How do you measure accomplishment at the end of a day of writing?  Is it pages, words, or time?  Ask yourself that question because it is different for all writers.  The prolific writers, the ones we turn to for advice, even for something as small as a quote, have mostly all spoken about accomplishment.  While Hemingway was in Montana he wrote most mornings, and spent his afternoons fishing for trout or hunting.  Other authors start and don’t finish until they’ve hit some predetermined goal—Steven King’s five pages every day, or the gold standard one thousand words, or Karen Russell’s goal of maximizing quality time spent engaged within her story (she’s not a word robot).     

Why do we listen, then?  Do we plan to copy Hemingway’s write-only-in-the-morning style?  Will adhering to Steven King’s prolific writing style make us as celebrated an author as the man himself?  No.  At least for the most part I believe no.  We listen to them, because being in the room at the desk alone can feel daunting.  For the most part, writing is not a team activity.  It’s just us.  There’s no one to whom the writer can compare himself against but himself.  It’s an activity that entirely self-motivated—unless of course you have a deadline or a job which requires you to write—and the reason we look to other authors for advice is that these are the people who discovered something about themselves.  They all discovered who they are as writers. 

Start easy, start a journal.  Don’t simply walk away when things get difficult—if the right word is not coming, or if you’re simply stuck staring at the screen—keep writing.  You’ll be amazed at the ideas you will find yourself capable at times of the greatest stress.  Those ideas might not flesh themselves out with perfect articulation, but they might be there.  Keep writing and determine the things that work best for you.  Consider the amount of time you need to stay focused every day, or even every other day.  Understanding what will keep you focused, keep you at that desk for those ours or those pages or that word count will, eventually pay off.    

If you need a content writer or a copywriter, please contact Blast Creative today.

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There is a famous saying that goes like this “you only have one chance to make a good first impression.” Nothing could be truer when it comes to writing headlines for your blogs, articles, eBooks or any other online content.  Without magnetic headlines, you may not be able to grab the attention of your reader and motivate him/her to continue reading past your headline.

Statistics show us that an average of eight out of ten people searching for information online will first read the headline, and out of these ten only two will be persuaded enough to read the rest of your content. These statistics, clearly answer the question “what is in a headline?” the answer being “power.” So, if you are an online content marketer or a copywriter, developing magnetic headlines is a valuable skill you should possess if you want to create clicktivism.  Below are some tips on how you can write magnetic headlines:

Start with the Headline
While the headline might seem like the most challenging part of writing (at times it is), you should always try to start your writing with the headline first. That is because the headline is the promise you will give to readers, so it must clearly communicate what you intend to deliver to the reader. Of course, before creating the headline you need to have a clear understanding of your subject matter. Once you have identified your subject matter or what the content of your writing will be, go ahead and create a headline. If you write the headline last, you will be looking for the promise within your content, instead of first making the promise and delivering it through your content.

Newsy headlines, grab attention
Newsy headlines are the type that makes announcements such as discovery, new product release, finding, invention and more.  You can use these headlines to introduce new services or products in the market and to make press releases. People are usually captivated by the concept “new” and are, therefore, more likely to read on to discover “what’s new.” Examples of newsy headlines are those that begin with words such as “announcing”, “introducing”, and “at last.”

“How To” headlines are magnetic
One of the most used headlines is “how to”, simply because this is a magnetic headline that is sure to grab and retain the attention of the reader. These types of headings answer the question, “what is in it for me,” which most readers will ask themselves before reading any content. So, if your content answers the question “how to,” consider creating a “how to” headline such as ‘How to Write Magnetic Headlines.”

The benefit headline will get your content read
A benefit headline is like a carrot dangled in front of a rabbit. The reader will immediately identify “what’s in it for them” from your headline. This kind of headline excites the curiosity of readers, and they will want to read on or click the headline for more details. So, when creating a magnetic headline identify a compelling benefit from your content, and serve it up in your article topic. For instance, “Get Your Online Business Noticed Today, With This Amazing SEO Tool.”

When it comes to writing content especially for online marketing, your headline is your lifeline; because a magnetic headline is what will determine whether your content will become a hit or miss.

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Almost every writer has been faced with the mind blowing process of “how to create high-quality content, quicker.”  This is especially true for new writers and those that work in the content marketing field where the demand for new and fresh content is constant.  New fresh content is important in social media marketing as it engages the target audience, hence the need to develop this content in a fast manner.

The reality is, coming up with high quality, persuasive content will take some time; however, it does not have to take “all your time” as there are useful tactics you can apply to increase your writing productivity.  Here you will find kickass tactics that you can practice daily to improve your writing speed:

1) What do you believe?
Writing starts from the “inside”; how you feel about a given topic will greatly influence whether you are motivated to write about it or not.  For example, if you have been assigned a writing task about IT, and you find such topics too “technical” and lets face it down right boring, then you will probably write this article at a snail’s pace, and it might not even be high quality. It may just be flat out lousy!  Your subconscious mind has great influence on your writing speed and the quality of article you will deliver, so believe that you can write any given topic brilliantly and you will.

