online content - Express Writers

How I Got Started Freelance Writing Online: A Day in the Life of a Content Writer

December 31, 2020August 6, 2019 by Cassie B.

Freelance writing online—a part-time gig to fill your spare time, a common misconception that many have. Sure, writing online can be a fun hobby for some; however, for others, it’s a passion that fuels a fire that some simply don’t understand. Content writing is oftentimes a thankless job—in some cases, you work hours on end researching and toiling over a keyboard creating an outstanding piece of content that doesn’t even garner you a byline. So why bother doing it? Here’s my answer: because it’s my passion. I’ve been a writer my entire life—I kid you not. Before I could even write, I was telling wild stories that my family would write for me so I could have a copy to show off to my friends, family, and maybe my own children someday. That passion turned into a love of reading and a love of creation, one that spurred my love of education. An odd combination, sure, but it all comes together, I promise! I knew college was my dream in elementary school, but when the time came, choosing what road I was going to take and what I was going to do with the rest of my life… Talk about an impossible task! Freelance Writing Online: From Dream to Present & Future What started as a love of education and wanting to educate other’s, quickly fizzled out as soon as the job market told me that becoming an educator wasn’t ideal. Teachers were getting laid off left and right, so why bother wasting my time and tuition money in a dead-end dream? Okay, so it was time to choose a fallback option. I loved to read and create, so English was an obvious choice, but what kind of job could I get as an English major… Besides teaching English? Enter in Dr. Terri Fredrick, and there began my journey in professional and technical writing. This was a professor who encouraged us to look at every option available, including freelance writing online. She taught us every lesson in the book: How to spot scams How to research clients How to cold-pitch ideas To not count yourself short However, the lesson that stuck with me the most was to do what you love. Upon graduating in 2013, this English major with her background in professional and technical writing knew that she wanted to write, but oddly enough, there weren’t all that many positions open for in-office writers. So, despite my family’s objections, I headed online, hit up ProBlogger.com, and landed my first writing position for a journalistic style website. [bctt tweet=”How do writers land a work-from-home online job? And what does their day-to-day writing from home look like? Cassie Boss, Express Writers’ expert writer, shares her story and tips.” username=”ExpWriters”] Interested in working from home and writing? We’re always interviewing for additional writers. Send in your resume or samples here! Freelance Writing Online: Part-Time Gig or Full-Time Job? The overall job outlook for writers and authors is projected to grow 8% between 2016 and 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and with traditional publishing declining due to the uprising of online publication, the demand for online freelance writers is expected to grow. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics [bctt tweet=”The overall job outlook for writers and authors is projected to grow 8% between 2016 and 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still not sure if freelance online writing is for you? Read our expert writer’s advice!” username=”ExpWriters”] What does that mean for anyone looking to start freelance writing online? Is this a position for part-timers looking to fill in some downtime? Alternatively, are there real possibilities to go full-time and make a living? It all comes down to your intentions and personal preferences. For those looking to make a hobby of it, there are plenty of opportunities, both paid and unpaid; however, for those looking to make a career of it, I have some advice: Prepare to get dirty and fight for your position. Becoming a full-time freelance content writer takes a lot of time, patience, dedication, and yes, maybe a few tears along the way. Just like any other dream, you must be willing to work for it. When I first started my journey into freelance writing online, I figured my degree would be enough to land me quality work, but just like with any other position, I had to prove that I could tough it out. This meant researching and writing on topics that I didn’t love, working long hours and when I finally had the opportunity to take on freelance editing, it meant working overnight shifts, effectively putting my social life on hold. What made it even harder, personally, was the fact that my circle didn’t believe that freelance writing was a “real job,” simply because I worked from home. To most, a “real job” consists of putting on business casual clothing, driving into the office and working 9-5. A “real job” wasn’t working in your home office at varying times researching and writing on topics varying from healthy keto recipes to Kim Kardashian’s latest relationship dramas. While it wasn’t a traditional reality, it was my reality, and I loved it. Not only was I writing, but I was continuing my love of education because I had to continuously research topics for client pieces, and I knew I would be educating others once they read the content I was creating. I was living my dream…. I am living my dream. Becoming a Full-Time Online Freelance Writer I could go on to tell you that to become a full-time freelance writer online you must create a website, pitch your ideas and network, but I’m not going to. There are enough blogs and how-to articles out there that do just that. That said, here are my tips on how to become a full-time online content writer. 1. Put Yourself Out There By putting yourself out there, I mean get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If I’ve learned anything … Read more

