How-Tos
Sometimes all you need is a little insight from a different perspective. Here are some specific marketing problems small business owners, consultants and marketers have asked me. I’ve answered these questions with a short answer and also in step-by-step strategy instruction form.
How to write an effective title for online press releases
PROBLEM
I need to write a headline that sums up my story and ranks at the top of search engines. What things make a press release title SEO friendly?
Short answer
Place a specific keyword and benefit-laden phrase at the beginning of your press release title. The words you choose should match what your target audience will enter in their internet search query.
Step-by-step strategy
A press release optimized for search engines can attract millions of prospects to your website. Additionally you can create interest from bloggers and website owners who are looking for content to put on their website. You also can attract attention from traditional media—radio, TV and newspapers—who might want to feature your company in a news story.
Click to read a 6-step strategy for crafting SEO press release titles.
How to get email subscribers to click through to your website
PROBLEM
Our email marketing campaign doesn’t get high click-through results but email analytics reveal high open rates.
Short answer
Send the right email to the right audience. Keep readers from getting distracted with relevant, clickable text that links to your landing page or specific area on your website where subscribers view compelling content.
Step-by-step strategy
A high open to low click-through ratio indicates email subscribers want to receive your email messages but don’t find the content in them interesting enough to ‘hear’ all that you’re saying.
Read how to increase email marketing click throughs.
How to make a profit from your small business blog
PROBLEM
My company blog isn’t earning its keep.
Short answer
Focus on creating compelling content so that you build a loyal relationship with a niche audience. Optimize blog posts for search engines and promote your blog in all of your online and offline marketing communications.
Step-by-step strategy
Think of your blog as an empowered employee. In other words, let your content reign by speaking directly to your audience in a way that caters to their feelings and desires while you simultaneously post unique, timeless and interesting material.
5 steps to a more profitable company blog, plus 11 ways to build blog variety gives blog novices a head start.
How to get your website traffic to become paying customers
PROBLEM
I get a lot of website traffic but not many sales orders.
Short answer
To convert web traffic into sales, translate what you’re calling a product or service into an offer that your website traffic can’t pass up.
Step-by-step strategy
When customers hire me to write their promotion, I start by asking them to put themselves in the mind of their targeted prospect. Tip: What is it that customers want? What is it that makes them buy?
See How to speed up online sales.
How to deal with rejection letters from editors and prospects
PROBLEM
I follow writers’ guidelines before submitting queries and instead of getting published or offered an assignment I receive a rejection letter.
Short answer
Editorial decisions depend on timing, topic uniqueness, whether or not your query painted a clear picture, whether you selected the best market for your story in the first place and if the editor ever received your query submission.
Step-by-step strategies
In the freelance writing business “no” is synonymous to “not now”. The rejection you received 24 hours ago could be a cover story next week. Use your time to revamp your query for another writing assignment. Find out what I did to resell article rejections to magazine editors.
How to prevent problems hiring a long-term offsite copywriter
PROBLEM
Our company wants to hire a freelance copywriter to work offsite but can’t find one that will work for us long term.
Short answer
Have a conversation with the writer and be up front about your expectations. Find out about the writer’s availability, writing skills, interests and most importantly what gains others experienced from the writer’s work.
Step-by-step strategy
Familiarity with your business problem and the ability to create and apply a strategic, effective solution is what’s going to tell if you’ve got the right copywriter for a long-term commitment.
See what corporate clients want from copywriters they hire.
