Lauren Jefferson - FocusCopy®

What Is A Lead Magnet Funnel?

Marketing / By Lauren Jefferson / November 10, 2023 January 3, 2024

What is a lead magnet funnel and why do businesses use them?

Chances are, you’ve become a lead for another business using a lead magnet funnel to attract customers. If you have your doubts, ask yourself if you’ve ever given your name, email, or phone number to a business to…

Download a PDF for research?

Access an online guide?

Download a free book or checklist?

These are all examples of lead magnets or list builders.

There are free lead magnet templates online you can use to attract customers and funnel them into your sales communications. BUT your copy matters. From the lead magnet itself to the copy that generates leads to downloads and beyond, the words require your utmost care — especially if you want to make a real impact on your marketing.

Have a lead magnet idea but need a copywriter to execute your vision? Contact us today.

What Is A Lead Magnet Funnel & Do You Really Need It For Your Business?

Also called a lead generation funnel, a lead magnet funnel has one main goal. The goal is to convert potential customers into leads by convincing them to give up their contact information in exchange for something of value.

You need to add the right messaging to convince your target audience to provide their information. This is why many businesses choose to hire a copywriter to produce a high-value lead magnet and ultimately convert more customers.

But before digging into your messaging, here’s a big-picture view of what your lead magnet funnel should look like – broken down into 5 key parts.

1. Landing Page

Your landing page is where the bulk of your persuasive messaging lives surrounding your lead magnet. It helps to outline this page before you begin writing anything to get a better understanding of its purpose.

Your lead magnet’s landing page should include:

Your offering and what’s included in it
A genuine understanding of your customer’s pain points
Customer benefits of using your lead magnet
Information about you and your business
Call to action buttons throughout
Customer testimonials

Your landing page should walk them through the thought process of why they should download your lead magnet. Because we know that people want to buy from businesses that they feel like they know and trust, your copy should answer any questions they might have and establish a real connection. Without adding in the human element, your customers are less likely to convert.

Be sure to add call-to-action buttons that align with your lead magnet. Whether it says “Download Now” or “Submit Information”, these buttons should be kept simple and easy to find throughout your landing page.

2. Thank You Page

Don’t forget to thank your customers for taking the time to give you what you need to remain connected. Your thank you page should be simple and concise. It helps to offer general information on this page along with your thank you message. Think about offering the answers to questions like…

What can I expect next? Tell them what they should be receiving and what they can look forward to by connecting with you such as insider tips, promotions, etc.

Can I connect with you on social media? Plug in your social media accounts somewhere on your page. Those who are interested are more likely to follow you right then and there.

What if I have more questions? This is one aspect of a thank you page that many businesses either forget or choose not to include. Avoid making the same mistake and be sure to add your business’s contact information in case your customers want to reach out to you for any reason. Adding this information says that you’re helpful, friendly, and responsive.

If you really want to take things to the next level, include your next call to action on this page. It may be to convert leads into paying clients with a low dollar offer or book a strategy call with you.

3. Delivery Email

Have you noticed a theme so far?

Savoring simplicity in your layout and writing is what aids in keeping your audience focused on the one main action you want them to take. This is why, in addition to your thank you page, we suggest following up in an email with your deliverable attached. This email should be sent as soon as they submit their information on your landing page.

Again, quickly thank them for their part in the process and allow this email to serve as a delivery of your promise to give them the lead magnet they signed up for. Keep this email short and add your contact information, just in case.

4. Deliverable

What should your lead magnet deliverable include?

The short answer to this is whatever you think will be valuable for your customers. In more detail, it helps to offer information or a how-to that your customers may not easily have access to. Each lead magnet should be able to help your target audience do 1 thing they couldn’t have done before, learn something new, or gain more insights on the topic. If it takes too long for your audience to process and/or implement, it’s too complex to offer as a freebie.

For example, we offer several free downloadable guides packed with information that we know can help clients who prefer to write their own business copy. From how to answer business FAQs to what you should know before setting up your website, these are the types of lead magnets that we use because they offer value to our customers.

The top 4 types of lead magnets businesses create are:

Downloadable PDFs
Case studies
Resource lists
Videos

Think about pairing your lead magnets with a clean look and content that is easy to digest.