How to Write Content for SEO: 7 Steps to Great SEO Writing

June 19, 2024November 28, 2016 by Adam Oakley

Writing content for SEO (search engine optimization) is a necessary, vital skill for online marketers. Just look at some of these stats around search… 70.6% of ALL web traffic on the entire web now originates from Google, per a Backlinko/Sparktoro study. Publishing valuable SEO content brings in 67% more leads than NOT publishing strategic SEO content, says a HubSpot study. More than 71% of B2B buyers read blogs during their buying pathway (3-5 blogs is the norm). Add in to that the fact that the ROA on an ad funnel is as low as .66x. While the purpose of content is to be helpful and useful for readers, it also needs to appear in search engines — otherwise, you’re losing out on the potential your content could have. Like all types of online writing, however, learning how to write content for SEO is a skill that you must learn. With this in mind, let’s dive into how to write content for SEO, and what proactive steps you can take to make your online content visible, relevant, and interesting. How to Write Content for SEO: 7 Steps Here’s a sneak peek at the 7 steps we’re going to cover in today’s blog. 1. Outline and ideate the content in your head before you write it. 2. Structure your content for easy readability & long-tail keywords. 3. Format all of your content into short chunks. 4. Make your headings descriptive. 5. Nail the transition. 6. Have other people proofread your posts. 7. Have other people proofread your posts. 8. Make sure your articles are long enough to provide ample main content. [bctt tweet=” 70.6% of ALL web traffic comes from Google — a reason why SEO is critical for every business’s content marketing. No idea what SEO is? Don’t worry. @JuliaEMcCoy guides you through the basics on how you can write for SEO! ” username=”ExpWriters”] What is SEO? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. By making online content easy for the crawlers of search engines like Google to understand, good SEO principals help written material rank more efficiently. They can even make it easier for readers to find your written material online! There are two different segments of SEO: technical SEO and on-page SEO. While technical SEO refers to the links, structure, and code of a website, on-page SEO is the keyword inclusion, length, outbound links, images, and style of a post – all of which help Google “read” it and rank it accordingly. Both technical and on-page SEO are methods of optimizing content and getting it to rank in a favorable manner. Common SEO tactics involve keyword research and inclusion, image optimization, link building, and content formatting. Need step-by-step guidance on how to write SEO content? After earning 20,000+ keyword rankings in Google across 8 years, I’m now teaching SEO writing! Download for FREE: The SEO Content Writer’s Cheat Sheet. How to Create Content That Supports Good SEO: 7 Formatting & Structure Tips Today, good SEO and good content go hand-in-hand. If your content is poorly formatted, improperly structured, or carelessly thrown together, it’s going to be difficult to shape it into something that supports effective SEO. With that in mind, here are some tips to help you correctly develop all of your blog posts, starting now: 1. Outline and ideate the content in your head before you write it. While nobody is saying you need to sit down and create a “brain map” of your various ideas, content that supports good SEO is the opposite of an impressionist painting. Instead of being random and sudden, it is methodical and categorical. Because of this, brainstorming content is a powerful way to ensure that you’re including all of your main points and topics, and that you can use the content to input links, keywords, and other important SEO elements. To this end, think about all of your content, with these questions, before you write it: Who are you trying to reach? Which keywords will you include? What’s the overall point of your material? What do you want the content to communicate? By thinking through the course and structure of your content clearly, it’s easier to publish great content that lends itself nicely to SEO. 2. Structure your content for easy readability & long-tail keywords. Great blog posts rely on great structure, and good SEO does, too. With this in mind, consider mapping or outlining your blog posts before you write them. In addition to giving you a structure to abide by, this simple task will also help you lay out your introduction, body, and conclusion, and ensure that your content is easy to read, which, in turn, makes it more reader- and search engine-friendly. Long-tail keywords are your best friends in terms of optimizing for keywords that won’t break the bank (take too long or too much $). Read my guide here for more on how to go after long-tail keywords, including which tools to use. 3. Format all of your content into short chunks. A large brick of text is intimidating to readers, and it will push people away. With this in mind, be sure to divide all of your content into readable chunks of text, with a beginning, middle, and end. As a general rule, paragraphs should be only 3-4 sentences in length, and you should do your best to insert subheaders at intervals of every 300 or so words. This makes your content easier for readers to approach and helps keep it from feeling intimidating on the page. It also has the potential to improve your click-through rate, which can boost your overall SEO scores. Look through some posts here to see examples of readable content: Our own Write Blog Search Engine Journal (well-formatted articles) QuickSprout (readable blogs) 4. Make your headings descriptive. Beyond just using headings, you need to know how to make them descriptive and useful. Headlines are meant to guide readers through your blog post, and headlines that are highly descriptive and include target keywords will do the best … Read more

