and mistakes is essential for business owners. If a client can’t or won’t hold themselves accountable, they may start to play the blame game. This means that they may be quick to point a finger at their own employees, co-workers, or even customers before taking accountability for themselves. And they won’t likely make an exception to give you grace when you need it.

Yes, some mistakes are costly! But it takes everyone working together to remain focused on the task at hand, address problems fast, and offer solutions even faster.

10. Your Gut Is Telling You NO

Occasionally, deciding whether or not to cut off a client relationship can come down to your gut feelings. If something feels off, it might be best to listen to your instincts before moving forward. Do you like working with them? If not, think about what it is that makes you uncomfortable.

Also, communicate with the people you surround yourself with. If your team doesn’t enjoy working with a certain client, take the time to listen and find out why. They may end up saying something you’ve been feeling all along.

Beige Flags That We Love

What’s a beige flag?

We’re glad you asked! A beige flag is a characteristic or habit someone has that is valuable and should never be taken for granted. A few examples include…

Giving a head’s up about meeting or scheduling issues
Showing passion for the work they do
Sending OOO notifications
Constructive collaboration and criticism
Words of appreciation

Having clients we love to work with AND for makes copywriting so much fun!

Big Takeaways About Marketing Client Red Flags

There is no clear-cut way to establish whether you should or shouldn’t work with someone.

Our advice for client red flags to watch out for when marketing?

Include a red flag policy before deciding to work together. You should never have to compromise for anything less than mutual respect and the basic ability to be professional with one another.

Phew! Now, get back to business because you’ve got this!Need copy that speaks to your brand’s vision? Schedule a discovery call!

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

Let’s Grab A Virtual Coffee With Us To Discover How To Boost Your Words

Is Copywriting Dead In A World Full Of AI Writing?

Copywriting / By Lauren Jefferson / June 21, 2023 June 21, 2023

The big question…Is copywriting dead?

AI, while it’s been around since the 1950s, has recently taken the world by storm. It’s become more widely spread – not just among businesses but general consumers as well. And that’s resulted in consumers believing that AI is the next get-rich-quick scheme.

It isn’t that we don’t love innovative tech (we do!). But for those looking at it as a way to skip out on spending on quality marketing, we’re here to break some bad news.

After sitting on numerous panels over the last 6 months to discuss this very topic, the same conclusion is met every single time.

AI is a tool and will never replace humans in their entirety. It will only make humans more efficient (if they actually know how to optimize AI). The reasoning behind this? Well, as you’ll see, there are layers to this conclusion.

Using AI but still need quality copywriting for your business? Schedule a discovery call!

The Impact Of AI Writing Tools On Businesses

So, what is the true impact of AI writing tools on a business?

First, it starts with the intent.

Then, it goes into how you implement AI writing into your business.

Simply put, AI writing isn’t going to do the same job as a full or even part-time copywriter. But it can offer ways for your business to market more efficiently than without it.

Answering Your Top AI Copywriting Questions

The following are some of the most pressing questions we’ve been hearing from business owners like yourself…

Is Copywriting Dead?

No, copywriting is not dead. In fact, it’s even more prevalent today with the presence of AI. That’s because humans are becoming savvier at detecting inauthentic and robotic writing. They have more of a desire to connect with other humans than ever before. We believe that the pandemic only exacerbated this need.

Furthermore, while AI writing might be able to produce some content for you, it may not have the positive effect on your SEO that you might think. But we’ll talk about that a little later.

What Can You Use AI Writing Tools For?

Don’t get us wrong! AI writing tools can be useful when it comes to other aspects of writing for your business.

Brainstorming

Fresh out of ideas or tired of looking at a blank page?

You can prompt AI writing tools like ChatGPT to help you elaborate on a topic you have in mind. For example, say you want to write a nutrition blog featuring 10 healthy fats but you can only think of a few. You can use AI software to help you brainstorm and come up with ideas to fill out your blog.

Keyword Research

Anyone in marketing knows that SEO and keyword research are tricky tasks. This is because the algorithm changes constantly, keeping up with…

What people are searching for
Separating those searches by area
Narrowing down the keywords by region, etc.

