Whilst the economic outlook might be doom and gloom, the content marketing bandwagon is rolling at full speed. It’s filling up with enthusiastic new supporters at every stop, and gathering pace towards its destination in marketing boardrooms. The ideas I first encountered when researching business blogging have been picked up, dusted off and given a […]
Copywriting and Blogging Dead? Bar Humbug.
The run up to Christmas is a time to reflect on the past year. It’s a time to think about which areas of your business are working, and which need an overhaul in the New Year. Some people are taking this reflection seriously, with copywriting legend Bob Bly and blogging supremo Brian Clark both being […]
UK Businesses Start Taking Business Blogging Seriously
Last year, I attended a small business exhibition in my home city of Milton Keynes to distribute leaflets on the benefits of blogging for businesses. I’d hoped it would be a new area in which I could differentiate myself and ride the crest of the wave of the revolution in business communication. Unfortunately, my attempts […]
The Power of a Tailor’s Tale
Once upon a time, there was a young tailor who was struggling to make a living selling his handmade suits. Every month he would scramble around to find the money to pay the rent, hoping he would eventually be able to find enough wealthy customers to keep his business alive. But as time went on, […]
‘Why You Must Invest in Content to Build Trust and Succeed Online’ report
Whilst I was experiencing the summer lull, I thought I’d take advantage of the free time to compile a summary of my posts from the last year. After all, with the dreadful weather we’ve had in the UK I couldn’t really spend it lazing in the garden. As every week has passed and the stats […]
What’s Holding Back Businesses From Blogging?
If you spend any time reading internet marketing and copywriting blogs it’s very easy to get caught up in all the excitement on how blogs, and other web 2.0 tools, could transform a business’ fortunes. Although the benefits might seem obvious, persuading IT decision makers is another matter. Studies released in the last week continue […]
Articles or Blog Posts? It’s Quality that Counts
Web usability guru Jakob Nielsen recently shared some of his pearls of wisdom on the role of blogs as marketing tools, and promptly upset a number of business blog experts in the process. Although I don’t agree with his rather narrow pigeon holing of blogging as being for websites that sell cheap products where customers […]
Want to Engage? Just be Helpful
I frequently preach on the need to provide content of value to build trust with consumers. I, and many others, believe that the best way to sell products and services is through information and education, not carpet bombing sales messages. Cynical consumers don’t trust adverting anymore, and will only pay you attention once they think […]
Is the Home Page Dead? Only One Way to Find Out…
Are your visitors landing in the wrong place? Well, my website has been bouncing around Google’s search listings for ‘copywriter’ for the last few weeks; however, I’m pleased to announce that it now seems to be stabilising on the lower rungs of page one. I’m not totally convinced how I’ve managed to get there, […]
The Benefits of a Rubbish Case Study
Case studies are a potent tool: they illustrate your point and demonstrate the benefits of what it is you’re trying to sell in a real life situation that people can relate to. Last week I was discussing the problem of turning web browsers into buyers, and suggested starting a newsletter or blog as a possible […]