5. Follow-Ups

Don’t know where to start when following up with your customers? Try using a 3-email series that sounds like…

Thanks for downloading our About Page Framework! Have you had a chance to check it out and apply it to your website to gain traffic and rank higher on search engines like Google and Yelp? Feel free to reach out and let us know if you have any questions or feedback. Decide you don’t want to write your own copy after all? Schedule a discovery call and get fresh website copy delivered right to your inbox.

Still working on your website copy? If you have a few minutes, check out your free About Page Framework to quickly pick up 6 ways to improve your About page to better appeal to your customers. Go ahead, give it a shot! Second-guessing DIY copy? We’ve got your back! Schedule a discovery call to caffeinate your website copy.

Been busy? If you haven’t had time to look at our About Page Framework, that’s okay! We’ll write your website for you. Schedule a discovery call to get started right away.

Follow-up emails allow you to remain engaged with your customers and offer solutions they should really think about moving forward.

You Don’t Have To Create Your Lead Magnet Alone

Still don’t think you need a lead magnet? A majority of marketers claim that landing pages helped them achieve more than 10% of their conversions. Your business should offer valuable services whether you’re “in the office” or not – to help you grow, become an authority leader, and thrive in your industry. Schedule a discovery call to get started.

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

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

What Are Signs To Redo Your Website For Your Business?

Copywriting / By Lauren Jefferson / October 23, 2023 October 29, 2024

Post-pandemic, the business world is even more online than ever before. And that means that your target audience is more likely to refer to your website before engaging or even working with you. Because of this, it helps to know more about the signs to redo your website.

But if you’re like many of the entrepreneurs we work with, you have a million tasks on your plate and your website is one of the things you don’t really want to touch.

We get it.

Even as copywriters ourselves, we struggle to find time to update our website copy. And that doesn’t even touch the design aspect of it!

Ready to boost your business’s digital marketing? Partner with a network of copywriters and other creatives to get started.

7 Clear Signs To Redo Your Website In 2023 To Keep Up With The Digital Landscape

We asked a few of our website designers and developer partners for the signs to redo your website and why it matters. Does your business’s website fall into any of these reasons?

1. Your Website Isn’t Aesthetic OR Mobile Compatible

Kyle Griffin of Creative Heights Agency said that aesthetics is a big reason to redo your website. It should fall in line with your current brand and where you want to take your business. If it doesn’t, this is a big signpost that you may need to refresh an outdated theme on your website.

Griffin also mentioned that if your website “isn’t properly optimized for mobile, you should definitely redo it. Over 60% of searches are made from phones and if your site is hard to use on mobile, people will likely leave.”

Haley Ryan of Mac Ryan Creative Studio reiterated the importance of a mobile-friendly design. All design needs to be optimized for multiple devices (i.e. desktop, tablet, and mobile). Why? You don’t want your users or potential customers to waste their time zooming in and out to navigate your website. Again, the more time it takes a user to find what they’re looking for, the more likely they are to bounce from your website to a competitor’s.

2. You Lack Traffic & Conversions

In addition, you may have noticed a lack of organic traffic to or even conversions from your website. Griffin provided a couple of reasons why this may be:

Outdated web technologies. Search engines want to rank sites that are using the latest and greatest technologies. You don’t see many websites using Flash anymore, and that’s for a good reason.
Inaccurate or outdated web copy. Google’s goal is to provide its users with the most up-to-date relevant content available. If your website’s content does not offer any valuable information, it’s less likely to appear early on in search results.
Broken links. Think about the user experience and make sure that you’re walking your potential customers through an undisrupted path. Finding information about you and your business should be an easy and smooth experience. Of any signs to redo your website, a single broken link is something you want to address as soon as possible.

3. You Avoid Updating Your Website Because It’s Frustrating & Difficult

We hear ya! Updating your website takes time and energy that you don’t feel you have. Having an outdated theme on your website makes updating incredibly frustrating and difficult. Whether your theme has reached its end of life or the other web technologies has made it impossible for you to receive updates, it puts your website in a position of perpetual ineffectuality.