But there are AI keyword research tools like Keyword Sheeter that can offer basic search terms and popular keywords depending on what you’re interested in. Keep in mind that most SEO tools are paid; however, free SEO AI tools can provide enough general keyword research to get you going.

Topic Research

Many people think that creating blog outlines is easily the most simple part of writing a blog. But coming up with a comprehensive outline isn’t always part of a quick process. AI tools like copy.ai allow you to type in a prompt of your choosing. Then, it spits out a general outline that you can follow to finish filling in your blog with original content that speaks to your business and brand.

Headline Ideation

Running out of ways to say something that will leave a big impact? More often than not, most online users read or skim over headlines without looking too much at the content (until they need to). So if your headlines aren’t punchy, your audience is more likely to forget your messaging completely. Using tools like Wordtune can give you multiple options for what you’re trying to say and encourage your brain to read it from a different angle, helping you create headlines that pack more of a punch for your audience.

Are AI Writing Tools Enough For Copywriting & Content Writing?

At its core, it’s a tool. But it’s not a replacement for copywriting and content writing – especially if you care about providing real value and making honest human connections with your target audience.

Looking for a custom copywriting experience? Schedule a discovery call with us today!

What Are The Limitations Of AI Writing Tools?

Yes, there are plenty of ways AI writing tools can help. There are also a few things to keep in mind as you use them.

Detached Voice Quality

AI writing can only do so much to make your copy sound and come across as authentic, personable, and vibrant as you are. So don’t be surprised if you end up reading copy that sounds dry, overly fluffy, or…monotonous. A robot cannot quote the look on someone’s face, but a copywriter will always be able to accurately describe it.

Privacy Check

You might want to check with your legal team about using AI writing for business-related purposes – especially if you’re using a company device to do so. Because AI writing itself is fairly new, many attorneys are not certain about how it protects data privacy for its users. Even big tech companies like Apple are restricting the use of popular AI platforms.

Confirm Citations

Writing online gives us access to so much information we didn’t have access to before. However, there is one major problem that comes with the use of consuming online information. The same goes for AI writing, especially if you’re an expert sharing advice for others to use. When using AI-written information, ask yourself:

Where is the source of the information coming from?
Is the source or are the sources reputable?
Is it easy to refer back to the source and find the same information?
Is it logical advice that makes sense to share?

If you can answer all of these questions and feel good about each source and its roots, it should be okay to publish. Don’t forget to cross reference or link the information you’re sharing with the right citation.

Intellectual Property Policies

This one is more important than you might think. Are you copying and pasting sensitive company information? Are you using information that contains original ideas or innovations you don’t own the rights to? Read the terms and conditions of every AI tool you’re using (or pass it on to your business attorney).

Oftentimes, when you’re working with free AI tools, you become the product. And so they own “your” writing, which might welcome some unwanted confusion about intellectual property and who owns what.

Seriously! Don’t ignore this point if your life’s work or someone else’s invention is on the line.

Will AI Replace Human Writers?

No, but it will make human writers more efficient. Whether you’re a professional copywriter or small business owner slash marketing director and everything in between, using AI can help streamline basic writing tasks – leaving more opportunities to be creative.

Infuse AI & Professional Copywriting Into Your Marketing Plans

AI tools that support our writing are great! Some days, we feel as though it would be hard to live without them. But we also remember that our ability to connect human to human is unmatched. When it comes to our clients, we work with AI tools to create unique, original content for your business. Ready to stop stalling and start publishing? Simply schedule a discovery call with our team to get started!

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

Let’s Grab A Virtual Coffee With Us To Discover How To Boost Your Words

How To Create A Quarter’s Worth Of Content In 10 Minutes

Content Marketing / By Lauren Jefferson / June 19, 2023 June 19, 2023

Let’s talk about content! Content marketing is huge. A perfect example is knowing that 82% of shoppers want a brand’s values to align with theirs (which comes from the content they create). And it’s only getting bigger as algorithms improve, new platforms are being created, and consumers are leaning more into the online world.

But just because consumers are hanging out online and consuming more content than ever before, that doesn’t mean that you need to create content…Right?

