Category: Featured

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Oh Hail

Quarter-size hail + wind + 20-year-old siding = this.
Quarter-size hail + wind + 20-year-old siding = this.

Why Small Businesses Need a Good Website

Whether you’re a contractor, a manufacturer or a service provider, having a clean, content-rich, updated website is more than just about promoting your business. It’s about providing potential customers the information they need to WANT to do business with you.  

Earlier this month,  much of Billings and the surrounding area was hit by a hailstorm which left roofs, shingles, siding, windows and fences in shambles. Our home was one of those hit, meaning that for the first time we had to file a claim against my insurance and begin navigating the world of home contractors. 

With a plethora of news stories already decrying the number of scams that frequently begin following a major storm, I found myself already feeling a bit anxious. So my husband and I set out online to find some local contractors who had been in the business for awhile, with good reputations both on and offline. What we found wasn’t necessarily surprising, but certainly disheartening.

Other than some of the larger/franchise groups, there were few contractor websites for providers in my area. There were a few websites which looked relatively new, largely templates (no finger pointing there) with little or no content to tell me who they were, how they work (or why I should work with them.)  Sites like these led me to believe that a) these were people who tossed up a website in hopes of taking advantage of the hailstorm (aka those “scammers” mentioned in the news; or b) companies that lacked the experience we want and need to make my home look great again.

As noted in this Entrepreneur post by Mikal Belicove, you have less than a second to make a first impression online–which means you could be losing potential business left and right if your website is dated (and think of what it means to your bottom line if don’t have a website at all.)

So whether you’re a contractor, a manufacturer or a service provider, having a clean, content-rich, updated website is more than just about promoting your business. It’s about providing potential customers the information they need to WANT to do business with you.

Oh–and for those wondering,  we have found a contractor, thanks to referrals by friends and colleagues that all pretty  much pointed to the same person. But you better bet I’ll be talking to him about why he needs a much better website.  If you want to talk about your website, please feel free to contact me.

 

Blogging • Brand Message Development  •  Newsletter Content •  SEO-Rich Content Development/Web Copywriting • Sales Materials

 

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Telling Your Story

Thoughts from a freelance writer

As a freelance writer, I have the opportunity to work on a lot of different projects, from websites to writing magazine articles. Recently, I was approached by a local historic organization and asked to write the brochure for their upcoming home tour–one of their primary fundraising events.

Unsurprisingly, the project required me to take the home tours myself, meeting the current homeowners and talking to them about the history of their homes. As one who firmly believes that a building is more than just a collection of wood, windows and the occasional archway, I also wanted to know more about the homeowners themselves.

One of the people I had a privilege to meet had an amazing story to tell. Born in Boston, she met her first husband during World War II, married him four years later and moved to northwestern Montana. There, this first-generation American became a self-taught artist whose works have been purchased by some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Widowed while still in her 30’s, she raised her four children on her own, moving them across the state to Billings to ensure they had better opportunities. Her home–one of the most distinctive I have seen in quite some time–is warm and beautiful, a perfect reflection of her own personality.

As I talked with her, I became enthralled with her unique life story and asked her if she had written that story. With a wave of her hand, she laughed and suggested that few, if any, would be interested. Detailing the many things I’d learned about her in our time together, I suggested otherwise.

I’m always amazed how people are hesitant to tell their life stories. I’m also surprised at how many companies are equally as reticent to do the same. Oh sure–they’ll tell what products they sell or what services they offer, but they too often refuse to get to the heart of what makes them different, and that is their own story.

Why did the business begin? What was it like in those first years? How has it changed? Why do they offer the specific products or services they do? How do they relate to their customers?  What truly, madly, deeply, authentically sets them apart?  

Failing to take the time to tell your story (and tell it well) means that you’re failing to take advantage of the opportunity to reach your customers.  If you’re having a hard time telling yours, I hope you’ll contact me.

 

  Blogging • Brand Message Development  •  Newsletter Content •  SEO-Rich Content Development/Web Copywriting • Sales Materials

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Being Different Makes a Difference

Making Your Brand Stand Out

A few days ago I had the opportunity to work with one of my clients on one of their RFP’s. We talked through presentation ideas, from content to binding and discussed key elements. What we all soon realized, however, was that our primary goal was this: simply stand out.  Not by the cover or the way the document was going to be tabbed—but in the proposal’s one-page introduction.

Now it may seem obvious, but it’s actually harder than it sounds. In a stack of RFP’s in which the contenders are in the same industry, generally doing the same thing, being different isn’t easy. Being different means taking a risk, it means having to be willing to prove that you truly are unique—and that the uniqueness of your company and its brand is a good thing.

I suppose it’s time to let the cat out of the bag here: this post isn’t really about how to win an RFP. There are dozens—hundreds even—of posts out there that posit precisely how to win one, or why you shouldn’t care about winning them or a host of other discussions. What the experience of dealing with an RFP called to mind for me was the importance of developing and sharing the right message regardless of the type of project you or your business is working on.

Whether you’re working in healthcare or horseshoeing, the fact is that if you don’t know what you do better than your competition, and don’t have a way to share those differentiating factors, you will never be able to successfully achieve your goals.  In fact, not knowing what sets you apart will ultimately waste your time and money as you chase after business you may never win, and ignore business that could easily be yours.

One of my favorite articles about brand building is this one from Inc. At its core is the principle of proper messaging—and standing out or being different in the right way.  As noted by Carlos Martinez Onaindia, co-author, Designing B2B Brands: Lessons from Deloitte and 195,000 Brand Managers (Wiley, 2013):

“Differentiation is not about differentiation from your competition. It’s about how you engage your people and your stakeholders so they feel in their minds you are different.”

