Building a successful business requires a lot of hard work, dedication and strategic planning. One of the most important aspects to focus on is marketing and branding your business so it stands out in the marketplace. Creating an effective brand strategy is essential for building long-term relationships with customers, increasing customer loyalty and ensuring your business’ longevity.
1. Create an effective branding strategy.
The first step to creating a successful brand strategy is to develop a unique and recognizable brand identity. Make sure your brand identity conveys the values and mission of your company in a memorable way. This will help to differentiate you from competitors and create a lasting impression on potential customers.
The more memorable and identifiable your brand identity is, the more likely customers will be able to recall it easily when they need a product or service. You can achieve this by creating a logo, color scheme and slogan that are unique to your business and will help you stand out from the crowd.
2. Develop relationships with reporters.
The second step is to build relationships with reporters so that you have more of an opportunity for them to cover your business in the media. Reach out to local reporters, editors and media outlets to establish these relationships.
This step could also be done through networking, attending press events and conferences, or even offering interviews to reporters. When you have established relationships with media outlets, you may have a better chance to generate more attention for your brand.
3. Utilize social media platforms.
Social media can be used as a powerful tool when it comes to promoting your business. Use social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to make announcements about your new products or services, provide updates on special offers, discuss customer feedback and more. This can help you to reach a larger audience quickly and engage with potential customers in a meaningful way.
4. Leverage influencers.
Leveraging influencers is another great way to spread the word about your brand and help you reach new audiences. This can be done through collaborations, content sharing or sponsored posts that feature your products and services. When working with influencers, keep these tips in mind.
• Research: It’s important to research the influencers you are thinking of working with in order to determine if they would be a good fit for your brand. Look at their followers, content and engagement rate to make sure that their audience is relevant to your target market.
• Establish a relationship: Don’t just jump into a working relationship with an influencer without establishing a good rapport. Connect with them on social media and build relationships so that you can get to know each other before deciding to partner up.
• Set clear expectations: Make sure that both parties are on the same page regarding expectations and rules. This includes payment terms, deadlines, content requirements, etc.
• Offer incentives: Influencers want to work with brands that value their time and offer proper compensation for their services. Consider offering incentives such as discounts or exclusive offers to entice influencers to collaborate with you.
5. Participate in local events.
Finally, participating in local events is another great way to market and promote your business. You can also attend events such as trade shows and conferences to showcase your brand and services. Additionally, hosting your own events in your local area can also help to build relationships with customers and give them a chance to interact with your brand in a positive way.
In conclusion, creating an effective brand strategy is crucial for the success of any business. By developing a unique and recognizable brand identity, building relationships with reporters, using social media to promote your business, leveraging influencers and participating in local events, you can ensure that your brand stands out from the competition and is remembered by customers. With a comprehensive strategy in place, you will be well on your way to growing a successful business and long-term customer loyalty.
It’s nearly impossible to know everything before starting a company, but here are five essentials I wish I knew before founding my own.
When establishing a startup, you’re bound to run into obstacles that seem insurmountable. After all, starting your own company is no easy task. You’ll be faced with constant challenges that test your resolve and ultimately determine the success of your business.
When founding my own company, there were many times I was disappointed at the lack of progress or the problems arising. Fortunately, I learned how to deal with tough situations appropriately and how to build a successful company. All it took was time and a willingness to learn and grow from my mistakes.
However, no one should go into founding a company blindly. As I said, there’s plenty I wish I’d known before establishing my own. Here are five things I’d tell myself before building my business that I know will help future entrepreneurs:
1. Own up to your mistakes
Taking responsibility for your mistakes — especially critical ones — is hard. However, when you own up to and examine your missteps, you can make better, smarter decisions the next time.
Above all, don’t push the blame for your mistakes onto others. Doing so will create unnecessary tension and ultimately divide the team. When leaders take ownership of their mistakes, they cultivate a trustworthy culture of teammates who take their responsibilities seriously.
As a leader, you can’t ask more from your employees than responsibility and respect. Those are two driving forces that will propel your company forward. So, own up to your mistakes in order to better your entire team.
2. Expect things to require more resources than anticipated
With countless hours of planning put into the launch of many startups, it’s surprising how often things go haywire. Startups can experience a variety of unforeseen events (e.g., labour shortages, pandemics, wars). Regardless of the conflict, you should always expect to need more resources than previously planned.
For example, bringing a product to market may require more time than you initially strategized because the slowed supply chain impacts material delivery. Or maybe your product requires more capital than previously projected because the cost of certain materials has risen due to inflation.
No matter the event, you should always be prepared for money, time or material shortages. By expecting it, you can better prepare your team and company to pivot toward a solution if necessary.
3. Consider customer service as an integral part of your company
Early on in a company’s life, customer service is often overlooked because of a lack of resources. But don’t underestimate the power of great customer service. It should be defined as listening to your customers’ issues, acknowledging them and providing an effective solution.
If you can give early customers a superb experience, they’ll remain customers for life. In turn, you’ll build a brand that future customers rely on and love. Not to mention, word-of-mouth marketing is an excellent bonus — it’s free and offers some of the best brand recognition you can build as a company.
4. Check your ego at the door
As the founder of a company, the best thing you can do is drop your ego. Why? Most importantly, an ego dilutes the pool of available candidates when recruiting. Revealing a strong or combative ego during an interview causes the good candidates to decline your offer — or even revoke their application before hearing your hiring decision.
As a result, you’re left with a team that isn’t as good as it could be. Be sure to let go of your pride when recruiting a team early. When you have a successful core team, you’ll have a successful company.
5. Build an experienced team
It may go without saying that you should build an experienced team from the start. However, many startups suffer from nepotism, hiring team members because they’re friends or family rather than based on experience. Some founders also simply lack recruiting experience and end up hiring unqualified team members.
Additionally, the team members you hire should fit into the culture you want to cultivate. Find diverse-minded people who are doers and take ownership of their work. Doing so will help grow your company and propel it into a successful startup with a team of synergized individuals.
While these five tips will help you navigate your startup early on, they don’t cover everything you need to know. In fact, you’ll have many opportunities to learn from your own experiences and mistakes along the way. Only then will you better prepare yourself, your team and your company for a successful future.
Founder of ButterflyMX. Cyrus Claffey is the founder of ButterflyMX, a proptech company focused on smartphone-enabled property access. Claffey has been developing and implementing real estate technologies for more than 15 years. He currently works with some of the largest names in multifamily and CRE.
As a startup, effective communication is key to success. And in today’s digital age, email is one of the most important channels you have to connect with your audience, build relationships, and grow your business. That’s why it’s essential to invest in startup email development. In this article, we’ll show you how to develop an email strategy that will help you fuel your growth and achieve your goals.
Understanding the Importance of Startup Email Development
The Power of Email for Startups
Email is a powerful tool for startups. It’s cost-effective, flexible, and allows you to reach a wide audience. But to get the most out of your email marketing efforts, you need to have a solid email development strategy in place.
Key Benefits of Startup Email Development
Startup email development has a number of benefits, including:
• Increased engagement
• Improved email deliverability
• Better email analytics
• Increased brand awareness
Crafting Engaging Emails for Your Startup
Define Your Target Audience
The first step in crafting engaging emails is to understand who your target audience is. Consider factors such as demographics, interests, and purchasing behaviors to create a detailed profile of your ideal customer.
