I wrote new content for an entire website, this led to a dramatic upturn in sales which allowed the owner to open an outlet in Cambridge. The business owner opted for crowd funding with Kickstarters to offset some of the outlay. I began with a blank page and set about to create some magic.
Hurdles:
The brand was relatively unknown in the area
Cambridge is one of the most expensive locations in the country
The budget was ‘toy sized’
I defined goals for the project then created a story board. Next step was to write an emotive script which told a logical, sequential story in the perfect ‘voice’ for the brand. The film needed to portray the brand message of a magical toy shop and invoke a feeling of nostalgia and excitement. We wanted to hook people in and make them believe in the project on a subliminal level. We chose The Cambridge Filmworks for production of the film, an excellent choice, the guys ‘got it’ straight away and brought the narrative to life in glorious technicolour and magical sound.
The Aims:
Raise awareness
Raise funds
Invoke brand loyalty
The Results:
The film achieved all three aims.It hooked the audience in and created a loyal following of supporters of the business.
One of my favourite films is Kinky Boots, I’ve loved it for years. Chiwetel Ejiofor struts his stuff as Lola, the drag queen with attitude. His transformation from broken individual to glamorous star is paralleled by the ailing Price & Sons, transforming itself into a successful, thriving business. How?
Discover a Niche
The keyword is ‘niche‘. Price & Sons shoes have stuck to tradition for years, producing quality footwear…that nobody wants. Should Charlie continue ‘flogging a dead horse’, shoot the horse or train the horse to compete in a different event? Charlie meets Lola and identifies a need. He decides on the latter and retrains his reluctant horse (intransigent factory workers), for an entirely different event, I’m thinking Dressage.
How to do niche marketing
Charlie Price identifies a need – quality boots for drag queens, transvestites and trans-gender men, a growing population.
Charlie listens to his target market – I mean REALLY listens, what exactly do they want? How do they want it? ‘RED darling, RED!’
Charlie sets to work retraining his ‘horse’ to make a new product
Charlie tests his new product on a critical audience who will tell it like it is (love Lola)
Charlie listens – and fine tunes his product, for ‘fine tuning’ read, scrapping and starting from scratch
Charlie’s product suits his niche market’s need
Nice one Charlie
Why niche marketing?
Less competition
You are easier to find
Your target market definitely want you
You are a BIG fish in a small pond
It can be very cost effective
Lola and Price & Sons bravely transform themselves from nothing special to something sensational; in business, life could imitate art.
Watch and listen to Charlie and Lola; transforming Price & Son to a glamorous star.
Remember that feeling in the school playground when you’d fallen out with your friends? It happens. Mostly it passed quickly and was quickly forgotten. But for those brief moments the world was a sad and lonely place. In a world dominated by social media, we are back in that playground, needing to be liked.
A positive product of such childhood experiences is that we learn how to cope, we learn that it is not the end of the world and hopefully, we learn the strategies needed to maintain friendships. Do we therefore stride confidently into adulthood in the knowledge that we understand friendships? Well that’s the theory, out of the playground spring capable and confident adults who now know how to behave. Simple, right?
The Trouble With Facebook
And then came Facebook! Fundamentally, it began as a rather joyous expedition around the most exciting aspects of other people’s lives. We lived life vicariously, discovering far off places yet to visit; we began my day with a hearty laugh, or with a previously unconsidered perspective. All very jolly if managed properly, but Facebook has a dark side…
Time: How much time is spent on Facebook that could otherwise be spent productively? It’s like spending 3/4 of playtime sitting alone in the school lobby.
Negativity: My bug bear, years ago, would we have stood in the playground with a megaphone and announced our annoyances/grievances to everyone? Worse still, would we have announced it in a cryptic message?!
Filtering: Facebook filters what we see, with the volume of ‘stuff’ out there, it has to. We are now spending playtime wearing our bobble hats over our eyes.
