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YOU HUNGRY?
TO BLOG, OR NOT TO BLOG?
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April 10, 2008 Issue:  Month/Year
Little James has arrived!
 
And then there were three... Steve and I are thrilled to be the parents of an adorable baby boy--who is a good sleeper!
 
And I'm thrilled to be back to work. Looking forward to connecting with everyone in the coming weeks.
 
Best--
Irene
YOU HUNGRY?
Hungry for more clients? All the talk we hear about looming recession can sure stimulate a few pangs.

 

If things are a little slow, see below for three things you can do to make sure your marketing message and collateral are polished up and shining.

 

You want your company to be communicating its value prop clearly and compellingly when we turn the corner on the slow-down and people start looking to invest in their business again.

 

1. Your website.  Does it grab your ideal client's attention from the first headline? All the pages of your site should crow about the benefits your company offers since you don't know on which page search engine traffic may land.

 

Remember the three-second rule: a visitor to your site spends three seconds looking at a page before hitting the "back" button--unless she sees something that grabs her attention.

 
That "something" should be a compelling statement of benefit, the best reason she wants to work with your company.
 

2. Your elevator

speech.  If you have 30 seconds, can you persuade someone you meet on the street that he needs to learn more about your offering?
 

People love stories. The best speeches include a true-life example of how your business made life better for a client by addressing an urgent pain point.

 

Odds are this met-on-the-street person knows little about your business, so be sure to use concrete, listener-friendly language that your grandmother could understand.

 

3. Your elevator email. And be ready for the email follow-up after you get back to the office. Think about how often you carefully read an email that's more than a sentence.

 

Your correspondent's attention-span is just as short as yours. Include only a very brief two-sentence explanation of your value proposition. Save a full explanation for that first meeting.

TO BLOG, OR NOT TO BLOG?

More and more, your prospects are going online to find answers, solutions, referrals-not just to buy products. So if your marketing efforts have been exclusively offline, you're missing an increasingly important channel for sharing your expertise and knowledge with a wider audience.

 

Just like your prospects, journalists go online to find answers and information too. As you continue to build your blog over time, search engines are more likely to return your blog as a result when a journalist is tracking down experts in a given field.

 

Blogging is also cheaper, faster and easier than setting up a website. (Software available at Blogger.com and TypePad.com.) And if you keep it updated daily-or close to daily-your search engine results will be better than with a regular site.

 

It does take some time though-regular updates are key-so a good way to dip your toe in the water is to do some exploring first. Start by finding blogs that are relevant in your market. A good source is www.technorati.com, where you can search on a term or phrase specific to your industry and find out who's saying what.

 

Click on "comments" at the end of a posting and you'll see what people have to say. After reading a blog for a few weeks, you'll want to start commenting yourself. Even if you never start blogging, being part of the conversation this way can increase your visibility.

 

 
Need any help with your marketing collateral projects? Give a call 404-260-4514, or send an email info@impactcopywriting.com.
 
Partnering with Rohde Marketing & Design now means we can take care of your design needs as well.
 
Would love to talk with you about your marketing goals and how we can help.
 
Best--
 
Irene Pierce Hatchett
Impact Copywriting