Write Compelling Subject Lines
The subject line is the first thing your audience will see, so it’s essential to make it count. Keep it short, to the point, and use language that will entice your audience to open your email.
Personalize Your Emails
Personalized emails have a higher open and click-through rate than generic messages. Consider using the recipient’s name, location, or past purchasing behavior to create a more personalized experience.
Improving Email Deliverability for Your Startup
Know the Spam Filters
To improve your email deliverability, it’s important to understand how spam filters work. Be mindful of the words and phrases you use, and avoid sending too many emails in a short period of time.
Build a Clean Email List
A clean email list is essential for improving email deliverability. Make sure to regularly remove inactive subscribers, and use double opt-in to confirm new subscribers.
Understanding Email Analytics for Your Startup
Track Your Email Metrics
To get the most out of your email marketing efforts, it’s essential to track your email metrics. This includes open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and more.
Analyze Your Data
Once you’ve tracked your email metrics, it’s time to analyze your data. Look for patterns and trends, and use this information to refine your email strategy and improve your results.
FAQs:
Q: What are the key benefits of startup email development?
A: The key benefits include increased engagement, improved email deliverability, better email analytics, and increased brand awareness.
Q: How can I craft engaging emails for my startup?
A: To craft engaging emails for your startup, you should define your target audience, write compelling subject lines, and personalize your emails.
Q: How can I improve my email deliverability?
A: To improve your email deliverability, you should understand the spam filters, build a clean email list, and use best practices such as avoiding using certain trigger words and sending emails at optimal times.
Q: How can I track and analyze my email metrics?
A: You can track your email metrics using email marketing software that provides analytics. Then, you can analyze your data to look for patterns and trends, and use that information to refine your email strategy and improve your results.
Conclusion:
Startup email development is a critical component of your overall marketing strategy. By understanding the importance of email, crafting engaging messages, improving your email deliverability, and tracking your results, you can take your startup to new heights. Remember, email is a cost-effective and flexible way to reach a wide audience and build strong relationships with your customers. So, invest in startup email development and fuel your growth today.
A vision statement is an integral part of the foundation of any business. A well-crafted vision statement should be inspiring, meaningful, and easy to remember while clarifying the organization’s ambitions and values.
In this article, we will examine what exactly a vision statement is, explore how to write one effectively, and provide access to examples and templates to help you get started. Let’s dive in!
What is a Vision Statement?
A company vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s mission, purpose, and brand values. It identifies the desired end-state of the business and serves as a road map for how to achieve that goal.
A vision statement should be forward-looking and inspiring, without being overly specific or narrow in scope. You’ll use more detail when you write a business plan, which should be more specific but ultimately be informed by your company’s vision statement.
It should set the tone for what can be accomplished in the future, while also providing direction and clarity to stakeholders.
Lastly, it should be brief and memorable so that it can be easily communicated and understood.
Why Vision Statements are so Important for Businesses
Vision statements are essential for businesses to stay focused on the end goal. They provide a clear direction of where the organization is heading, offering guidance and motivation to employees and stakeholders alike.
A strong vision statement can help set expectations, energize a team, inform your marketing plan, and keep everyone aligned with the long-term objectives.
It is also an invaluable resource for decision-making, as it helps to ensure that any new initiatives support the company’s ultimate mission and action plan.
Therefore, having a well-crafted vision statement is a must for any successful business.
22 Vision Statement Examples
How are some of the world’s most successful organizations defining their own visions? What do you think of their inspiring vision statements?
Check out the following 22 examples of good vision statements from famous companies that you can use as inspiration to create your own vision statement:
1. Ikea
Ikea’s vision statement reads, “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people.”
2. Linkedin
In its vision statement, LinkedIn defines what sets the company apart from other social media platforms when it says, “Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”
3. Patagonia
Patagonia’s vision statement states: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
4. Ford
The Ford Motor Company’s vision statement says, “People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership.”
5. Southwest Airlines
Southwest’s vision statement states, “To be the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.”
6. Tesla
Tesla’s vision statement reads, “Create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.”
7. San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo’s vision statement says, “To become a world leader at connecting people to wildlife and conservation.”
8. The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy’s vision statement looks to the company’s future and encompasses its values: “To leave a sustainable world for future generations.”
9. AT&T
AT&T’s vision statement reads, “To build a new global communications network that allows human resources to reallocate to more complex and productive activities – within a decade.”
10. Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson uses the following vision statement to inspire healthier communities: “For every person to use their unique experiences and backgrounds, together – to spark solutions that create a better, healthier world.”
11. BBC
The BBC‘s vision statement is short and sweet: “To be the most creative organization in the world.”
12. Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s defines its core values in the following mission statement: “Making the best ice cream in the nicest possible way.”
Short Business Vision Statement Examples
Creating a strong and concise vision statement can be difficult, even though the companies on our list make it look easy.
Here are some short business vision statement examples that you can use to model your own unique vision statement.
13. Feeding America
Feeding America’s short business vision statement describes the organization’s efforts: “A hunger-free America.”
14. TED
The TED organization presents the world’s information and uses a short vision statement: “Spread ideas.”
15. Zoom
Zoom’s short vision statement reads, “Video communications empowering people to accomplish more.”
16. Oxfam
Oxfam’s vision statement is simple and describes the company’s commitment: “A just world without poverty.”
17. Whole Foods
Whole Foods’ inspiring vision statement says, “To nourish people and the planet.”
18. Disney
In its vision statement, the world’s premier entertainment company says its vision is, “To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.”
19. Amazon
Amazon’s vision statement shows the company isn’t afraid to dream big; it reads, “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
20. IBM
IBM uses a vision statement detailing its overarching vision, saying, “To be the world’s most successful and important information technology company. Successful in helping our customers apply technology to solve their problems. Successful in introducing this extraordinary technology to new customers. Important because we will continue to be the basic resource of much of what is invested in this industry.”
21. McDonald’s
McDonald’s vision statement describes its values: “To move with velocity to drive profitable growth and become an even better McDonald’s serving more customers delicious food each day around the world.”
22. Warby Parker
The Warby Parker vision statement confirms the company’s direction is to offer designer eyewear; it reads, “We believe that buying glasses should be easy and fun. It should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket. We also believe that everyone has the right to see.”
Mission Statement Vs Vision Statement
The company mission statement and the vision statement are two distinct concepts, but both mission and vision statements have one major thing in common – they are each used to define the future goals and values of a business.
A company’s mission statement describes what an organization does in the present day, while a vision statement outlines an ambitious goal for what it wishes to achieve in the next five to ten years.
Both vision and mission statements should be concise, inspiring, and achievable, enabling everyone in the organization to share a unified purpose and move forward together toward success.
A vision statement is a guiding document that helps to articulate the future aspirations of an organization.
For example, the Starbucks vision statement is “To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.” A great vision statement should have four key characteristics:
Clarity
Clarity is essential when crafting a compelling vision statement. It should communicate what the organization wants to accomplish in an easy-to-understand manner, avoiding any complex language or jargon.
Clarity allows everyone involved in the organization to clearly comprehend the what, why, and how of the statement and serves as a rallying cry for all stakeholders. A clear, concise, and compelling vision statement can help shape the direction of an organization for the better.
Focus
Having a focused vision statement is essential for any organization’s future aspirations. It should define the specific goals and objectives of the organization, and how they plan to achieve them.