Likes: Are addictive. Why would someone choosing not to like us? What did we do wrong? I know, let’s all run around the playground saying ‘please like me’. ‘I must have likes to feel valid’
Behind the screen bravery: Sitting behind a screen creates the illusion of bravery. Would people actually go up to that person in the playground and say some of the things they type out loud?
Advertising: Businesses are desperately scratching around to find the latest gimmicks and ploys to attract attention. Imagine the most attention seeking child in the school and turn that one child into thousands. Getting it wrong on Facebook can make a business look a bit silly!
Like me on Facebook
I still enjoy Facebook, I enjoy sharing wisdom and entertainment on both my personal page, and My Words Work For You’s page, but like with all aspects of life, it has to be managed with a degree of sagacity.
Come and join in the fun, don’t take it too seriously, remember real friendships matter most, the rest is just light entertainment.
Our weekend has been filled with friends, entertaining, eating and drinking, the most athletic it got was the odd dog walk and a mooch around a local town. As we finally settled into our Sunday evening we gathered together to watch the European Indoor Athletics Championships. It got me thinking…
Each and every athlete is at the top of their game; physically, they are perfectly suited to their sport and their focus is sharp. It’s not dissimilar to business; if you want success, you need the mindset of an athelete.
Business Fitness Assessment
As you read this, substitute the word ‘sport’ for ‘business’; substitute the word ‘athlete’ for ‘business person’.
Take the test, how fit are you to succeed in your business?
How well are you suited to your business? Athletes are pre-tested for suitablitity for their sport, the tests are based on muscle type, stamina, personality, physiological markers and more.
Do you know what you are up against? Study the competition, what do they do well? What could they improve on? What can you learn from all of this?
Are you specialised? Now you have discovered the sport you are best suited to, are you specialising in that sport and that sport alone? Are you learning every thing that you can possibly learn about your sport? This one doesn’t apply to decathletes, heptathletes, pentathletes…although they certainly could be described as ‘specialist’.
How focused are you? Competing against your fellow athletes who have focused on nothing but their goals. How focused are you on yours?
Are you sticking to your training regimen? No athelete fulfills their potential after lack of training. Have you studied? Are constantly ‘on it’?
Are your ready for every hurdle? Your training is not meant to be smooth, it’s the hurdles that get thrown in your path that will teach you more than any ‘strike gold fast’ offering.
Do you have the fitness and stamina to go the distance?
So, you are in the right sport, you are focused on your goals, you have studied the competition, you have a dedicated training regimen and you are prepared for hurdles, in fact you cannot wait to learn from them…And you believe in yourself. Perfect.
What sport are you suited to? I got ‘triathlete’, what about you? Try a fun test here
What I love best is finding areas that need fine tuning, and fine tuning them. It doesn’t need a Degree in rocket science, just a Diploma in common sense. Be your own harshest critic, what areas do you excel in? What areas could you do with a coach? Don’t waste your valuable time struggling to compete in the areas you are not suited to, hire other athletes for that.
You are up against stiff competition; be the best you can be.
How do you know if I am to be trusted? Do I deserve your custom? The internet is flooded with businesses and people yelling at you, ‘pick me, pick me’. What’s going to tip you over the edge to click ‘BUY NOW’?
The Power of Testimonials
Let’s get into the heads of our audience. Think about your own experience when shopping online, what makes you choose one business/person over another? In terms of conversions, testimonials are the most powerful. A testimonial is honest, raw and shows that a business is confident enough in its service to allow its customers to ‘go public’ with their thoughts with no interference from the company.
Ask For Reviews
Next comes reviews, ask for reviews from your clients/customers. Be bold, you want an accurate picture from the end user of how you are performing. If that picture isn’t perfect, there is your perfect opportunity to improve. Listen to what your customers are saying, respond, react, improve. Nobody is perfect, there will be the very occasional slip up, humans are fallible but if you are striving to get it right 100% of the time, your perfect reviews will be not far short of that. Aim to look forward to every piece of feedback because you KNOW it is going to be good. After all, your chance to excel is how you react when you get it wrong.
