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content marketing tools

7 Content Marketing Tools To Reach Your Ideal Audience

You’ve spent hours of your life coming up with business and content ideas to get your brand out into the world. But how do you go about marketing your content so your target audience will actually see it?

This is where content marketing comes into play. Since content marketing has such a huge role in the success of your business, you better believe companies have created tools to get the job done. 

To help you establish your brand and get your message to the masses, I’m sharing the tools we use to manage our own content marketing. After all, how did you hear about FocusCopy in the first place?

Tools We Use To Manage Our Content Marketing

The best content creation in the world is mute without successful content marketing tools and strategies. So let the world see and hear about your business. 

PandaDoc Makes Tracking Proposals & Contracts A Breeze

When you’re creating content for a client, it’s typical to send for approval before hitting publish. PandaDoc simplifies that entire process. 

Whether you’re sending proposals, quotes, or contracts, PandaDoc helps to track documents and makes e-signing a breeze. Being able to save templates, and edit them as needed, means we can sign on new clients and make new deals seamlessly. 

With its certified signature page, you can rest assured that your contracts are official and binding. Plus, it makes e-signing a simple process, no matter where in the world you may be. 

Wondering how to use your own voice to get your brand out into the world? FocusCopy can help. Reach out today to learn how we can write copy in your voice and take the task off your plate.

HubSpot Keeps Client Management In One Place

The great thing about my favorite content marketing tools is how they work together!

For instance, HubSpot integrates with both PandaDoc and Google Workspace. It’s a one-stop-shop software for client management. 

Not only does it pull in the documents I create in PandaDoc, but it also tracks my Gmail communications with the clients. So rather than searching my email every time I need to reference notes, I can just log in to HubSpot!

In addition to having all client communication in one place, I can easily review all documentation and contracts in the same place, too. It’s a win-win for tracking client progress and having everything I need in one spot.

Moreover, clients and potential clients can schedule meetings through my HubSpot link. Because it connects to my Google Calendar, it acknowledges times when I’m busy and recognizes availability in my schedule. Another thing that I love, it ensures I have a 30-minute buffer between meetings. If you’ve ever found yourself with 9 hours of back-to-back meetings, you understand that those breaks are necessary!

ClickUp Helps Keep Tasks On Track

As your business grows, it will get more difficult to keep track of the to-do list in your mind. That’s why using a task management tool, like ClickUp, is so helpful. 

ClickUp allows you to customize the tracking phases of each task. Additionally, you can assign team members to different tasks and include all of a project’s documents in one easy-to-navigate location. With features such as time tracking, we know exactly how long it takes to complete each task. This allows me to analyze my team members’ strengths and know where they may need help in other areas. 

Like I mentioned above, I love how these tools work together. ClickUp connects to Google Workspace, which allows me to send emails via ClickUp.

Furthermore, we can create entire processes to meet our exact needs. For example, our clients who are on a retainer basis can upload documents directly to ClickUp. It keeps everything in one place and our productivity thriving. 

Not every business owner has the time to dedicate to writing copy. That’s where we can help. Contact FocusCopy today so you can get back to focusing on what’s most important. 

Google Workspace Elevates Collaboration

Google has come a long way from just being a search engine. Formerly named G Suite, Google Workspace makes creating, collaborating, communicating, and tracking documents simple.

Users can access the same documents in real-time, offer suggestions, leave comments, and even tag others in for review or questions. Additionally, Google Workspace can link to HubSpot and ClickUp.

Moreover, through Google Workspace, we can manage permissions allowing only who we want to have access to certain documents.

While Google Workspace offers so many services, it’s a safe bet that you can work with the basic package. It’s filled with familiar layouts that are easy to learn and use. So start small, and adjust as your needs grow.

Google Drive 

The days of saving everything directly to the computer are over. Google Drive is a cloud storage service that allows users to save and organize files and documents. It’s simple, secure, and accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. 