Are You Missing The “Value” Points Of Your Online Content? & Other Reasons Your Content Isn’t Working

December 31, 2020June 7, 2016 by Sarah Shade

Sarah Shade is the Content Specialist at Express Writers. In order for customers to want to read your online content, it needs to be valuable, unique and exciting. No big deal, right? While everyone knows that creating, curating and distributing valuable content on your website and throughout all your web marketing is the key to online marketing success, it’s not always that easy to create content that wows your audience in a world were 27 million pieces of content are shared across the web. If your content hasn’t been working lately, it’s possible you’ve been missing important “value points” of great content or that you’re simply not giving readers material that is applicable to them. Fortunately, these problems are easily fixable and content marketers who have been struggling to create successful content can do well to go back to the basic value points of fantastic content. What are “Value Points?” Value points are the things that make your content stand out from everybody else’s. For example, if there are 5,700 articles on the web on how to plant a garden correctly, the strength of your value points is what will make your article the one people choose to click on. The 5 Value Points Your Online Content Should Have Although the above definition sounds intimidating, value points can be broken down into very specific sections that outline how, exactly, content goes about providing unique value to its readers. 1) Your Content Should Be Capable of Shifting With its Audience You’re a good content marketer so you’ve probably taken the time to develop target personas, right? The thing about even the best target personas, however, is that they change with time. Your target persona at the beginning of your business’s lifespan will absolutely not be the same as your target persona five years later. Additionally, target personas can (and do) vary by product, location, form of content and even website or social media platform. The people you target on Instagram may not be the same people you target with your videocasts, and so on and so forth. With this in mind, one of the most notable value points of great content is that it is capable of shifting as its target persona does. If all of the online content you create is aimed at Jane Doe, a 53 year old woman who lives in the Midwest, works a middle class job, is concerned about coupons and saving money, isn’t particularly tech-savvy and wants information about living frugally, all of the John Does and Laura Jones out there are going to be left in the dust and, as such, they won’t find your content interesting or valuable. With that in mind, take the time to research all of your target audiences and then create content that caters specifically to them. Update your target personas as your business grows or your values change. A great way to stay on top of shifting trends is to use a tool like Prismatic or Klout, which allows you to keep tabs on the people you follow via keywords, so you can stay abreast of what’s going on in your industry. Additionally, be conscious of the customer’s position in the buying journey. If they’re in the early phases of research or inquiry, they probably don’t want product-specific content. With that in mind, seek to offer content that isn’t directly related to your company’s product, good or service but that offers helpful information nonetheless (For example, consider clothing company ModCloth’s Twitter feed, which offers everything from tasty sangria recipes to shots of the company’s clothing). This is a valuable and non-intrusive approach that is absolutely killer at attracting new customers Additionally, it is the primary way you can ensure your material provides solid value to readers and differentiates itself solidly from the churning sea of content consumers deal with daily. 2) Your Online Content Should Fill in the Gaps With upwards of 27 million pieces of online content whipping around the web on a daily basis, it’s hard to imagine that there are any gaps anywhere, right? Think again. What takes content from being run-of-the-mill to outstanding is its ability to see the things other content misses. Maybe those garden articles all tell customers how to plant a garden but they leave them wondering when and where. By providing an answer for these unanswered questions, you meet an important value point and set yourself up for success by dominating the market for those queries. By filing in knowledge gaps or acknowledging unacknowledged challenges, you can stand out in the eyes of customers who want valuable, solid information. 3) Your Content Should Play the Long Game While it’s great for content to go viral, it’s also valuable for content to draw a steady stream of customers for months on end. With that in mind, don’t allow yourself to be perpetually obsessed with content that goes straight to the top of the charts immediately. While viral content does offer specific value, the value is typically trend-based, which means it may not offer sustainable use to customers or readers. In order to reach its peak value potential, content needs to be able to play the long game, as well. By dedicating yourself to creating varied content with a wide array of goals and functions, you can provide a variety of valuable pieces to customers. 4) Your Content Should Be Unique While it’s all well and good to cite statistics and provide great information, truly memorable content will stand apart via its use of new information, anecdotal evidence, themes relevant to a specific audience or well-placed action tips. Again, there’s a lot of content out there and everything sounds roughly the same. In order for your content to stand out, it needs to be unique and offer the value point of substance and relate-ability to customers. With that in mind, offer anecdotes that come from your personal experience or that they can relate to directly and, once you’ve disseminated information, offer them a … Read more

