An alternative to a fully managed blog 

Many people now recognise the value of having a blog – great for visitor experience, SEO, inbound marketing, establishing credibility etc – and would like to have a go at starting one but just lack the skills, the inspiration and the technical know how to get it off the ground. I found that this was the case when I recently delivered a seminar on how to create great web content for the Mid Yorkshire Chamber; a room full of people who wanted to work on their blog but just needed a helping hand to get started.

Not everyone wants their blog to be fully managed by a freelance blogger such as myself so that’s why I’ve recently launched a new blog coaching service, designed especially for those who want to develop their own skills and retain them within the company.

Become a blogger

Rather than writing blogs for you, I work closely with an individual or a team of people within a company to coach them in the skills that they need to get their blogs up and running, working well and making an impact on their site. I will show you:

• How to generate ideas for blog topics, relevant to your industry

• How to perfect your written style, tone and content to create great posts

• How to incorporate sound SEO principles into your blog

• How to use Content Management Systems (CMS) effectively

• How to promote your blogs and maximise their potential

Each coaching programme is bespoke to the organisation and involves 1-1 sessions and remote support. To see more information about the range of blogging packages I offer, including coaching and fully managed services, click here.

So, if you want to blog but need some expert help, perhaps this is the ideal solution? Contact me for further details

Learn how to make your website content work harder!

On 4th September I will be running a seminar entitled ‘Are you Content with your Content?’ for the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce in Wakefield. Part of the Chamber’s 60 Useful Minutes programme, I will be sharing my best tips on what makes good website content and how to achieve it.

Learn…

• Why great content is great news for your website (it really is!)
• How to write well (simple copy writing tips that will improve anything that you write)
• Search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques (in plain English!)
• Blogging and social media (and how to integrate content across all platforms)

And most importantly, how you can do it yourself!

The seminar is FREE for Chamber members and includes a light breakfast. Book your place here.

Details

Date: 04/09/12
Time: 8.30-10.00
Location: Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Wakefield Office

MYCCI Services Get An Overhaul

I’ve recently been working with the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce to create new copy to communicate their range of member services more clearly and consistently. I have written copy for a new Members’ Guide, an A5 ‘quick guide’ of all the Chamber Services intended to provide a brief overview of everything available, and I’ve created optimised web copy for the Chamber’s website.

We’ve used some common headings of What?, Why?, How? and More to allow members to very quickly find the information they need and get a clear understanding of what each service is and how it will benefit their business. We’ve also included a Why Mid Yorkshire Chamber? heading to demonstrate why the Chamber is best placed to offer that service against its competitors.

Prior to this upgrade each service was written slightly differently (many having being created at different times) and descriptions did not always address the key questions that members had such as ‘how does this service benefit my business?’, ‘how does it work?’ and ‘what do I do now?’. There is now absolute consistency across all services with benefits clearly communicated and signposting to next steps.

The Members’ Guide is still in production but the website copy is now live and you can see it here.

Swim for All event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support

… Yes it’s that time of year when I announce my annual charideeeee endeavour! Having done countless Race for Lifes and last year’s Midnight Walk I have set myself a real challenge for 2012 and entered Swim for All; a 1500m swim in open water taking place at Pugney’s Country Park in Wakefield on 17th June.

Nervous about swimming the distance? Not really, I’m a pretty strong swimmer.

Scared about squeezing myself into a wet suit? A bit, it’s a sight not for those with a nervous disposition!

Frightened about swallowing the water/swimming with eels/getting tangled up in a discarded shopping trolley? Absolutely terrified!

Worth a few quid?

Hey ho, if I make it out the other side without any embarrassing wet suit incidents or contracting Weil’s disease AND manage to raise some money for Macmillan I will consider that a success! You can sponsor me via my Just Giving page where you can also keep up to date with all my latest training photos and news (though some have been doubting the authenticity of said photos, mainly those envious of my newly athletic physique!). You can also sponsor me by text by texting TALC88 plus the amount to 70070.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE! 02/07/12 - I completed the swim in 50 minutes and 59 seconds (I will not be rounding that up to 51 minutes – that second counts!). Not the fastest time (I think there were ducks that did it faster!) but I did finish, I didn’t die and so far have not been struck down by leptosporosis so I would call that a result! The most important thing of course is that to date I have raised £371 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Thanks to everyone who sponsored me.

3 new client sites that I have been involved in have recently all launched within a few days of each other. All are for quite different clients with their own objectives but each driven by great content, effective SEO and relevance to the target audience.

Niche Legal Practice

APP Wine Law is a small law firm that specialises in legal services to the wine trade and in that is quite unique in the UK. This site was a revamp of an existing site and the main objective was to position the firm as a niche specialist, reinforcing its expertise, experience and unparalleled knowledge of the wine industry. In addition, Principal Andrew Park wanted to provide valuable content to visitors via a range of resources that can be accessed through the Knowledge Bank. The site includes a membership only area and a client survey which can only be accessed by invitation.

Boyd Butler, a leading legal marketing expert has already praised the site:

“Let me congratulate you on your website – a brilliant example of a niche website with great content.”

As well as writing the page copy I also conducted client interviews to create case studies and testimonials.

Protecting Businesses Offering Credit Terms

EC Credit Control creates bespoke Terms & Conditions and offers debt recovery services. While an international organisation, the UK division wanted a site that was specific to the needs of clients in this country. The brief was to create something that stayed within the specifications of the international brand while having a distinct UK feel in the way it communicated. As the only UK credit management company that also offers bespoke T&Cs the site also needed to reinforce this key selling point.

One of the driving factors was to create a blog that would allow us to post added value content – tips, advice, comment etc – to use as a basis for a new monthly e-mail newsletter which we will shortly start to distribute.

Inspiring Interior Design

The Design Team is a small interior design practice based in North Yorkshire. The brief for this site was to create a site that was largely visual due to the nature of their work but that offered enough content to demonstrate their expertise and inspire the target audiences as well as be optimised for search engines. Again, we incorporated a blog that the designers can use to express their love of design and reinforce their creativity.

The Role of the Marketer

My involvement in all of these sites was to set direction, create the right structure, write compelling, optimised content and, in the case of The Design Team, project manage the design and build of the site. All 3 sites were developed by different web designers.

Involving a marketing expert in the process of developing a website can have substantial advantages over working directly with a web designer. A marketer will set objectives and develop a structure and brief to meet those objectives. They will then develop the content, taking the burden of copy writing away from the client, and work closely with the web developer; driving the project through to completion which can reduce the need for the client’s involvement significantly. Many projects of this kind fail to get off the ground because the client has neither the time nor the skills to give the designer what they need. To get your web project moving just get in touch.

I’m delighted to have made the shortlist for the Forward Ladies Women in Business Awards in the category of Best Home Based Business! The awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of business women across the Yorkshire region. 3 women have been shortlisted for each of 9 categories and announced in the Yorkshire Post today; the winners will be announced at an awards lunch in Leeds on 14th October (a new frock is in order surely?!).

Having built my business up over the last 4 years, and particularly worked on growing and developing it since returning from maternity leave in 2010, it is incredibly rewarding to gain the recognition that just making the shortlist represents. To stand shoulder to shoulder with respected business women from around the region shows that businesses run from home are every bit as professional and valid as the largest corporations.

Watch this space!