Google Calendar

The calendar that keeps my world in order! With its ability to link up to both HubSpot and ClickUp, I never miss a beat. Plus, team members can view each other’s availability making in-house meetings easy to schedule.

Google Meet

Everyone has been on Zoom at some point by now. But did you know if you already have Google Workspace, you don’t need to pay for Zoom or Slack for that matter? It has all the functions of Zoom, but it’s easier to use, and you likely already have access.

Google Chat

Very similar to Slack, but without the cost, Google Chat keeps the FocusCopy team in constant communication. We set up our Google Chat to be like Slack. Our favorite functions include private messaging, group threads for each client, and the ability to set up Google Meets immediately within the chat. 

Google Docs

There’s a good chance you are familiar with Microsoft Office, and if you are, you’ll realize quickly that Google Docs works just like Word. From the layout to the functionality, it’s a seamless transition. However, there is an added benefit of being able to send documents to clients for review. We typically set client permissions to comment only to make sure we get their feedback on deliverables without worrying about permanent changes being made accidentally.

WordPress

WordPress is by far the easiest content management system (CMS) on the market. While many startups like to use Wik and Squarespace, there is a huge benefit of using WordPress instead. For starters, you actually own your website and have the ability to switch hosts. With the competitors mentioned above, you risk losing your site if you miss a payment. 

Additionally, WordPress is known for its great blog posting function, which we obviously love. And there are millions of themes to allow users to customize their sites exactly how they want. 

Did I mention how user-friendly WordPress is? I’m no website developer, but I can navigate website development on WordPress with no issues. If Lauren the Copywriter can handle website devo on WordPress without calling the IT guy, so can you!

Elementor 

There are a ton of page buildings out there, including Divi, Beaver, Oxygen, and so many more. But Elementor is by far my favorite – plus, it works with WordPress! 

With Elementor, your website will look both custom and professional. Plus, you can make changes at the drop of a hat. After all, you need to update your website copy frequently to keep it relevant and effective. 

Another great part of Elementor is the community support. We’re considered experts in this community and field questions of other users pretty often. Sometimes, that human-to-human help and advice can make a world of difference. 

Yoast SEO

WordPress has made using plugins so easy that they work seamlessly together. The FocusCopy team uses the Yoast SEO plugin to ensure our content always meets the highest technical SEO standards. 

The world of SEO is constantly changing, and we want to make sure we’re keeping up with the latest updates. This is just one way we ensure our clients’ content is steadily climbing the Google ranking ladder. 

Let FocusCopy Manage Your Content Marketing For Real Results

Does running your business take up all of your time? We understand, and we can help.

For busy business owners like yourself, running the business and getting your message to your target audience are two separate jobs. We help people just like you by creating copy in your voice to help establish and grow your brand. Ready to see growth while reaching your ideal customers? Contact FocusCopy today to get started.

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

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Copy Toolkit

What You Need In Your Copy Toolkit To Write Effective Copy

If there is a process, an automation, or an easier way of doing something, then people will do it. Why? Because people naturally do not want to do more work than is required. 

Makes sense. 

Copywriting isn’t an easy task – even for us professionals. 

It requires creativity, effort, strategy, and time. 

That’s why many companies either hire a copywriting team like FocusCopy or avoid writing any copy at all. If it’s the latter, then they are usually so consumed in their business because they need to speak every word of copy. That also usually indicates that they are not able to grow their business beyond a certain point. 

Thankfully, there are a couple of tools that speed up the process (even by a couple of minutes). Before we get into the copywriting tools we use, what’s the copywriting process without any aids? 

What The Copywriting Process Is Like Without Tools

Without copywriting aids, this is what a general copywriting process looks like:

  • At least 1-2 hours of meetings per deliverable to capture knowledge and brand voice
  • High potential for writer’s block because staring at a blank page is the worst thing you can do for copywriting
  • At least 30 minutes of research for copy deliverable
  • Multiple rounds of revisions from the approver (whether that’s you or someone else)

Depending on what you’re writing and how quick you are at reviewing, the review alone can take 1-2 hours (if you stay focused).