It should also help make sure that everyone involved in the organization is on the same page and working towards a shared goal.
A focused vision statement should be detailed enough for people to understand what their role is in contributing to the success of the organization, but broad enough to leave room for growth and development.
Inspiration
Inspiration is a key component of an amazing vision statement. It allows the reader to get an idea of what the company stands for and why they are striving to reach its goals.
A great vision statement should inspire and motivate people to take action, while also providing a clear sense of direction. Inspiration can come from the company values, or from stories of real-world successes.
When done correctly, inspiring statements can help build trust and strengthen relationships between consumers and businesses.
Feasibility
Feasibility is an important characteristic of an amazing vision statement. The statement should be realistic and achievable, while still pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
The vision must have a balance between ambition and practicality to ensure that it will be taken seriously by stakeholders. It must also align with the company’s current capabilities and resources in order to be believable.
In addition, it should address any potential obstacles that may occur on the way to achieving the goals set by the vision.
How to Write a Vision Statement
Writing a vision statement can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step and equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to write an effective, inspiring vision statement.
Step 1: Identify Your Goals
The first step in writing a vision statement is to identify your long-term goals for the company. You may refer to your business plan, mission, and personal brand statement for ideas. The following questions can also help you identify relevant points. What do you want to achieve? What does success look like three, five, or ten years from now? These questions will help you define the core purpose of your business.
It’s also important to consider any short-term objectives or milestones that have been set. You may find that some objectives are more achievable than others and must be adjusted accordingly. By taking this into account, you can create a realistic yet ambitious vision statement that will keep everyone motivated throughout the journey.
Step 2: Gather Input From Others
Once you’ve identified your goals, it’s time to get input from other stakeholders in the company such as employees, customers, and shareholders. Ask them what they think should be included in the vision statement and how they would like to see their individual contributions reflected in it.
Gathering input from others helps provide perspective on different aspects of your business and ensures that everyone is working towards the same end goal.
Step 3: Write It Down
Now comes the fun part – writing down your vision statement! Start by summarizing what you’ve learned so far such as what are your core values as a business, who are your customers, what you offer them, and where you want to go in the future.
Be sure to use concise language that speaks directly to these topics, as well as evokes emotion by showcasing why this journey matters for both yourself and those involved with you along the way.
Step 4: Finalize & Publish Your Vision Statement
When crafting and editing your vision statement, make sure it’s something you can easily explain and believe in wholeheartedly. This is key for providing direction when making decisions down the line.
Once finalized, don’t forget to share it with all stakeholders so that everyone knows what lies ahead and how they can contribute towards achieving those goals. By keeping the vision statement visible and alive, it will serve as a reminder of the company’s purpose and inspire everyone to keep pushing forward.
Vision Statement Template
A vision statement template provides a framework for creating an inspiring and effective vision statement. It asks questions about your company’s goals, values, and intended audience to help you create a statement that is meaningful and motivating.
Once you have answered the questions in the template, you can fill in the necessary sections in the template below to form the statement itself.
Our vision is to (describe goal/long-term objective), while providing (describe services provided), as well as striving towards (describe values). We will inspire our (audience) by upholding our commitment to (list specific objectives or values), ultimately leading to our success in achieving (key results or desired outcomes).
Tips on How to Write a Good Vision Statement
How can you describe your entire business’s vision in just a few words? It is possible to create the perfect vision statement for your small business with creativity, focus, and effort. The following few tips for writing a vision statement should help:
Don’t be afraid to dream big and focus on the future of your organization. What can the company be in the years to come? What do you want to be known for?
Choose clear and specific language. Dreaming big doesn’t have to mean being vague, and the perfect vision statement should be specific enough to influence future decisions. Remember, you aren’t talking about the past, so be sure and write the vision statement in the present tense.
Keep it short. The best vision statements are not longer than a sentence or two, and many of the most memorable consist of just a few words.
Make it memorable and bring inspiration. What sets your organization apart from the competition? Be sure and highlight what makes your small business unique, and choose a language that inspires those within the organization to achieve its goals.
Final Words
A well-crafted vision statement is a key component of any successful business. It outlines an inspiring goal that everyone in the organization can strive toward, provides guidance for decision-making, and helps to ensure that initiatives are focused on achieving the ultimate mission.
With some planning and creativity, anyone can craft a great vision statement using examples or templates as a starting point. When done right, it can ignite passion and motivation in employees and stakeholders alike – setting your business up for success.
However, if done incorrectly and without the proper care and consideration, it can do the opposite. So, take your time and create something that you and everyone else in your organization can believe in.
AI has been in existence for a while but Chat GPT has advanced the uptake among business owners. The user-friendly interface, insightful and often surprising answers have been attracting entrepreneurs in to see what they can do. The number of Chat GPT-based products on Product Hunt has exploded and is only set to rise. The tools are being created in their hundreds and millions of entrepreneurs are using them.
How entrepreneurs are using AI
Most of the uptake of AI among entrepreneurs is in using the tools that already exist to save time doing things they already did. Much of this has been in the form of content. They are using AI copywriting and image generator tools and asking Chat GPT to generate headlines and captions and even entire sales pages, marketing email sequences and calls to action. They are writing blog posts for SEO with the help of a robot assistant who seems to have all the answers and can put together copy of any style in no time at all.
Some entrepreneurs are afraid of AI. They see it as their competition, and they are worried their margins and USPs are being squeezed by the technology. Akin to the 19th century luddites of the industrial revolution who smashed up sewing machines, AI is their sworn enemy and they are spending energy highlighting its obvious flaws to prove how they are better. They’re writing policies to keep AI out of hiring, content creation and artistic licensing, forgetting that humans too have flaws and biases.
A separate bunch of entrepreneurs have turned into detectives. They are concerned with figuring out what is real and what has been generated by AI. A friend owns a content site monetized using affiliate links and she hires copywriters to generate over a hundred articles a week. Suspicious that some of her copywriters aren’t writing the articles by hand, she’s investing in AI plagiarism tools to catch them out. Academics are developing more strict methods to ensure students don’t submit essays written by AI copywriting tools.
Every single one of these groups is missing the potential and thinking too small about how to incorporate AI into their business.
How entrepreneurs should be using AI
In 2015 I watched Moley Robotics launch the prototype of its robot kitchen. A pair of animatronic hands was trained by a chef to cut vegetables, prepare ingredients, and stir pasta. It could make an entire family’s meal at the touch of a button, and it even loaded a dishwasher afterwards. I thought about who the winners in this scenario were, should it become widely adopted in the future. The winners: the owners of Moley Robotics, the chef whose hands were used to train the robot, and the people consuming the food who haven’t had to make it themselves or pay a human to have it cooked for them.
Who were the losers? All the other chefs, whose hands weren’t used to train the robot and whose customers were now being looked after by the robot chef. The gap between the winners and losers is huge here. So which side would you rather be on?
Entrepreneurs aren’t using AI to its full potential: here’s how to think bigger. getty
The future of AI is winner takes all. But this isn’t about writing headlines and submitting fake essays, it’s about actually building the tools that billions of people will use. Adopting a winner takes all mentality is futile if you look to make incremental changes within your existing business. The potential of AI can’t be squeezed into your human-made schedule and services. Think bigger, or become obsolete.