Wrong. You need to be where your target audience is. You need to be creating content that they want to consume (whether they know it or not).

But beyond publishing content, the reason goes beyond that. “Year-over-year growth in unique site traffic is 7.8x higher for content marketing leaders compared to followers (19.7% vs 2.5%)” (Neil Patel).

Whether you are a law firm, health and wellness coach, eCommerce shop, or financial consulting firm, your customers are searching for you online (as much as 76%).

Ready to skip the overwhelm that often follows content creation? Follow this process to create a quarter’s worth of content in 10 minutes.

Why You Need To Plan Your Content On A Quarterly Basis

Simply put, you do not have enough time to think about content creation on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis. Trust me…I own a copywriting and content writing firm where we literally create content on a daily basis for clients. But when it comes to marketing FocusCopy, it would not happen if we don’t plan our content on a quarterly basis.

This process is what we use to not have to think about what we want to write and get us right into writing at the get-go.

6 Steps To Create A Quarter’s Worth Of Content In 10 Minutes

Sure, this process isn’t guaranteed to be done within 10 minutes at first. Like most things, it takes practice to perfect. But I can assure you that after creating content for over 8 years, this process simply works.

1. Remind Yourself Of The Details

First, you need to remind yourself of your business. You work hard to operate your business, but you sometimes need to come up for air to see what your brand looks like from the rooftops.

There are several things that you need to look at when reminding yourself of your brand:

Your core message
Your goals and values
What actually performs
Your content pillars

Be sure to write it all down to save time when it comes to planning the next quarter’s worth of content.

Your Brand

What is your company about? When you’re working so closely with your business, it’s good to remind yourself of your:

Mission and vision statements
Core message
Target audience
Core offer

Your Goals

Then get into what your quarterly or annual goals are. How are you currently measuring up against them as you complete this process?

Your Performance

What content has traditionally performed in the past? You may be able to extrapolate content ideas directly from this.

If you haven’t created content before, read through your sales and meeting notes. What messages do your clients typically respond to?

Your Content Pillars

Content pillars are the overarching themes that your brand can speak on. For example, FocusCopy’s pillars include: copywriting, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Everything we publish falls into one of those 3 categories.

You want to keep these specific enough for someone to identify your brand with it, but broad enough to capture a variety of topics. We suggest working with 3-5 pillars.

2. Brain Dump Every Idea

We like to use mind maps or even rolling lists for brain dumping. Go ahead and write every topic that you could write about for that given content pillar. Within 5 minutes, you should have a good list that covers more than a quarter’s worth of content. Keep in mind that the more you do this, the easier it will be. Great questions to ask yourself include:

What pain points are your customers facing?
Are there any questions they are asking or should be asking?
What would transform your customers’ lives?
What’s going on in your industry that customers should be aware of?

Now, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it should get you thinking.

3. Evaluate Ideas & Schedule Them

After you brain dump, it’s time to evaluate your ideas. Not everyone is going to hit it out of the park, but you should land with a pretty good list of content topics that you want to pursue.

Then schedule them out for the quarter. In what order are you going to publish them? Can you build those ideas into a series?

The key here is not to overthink it.

4. Outline The Topics

If you’re feeling really into the content creation process, go ahead and start outlining it. We use ClickUp to schedule all our blogs, for example. In the description, we go ahead and outline what we want to talk about within that given blog. This makes it so much easier to remind myself what I was thinking about or gives the assigned writer an idea of where I want them to take the blog.

5. Outsource The Writing

Writing takes time. And although we now have access to AI tools like ChatGPT, it still requires a human to comb through the content to make it actually effective. There are several different ways you can outsource your writing:

Delegate to an employee
Outsource to a freelancer (but they may not have the processes to write with your voice or your dialect)
Partner with a copywriting firm that specializes in brand voice and content creation (i.e. FocusCopy)

Regardless of what you choose, it’s imperative that the writer understands your brand, your voice, and your goals behind the content.