How to Influence Your Readers & Create Successful Content

June 19, 2024May 28, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Ultimately, with content, blogs, social media – any aspect of maintaining a marketing presence online – the goal is to influence people. Whether you want to coax them to your side, convince them to buy your products, or convert them into loyal followers, your influential power matters. In the beginning, it can feel like a tall mountain to climb. How do you build your reputation, your authority, and your presence so you can reach people in the first place? How do you appeal to them, interest them, and move them? This is a question people have been asking forever. Everybody wants to be liked and respected. We’re all human, and it’s a basic human need. As Dale Carnegie says in his iconic, best-selling book, How to Win Friends and Influence People: “Dealing with people is probably the biggest problem you face, especially if you are in business.” Turns out, the way you approach your online communication is everything. Every single blog post, social media update, direct message, email, comment, and tweet matters. That’s a lot of pressure, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Instead, focus on a few key areas, and you’ll naturally build up your influence so people will gravitate to you without thinking about it. Consider this your guide to creating successful content that will influence readers positively. Your Guide to Influencing and Winning Over Your Audience with Amazing Written Content [bctt tweet=”How do you build your reputation, your authority, and your presence so you can influence your audience? @JuliaEMcCoy discusses her 7-step guide to create influence with amazing written content. ?” username=”ExpWriters”] Ready to get into how to grow your clout and influence your audience with successful content? Follow these steps: 1. Know Who You’re Talking To First thing’s first: It’s impossible to influence anybody without a tailored, personalized approach. Who are you targeting? Who are you talking to? Without this knowledge, you’ll have no idea how to frame your messages and make them relevant to your readers. So, before you ever begin thinking about how to win people over, first identify who those people are. According to G. Riley Mills for Forbes, there are three main aspects of audience discovery to consider. He applies these to public speaking, but they also may apply to any type of marketing communication. They are: Demographics – General statistics pertaining to your audience group and identifying factors including gender, age, marital status, level of education, occupation, etc. Psychographics – Personal information such as beliefs, values, opinions, loyalties, and feelings. Situational factors – The factors that may change on a day-to-day basis that influence why your audience might seek out your solutions, products, services, or content. Research each of these factors and build your understanding of your audience before you move on to writing content or communicating with them. [bctt tweet=”‘It’s impossible to influence anybody without a tailored, personalized approach. So, before you ever begin thinking about how to win people over, first identify who those people are.