A favourite problem-solving tool of Elon Musk is thinking about the platonic ideal. This means, rather than bodge AI into what currently exists, think of what could be created from scratch. Imagine nothing existed. Pretend you didn’t have a business that operated in a fixed way, but a blank slate to reimagine how you deliver the same outcome for your customers using AI. Thinking about what already exists will only confine your thinking and limit your results.
What’s the potential of AI for business?
Instead of a commercial law firm thinking about how to use AI writing tools to tidy up contracts and remove typos, they should think about what they can build so their customer feels safe and protected legally when running their business. Instead of a personal assistant worrying that they are out of a job once their clients realise there’s an existing tool for everything they do, they can use their expertise to design the tools and create new ones that work better.
A personal stylist needn’t worry that Chat GPT can give their customers tailored style advice just as they could, they should be thinking about how they can appear on every professional’s wardrobe, as the person they ask what they should wear every single day. The technology makes it possible, but most entrepreneurs are fixated on the wrong things and failing to see the potential for themselves.
The potential of AI is that we exist in harmony alongside it, and we use it to advance our lives. In the future, human-only generated content will just be in a different category. In the sport of powerlifting there are drugs-tested and non-drugs tested federations. If you aren’t drugs tested, it’s assumed you’re using performance-enhancing drugs. This will be the case with AI: if you haven’t specifically stated you aren’t using the tools, it is assumed that you are. And why wouldn’t you? Embrace what exists to spend more time doing what only your human self can do.
What’s in the future?
In the future is Chat GPT 3.5 and 4, and a whole host of alternatives, plus every tool that is being dreamed up and developed into reality by visionary entrepreneurs. There’s a widening gap between those with their head in the sand and those grabbing AI with both hands. Your business could be unrecognisable in a few months if you harness the technology without the constraints you’ve been working within so far. Figuring out how to do this is no easy feat.
While there are benefits in using the tools that already exist, doing this alone might mean you tread water until you’re overtaken. Although an efficient strategy in the short term, it’s not going to matter if your entire industry is upturned by a few key players that thought several steps ahead. Level up your visionary thinking and make yourself one of them.
Entrepreneur psychology and how to run a business without it running you. Post-exit entrepreneur, author of Ten Year Career and Forbes’ 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs in Europe 2017.
Making as many large-scale decisions as possible alleviates the pressure of dwelling too long on their micro counterparts, saving oceans of time and effort.
Every day we are faced with a barrage of decisions, from the macro (including hiring, firing and product development) to micro (personal attire, coffee section… even which road to take). As the rate of change and pace of work life increase, business leaders who don’t get smart about categorizing choices run the risk of succumbing to their sheer volume. Decision fatigue is all too real, but for many, it’s entirely avoidable. Here’s how:
Tackle as many macro decisions as possible
Macro decisions are big-picture items: the direction of the company, key staff and new product launches or offerings, to name a few examples. These extend beyond professional realms into the personal, such as partner selection, buying a home and having a child. Of course, they also wind up being the ones we spend the most time thinking about, including weighing pros and cons and enlisting the help of friends and colleagues. What we may not realize, however, is that macro pivots have the power to point us in a direction that makes a lot of micro decisions for us, if we let them. The aim is to answer big questions such as “What is this business going to be?”, “What are we going to do?” and “What are our goals?”
The psychological attrition of unmade micro decisions
“Getting stuck” or stymied is an important signal of an ongoing (and unmet) challenge, one that, in my experience, has everything to do with the interplay between macro and micro decision-making. The latter category encompasses smaller-ticket items: a modest business expense, a role shift for an assistant or what fonts to use on a website. This category, too, has personal components (whether to exercise in the morning or night, when to take vacation days and what to eat for lunch).
Often, these micro decisions can have a compounding effect: We might think that we are being paralyzed by the enormity of macro moves, but usually it’s an aggregate of micros that stop us in our tracks. Unaddressed, these chip away at conscious efforts, and are made manifest as an undercurrent of stress and pressure that can build to a breaking point. This is one reason why we may find ourselves in decision fatigue: a condition symptomized by staring at the sandwich counter completely stumped, never being able to choose what to watch on TV or daily pushing a small item to the next day’s to-do list.
The outcome of effective macro decision-making
Macro moves point the ship, which should have a cascading effect on their micro cousins. In other words, if you’ve decisively answered big-picture queries, you’ve also dealt with the majority of small-picture actions.
Let’s connect those big items.
“What is this business going to be?”
If you have answered this macro-level question, then you have essential identity addressed. A new partnership proposal? Armed with the above-sentence answer, the right option will suddenly be clear. New branding ideas? They either do or don’t reflect the now-certain knowledge of what your business is, so the decision is likewise essentially made. Macro decisions function like a North Star: whatever doesn’t line up shouldn’t merit much consideration.
“What are we going to do?”
Setting out to implement a brand identity or company vision usually takes the form of a roadmap, KPIs and quarterly goals, etc. All of these are macro decisions that immediately qualify or disqualify smaller tasks and activities. Little opportunities along the way either categorically do or do not fit into this broader work — they are in or out, with little consideration required.
“What are our goals?”
Knowing your professional and personal goals usually means charting one-year, five-year, ten- and twenty-year plans. This puts metaphorical bumpers on the lane, outside of which are all the micro moves you won’t need to consider. Branding, staffing, budget allocation, new initiatives, office location: all of it either does or doesn’t help you achieve these broad stated goals, so what weight to give them is already decided.
Can it really be this easy?
These examples may seem like oversimplifications, but they are truly illustrative. If, say, part of “what my business is going to be” for you is forming a world-class copywriting agency, then you wouldn’t entertain the thought of hiring entry-level copywriters, or offering graphic design services or anything else non-copywriting-related. If such extraneous options present themselves to me (and they often do), I don’t have to struggle with consideration: such smaller decisions have already been made by the macro ones of my business identity. To use another example, say part of a personal goal is to be fit and healthy, then it’s a piece of cake (as it were) to open a restaurant menu and immediately rule out the majority of options. It also makes it easier to organize a schedule — knowing that the question is not “If I will go to the gym”, but when. This radically cuts down on mental gymnastics.
An exercise in categorization
Most of us do annual and quarterly planning. Here’s my suggestion: get out a digital or physical piece of paper and make a vertical line. Label the left column “Macro” and the right “Micro”. List all left-side decisions, professional and personal (A new car? Vacation? Staffing? Budgets? Business objectives?), then make those decisions in batches, as they will inevitably impact each other. (They may also change due to circumstances outside your control, but will be a start.) For each macro decision, list micro decisions that relate to it, and you’ll find that many if not all have been made for you as a result of that first step. This shrinks the “gray space” of unforeseen daily choices, because, if there’s anything we know about productivity, it’s that the more predictable patterns become, the faster people are able to engage in tasks.
Differentiating between large- and small-scale considerations is also a vital exercise to honing your instincts. The more you’ve settled on cardinal directions for life and business, the more intuitively you will steer your ship, every day.
Joy Youell is an experienced copywriter, content strategist and on-page SEO specialist. She’s addicted to novelty and innovation, which has led her to considerably expand her field of study to include marketing, branding, voice development and numerous entrepreneurial endeavours.
Working for ourselves is more possible today than ever before. Thanks to the pandemic, the world was force-fed the idea of working from home and the feasibility of hiring contractors instead of staffing up a brick-and-mortar office. Now it’s an accepted norm, but even so, the idea of freelancing as a solid, relied-upon income, still holds a degree of trepidation to many.