6. Repurpose The Content

Finally, content written only for one purpose (i.e. blogs) is a waste of marketing dollars. Every single piece of written content can be repurposed into:

Email copy
Reels or short form videos
Long form videos
Infographics
Social posts

Take Your Content Marketing To The Next Level

We all know that when you’re more visible, you build your credibility (Forbes). And that ultimately leads to business growth – which, who doesn’t want that?!If you’re ready to take your content marketing to the next level, schedule a discovery call with our team to explore how to give you back more time while creating more opportunities for you to grow your business.

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5 Automated Email Campaigns To Streamline Your Follow-Up

Content Marketing, Marketing / By Lauren Jefferson / June 14, 2023 June 19, 2023

Life is hectic with the constant noise, never-ending notifications, and distractions galore. It’s only amplified when you’re an entrepreneur, wearing multiple hats to manage your business(es). And all that busyness doesn’t leave you much time to send out emails to stay in touch with your prospects or customers.

Enter stage left…Automated email campaigns.

These are amazing tools to add to your marketing toolkit and help you to further build your know, like, and trust factors – which you should always be working on even after you’ve signed the client.

But where do you start? Which campaigns do you need to focus on first? After managing email lists of over 27,000 and testing numerous campaigns for dozens of companies, we’ve identified 6 automated email campaigns every company needs.

Implement These Automated Email Campaigns

The whole goal of implementing these automated email campaigns is to free up your time while still building brand equity with your audience.

Indoctrination Campaign

Indoctrination is where you introduce yourself to your audience and give them the lay of the land. My Co-Founder, Stuart Broderick, jokes that this type of campaign sounds like what aliens would use. But if aliens came to Earth, they’d need to tell us how they now want to run the planet.

I digress…Indoctrination campaigns are simply 3-5 email campaigns that introduce you to them, share more about how they can connect with your brand on a deeper level, and set communication expectations.

You can send subscribers into this campaign after they’ve:

Connected with you at a networking event
Downloaded a lead magnet or free resource from your website
Scheduled a discovery call with you

Networking Follow-Up Campaign

Any introverts reading this blog? As a BIG introvert, I tend to avoid networking events like the plague. Because of that, I’ve found that networking one-on-one is a lot more productive for me. But all that time invested into those conversations would be wasted if I neglected to follow back up with them and book another conversation.

That’s why it’s so important to implement a networking follow-up campaign.

After every networking meeting, I put them in a campaign to follow up on a given timeframe to schedule another call.

What’s funny is that the timing is usually perfect because they are now thinking back to their conversations and they think I’m on top of following up.

Can I tell you a secret? Follow-up is the last thing I want to do at the end of the day. So I’ve automated it. And the results have been amazing.

Long Term Nurture Campaign

Want to shorten your sales cycle? Frustrated with prospects ghosting you after what seemed hopeful? Feel like your current follow-up strategy isn’t effective?

Cue the long term nurture campaign.

This campaign is filled with regular emails that educate, inspire, and make your prospects think. When we first launched this type of campaign in March 2022, we weren’t really sure what to expect. Would prospects get annoyed? What could we even expect?

The results astounded us.

We had referrals that had gone cold for 2 years reach back out to us for services. Others needed a quarter or two to come back to the conversation. Prospects also implemented some of the tips we included in our emails and saw a lot of success.

But what did we write about? We’ve included all the prompts we used inside this free guide.

Referral Partner Nurture Campaign

Similar to the long term nurture campaign, you need to follow up with your referral partners – the people who are working with your target audience. Educate them how they can refer you, add value to their client conversations, and even improve their businesses.

Sales Meeting Follow-Up Campaign

Lastly, sales follow-up is essential. Something as simple as a “thank you for your time today” goes a long way for the relationship. After each sales call, we trigger a response based on the outcome. The emails always include a “thank you”. But we have several outcomes to set expectations:

Requested a quote
Wanted a pricing list
Ordered a proposal
Want to hold off until a future date

Of course, we probably over-customized. So feel free to implement a simple thank you email!

Use These Prompts To Improve Your Automated Campaigns

At the end of the day, it’s one thing to say you need to set up automated campaigns. And in reality, they are fairly easy to set up. But it’s an entirely different task to actually write the copy for each of those emails. That’s why we developed and tested 52 prompts that you can use to steer your writing process.

Maintaining meaningful connections with your clients is still possible when using automated technology to do so. Find out for yourself!