2) Begin with your writing goal
Even before picking a pen or launching MS word or note, you should have a clear goal of what you want your target audience to take away from your article. Your article needs to be killer. Ask yourself, what is the ultimate goal that you are trying to achieve from this piece of writing?  What information or action do you want your readers to absorb?  What do you want your target audience to walk away with from your article?

Once you have a clear goal of what you want your writing to achieve, you can start writing with this in mind.  By beginning with your intended purpose in mind, you will save time and won’t be horrified at the amount of time you are spending on writing.

3) Keep your article short and sweet
There is a common phrase used in the marketing industry, abbreviated as “KISS” (Keep It Simple, Stupid). This concept should also be applied in writing. High-quality content means “high quality”, and not necessarily long. Most writers have the tendency to be “wordy”, but simple, short and sweet content can be quite engaging and even informative. I recommend 450 to 700 words.

This essential concept applies mostly when you are writing online content where the majority of people searching for information usually want it served up in a simple and easy format that is inspiring and persuasive. Remember that most of the online users will want the information they are looking for to be served up quickly.

4) Have an ideas diary
Generating ideas for articles is one of the most time-consuming parts of creating high-quality content. Most experienced writers will tell you that if you have an idea or concept that you want to cover in your piece of writing, words will often come easily and therefore, you will write quickly. 

One of the ways you can generate great ideas quickly is by keeping an ideas diary, that way if an interesting idea snaps into your brain at any time or place, you can record it on your smartphone or simply write it down in your diary.  You can also write ideas you get from reading blogs, newspapers or by simply watching TV, to use later in your writing.

5) Keep a topic list
Coming up with topics for your content can also be quite a challenge and time-consuming task. Come up with a potential topic list before you begin to write, to help you write faster. Ask friends and family to give you a list of questions that they have about what you do and use those for your topics. Simple, but BRILLIANT!

6) Plan
If you want to write high-quality content fast, you really need to plan your writing. When you plan which sub-headings or topic you want to cover, you will limit the time you are likely to spend rearranging paragraphs that are out of place (due to failure to plan).

7) Write First, Edit later
Writing as your edit can waste a lot of time. So, put all your ideas down first, before you start editing to save on time.

8) Set a deadline
Set a deadline of what you want to achieve within a particular time frame.  When you have a time limit, you will work harder and faster to complete your tasks within this set time.

Writing high-quality content quickly is important in today’s fast society; especially in the social media marketing field where there is constant demand for high quality and inspiring content. Use the above tips to create high quality, inspiring content as quickly as possible.

If you are looking for a copywriter, please contact Blast Creative today!

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You have a business and you know that social media can be a powerful weapon in your marketing scheme. It’s become almost standard practice for businesses to have their own Facebook page, but what about all the other social media sites out there? The truth is there are a dizzying number of social media platforms that can be utilized for business. People are now constantly asking how do you know which one will best boost you brand. The answer’s really much easier than you think; here’s where to start.

Tips for Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

Research: You won’t find the right social media channel without doing a bit of exploration to see which one is compatible with your specific business. Think about what product or service you’re offering and what resources you have available to dedicate to social media. Though social media is largely free, it does require your valuable time.

Don’t Get Sucked into What’s Popular: There are new social media channels popping up all the time. Don’t get tempted to sign up for every single site just because it’s popular. Stick to what is most relevant and effective to your business. It’s better to have solid social media campaigns on one or two channels than mediocre attempts on many.

Develop a Social Media Strategy: Create a clear and implementable plan before choosing which network you’re going to be using. By drawing up a plan, you’ll be able to stay focused and work out which strategies will be most effective to get things done.

Stick With It: Social media can become time-consuming and frustrating, but don’t let it get you down. Be consistent and over time the results will start to come in.

Go Where Your Audience Is

Knowing your audience is the key to all marketing success and it rings true for social media platforms. Don’t spend hours on LinkedIn if you’re trying to sell food recipes, try a more visual platform like Pinterest. Many businesses are trying to be on everything popular, but it’s much better to strategically plan where and what you’re going to post to be the most effective.

Here’s a rundown on the major social media platforms and what audience they serve.

Facebook

This is the one network that everyone is on and should be on, with some 1.15 billion users (1 million active users). It’s pretty much a guarantee your audience is here at least part of the time so make a mini website via Facebook if you haven’t already.

LinkedIn

For a more corporate or professional social media experience choose LinkedIn. Think services like coaching, consulting, copywriting, web development, business development, recruitment, and so on.