Many freelancers earn respectable if not inspiring incomes. The question for a new freelancer, however, is how to get from ground level to that pinnacle of success so many seem to have obtained. Some guides tell you how to find markets. Others tell you how to manage your day. Others wax philosophical about how to establish the proper mindset.
Where do you find a quick and easy checklist of how to take your first step? Let’s give it a go.
Mindset
Independence. Being independent, the great aspect is that you make your own decisions. The bad side is . . . you make your own decisions. Embrace this autonomy and make this new life yours. Make it one of the best things you’ve ever done for yourself. Until you commit to being a success, you’re handicapping yourself from the start.
Thick skin. The buck stops on your desk. You assume the accolades and the blame. You get accepted and rejected, over and over. Learn to roll with the highs and lows of this way of life.
Pride. Show the world your stories, your writing, your ability to communicate with words. The more acceptances you receive, the greater you feel, and the more motivated you are to do more and better.
Awareness. Your freelance work intertwines with your personal life, and you cannot help it. While on an errand you run into someone about a potential gig. Anything around you is fodder for a story. An idea can flash in your mind from a discussion at a parent-teacher meeting, and if you don’t write it down, it’ll be gone. You might shut down at a certain time of the day, but the world still turns and your brain still cranks out ideas. Write them down. Let your senses remain active 24/7. Accept that you never stop scouting for freelance writing work.
Logistics
Time management. You have writing deadlines but also the administrative tasks that are the foundation of your work. Find the calendar system that enables you to keep track of assignments, interim follow-ups with clients, interview appointments, research, quarterly tax deadlines, and even the non-writing items like soccer games and doctor appointments. This writer maintains a phone calendar for on the go, a notebook for ideas, and a desk calendar for deadlines.
Administrative management. Define early on a system to manage your invoices, receipts, and expenses. Very early on, like, before the first month goes by.
Gig management. Define another system for work going out and work coming in with deadlines and benchmarks assigned to each. This system might be nothing more than a spreadsheet, but never rely upon memory. When you get going, you’ll be shooting out a dozen pieces, hunting for more, and may forget to follow-up on one from two months ago or overlook you already pitches that publication with a similar idea.
Travel management. Keep a log of mileage from just picking up office supplies to meeting an interview. Keep receipts for those meals you share with clients and people in the business. Be ever aware that a personal trip can introduce you to a person, event, or idea that merits research for a piece. The mileage then flips to professional.
Financial Groundwork
Health insurance. Simply put, have some. Not having it can drain your savings in days if not catapult you into bankruptcy. Health issues are costly, and sooner or later you have them. Options include: a family member’s policy, COBRA (if you left an employer), the Affordable Care Act (income levels apply), the local chamber of commerce (requires membership), the Freelancer’s Union and other professional organizations, a Health Savings Account, Medicaid, and private insurance companies.
Savings. Try to have three to six months’ worth of savings for basic living expenses. As you earn money, try hard to tuck at least 10 percent aside for taxes and savings, adjusting this percentage after you realize your income tax obligation.
Banking. Some have a separate bank account for the business and others let it filter through a personal account, especially if you remain a sole proprietor versus an LLC or other entity. But be prepared for clients wanting to pay via methods like PayPal, Square, Zelle, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, Venmo, bank transfer, credit card, or check. Internationally, there are additional options like Wise, Dwolla, and Payoneer. Don’t let an inability to negotiate payment be the reason you lose repeat business.
Presentation
Website. Initially, people must see you as a professional since your word-of-mouth hasn’t taken off. Post what you offer and why you can do it. As you grow, use your website to flaunt your experience, testimonials, published clips, samples, and services offered. Show variety. As for design, you don’t need sliders or deep customization. Whether you use a free service like Wix or hire a professional, the appearance just need to appear clean, crisp, navigable, and easy to understand. Look at the websites of professional freelancers like Diana Kelly, Kat Boogaard, Mandy Ellis, Mukti Masih, and Carol Tice.
Blog. While blog maintenance sounds tedious, a weekly, 500- to 1,000-word blog post can not only show off your writing chops, but also brand you. This blog demonstrates the lessons you’ve learned as you grow as an entrepreneur, teaches potential markets how they can grow from what you have to offer, and flaunts your personality.
Social media. Yes, you need at least one, and, frankly, LinkedIn and Twitter are the ones most geared toward freelancers with Instagram close behind. Then Facebook. Do not mix these with your personal sites, and frankly, your personal opinions might need to be tempered once you decide to become an entrepreneur.
Chamber of Commerce. These organizations are regional and aid business and entrepreneurship. The networking can be astounding, and surprisingly, not many writers join them, which only makes you stand out to those needing a freelance writer.
Business card. Yes, you still need these, and you should have them on you at all times.
Brand
Name. Use your name or name your company, but invest serious effort into the result. It needs to be memorable and is difficult to change later.
Logo or Image. Not necessary but if done well, it will paint you as a professional. Humans are visual animals, so give them something to latch hold of in their busy brains.
Niche. The world of freelancing is huge. Technical to copywriting, advertising to bios, ghostwriting to journalism. Define the types, genres, and topics that drive you and own them. That’s not to say you cannot diversify, but define that by which you wish to be labeled. It could be as narrow as food writing or as wide as copywriting for anyone and anything. You could only write for magazines and online sites, or across the board from corporate manuals to motivational speeches, but somewhere in all of that, be memorable.
Finding Work
Mine your life. Your neighborhood, previous coworkers, spouse’s coworkers, local businesses, schools, nonprofits, and government entities in your immediate area are the best places to start rather than taking your first step on an international, national, or state map. Who do you know? Let your profession be known amongst them.
Social media. Not only do you need a presence on social media for potential clients, but also you need a persona to interact in freelance groups, niche groups, and professional groups. Follow and interact with markets you’d love to work for. Follow professional freelancers (they often sub work to other writers). Share open gigs with fellow writers. If you are highly niche driven, make sure your posts and media page show it like Jerine Nicole, the Multipassionate Creator on Twitter. Opportunity doesn’t happen unless you are present and prepared.
LinkedIn. Be accurate, current, and polished in your resume. Study the work gigs available, and be willing to come off the hip for the paid version of LinkedIn Jobs. But also, rather than wait for people to contact you, find a company that fits you, study their online presence, click on Jobs at LinkedIn and see if they are seeking writers. Also click People, giving you a list of who works there. See if any of them are content creators, connect, and send them a letter of introduction.
Testimonials. After every gig, ask for a testimonial and permission to use it.
Repeat business. After completing a gig, go right back to that client and seek additional work. You are fresh in their mind and they already know your work. Hopefully a couple of these entities will soon become anchors that you can rely upon each month for steady work.
Diversification. Accept work outside your norm periodically to seek new clients, appease a current one, or broaden your portfolio. In other words, don’t quickly turn down a request because it isn’t in your niche. However, do not accept an assignment you aren’t sure you can complete in a quality manner. When you start as a newbie, take different types of assignments and work for a variety of clients. Many topics will be foreign, but so can the types of writing like a blog post versus a white paper, or social media posts versus advertising copy. Your early days are hungrier days, and until you establish your brand and reputation, be daring and willing.
Mine yourself. New writers start off with what they know. Don’t discount your prior employment, personal experiences, hobbies, or enjoyments for ideas. Just don’t make it about you.