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.

What’s A Pain Point Sandwich? (And How It Makes A Big Impact On Your Copy)

Copywriting / By Lauren Jefferson / May 15, 2023 May 15, 2023

Does your business’s copy include a pain point sandwich?

What’s a pain point sandwich?

We’re glad you asked!

Good copywriters know that connecting with an audience means more than talking solely about a business and its offerings (yawn).

We like using pain point sandwiches in our writing because it’s fun, establishes trust, and really does make sense!

Ready to delegate your writing to the experts? Talk to our team to get going.

Why It’s Beneficial To Talk Less About Your Business & Include A Pain Point Sandwich Instead

If you take a moment to glance at your business’s website copy, does it sound like you might be heading in the me, me, me direction?

It’s time to switch it up, especially if the phone hasn’t been ringing for quite some time.

If you’re a business owner, this might be tough to grasp. But it rings true with every kind of copy we’ve come up with that has performed beyond our client’s expectations. This is because we’re using client-focused copy to…

Build trust by reaching them on a human level
Keep the attention on the target audiences and their problem
Provide a meaningful solution without being too salesy

Every single one of these items is a key to achieving your ultimate goal – turning readers into paying customers. But it all starts with understanding each element at its core to really get the big picture.

What’s A Pain Point Sandwich?

A pain point sandwich looks something like this…

Pain point → Don’t have the time or capacity to write your own website?

Solution → Hire professional copywriters to do it for you!

Pain point → If your website is failing to give you strong potential leads, it could be because your copy is outdated, unclear, or otherwise unconnected with your customer base. We can help!

See? You don’t need a magic formula or extensive research to simply call out your customers’ pain points, offer a solution, and remind them of other pain points that give your solution real value.

Why Pain Point Sandwiches Work

Humans are forgetful. In fact, it’s been reported that over the last decade or so, our attention spans have been reduced to less than that of a goldfish (Time). And since that report, I can only assume it’s gotten worse with content overload, the boom of short video content, and the isolation that the pandemic brought to many.

That’s why it’s imperative to use pain point sandwiches in your copy – to remind them of the pain point they just read about. The more they resonate with the pain point, the more likely they are going to be open to buying from you.

Using You Instead Of We Is Life-Changing

Almost 70% of customers feel as though they must trust a brand before they make a purchase. So when you write and speak to your audience like a real human being, you’re able to build some of that much-needed trust as soon as they reach your website.

Along with that newly established trust is the opportunity to turn a website visitor into a buying customer. And the more you speak their language, the more chance you have at transforming them into a repeat customer.

The best way to do this is by swapping I, us, and our language for you, yours, and we wording. This way, you are still able to share your business’s message while offering authentic copy your customers can relate to.

Your Customers’ Pain Point Examples Deserve A Callout

Remember, your business cannot exist solely because of your need to make money. Yes, profit is a big part of what you do. But you also need to reassure your audience that your company’s purpose is to make their lives easier.

Try to switch up copy you create to call out your customers’ pain points. This is one surefire way to remind them that you know what they’re going through and that you’re committed to solving their issue.

Here are a few examples of our own…

???? You can’t stand writing!

???? There is no room in your schedule to do it yourself – otherwise, you would!

????‍???? You don’t know how or where to start writing for your website.

???? You’re afraid that another person’s writing won’t sound like you at all.

There’s no need to dance around the issues your customers face. You also don’t need to use this opportunity to talk only about yourself. Your potential customers want to be sure that you understand where they’re coming from before they can even begin to trust you. Only then should you talk about your business while maintaining a voice of empathy and connection.

Define How Your Business Solves Their Problem

Whether you offer one spectacular service or a slew of various solutions, it’s important for your customers to know your business’s true value.

Remember those previous pain point examples?

Let’s go right back to them and address the value of our offerings to our ideal customers.

FocusCopy exists to…

✅ Take the writing off of your to-do list.

???? Give you time to focus on your priorities without neglecting your digital marketing.

???? Put your mind at ease by providing a clear strategy and delivery timeline that works for you.

???? Relieve your worries by creating copy that’s consistent with your brand’s tone, voice, and style.

There’s no catch!