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. Know Your Objective (What You Want from the Interaction) What do you hope to gain from posting that new blog, social media update, Instagram photo, or email? When you have a general goal or objective in mind, tailoring your content to perform and complete that goal is much easier. I shoot for three different “goal buckets” whenever I post a new piece of content. If the content won’t fit in one of my buckets or help me to advance toward a goal, I scrap it and move on to the next. [bctt tweet=”‘I shoot for three different ‘goal buckets’ whenever I post a new piece of content. If the content won’t fit in one of my buckets or help me to advance toward a goal, I scrap it and move on to the next.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] 3. Write Content That Moves, Inspires, Entertains, or Educates Your Audience Ultimately, content that’s moving, inspiring, entertaining, or educational is going to be valuable to your audience. If your content doesn’t accomplish any of the above, stop. Re-evaluate your content goals, and set some if you haven’t yet. Then, try these tips in your content. A. Get Personal Getting personal in your content doesn’t necessarily mean sharing every tiny detail of your life (TMI much?) – although you can share relevant experiences, thoughts, and ideas. Instead, it mostly means talking to your audience on a personal level. It means empathizing with them, speaking to their concerns, and relating to them. B. Add an Element of Surprise or Delight Injecting your content with surprise or delight will go a long way toward moving your readers. Use these suggestions to bring more light and life to your words: Use opposites – To jerk your readers out of reading by rote, introduce opposites in your writing. This can apply to anything, including descriptions and metaphors. For example, when describing a problem, compare it to falling into a patch of prickly thorns. Then, flip the script and compare the solution to a cloud of feathers. Embrace the one-liner – When you want your words to throw a punch at your reader, put them on their own line, in a one-sentence paragraph. For great examples of this technique used right, look at Seth Godin’s blog: Share personal anecdotes – Put humanness back in your writing and describe personal examples of whatever you’re writing about, where relevant. For instance, perhaps you experienced the problem you’re discussing or maybe you have a good learning experience to share that relates to your topic. Be yourself – Don’t write to impress. Instead, be yourself. Use idioms and turns-of-phrase you would insert in your speech when talking out loud. Crack bad jokes, litter your writing with puns, or include nerdy Star Wars references, if that’s your M.O. You do you. C. Include Research, Data, Statistics, and Studies Want to truly inform and educate your audience? Turn to research to ensure your content is stuffed to the brim with value. Don’t … Read more

Does Content Rule The (Online) World?