However, once you implement a process that works and use the tools that you know can help, you’re on the right path to great copy.

It may sound more complicated than it really is.

And you may be asking, “where do I even find those tools?”

The good news is that we’ve (pretty much) tried them all over the years, and we have our favorites right here.

Tools You Need In Your Copy Toolkit To Write Effective Copy

As professional copywriters, we want to share what we have in our copy toolkit to write effective copy. 

Hemingway App

This is not your basic Microsoft Word spell check. The Hemingway App does so much more and makes it easy for you to follow along while writing and editing your work.

If you’ve ever struggled to read through and fix items in your own writing, know that you aren’t alone. In fact, we have our own internal process to ensure we’re viewing each piece with fresh eyes before hitting “Send.”

The Hemingway App helps by going through your writing and highlighting issues such as:

  • Grammar
  • Spelling
  • Punctuation
  • Complex sentence structure
  • Passive voice and more

You can get the Hemingway Online Editor for free OR buy the Hemingway App for a one-time purchase of $19.99.

Yoast SEO

Copy Toolkit

Writing tools are great. But there’s more to creating good content than spell check apps. Yoast SEO is a search engine optimization plugin that works with WordPress. With an estimated 64 million websites using WordPress, chances are Yoast SEO could benefit you, too. 

Using Yoast SEO helps your website show up to the audience base you really want. And it can get more viewers from Bing and Google than you would have otherwise. Also, it can help increase engagement with your audience and get more visitors from social media platforms.

There are a ton of free courses available for you to learn SEO and so much more. Yoast SEO offers a free and paid version of its services for businesses and websites of all sizes.

WordHippo

Copy Toolkit

Have you ever had a hard time coming up with a word or phrase for something you know is at the tip of your tongue? Maybe you didn’t have your morning cup of joe like you usually do. You might have even skipped out on your routine yoga session and now your whole day is thrown off. 

These scenarios make WordHippo the perfect pal to have when your brain is feeling a little on the foggy side. The best part about it? You can work off fragments of a thought, plug it in, and see what comes up. Usually, it knows where your thought process is heading and can fill in the gaps when you’re not so sure.

WordHippo is one of the best online applications to help you find the right word or phrase you’re searching for. But it’s also good for creative writing and has other useful tools, including:

  • A thesaurus
  • Translations
  • Rhymes
  • Definitions
  • Antonyms
  • Synonyms 
  • And more!

Discover more and greater words here. 

Google Docs

A tried and true classic, Google Docs comes with its own toolkit for spelling and grammar checks. It highlights and catches basic mistakes you might make as you write. This can help you clean up your writing, make it more clear, and easier to follow.

In addition, gone are the days of emailing warped or incorrect docs back and forth. You can also bid adieu to crashed servers and lost files. Google docs is a fantastic way to draft and share your docs as needed without all of the confusion. And since it lives in the cloud, it auto saves your work as you go. Features like link sharing, viewing edit history, and comments ensure your team is working in sync every step of the way.

Brand Voice Guide

When you know you need to get going on your website copy but don’t know where to start, we have just the thing.

Consider creating a Brand Voice Guide that defines the exact voice, tone, and messaging your business needs. Here’s the truth… If you have no idea how your business should sound or who it needs to speak to, you’ll never have quality copy that gets customers to your front door.

A Brand Voice Guide (which you can create yourself) is the key to producing future copy that gets others excited about what you do and why you do it. 

And hey! If you don’t have the time or don’t feel comfortable writing your own Brand Voice Guide, we get it! As a business owner or manager, you have a million other things going on and you simply don’t have anything else to give to your company’s writing. Call in the experts with the creative know-how, and we’ll get one started for you.

Other Tools

We know we didn’t list all of the tools out there to help sharpen up your copywriting skills. These are the ones we find most helpful, but we’re aware that everyone has their own style and flair for writing. Feel free to comment below ones that we should consider or others who are writing should consider.

Have a writing to-do list you need taken care of? Contact us for more information about writing for your business.

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