The Basics
Meet deadlines. Your client has more than you to worry about, and missing your deadline can create a domino effect on them that not only costs you repeat business but hurt your reputation. These people talk to each other.
Turn in clean work. A lone typo can ruin a second chance. Your misstep becomes your client’s gaffe when the words go live. It’s more than a little mistake.
Know SEO skills. These days writers must understand SEO, (Search Engine Optimization). Any online writing must drive customers to a business, and good content marketing writers are in high demand since their work also helps websites rank higher in search results. If you are uncomfortable with this strategy, you will find many simple SEO classes online. It’s not rocket science. SEO is needed in such writing as blog posts, web copy, magazine articles, mission statements, success stories, biographies, and more. And don’t forget that SEO matters on your own web and blog copy as well.
Style guides. Whether the Associated Press Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style, follow one of the main style guides that dictates writing formalities like grammar, style, spelling, and punctuation usage. Clients may not have a preference, but some do. Have access to each to be prepared.
Learn the LOI versus the pitch. A pitch asks for a specific assignment, like sending an article idea to a periodical or website. An LOI introduces the writer, in an attempt to make themselves known for future assignments. Study guidelines, website, social media posts about whether an entity prefers one or the other. Some magazines, for instance, solely want pitches. A corporate entity might prefer an LOI. When starting out, submit a mixture of both and a lot of them. Some writers do a certain number a week. Others keep a certain number in play, replacing them only after they’ve received a response.
A quick glance at online freelance job sites clearly reveals how much freelancers are in demand. After a quick study of YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook, you’ll find freelancers making serious dollars in filling that demand.
You learn as you go in this profession, and the speed is yours to dictate. Don’t overwhelm yourself, but realize you are the driver or your own success.
There’s a place for you, no doubt, in this freelance writing world. The difficult part is deciding which part of that market share is going to be yours. A little or a lot, you decide. Again, the best part of being your own boss is all the decisions are yours.
C. Hope Clark is the founder of FundsforWriters.com, noted by Writer’s Digest for its 101 Best Websites for Writers for 20+ years. She is a freelance writer, motivational speaker, and award-winning author of 16 mysteries. www.chopeclark.com | www.fundsforwriters.com
Finding email marketing examples to follow takes a lot of work.
But it’s essential to find a way to engage with your readers and promote your products.
You need to know which type of email campaign to compose and when.
So, we curated this list.
We subscribed to email lists, so you don’t have to and narrowed it down to the top 9 best email marketing examples.
Our post explains why each email stands out and offers 8 tips to help you achieve your lucrative email marketing strategy.
Are you ready to stimulate a successful campaign?
Read on!
What is an Email Marketing Campaign — Definition & Purpose
Email marketing campaigns are marketing strategies where emails sent gain leads and turn readers into customers.
The purpose is to build familiarity and trust with your subscribers through marketing automation. Thus creating a marketing funnel that will segment and target your desired customers.
9 Top Email Marketing Examples (& Why They Are So Powerful)
On any given day, your inbox can be full of emails reminding you of an email campaign you might want to unsubscribe from or delete.
Yet every so often, you come across a great example that stands out.
But how do you create these emails?
We picked 9 email campaigns that reflect the best email marketing examples to follow and emulate.
We’ll show you examples of transactional, relational and promotional emails.
All campaigns have a time and place to be used, but first, the examples…
1. LinkedIn
Type of Email:
Relational email — thank you promotion.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose is to gain leads by turning existing subscribers into buyers.
What Makes This Email Standout:
Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and the top of the email newsletter states, “Thanks for being part of the LinkedIn community – we’re so glad you’re here.”
We all like free things — the perfect engagement from a company is to offer something free as a thank you for being a “loyal subscriber.”
CTA (Call to Action) is attractive and uses branded colours to stand out.
2. Paramount
Type of Email:
Promotional email — re-engagement with the customer.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose of the email campaign is to offer a personalized sale to regain a lost customer.
What Makes This Email Standout:
Being offered a sale of 50% off is enticing, and if they left because of cost, this might be enough incentive to re-join.
The visual flashing sign at the top is eye-catching and bold.
There are several embedded CTA buttons, which will direct customers to their website if they click on the email almost anywhere.
3. Eyebuydirect
Type of Email:
Transactional email — seasonal limited time sale.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose of the marketing campaign is to create a sense of urgency. The business wants customers to act upon a time-limited sale (Black Friday) and make a purchase.
What Makes This Email Standout:
A large countdown clock at the top creates a sense of urgency.
Rich, colourful photos that rotate under the countdown clock, demonstrating the products worn by various cultures and genders. It’s appealing and offers a “virtual try-on” before purchasing.
A clever CTA at the bottom, “Still thinking about it,” to entice customers who haven’t clicked yet or might be wavering on price or purchase.
The primary purpose is to share tips to help users learn how to use their tool. It adds an element of engagement and gets readers to return to their site, thus creating a loyal customer base.
What Makes This Email Standout:
The skill level needed varies for each user, and Canva has a brilliant marketing campaign to educate each user and help them succeed using their tool.
Simplicity that nurtures and attracts subscribers’ attention.
It uses a CTA to show how to implement the tips.
5. Starbucks
Type of Email:
Promotional email — time limited sale.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose is to create a sense of urgency by nudging email subscribers to complete their purchases.
Also, Starbucks has added another element by giving subscribers rewards for their transactions.
What Makes This Email Standout:
A single image with light colours on the background draws the reader in and has them thinking about that coffee.
A large contrasting CTA button is like a beacon to readers — encourages them to click and sign up for the membership.
The date range is given to create a sense of urgency.
6. McDonald’s
Type of Email:
Promotional email — mobile app engagement.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose of the marketing strategy is to convert subscribers into buyers by downloading the McDonald’s app.
What Makes This Email Standout:
A simplistic email draws the reader’s attention to the product, using lots of white space and relevant images.
Offers free food to entice subscribers to sign up for the app.
Scheduled email to arrive in your inbox at lunchtime to increase sales.
7. Audible
Type of Email:
Transactional email — order confirmation and cross-selling to subscribers.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose is to give email subscribers a visual receipt of their purchase and cross-sell relevant items.
What Makes This Email Standout:
The CTA button, “start listening,” at the top allows readers to easily click and start their book.
The simplistic layout draws the reader’s attention to the primary points in the email.
Strategically places other product suggestions to encourage cross-selling.
8. Sephora
Type of Email:
Relational email — birthday email sent on the subscriber’s birthday, offering a free gift.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose is personalized email marketing to acknowledge the subscribers’ birthday and offer a free birthday gift. It creates a connection between the business and the email subscriber.
Personalization with the subscribers’ names creates a bond and sense of connection.
The image is the primary focus of the email — a bright and colourful visual of gift choices.
9. Medium
Type of Email:
Relational email — welcome campaign.
Email Intention:
The primary purpose is to thank subscribers for signing up for the email list with a recap of what they get.
What Makes This Email Standout:
It states “1 of 4 welcome emails,” showing readers there is more to come and learn about the membership.
It eliminates all distractions and draws the readers to the benefits by opting for a simplistic background.
Contrasting green CTA button at the bottom of the email to draw the readers in and encourage them to click.