January 1, 2021July 9, 2014 by Adam Oakley

What comes to your mind when you hear the term “online content?” You might think of anything from the content populating your website and blog to social media presence, and you would be right. Online content is basically everything you put online. It can include your website, blog, social media posts and shares, and even e-commerce. It’s everything floating around cyberspace with your name on it. So if online content were to rule the (online) world, how lofty would your throne be? A New King Ascended the SEO Throne In 2014 If you’ve asked why it’s important to publish content online, you’re not alone. Many business and brand owners have posed this question. Isn’t it enough to create eye-catching graphics, slap those puppies onto your website and social channels, and let them do the selling? After all, good marketing happens when the product or service sells itself, right? If this were 2010, and if Google were still supporting old SEO tactics, you’d have a winning strategy. But it’s not. It’s 2014. Google’s beastly search algorithms are poised to shred online presences clinging to old habits while increasing rankings for those that play by the rules. The new rule is that content is king. 5 Types of Content You Can’t Do Without Content comes in all sorts of flavors. It can be short or long. It can be black and white, gray, or colorful. It can take on whatever shape you need. It is 100 percent customizable and capable of achieving whatever you need, if it’s crafted with skill and care. Although the current content menu on display at copywriting agencies all over the net is sizeable, there are five types of content you simply cannot do without: Blog posts: Blogs are super important to businesses and brands. Your goal should be to blog at least a few times per week or month. Each topic should be relevant to your specific products or services. Be educational and informative versus sales oriented when blogging, but don’t be afraid to subtly point out the benefits or value your product or service brings to the table. A meaty blog packed full of solid material hands your audience the ability to be well informed and educated. They are much more likely to buy from an industry expert versus a company that focuses solely on conversion. News: Your business is constantly growing. Show your growth by creating and sharing interesting news content. Press releases are a great way to tackle newsworthy topics. Don’t shy away from posting news from your industry as well. News content has the ability to position your business as a subject matter expert that is in the know and in touch with current news and trends. Timely: It’s vital to ensure your content is timely and properly positioned. For example, displaying outdated news or information on your site’s main page will give the impression that you’re not prioritizing. In fact, the audience might conclude you are outdated and unworthy of attention in the now. Take the time to inventory your content. Either ensure it is timely and that old information is positioned in older, dated content for those conducting research (recommended), or weed it out completely. Products and services: The goal of your online content is no doubt to develop interest in your business and compel the audience to take action. Therefore, your copy should include enough of an explanation about your products and/or services to generate audience appeal. They should know enough to either want to research more (via your online presence) or contact you. Always take care in deciding how much information you will present about your products and/or services. You don’t want to overwhelm your audience with so much info that they lose sight of the value you’re offering. Social media: It’s the “in” thing of 2014. Social media and search engine rankings go hand-in-hand because the strength of your social media will affect the strength of your overall rankings. Building this type of content is an absolute must. The key to creating killer social media is in crafting the sort of content people simply must share. This requires interesting and fresh content. Variety is vital. Give your audience a generous mix of both serious and entertaining material while keeping self-promotion to a minimum. 6 Tips for Writing Killer Online Content According to Social Media Today, we’ve reached a point in the content marketing industry where “the line between writing [killer] SEO copy for search engines and engaging copy for humans has all but disappeared.” It sounds silly, but writing for humans means you’re writing for search engines and writing for search engines means you’re writing for humans. Confused? Don’t be! It all boils down to the basic ingredients of killer content: Get to the point. Don’t beat around the bush. People don’t have time for that. They want value, and they want it now. They are inundated with information at an alarming rate. Get to the point quickly or risk losing their attention. Keep it tight. The majority of your audiences are likely using mobile devices, which means they’re viewing your content on a compact screen. Make your copy user friendly by keeping it tight. Sentences and paragraphs should be short and concise. Headings and subheadings should be easily visible and contain the main point of the text beneath them. Don’t be shy. You must compel your audience to take action. Don’t be shy! Tell them what to do. Make each call to action logical and blunt. Ensure copywriting from one web page to the next transitions smoothly. Be professional. There’s nothing wrong with a little entertainment value, but your copy should reflect your professionalism. Tap into personal stories, funny anecdotes, and peppy wording, but don’t go overboard. Oh, and don’t misspell words either. A typo or two is understandable, but if you display a pattern of misspelling, people won’t take you seriously. Stay active. What’s the old adage? “A body in motion stays in motion.” The … Read more