An attractive and comprehensive website takes time and skills to build properly. And many entrepreneurs feel helpless when it comes to updating their websites for this reason. However, using a creative team with a proven process for updating websites has the potential to return $100 for every $1 you spend!

Ready to jump on the chance to start seeing more profitable opportunities? Let’s talk about your business’s growth goals.

4. You Have BIG Plans For Your Marketing

As the new year gets closer, marketing plans are being strategized. Maybe you currently have a landing page or single-page site and you’re ready to expand. This is a great opportunity for you to make your website look, say, and perform just the way you want it.

Ryan also mentioned that “you have long-term goals that require more processes baked into your website.” A good designer will help you strategize a site that actually works for you rather than sit as a pretty brochure.

5. Your Website Takes Forever To Load

Another good indicator that it’s time to redo your website is if your website takes forever to load. Kirstin Russ from Mountains to Sea Media reiterates this point:

“Your website should load in under 1 second for an informational site and under 2 seconds for an eCommerce site. As consumers, we want everything instantly and have no patience for slow loading sites, so we just move on. Every time someone bounces from your website, you lose that immediate potential for a new client and likely long-term potential if they never return.”

So what happens when you have a slow load speed?

32.3% of site visitors bounce when the page speed is 7 seconds (compared to 9.6% when the page speed is 2 seconds) (Section.io)
Site visitors will visit an average of 5.6 pages more when load time is 2 seconds rather than 8 seconds (Section.io)

6. You’re Experiencing Security Issues

Wehther it’s a hack, unsecure, or just looks sketchy, your audience will take notice and avoid, avoid, avoid. Especially if you take personal or credit card information online, your attention to security is imperative for your business’s reputation.

Let’s say you click on a website warning you to return to the previous page because of a security issue. Do you feel…

Comfortable giving credit or debit card numbers to make a purchase?
Confident that your personal information is safe?
Certain you won’t fall victim to an online security breach?

…Or do you continue past the warning and take the risk?

A few customers might choose the latter but many will simply leave your website and find a safer one to visit.

7. Your Brand Has Changed

Brands change over time – either out of market necessity or simply because the business is changing. Ryan advises that when “you have a bigger story to tell vs claiming a domain on the internet just to require a person to reach out”, you need to investigate a complete overhaul of your site. As a branding expert, both the design and copy are imperative to providing a better (potential) client or customer experience.

Brew Up Business With The Best Digital Marketing Baristas At Your Side

Did any or all of these resonate with you as a business owner?

Yes, updating your business’s website can be overwhelming. This is exactly why various creative industries thrive! From copywriting, graphic design, website development, and beyond, you don’t have to do it alone. And we wouldn’t let you anyway! Schedule a discovery call with us 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 Edit AI Content From A Professional Copywriter

Copywriting / By Lauren Jefferson / October 17, 2023 October 29, 2024

You did it! You just used AI to write for your business but now need to know how to edit AI content to best fit your brand.

Here’s the thing about AI…It isn’t new. A few old examples of AI you’ve likely seen and used include PC games like chess and solitaire. It also includes systems that are constantly updating and advancing like GPS and spellcheck.

The difference between those versions of AI compared to recent developments is that businesses are implementing it more often in their marketing strategies. AI is incredible for automating certain aspects of business marketing like scheduling social media posts, generating catchy hashtags, etc. But these days, AI “writes” entire blogs using information pulled from the internet.

Unfortunately, AI isn’t perfect. And it requires a little human oversight – hence why you need to edit your AI-generated copy.

So if you’re struggling with editing its generated content efficiently and effectively, learn how to transform generic AI copy into content that fits your business.

Give us a call for 100% creative content for your business.

3 Steps You Should Know To Edit AI Content Effectively & Efficiently

If you’re a business owner who’s just used AI to write your next blog, you may notice something critical…AI-written blogs don’t completely make sense the first time around.

You’re probably telling yourself…

Why does this look like a mess?

I’m not sure this even makes sense.

It’s a good starting point but not quite what I was expecting.

Yep, we’ve been there! Here’s how to edit AI content and still produce valuable information for your audience.