Twitter

Twitter now has 450 million users, 65% of whom are female and split in the ages of 25-34, 35-54 and 45-54. It pays to tweet often and make copy that’s catchy and intelligent, not to mention 140 characters or less.

YouTube

If you’re looking for a younger (majority 18-34) audience, Youtube boasts 1 million unique visitors each month and can be a powerful video marketing tool.

Pinterest

While it began as a tool for artists and creatives, Pinterest has found plenty of room for people selling products and services, given they’re attached to great images. There are 30 million users here, 80% female, with the largest audience 45-54. It can work well for mediapreneurs, entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, service providers and e-commerce related brands.

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by Nevada Track.org

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RF^x Executive Consultant Marcy Lowe from Billings, Montana has her love of shoes to thank for her successful Rodan + Fields business. Marcy signed up to be an Independent Consultant in November 2009 because she wanted to look better, and with R+F products her skin noticeably improved. After seeing her results, Marcy’s family members and friends began using the products, and their skin changed—a lot. At the time Marcy was helping her husband with his construction and land development business, but decided that an endeavor with her own Rodan + Fields business could be great “shoe money” … and shoe money and so much more it because; Marcy quickly became a Level V Executive Consultant working part-time hours.

As time went on, she started focusing more and more on Rodan + Fields, appreciating the fact that she could mold her business into her lifestyle and hold events wherever she goes. Now Marcy can travel in the new Lexus she has earned, a reward that has taken her from classy heels to first class wheels. As Marcy works on building new Level V Leaders, she believes Rodan + Fields has given her benefits that are changing not only her shoe collection. but also the future of her family.

Marcy Lowe
RF ^x Executive Consultant and 2015 RF^x Circle Achiever
Two Time Achiever

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Are you wondering how to drive an effective email campaign? Let me give you a few tips. First answer these 3 questions

1. How often do you send an enewsletter?
2. Are your enewsletters mobile friendly?
3. How quickly does your business respond to email requests?

For question 1-you should be consistent. If you send an email once a month, you should send out that email on the same day every month. For example, send it the first Monday of every month. You customers will then look forward and know to check their in-boxes on that day every month.

Question 2-just like your website, your enewsletters should be mobile ready. The majority of consumers will read your enewsletter on a smartphone or mobile device.

Question 3-your business should be responding to email requests within 5 minutes. I know that seems fast, but the odds of connecting with a new customer drop 100- fold if you wait 30 minutes or more! At the time they send that email, they are focused on your business, connecting with you and whatever service that they are inquiring about. After 30 minutes they have moved on with their days, kids, work, etc. And because you didn’t respond quickly, they have already contacted 2-3 of your competitors to inquire about their needs. So respond quickly.

You have an opportunity to use email globally and to attract customers to your business. There is compelling new data in support of email marketing. Email marketing out performs social media; we expect organic distribution of an individual page’s posts to gradually decline. Less that 2% of users who like a page on Facebook will not see that company’s posts in their newsfeed. I still recommend social media for SEO and to help distribute your content, which I will talk about shortly.

In the US, adults are almost twice as likely to sign up for your emails than to interact with you on Facebook. Most businesses have email lists that are 30-50% larger than their social fan base. The open rate for health & beauty emails is greater than 20%.

Top 6 Things To Do for Your Email Marking Strategy

1. Start at the beginning with your list make sure that you are doing all of the right things to grow your list. This should be your PRIORITY! Do you have a signup for your newsletter on your website? When someone calls your business do you ask for an email address to share specials and updates? When someone comes to your business, do you ask them for their email address to share specials and updates?
2. Make and Editorial Calendar-don’t just look at the immediate-look at the year or at least 6 months. Create a calendar theme. Feb-Valentines, March-Spring, April-Easter, etc.

3. Create an email template, consistency and branding are key. Your enewsletter should be attractive and professional.

4. Take the time to look at your data from your email platform. What is the open rate? What is the click through rate? What are people clicking on and does a certain time and day get more opens and clicks than others. I recommend sending enewsletters mid-day Tuesday thru Thursdays, research shows that you will get a larger response during those times.

5. Do you know your customers-ask them-do a survey-what would they like to see in your emails. Do a survey at least one a year.

6. Make sure that all of the emails have a strong call to action and point back to the website.

Your content, don’t stress about not having content, you do. What are your specials or deals? What have you been posting on Social Media or your blog. What do you have on your YouTube channel? Do you have vendors that you use that giveaway free content and photos? If you don’t know, ask, because most will help you with marketing. You have content, you just may not know that you do!

Your email template should align with your branding, make sure that it looks neat and professional. Always send a test email first, have more than one person review it to catch any errors. Also test the email on your smartphone and devices. Test links to make sure that they are working.

For more information on eNewsletters or email blasts, please contact us!

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