Here’s one of my recent testimonials from a valued client. It matters to me, and makes me feel good that I know I am doing a good job for this client. It matters a whole lot more to my potential client, they need to know they can trust me to do the job well.
“Nicola is a real team player, someone I can rely on and trust implicitly. We have worked together since May 2016 and Nicola happily goes ‘above and beyond’, easily turning her head to any challenge. Her detailed approach and friendly rapport with clients and other team members are an asset to my business, Empathic Mind Limited.”
Libby Wingham
Director, Empathic Mind
Start asking today, listen to your customers, learn from them, let everybody know just how good you are.
Have you ever walked in to one of those shops that felt like a glorified jumble sale? You know the ones, an eclectic mix of random products thrown together with neither rhyme nor reason. It smacks of the owner’s desperation to increase sales, they are trying anything and everything. Much of this smorgasbord has no business being there, and has no connection with the brand. Potential customer searching for something specific on line or in store have no target to aim for.
When the going gets tough, it’s easy for companies to lose their way. Owners and buyers try anything that might sell and before they know it, they find themselves waist high in products that have no connection to the brand and a brand with no connection to the products. The journey from there is, well, ‘choppy’ at best. If you are not sure where you are, you sure as heck won’t know where you are going.
Go back to your roots, why did your story begin? Why did people choose you?
Ask yourself:
Who are we?
What do we represent?
Who is our target market?
What is our USP?
Are we offering what our market wants?
What is our brand message?
Write it down in any way that suits you, brain-storm, mind-map, spreadsheet, list…above all, focus on your brand. Your brand is everything, if it’s crystal clear in your mind, it will be obvious in everything that you do: buying, marketing, selling, steering… everything. If it isn’t clear to you, how will it be clear to your target market? How will people find you? Think of some examples of successful brands and how strongly their message is woven into the fabric of every product they sell and every way they sell it. Think how strongly their customers believe in the brand.
Don’t be that random, eclectic seller. Be true to your brand, believe in it, stay loyal to it and those sentiments will be returned by all who discover you. After all, we all need something to believe in, don’t we.
There are SMBs out there who are not in control of their stock. Arguably, control of the business begins with control of its stock. Knowing what will sell and making sure it’s available equals higher turnover. More sales, increased revenue, cash flows where it is needed, and the business grows.
Working as a content writer for a small business, I was asked one day to have a go at placing an order. It transpired, there was no existing system, just guesswork. Enter Ms Dunklin, Queen of Stock Control! The EPOS system gave me a record of sales and I soon had an impressive spreadsheet; sales, quantities in stock and an order column waiting to be filled. It grew, quickly, and in spite of the hope this would not become a permanent fixture in my job description, I was soon ‘all over it’. I forged great relationships with the suppliers who enjoyed the massive growth in sales.
The role remained mine, and I quickly developed ‘Obsessive Control Disorder’, OCD. I had it running like a well oiled machine, spotting trends, predicting seasonal changes and creating growth. It seemed so obvious to be providing the items that people wanted to buy, all year round. Equally as obvious, the items that didn’t sell were no longer ordered. Crucially, I focused the offering to ensure it was ‘on brand’, the products were a perfect representation of the brand. While the website grew from strength to strength, the retail outlets performed better than ever and profits grew. It wasn’t difficult, it took time and attention but the results were HUGE.
I knew the stock, the suppliers, the customers; everything functioned in perfect synchrony. The website and the retail outlets carried precisely the right amount of stock, that part was nailed down. By now, I was also responsible for buying. I found new suppliers and new products to increase the range, widening the audience, experimenting, discovering, it was fun. Customers found all they were looking for and more, the website was an exciting place to be and more people came along for the ride, every day. Record sales, record results, giving the company every chance of success by plugging every hole in the boat, leaving the owner with the job of plotting the course and steering the boat.
An Upward Trend Image credit: Jemome
Be warned! It’s not a perfect solution, If you have just one person with this vital knowledge and and you lose them, your business is in a precarious position. Sharing the load as well as sharing the knowledge will stop you finding yourself stranded if you lose that ‘font of all knowledge’ from the business.