My clients won’t know for a number of weeks whether or not their RFP will be the winning one and, as with any company going through the RFP process, have a lot of work ahead of them. But as noted by one of the sales team after receiving the introductory page I prepared for their review, “Wow…it’s different from any [industry] bio I’ve seen, and that’s exactly what we need.”

 

Being different makes a difference to companies of every size, in every industry. Do you know what sets you apart?  If not, I hope you’ll contact me. And in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a little RFP-style humor:

Dilbert

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Spring Resolutions From a Freelance Writer

As business owners, we must re-commit to our resolutions every day.

I realize that most people make New Year’s Resolutions, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned since launching my own freelance writing business, it’s been that resolving to do specific things is something that is done every day. As we finally have some sunshine here in Billings, Montana, and the trees are at long last starting to bud and blossom, I decided to call mine for the day “Spring Resolutions”.

There’s a passage in the New Testament which reads, in part, “Physician, heal thyself.” In other words, don’t start pointing out flaws in others that you yourself possess.  The other day, I was talking with client about how they needed to more frequently update their website…when they gently pointed out to me that my own site hadn’t been updated recently.  Drat.

Now, since launching my business as a full-time freelance writer several months ago, I have had a lot of great opportunities to work with companies and organizations locally and regionally. I’ve written blogs and websites and print articles and branding documents for them and have loved every single minute, hour and day of it. But admittedly I have been so focused on their marketing and advertising efforts that I totally neglected my own.  

So I have resolved today, this beautiful spring day, to “heal myself”. In other words, to write this post and put a plan together to do so more frequently (and consistently) in the future so that I can ensure my own business is as thriving and healthy as the organizations with whom I am privileged to work.

Do you ever get so busy focusing on your customers’ businesses that you run out of time (or just simply neglect) to focus on your own? I’d love to hear about it–and your own Spring Resolutions.

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Hiring a Writer for Web Copy

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Easier said than done.”

Okay, I admit it: having written content for websites of every size and for a variety of industries, I thought it would be a piece of cake creating content for my own freelance writing website. Ha! The joke was on me!

For many clients with whom I have worked, one of the most difficult things about writing content for their own website is that they are (naturally) very close to the situation. For some that might mean erring on the side of putting every single tiny detail about their business onto the site, which generally requires the creation of layers upon layers of navigation or, in the alternative, long pages of details few people will read.  For others, it’s putting too little copy in, or copy that may lack relevancy. And still for others (psst–this would be the toughest thing for me, and I think for a lot of independent service providers) it’s wondering at what point facts start to seem like, well, bragging. For those reasons, clients opted to hire a writer to create content for their respective websites.

Now, it didn’t make a whole heck of a lot of sense for me to have someone else write my site; after all, this is what I do. In fact, I love writing content for websites. So instead, I sat down and started hammering it out, then turned to trusted friends and colleagues to give me their feedback. In fact, there’s not a page or post on this website that hasn’t been or won’t be reviewed by someone who’s not…well…me.

So, now let’s talk about what’s really important (as opposed to my own angst) and that is: you. If you don’t have a website yet, or if you’re ready to revamp your site, working with a third party can bring a lot of benefits:

  • You have a business to run, and if you have to try to find time to write a website in the middle of your day-to-day work, it’s either not going to happen or it’s not going to happen the way you’d like. Hiring a writer to handle those details takes a load off your shoulders.
  •  A third party can help determine what should (and shouldn’t) be on your site, then craft messaging designed to make the most of who you are and what you do.
  • Not everyone is a copywriter–and not everyone understands web copy. And you know what? That’s okay. Listen, there are so many things I wish I could do, from playing the guitar to being a graphic designer.  Unfortunately, I haven’t had the training to make me good at either one. (Yet another admission: I actually took guitar lessons twice, but there is something about my fingers that refuse to work properly when it comes to comes to holding down those strings.)  So if writing isn’t your strength, find someone for whom it is.

If you want to see a quick primer on the work that goes into writing great web copy, enjoy this oldy-but-goody article from Smashing Magazine.  In the alternative, if you’re more focused on building your business as opposed to honing your skills at writing web copy–but are ready to bring your website some interest and depth–I hope you’ll contact me.

 Blogging • Brand Message Development  •  Newsletter Content •  SEO-Rich Content Development/Web Copywriting • Sales Materials

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Creating Meaningful Website Content

You never know where you’ll find the next great idea.

While scrolling through Fast Company (admittedly one of my favorite sites) I found an article that caught my eye: “4 Ways to Create Meaningful Content.” Considering that as a freelance writer I spend a lot of time creating content for websites, it was most certainly something I wanted to read…and I’m glad I did. Here’s why:

Several years ago the world of SEO, or search engine optimization, was being built on a variety of ideas ranging from how many times a word or phrase should appear on a page to using “link farms” to make the site look more relevant that it really was–and everything in between.  Working in the industry, I understood the theory, but never cared for it or put it into practice. I believed, as did those with whom I worked, any content included on a website must provide good information that was authentic to the client.

The Google Penguin updates in 2013 helped to address many of the so-called “Black Hat” SEO techniques, and by doing so, placing greater emphasis on good content. Now, as this article suggests, the industry as a whole is focusing on incorporating meaningful content on both websites and social media platforms. So what is “meaningful” content?

Author Dan Greenberg proposes such content include or more of the following:

  1. It provides a connection between the content owner and the audience they are targeting.
  2. It introduces new or original ideas.
  3. It shows new uses of media or helps mediums evolve
  4. It causes the reader or viewer engage with the content

Creating good and meaningful content isn’t easy, but it is well worth the the time or monetary investment it requires.

 

 

Blogging • Brand Message Development  •  Newsletter Content •  SEO-Rich Content Development/Web Copywriting • Sales Materials