1. Read Through Forward & Backward

Before doing a quick spellcheck and hitting publish, take a second to read it to yourself. You might notice a few major issues like:

A lack of human emotion
Odd wording or phrases
An absence of creativity
Incorrect information

Looking at everything at once might feel overwhelming and that’s okay. Start by reading it to yourself and aloud to find what it is that’s missing. Jot down your thoughts and consider the main point of what you’re trying to say. Does it mostly hit the mark or do you need to be more specific about your prompt?

Instead of using general ideas to produce AI content, try being more specific with your prompts by using phrases like…

Write the top 10 ways to ensure your coffee stays fresh at home
Discuss the top 5 coffee-producing countries in the world and their cultural practices
Come up with 15 different hot espresso holiday recipes

…to get content that’s closer to what you want.

No time to write or edit? Hire a professional copywriter for your business.

2. Measure Against Brand Standards

Whatever you decide to publish should match your brand and the main goal of your messaging. If you need help figuring this part out, answer the following questions:

Who is your audience? Your audience cannot be everyone so get comfortable narrowing it down. If your AI content seems too generic, think about what’s missing for your audience. If they have any specific pain points, call them out and be clear about the solution you’re offering.

What is the point? There should always be one minor point that you’re trying to make in your writing. Using ourselves as an example, we’re here to be your copywriting expert, professional, and friend to help you scale your business through DIY writing and other tips. We don’t gatekeep our writing secrets, and we genuinely care about giving you the tools needed to communicate effectively.

However, we also understand that most business owners simply don’t have the time or staff available to produce creative content for their businesses. In fact, most small businesses have no employees at all. This is why we offer our copywriting services as an alternative.

What tone or emotion are you trying to portray? You must be able to identify the right tone and voice for your brand. As you read through your AI content, edit wherever you notice words or phrases you like versus ones that you would never say. Don’t be afraid to mark up the document as you see fit.

If you normally speak to your audience casually, add your own language to make it sound that way. If it sounds too relaxed, edit the sentences that need tightening up.

Depending on the length of your piece, we suggest not spending more than the following amount of time editing…

15 minutes for an email of about 300 words
30 minutes for a web page of about 750 words
30 minutes for a blog of about 2,000 words
5 minutes per social media caption of about 150 words

If it’s taking longer to edit AI content than is worth your time, it’s a good idea to reach out to a team of professional copywriters for assistance.

What is your main call to action? There should be one action you want your target audience to take. Whether you want them to give you a call, schedule a consultation, or sign up for your newsletter, it should be easy to locate and clearly defined.

How many words? This is an easy one. Once you’ve nailed down your other editing needs, simply highlight all of the text you have and conduct a word count. If anything is missing, add in what you need to complete its purpose but don’t force it. Anything you add should offer value to your content without compromising the quality of your writing.

3. Test Facts, Metrics, & Sources

Being a top expert in your industry comes down to a single characteristic: you’re a reliable source of relevant information. Because AI pulls various bits of information across the internet to produce content, it will be beyond vital to fact-check or change anything inaccurate or half-true. The last thing you want to do is be known for producing content that your audience cannot genuinely depend on. Doing so can harm your credibility and business reputation more than you may realize.

(NOTE: Google released its E-E-A-T – experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – as one of the mechanisms to evaluate content. So be sure to add in your own personal touch to be rewarded in your SEO efforts.)

Don’t forget to do a routine check for spelling and grammar before publishing your newly edited AI content across any platform. Following these steps might sound like a lot at first. Practicing these steps on how to edit AI content for your business will help you become more efficient and effective at doing so over time. Before you know it, editing AI content will become second nature to your process.

Craving Creativity For Your Business Communications?

AI is a great tool to use for planning, brainstorming, and automation. But it may not hit all of the goals that you have in mind when using it to write for your business. If you’re looking for a more creative way to get your message across, turn to the copywriting baristas at FocusCopy to brew your next batch of business copy. Let’s connect to get started!

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

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

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

Marketing / By Lauren Jefferson / September 15, 2023 October 29, 2024

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

Entrepreneurship / 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

Copywriting / By Lauren Jefferson / September 1, 2023 June 3, 2024

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)

Entrepreneurship / 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

Entrepreneurship / 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!

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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!

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

Systems / By Lauren Jefferson / June 19, 2023 February 19, 2024

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.