This type of copy works because we really do know what business owners and entrepreneurs go through when they’re thinking about writing for their businesses.

Not everyone likes to write or thinks they’re even good at writing – and that’s okay! We understand and we’re here to solve the problem with copywriting services that we stand by 100%.

Contact FocusCopy for concise copy delivered right to your inbox.

Talk To Your Customers Using A Team Of Professional Writers

Creating value-centered copy is our house blend…our special brew…our personal choice all day, every day.

Creating copy that resonates with our clients and their clients is something that we’re proud to dive into with pure focus and dedication. There’s nothing like looking at a blank page (most people’s worst nightmare) while our mind is churning with ideas to jot down.

Interested in seeing how client-focused copy can change your marketing? Get started with FocusCopy!

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

Let’s Grab A Virtual Coffee With Us To Discover How To Boost Your Words

Answering Your Top Questions About Blogging For Your Business

Content Marketing / By Lauren Jefferson / March 13, 2023 March 13, 2023

What’s the big deal with blogs?

Don’t worry! You’re not the first to ask.

However, you’re the next to learn about the power behind writing blogs for your business!

Not all blogs are the same. And not all are created with sales in mind. Some people simply utilize blogging platforms to share their thoughts and practice their own writing skills.

But blogging for your business, if done right, just may be the key to growing your brand awareness and increasing revenue. I’m not a betting woman, but I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that right about now you’re thinking that sounds like a pretty good plan for your business.

If you’ve read this far, you’re at least a little interested in what all the blog is about. So I’m going to break down the top FAQs for writing blogs for your business.

The Top 6 FAQs For Writing Blogs For Your Business

We’ve put together the most common questions we receive about blogging for your business into a neat little package – this blog.

If you’re ready to see real results from your marketing efforts, we should chat.

Schedule a time to talk so we can take your marketing impact to new heights!

1. How Does One Start Blogging? Is There A Secret Club & Initiation?

There’s no secret society of bloggers. I mean, there might be…But I wasn’t invited to it. Did it stop me from blogging? Nope!

The truth is, the trick to writing a blog, like so many other things in life, is to simply start. Pick up the pen, sit at the computer, and get rid of that blank page before you. Seriously, open up that dirty window. Then, let the sun illuminate the words that you cannot find. Okay…Sorry about The Hills reference.

Back to blogs…Whether or not you need a nostalgic song to kick-start your blog productivity to help grow your business, we’ve got you covered. The key is to truly get rid of the blinking white page on the screen. Simply start writing. Get your thoughts out. Go back and look at it with fresh eyes the next morning. Have a trusted confidant proofread and be receptive to their feedback.

Even the best of us suffer from writer’s block. But we’ve found that just getting started is the quickest way to make the hesitations and second-guessing disappear.

2. I’ve Read So Many Blogs With Different Formatting, Isn’t There A How-To Guide To Do It Right?

It’s great that so many people utilize blogging platforms to share their life. Does that mean all of them are doing it right?

Nope!

But we’re not judging anyone who’s doing their own thing. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere. However, if you want your blogs to make an impact on your business, it’s better to follow proven formatting methods.

For instance, Google (you know, the holy grail) uses an algorithm to rank websites on the search engine results page (SERP). The ranking is a direct result of search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. While yes, the algorithm constantly changes, professional writers like my team at FocusCopy keep up with the trends to help our clients achieve success.

However, there are some tried and true methods to the madness that will likely be sticking around. If you take a closer look at this blog you’re reading right now, you may notice our use of headers.

We usually start with a header 2 to re-emphasize the topic and keyword(s). Then the body of the blog is done in sections marked with header 3s. Any further differentiation in sections would happen in the next header down, and so on. It may seem silly, but Google cares about the difference in header sizes.

Moreover, the word count is also a biggie. So don’t go wild with a 4-thousand word blog. In fact, Google would prefer you keep it under 2-thousand words. The sweet spot is somewhere between 1200-1800 words. This excludes pillar posts.

Equally important is to keep the content between each header under 300 words. Yep, another surprising but factual point that can make a difference in your Google ranking.

Psst…We’re big fans of Yoast SEO to help keep our formatting, word count, and word usage in check.