8 Top Tips For A Lucrative Email Marketing Campaign
We’ve explored the ten best email marketing examples, so let’s dive deeper and see the 8 steps needed to create your own lucrative email marketing campaign.
1. Pick a Goal To Focus On
Each marketing campaign will have a different goal, depending on what outcome you’re trying to achieve.
Whether you’re welcoming a potential customer, email subscribers, sending abandoned cart emails or cleaning up an inactive subscriber, picking your goal is the first step.
Essentially, you need to determine what outcome you have in mind.
For example, you may be a new company trying to build your email list, nurture leads and build relationships with your customers.
So, sending a new subscriber, birthday, or referral email is just some of the starting emails a new company should include to the target audience they are trying to reach.
Yet, your primary goal should always be to develop a connection with your audience. You’ll need to show the readers you can be a source of trusted information; only then will they become loyal.
2. Talk to Your Subscribers and Advance Them Down the Marketing Funnel
Talking to your subscribers about your business allows you to build rapport and advance subscribers down the email marketing funnel.
Your first email should be the welcome email and is your one shot at making that big first impression.
So, you want to appeal to every subscriber on the email list, but not in a sales pitch way. You are making that first contact to thank them and impress them.
As Aman states, “welcome emails have the highest open rate.”
So it’s imperative to get it right.
After that initial welcome email, subscribers will continue to open your emails and newsletters as they will be informative and beneficial to them.
You are creating the marketing funnel where you cultivate the relationship until the subscriber is ready to buy.
Furthermore, regardless of your subscriber’s stage in the marketing funnel, you should deliver content they find valuable. This indirect approach will build trust with your readership and boost open rates.
Plus, when they are loyal subscribers, they share it with family, friends and social media.
Word of mouth is your golden key!
3. Personalise Emails With Your Subscriber’s Name
Everyone wants to feel special in some form, so having personalized emails in your inbox grabs your attention.
How often have you breezed over an email with a generic Mr./Ms./Mrs.?
It demonstrates a lack of customer knowledge and could be considered spam.
So, use your subscriber’s chosen name, speak directly to them and keep them engaged with your content.
After all, creating a reason for them to open your email will lead to higher click-through rates. Statistic show 84% of users will share their data for a more personal experience.
Given such a high rate — it’s a wonder why more companies don’t personalize their emails.
Their loss is your gain, as you just have to create personalized emails!
4. Enchant Them With Relevant Images
When someone opens an email, they don’t want to stare at white screens filled with black text. They want to be wowed and encouraged to scroll. They need a reason to pause on your email.
But a white screen filled with text would bore most. Email readers are scanning; they will likely delete and unsubscribe without anything to pizzazz or engage them.
So, captivate your readers with colour and style through fun images and fonts.
For example, include relevant images to captivate your readers and show a product launch, new features or specials you are having.
Offering a clear, crisp image will charm readers and arouse their interest to know more. They will want to read about the product or marketing campaign.
In simple terms, it’s like the kid in a candy shop. They want the most prominent and brightest candy. Children are captivated by the shiny candy, just as your readers are by your images.
5. Optimize For Mobile
We are in a time when almost everyone has a mobile device of some sort that they use to check their social media and emails, plus communicate with work, friends, and loved ones.
Since nearly everyone has a screen, from kids to seniors, you should optimize emails for computers, tablets, phones, etc.
After all, as Greg Hickman pointed out, 65% of marketing emails get opened first on a mobile device. That’s a high open rate!
So, follow this quick video to learn how to optimize your emails for mobile devices today!
6. Your Subject Line is Crucial
One of the most crucial parts of marketing emails is the subject line, as it could make or break the open rates of your marketing campaign.
So, ensure it’s short, sweet, and clearly beneficial to the reader. You can even add an element of curiosity.
For example, let’s say you offer a productivity class and want to encourage subscribers to sign up. Your subject line could be:
“Stop wasting time on mindless work.”
There is a clear benefit; it intrigues the reader to open the email.
Furthermore, you don’t want it to be truncated and have the reader miss your message.
So, check with your Email Service Provider (ESP) to see your character limit.
With an attention-grabbing subject line and a mobile-optimized email design, you’ve almost constructed perfect marketing emails.
7. End Your Email with an Enticing Offer
The enticing offer or CTA is the last piece to add to the perfect email marketing strategy.
You’re missing a valuable opportunity if you create an email with just knowledge and no follow-up.
So, give subscribers a reason to click through to your website or landing page by creating a clear CTA with contrasting colours to ensure it stands out.
For example, you could use a primary CTA such as signing up for a service, more information on a product hunt, clicking through to your webpage, social media, etc.
Then as shown in the examples above, you could use secondary CTA’s to further prompt subscribers that aren’t quite ready to convert to being a customer yet.
8. Use Email Marketing Templates
An email marketing template is pre-made. It gives you a starting point for any email you want to send, saving you time and energy for other tasks — like running your business.
Furthermore, all email templates consist of reusable code, where you copy and paste your content, links or images, and then an email is created for you.
So, there is no need for hours of creating or hiring it out to others with a technical or graphic design background.
Equally, when you use a ready-made template, email marketing can be less stressful, and you can become more efficient and consistent in customer engagement.
There are several options for an email template that all have the same goal in mind.
To give you the gift of time.
Email Marketing Examples That Inspire Confidence
The essence of email marketing examples is to increase email subscribers and convert leads to sales.
But gaining sales can only happen after your company has established trust with their readers.
By connecting with current and potential customers around the globe, you build that trust and gain followers and email subscribers.
Engage with readers, so they will want to know more about you and your company.
Then you can promote your products seamlessly through the emails you send.
You might initially feel overwhelmed, but your email campaigns will thrive if you follow the steps above.
You just need to take the bull by the horns and start today!
By following these tips, you can skyrocket your site’s traffic and improve your business’s bottom line.
Contents:
Use Bucket Brigades
Focus on Search Intent
Include Related LSI Keywords
Leverage Topical Authority
Create Rich Media
Use the AMSR Formula
Optimize Meta Tags
Gather Industry Data
Answer the Audience’s Questions
Avoid Mistakes and Misspellings
Use Bucket Brigades
Bucket brigades are short sentences that grab the reader’s attention and encourage them to continue reading.
The bucket brigades usually consist of two or three words, such as “but wait,” “check this out,” or “here’s the bottom line.”
Also, questions like “have you wondered why?” can be used as bucket brigades.
By strategically placing these types of phrases throughout your SEO copywriting, you can keep your readers engaged and improve the time they spend on your pages.
Focus on Search Intent
When building new content, it is important to consider search intent. This means understanding what the user is looking for and how they want the information presented.
There are three different search intents:
Informational
Navigational
Transactional
Before starting writing, it is essential to find out which type of search intent the user has and structure the content accordingly.
For example, if someone searches for a product review, they’re probably looking for pros and cons as well as a detailed analysis of the product.
By understanding the user’s intent, you can tailor your copy to match what they’re searching for.
Include Related Keywords
Including related and long-tail keywords in your copywriting will help search engines better understand the context of your content.
Using related keywords also helps Google determine if a page is relevant to a given query.
For example, if someone searches for SEO tips, using related words such as “Search Engine Optimization” or “Google ranking” will signal that the page is relevant.
You can find these keywords by using tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.
Leverage Topical Authority
Topical authority refers to the relevance of a website in relation to a particular topic. SEO copywriting can be used to increase topical authority and improve rankings.