Stock control is a solid foundation to success, it isn’t difficult, but it does require time, attention and someone who cares. It was a great pleasure to care so much about this business and I take pride in the results we saw during my time there. Fundamentally, I am a content writer, the content writing and every written communication were my responsibility too; now that’s another article…
There are myriad schemes and offers out there to build your customer base. You’ll know plenty of gimmicks to attract people into your ‘funnel’: competitions, flash sales, hooks, free offers, free trials…mostly, they will achieve good results for you, in the short term. If you are in it for the long haul and your aim is to create a thriving business with a loyal customer base, it needs to be far less superficial. You need to be a good friend, to every single customer.
For a long-term relationship of value to both parties, treat your customers as you would treat your friends. The fundamentals of ‘relationship rules’ are the same.
Get to know each other, form an open dialogue, listen, communicate in a way that works for them.
What do they like? What do they need? What makes them tick? What can you do for them? Why do they like you?
Be honest, and honourable, always aim to do the right thing, you want them to know they can trust you.
They like you, they chose you for a reason, be true to yourself and your brand and don’t try to be all things to all people, you will quickly lose your way.
Know what you are good at, and offer that, fine tune it, perfect it and be the friend of choice.
As you nurture your friendship, you will earn trust. Be there for them, continue to support them with what they need and they will continue to support you.
The rules:
Be Honest – Do as you say you will, fulfil the promises you make
Listen – What do they expect of you? How do they feel about you? Are they happy?
Give – Your time and your attention
Know – yourself, your limitations as well as those of your friend, accept them with grace
Like – Yourself first, are you happy with who you are? Be likeable and you will be liked
Trust – Runs two ways, it is earned and easily lost, deserve trust.
The results:
A productive, loyal, and long term relationship that benefits both parties.
It is more than just words. Content marketing is a holistic approach that permeates through your whole business. Success comes from understanding your audience, knowing what they are looking for and providing a unique and memorable user experience. Your content needs to speak directly to your audience, let them feel the passion you feel for your product, let them fully appreciate the benefits your offering will bring to them. To do that takes understanding, insight, passion and a love of words. It’s a competitive world, your words need saying loudly and with feeling if you want to be heard.
I can work on anything involving words and improve it for you with unique page content. I use persuasive writing techniques combined with an understanding of behavioural psychology. I develop a deeper understanding of the message you want to convey and, of equal importance, an understanding of the people you need to reach. I work hard to get it right, making you the most successful you can be.
Business owner? You know you have an amazing product or valuable service, but struggle to find the best way to express it. Your time is valuable, so many demands and time spent staring at a blank page is time that could be spent more productively elsewhere.
The list is by no means exhaustive:
Web copy
Website improvement
Blog writing
SEO
Product descriptions
Curriculum vitae
Letters
Articles
Reports
Proofreading
Editing
Emails
Marketing literature
Advertising literature
Get in touch and we can talk through any project so you get the best results.
I have a proven track-record of success. Please take a few minutes to look through Testimonials and statistics or see examples of my work on the Before & After page or just Try me!
Content Marketing that will stand out from the crowd. I give so much more than words, it is a whole new way of thinking, fresh eyes on the business and a greater insight into the way your customers see you. It’s giving you control, empowering you to thrive.
Short term benefits for you:
Your time is freed
A fresh pair of eyes, seeing you as your customer does
Bring more customers to your site
Gain the trust & respect of your audience
To shout about what you can do & how well you can do it
Unique page content,great for you, for your customers and for SEO
To make words do the hard work, so you don’t have to
Get the right sort of attention
To look more professional
Focus on your goals
Move forward, in the right direction for you
Unique page content
Long Term Benefits:
Achieve your goals
Climb up Google’s rankings
Increased conversions
Increased customer base
Increased revenue
Increased profit
Improved website
Maintenance (I review work & improve it according to need/changing demands)
I Make Words Work For You 
My Words Work For You 