3. Does The Number Of Blogs I Write & How Often I Post Them Matter?

Yup. But here’s the cool part…You don’t have to write more frequently than you want. It’s actually better that you remain consistent than spend your energy trying to reach unattainable goals. In the long run, setting unrealistic blog goals may even hurt your SEO efforts and, as a result, knock you down in the Google ranks.

Instead, you should focus on publishing blogs consistently. One a quarter, month, week – whatever works for you. Here’s another cool thing, you don’t have to wait until 3 days before your self-assigned publish date to start writing your blog for your business.

As professional copywriters, we prewrite many blogs for ourselves and our clients to have on hand to publish according to the schedule that works best for the respective company.

To get started, take a list of topics that:

You enjoy discussing
Facts you wish your target audience knew
Answers to the questions you receive most often

Then, schedule some time to sit down and write as much about each topic that you can. But don’t do your best and stash it away for 6 months. Schedule more time in the near future (like within the same week) to review your writing with fresh eyes. And finish it up! We recommend sending it to a friend, colleague, or family member to proofread. Trust me, you’d much rather your nearest and dearest point out your mistakes than hundreds of critics in the Reddit gallery.

Want a professional writer and editor to take a gander at your blog before you hit the big, shiny publish button? Well, you’re in luck because FocusCopy offers copyediting services for our entrepreneurs who enjoy writing for themselves. Schedule a discovery call with me today to learn how we can support your business’ marketing efforts.

4. With So Many Bloggers Out There, How Can I Make Mine Standout & Get Noticed?

SEO is the key to ranking high and getting noticed on the world wide web. With an estimated 7.5 million blogs posted every day, it may feel impossible to ever see your company at the very top of the SERP.

Don’t sell yourself short before you give it a try. We’ve proudly seen so many of our own clients rise through the ranks to the top spots with our blogging service.

The trick is to research, study, implement, and practice SEO. This means including keywords that your target audience is searching for online. And of course, sticking to the right formatting and word count. But it also goes so much further.

Google is smart enough to recognize AI-generated and poorly written content. Don’t expect to see those at the top. Instead, use power words and write like a human. Yes, the same writing style to engage your audience and convert them into paying customers also pays off in the SEO world. But with good SEO, that target market is more likely to actually see your brand messaging.

5. After Spending So Much Time Writing A Blog, Can I Make Further Use Of The Content?

Repurposing content is truly one of the tricks of the trade. We’ve also taught so many of our clients how to do this, too!

Say you have a blog. Does it focus on or mention any specific seasons or years? Are you referring to something that’s in the news right now? If so, that is a timely piece. Go ahead and publish it. Take out snippets to create social media posts to promote your blog. Then, re-work the same blog into an email newsletter to keep your best fan base in the know.

But if you’re not including time specific aspects…Congratulations – you have written an evergreen blog! This is a great asset to your marketing toolkit. You’ll be able to reshare, repurpose, and refer to this blog for years to come. Literally, evergreen content is such a blessing.

6. What If I Absolutely Despise Writing & The Thought Of Doing It Makes Me Cringe?

Then don’t ????????‍♀️ Work with a copywriter with a proven ability to enhance your business’ marketing for real growth.

At FocusCopy, we’ve created original content for over 100 businesses (let’s see where this number gets when we repurpose this blog in 7 years). This includes everything such as blogs, newsletters, grant proposals, social media posts, social media ads, LinkedIn articles, podcast scripts, promotional brochures, and so much more.

And we don’t blame you for hating writing. Because we love it. I mean, I created an entire business around it. Then, I hired copywriters who also love writing. Together we make up a team that supports our clients by taking on the task they either don’t want to do or don’t have time to do.

Leave Blogging To The Pros & Get Back To What Matters Most

If after reading this, you’re still not sold on writing your own blogs – that’s okay. But hopefully you’ve learned a few things about SERP, SEO, Google ranking, and are making plans to bolster your marketing plan.

We’re here to support you as a business partner by writing converting copy in your brand voice. Seriously, not even your sister will know someone else wrote it.

Schedule a discovery call with me and let’s get going on your blogging journey!