The Write Era: Why & How Today Is the Day of Online Content

December 31, 2020May 27, 2014 by Adam Oakley

As sad as it may be, the times are quickly moving away from print and heading towards online content. It is more expensive than ever to get something printed because of the decline of the printed word. This means one of two things: 1) either you can spend a lot of money participating in antiquated methods or 2) you can save money and get a lot of bang for your buck. Online content is a great way to gain access to a wider audience and a much wider audience than you got with paper content. This blog is going to explore why today is YOUR (and our) day; the day of online content; and how this powerful tool can benefit you. Let’s Clear Up The Myths, First The Internet isn’t the swamp monster. It isn’t here to destroy everything you hold dear. In fact, it is here to promote what you hold dear and make it successful. Your business is close to your heart and you want to see it succeed; the best way to do this is to jump into the 21st century with both feet. Once you’ve jumped in it is time to get ready for some awesome results! How Can Online Content Work For Me? Simple. It can bring in more customers than you could have dreamed of when you were relying on print content. All someone has to do is type in a keyword with the location and your business will show up on Google’s results page. Did you realize that one simple investment into an online press release can be instantly published to over 4,000 online media locations? Pretty awesome, huh? This is what online content can do – it can get you more coverage than ever. It is super exciting! What Types Of Content Do I Need, Sensei? Let’s take a quick look at a few forms of content that will be excellent for your business: 1. You’ll Need A Blog. Have you watched the latest Sherlock series? If not, we are sure you’ve at least heard of it. In the series, Sherlock’s cases come to him not just from the police but also due to Watson’s blog postings. Sherlock tends to scoff at the postings, but the reality is not everyone is keen on the different types of pipe tobacco ash out there. Watson understands how important a blog is to a small business and he utilizes this so that he and Sherlock can actually afford their rent payments for that London flat. Just as it is important for Sherlock’s consulting detective business, blogging is important for your small business. It is a great way to interact with your customer base and provides you with an amazing way to give updates on what is going on in the company. If you are worried about staying up with a blog or writing great quality, you can always hire a copywriter who is trained in SEO (search engine optimization) and will craft excellent content for your site. 2. Online Press Releases Are Very Important. Just as in print, press releases are still crucial to a successful business. These are great ways to let everyone know what your company is up to and what to expect in the coming year. It lays everything out in a professional format and is easy for news outlets to use. The main change to the modern press release is the need for it to be social media ready. This is crucial when it comes to anything written for the Internet, which you will see in the next point. 3. Let’s Talk Social Media. If you aren’t on social media, now is the time to create a profile. It isn’t as terrifying as news outlets make it sound and, in fact, is very crucial to a successful small business. You don’t have to be an expert in using social media; you can have someone else in your company be in charge of that aspect. Just find a person who knows, and understands social media, and ask them to take over. The most important outlets are Facebook and Twitter, though many companies are finding Instagram and Pinterest to be very beneficial, as well. Social media gives your client base a way to interact with you and your company, and also provides you easier access to advertising specials coming up in your shop. It is important to remember to use this to your advantage but don’t abuse it (i.e. Don’t over-share on social media). 4. Don’t Scoff At Email. Email campaigns still bring in a lot of success for many a small business. Reports show that people are checking their email constantly throughout the day and many of us check our email when we are still in bed. We wake up and check our email on our iDevices. This is a great opportunity for you to create marketing campaigns that will lead to some awesome sales for your company. Again, don’t abuse this excellent tool! Learn how often your customers expect an email from you and don’t go over that expectation. You don’t want to annoy them into avoiding or unsubscribing from your email updates. 5. Does All Content Have To Be Long? No! Short content is honestly one of the best approaches to having a successful marketing campaign. Shorter content is also one of the best ways to go viral, according to Quicksprout. You can hire graphic designers to craft short, sharable content like an infographic. These are really handy tools to use for Internet content, as they tell about your company and highlight the important information you want customers to know. You can also do videos, write shorter articles, and even repurpose your content to make it last longer. You don’t have to be constantly creating new and unique content. Utilize the content you’ve already crafted and you will get a lot of mileage out of it! It’ll also save you significant amounts of time. The Internet Is Good, Use … Read more