When creating content that is focused on a specific subject, you are more likely to rank better if you try to cover everything about that topic.
For example, if you write about medical subjects, you should show your expertise by creating content that will answer every user’s questions related to medical issues.
Create Rich Media
Using rich media such as images, videos, and infographics can help engage readers and improve the time they spend on your site.
The addition of multimedia elements helps search engines discover the purpose of the page and its relevance to certain queries.
Try using original media, such as custom images and videos, to make your copy stand out from the competition.
There are tons of free image creation tools online to help you create custom visuals with ease, such as Canva and Adobe Spark.
Using the AMSR Formula
The Attention-Motive-Solution-Result (AMSR) formula helps copywriters create compelling content that is optimized for search engines.
It consists of four steps:
Attention: Grab the reader’s attention with an engaging headline or opening sentence
Motive: Explain why they should care
Solution: Provide them with a solution to their problem
Result: Show them the result of using your product or service
Optimize Meta Tags
Meta tags provide search engines with information about a web page, including its title, description, and keywords.
By optimizing meta tags, you can ensure that your content appears in search results for relevant queries, thus improving SEO rankings.
To increase the chance users click on your title in SERPs, use these tips:
Keep your titles concise – a maximum of 65 characters
Include the focus keyword
Make it descriptive and enticing
Write something catchy
Gather Industry Data
Adding industry data such as statistics and metrics to your copies can help users better understand your content.
This can also improve rankings by signalling to search engines that the page is relevant to certain topics or queries.
You can use surveys such as JotForm or Google Forms to collect industry data and incorporate it into SEO copywriting.
Answer the Audience’s Questions
Providing answers to the audience’s questions through copywriting is another way to improve rankings.
You can find these questions by using tools such as AnswerThePublic or Ubersuggest.
Or focusing on the “People Also Ask” section in Google SERPs.
By writing compelling and informative content, you can provide readers with the valuable information they are looking for.
Avoid Mistakes and Misspellings
Poorly written copies, including typos and misspellings, can harm your rankings as it signals a lack of quality control.
To ensure SEO success, always double-check your work for mistakes before publishing it online.
Use free tools such as Grammarly or SEO Spellchecker to identify errors and correct them quickly.
Final Words
With these ten copywriting tips, you can skyrocket your Google rankings and improve your marketing results.
By optimizing content for search intent, using related keywords, creating rich media, leveraging topical authority, and gathering industry data, you’ll be able to drive more organic traffic to your website.
So what are you waiting for?
Start copywriting today, and get ready to see your rankings soar.
Your business website should be broadly accessible by users with disabilities; here’s how to achieve that.
If you made a list of goals for your website, I bet three things would be near the top:
Get more value out of your customers.
Find new customers.
Increase your website’s conversion rate, whether you want more leads or more sales.
Each of these goals requires a functional, easy-to-use website. Yet a staggering 97% of the internet today is inaccessible to people with disabilities — meaning there are accessibility issues that can make it hard for some visitors to navigate a website or engage with its content.
That’s a big problem — and it’s not just a matter of what’s fair or legally required. (Although the U.S. Department of Justice has repeatedly maintained that accessibility laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) apply to websites and physical locations.)
It’s also a matter of what makes sense for your business.
In the United States, one in four adults lives with some type of disability, from visual impairments that require them to navigate websites using assistive technology, such as screen readers, to hearing impairments that make it hard to follow videos without captions. Globally, people with disabilities — and their friends and family — control more than $13 trillion in disposable income.
That’s a lot of potential customers who could be left behind if you don’t take steps to make your website accessible to everyone.
Now for the good news: Every accessibility issue is fixable if you have the right tools and know what to watch for. Here are some of my favourite accessibility resources to help you:
One of the most useful is the alt Decision tree, which describes how to use the alt attribute of the element in various situations. With the decision tree, you can make faster, more informed decisions on whether your image needs alt text — and, if so, what information to include.
Alt text is a written description of an image that screen readers can read aloud — or convert to Braille — for people with visual impairments, sensory processing disorders or learning disorders.
Done right, alt text can help paint a fuller picture of your products and services for people who use screen readers to navigate websites. Unfortunately, many businesses forget to provide alt text. Or they write something so generic — for example, an image of a restaurant menu that simply says “menu” — that it may as well not be there.
Note: As a general rule, I always recommend writing alt text like you’re describing an image to your friend over the phone. What are the key details they need to know in order to understand the image?
2. Check your website’s accessibility
When it comes to digital accessibility, one of the biggest challenges is the dynamic nature of most websites. Just think about how often your website changes, whether it’s new product photos or updated website copy.
Each update is a chance to introduce new accessibility issues to your website accidentally, so it’s important to monitor your website constantly. Unfortunately, most businesses lack the time or internal resources to test the accessibility of every new design and line of code. That’s where an automated solution like AudioEye’s Website Accessibility Checker — which runs more than 400 tests to check your content against accessible coding standards like WCAG, then generates a detailed report of accessibility issues on your site — comes into play.
3. Add automated captions to your videos
People are watching more video content than ever, but you could be leaving a large part of your audience behind if you don’t add captions to your videos.
There are plenty of tools that can help you save time by automatically generating captions. However, it’s important to note that voice recognition technology is not perfect. Errors do occur, which can confuse or frustrate people who rely on captions.
For that reason, I always recommend proofing automatically generated captions with human eyes and ears.
Closed captioning is a great example of the overlap between “good” and “accessible” design. When you add captions, you aren’t just helping people with hearing impairments or cognitive disabilities — you’re helping anyone who chooses to watch the video with the sound off. For example, someone might be watching your video in a public space or while multitasking.
Adding captions can ensure a positive experience no matter how people consume your content.
4. Check your colour contrast
The colours on your website might seem like a purely aesthetic decision, but they have a significant impact on how usable your website is for people with colour vision deficiency (also known as colour blindness) and other visual impairments.
Low contrast between foreground and background elements (think white text on a grey button) can make it harder for people to navigate your site, engage with your content and ultimately take the actions — whether it’s filling out a contact form or making a purchase — that matter to your business.
AudioEye’s Colour Contrast Checker makes it easy to determine if your colours meet WCAG’s requirements on contrast ratio. To conform with Success Criterion (SC) 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum), you should aim to have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between the foreground and background colour.
Take the first step toward a more accessible website
For most businesses, there are two hurdles that can slow down accessibility efforts.
The first hurdle is awareness. Many business leaders are unaware of digital accessibility or that it could present a problem for their online business, both in terms of user experience and legal risk. However, the rise in digital accessibility-related lawsuits is bringing more attention to the importance of accessibility.
The second hurdle is a common misconception about the cost and difficulty of digital accessibility. Some organizations believe that making a website accessible would cost too much, or require building a new website from scratch. The truth is that there are plenty of things you can do to improve your website’s accessibility without touching a line of code.
To help you get started with your business’s overall accessibility strategy, the W3C and the UK’s Business Disability Forum have created self-assessment tools that can help organizations understand their current level of accessibility and implement measures to improve their accessibility policies, processes, and outcomes.
Alisa Smith is a veteran accessibility advocate with a 20-year technology career working in design, development, and QA in the digital marketplace, automotive, and financial services industries. As AudioEye’s Accessibility Evangelist, Smith helps businesses create inclusive experiences.
