The 5 Copywriting Action Items You Need For Your 2021 Marketing Plan…

It’s getting to that time of year, isn’t it? The days are heating up (at least here in Australia!) the nights have grown muggy, the cicadas are buzzing outside, Christmas decorations are hanging up in department stores and there’s a rush of activity as people look to organise Christmas parties, secure clients and settle projects over the festive season and coming new year period…

It’s also a time where businesses are reviewing what’s worked for them over the past year and what can be done better. For any business, how they respond to this is entirely dependant upon their unique circumstances. But if you’re now aiming to improve your customer interactions (higher lead conversions, more sales volume, better $ value per customer etc.) then there’s one solution that can unlock all of your targets for the coming 12 months…

For the answer, look no further than your marketing and sales copy. Devoting special attention to this is crucial from both an SEO perspective (in terms of having a strong web presence and getting found by leads) but also from a lead interaction perspective (e.g having the right communications that convince your leads to go ahead and take action).

But if the idea of having to re-evaluate and renovate your business copy is giving you a flustered feeling and you swear you can sense a migraine coming on- I understand! Because it’s not just about looking at how many platforms and mediums you have- you’ve also got to ask what copy you need for each of them?

Fear not- because today I’m giving you an overview of the areas you need to be focusing on and writing copy for in order to achieve your big, audacious 2021 goals. Below I’m going to show you how to make this vision come true:

#1: Website

Think of your website as your online business headquarters. All of your businesses online messaging should connect back directly to your website. The aim of your website is to share as much relevant information about your business as you can and then successfully persuade your website visitors to take the next step- whatever that desired next step may be. On your website there could be multiple courses of action, depending upon the page your leads are browsing. While on the home page you might want them to contact your sales team, on the ‘Products’ page you might want them to place an order, then on the ‘About Us’ page you might want them to click the checklist. In addition to this, you want your website to rank well for SEO so that people online know you actually exist. When you’ve got effective website copy you get more valuable interactions with your leads visiting the site as well as satisfying the search engines. Your website shouldn’t just be visually eye-catching. It should also read well, clearly outline who you are, how you help customers and encourage leads to take the next step in your sales funnel- whatever that next step might be…

#2: Blog

I’ve talked about why every business should blog and why it’s more relevant now than ever before: https://notesfromthescribe.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/the-real-statistics-on-blogging-in-2020-5-numbers-thatll-make-you-sit-up-and-take-notice/

So I’ll keep this part as short and sweet as possible: Publishing blog articles informs and engages your ideal target audience and also establishes a connection with them, building trust. The more people trust you, the more likely they are to buy from you- whether that’s on a short-term or long term basis. On top of that, when you have articles getting good interactions and being shared by your followers, you can gain even more leverage boosting your top performing articles through Facebook ads. If you’re going to promote your business on Facebook and put money behind your campaign, why not give your target audience something actually worth taking the time out to read? To discover what sort of articles are always a hit (regardless of your audience) get your complimentary copy of ‘The 3 Posts People Stop Everything To Read‘ right here: https://www.scribecopywriting.com.au/stay-connected

#3: Social Media

It’s not enough to simply have a placeholder presence on your professional social media platforms. Similar to your website copy, you need to create a comprehensive run-down of your business: what you do, how you help your customers and why people should reach out and contact your business. On top of promoting your business to potential customers, social media also serves as a powerful online business networking tool. The better your social media copy is, the more appealing you become as a potential referral partner to fellow business people, regardless of whether you’ve actually met them or not!

#4: Email Database/ Sales Letters

If you don’t already have an email database- get one. People are meeting and engaging with more new businesses every day than ever before, and having just a single point of contact with leads is a recipe for otherwise valuable customers to slip right through your fingers. Just a bit of lead nurturing could’ve converted these people to customers, and allow you to enjoy top value from your existing customers. Seriously- you’re 10 times more likely to sell to a previous or existing customer than to a new lead. So it pays to stay in contact!

If you’re a business that regularly features at trade shows or has multiple products in your range then you definitely need to be putting out sales letters. Otherwise, how are people going to know about the amazing offers you have going? There’s plenty of emails inundating people’s inboxes on a daily basis, so writing an entertaining newsletter or an engaging sales letter that converts does require a particular level of skill- but when done properly, the results pay off and are absolutely worth the time taken to master the art…

#5: Ebook

An e-book serves a similar purpose to blog articles, except that you can write a whole novel if you want as opposed to a single article. The added benefit is that you can use your ebook as a lead magnet (adding more people to your lead database and therefore your sales funnel) or you can sell copies of your ebook online, creating a further revenue stream that means you can sell without even being present. You get paid multiple sums without having to spend any more time on selling (or delivering) once your ebook is launched.

On top of this, when you have an ebook available it also builds your credibility to both leads and referral partners alike. This makes it more likely that people are going to trust you (essential with higher priced buying decisions) or to refer you on (which again means you can sell on autopilot).

CONCLUSION

So while all the above should make perfect sense, in order to go ahead and actually do it you still need a strategy in place. You also need to know what you’re going to write, so you don’t end up wasting time writing copy that isn’t going to make any notable difference!

But you can avoid this, and ensure every moment of your time is well spent writing copy that gets results for your business:

Because I have just launched The Comprehensive Copywriting Guide– your all-in one toolkit that shows you how to write all the copy you need for:

• Your website
• Blog articles
• Social media
• Email database
• Sales letters
• Ebooks

And do it all in your own time, at your own pace. Once you’ve read through all the modules, you’ll be able to write your own marketing and sales copy like a pro! On top of that, my 30-Day Money Back Guarantee means that if you purchase your copy and for some reason it doesn’t match your expectations, you get a full refund with zero hassle!

On top of that?

I’ve also included an extra special offer for those of you who go ahead and purchase a copy right now- so to find out more, just contact me: https://www.scribecopywriting.com.au/contact-us

How Are You Staying Business Fit?

Normally, I train at the gym 4 times a week with the dedication like it was a paying job. But last week was a little different…

Last week I only managed 3 sessions. So what happened? Well, on Saturday it was the birthday gathering of an old friend and for the days’ activities we’d booked in to go kart racing…

Now if you know me, you know that racing karts is something I love, and have done ever since the first time I drove as a 9 year old. So on Saturday, relying on a combined 25 years’ experience, I was soon in the lead. Setting fastest laps, pushing it to the limit and doing so without spinning out, crashing or running off onto the boggy grass sections even once.

Strangely, it began to feel less like we were puttering around in hire karts and more like an actual motor race…

Maybe it was the purpose-built, open-air track that allowed us to reach higher speeds? It could’ve been seeing a mate spin out on the main straight, tyres smoking like you’d see at an actual racing event. Or maybe it was the pure physicality of it all? At the end of the days’ racing, chatting with one of the guys he commented how “coming here and driving is like putting in a session at the gym”.

I realised he was right. I’d never given much thought to the physical side of it until recently. Overall, I’d done a total of 56 laps of the 800-metre circuit over the space of 90 minutes, with virtually every lap done at qualifying pace (i.e where you’re pushing the kart to the limits’ of its’ capabilities).

It also got me thinking- if I didn’t have the weekly fitness regime I normally do, could I have managed to complete all 4 sessions driving lap after lap at 10/10ths- or would I have fallen victim to the physical fatigue? One person (not naming names) had such a toll taken on them that they were physically sick in the middle of the second session. An old friend of mine (who also regularly trains and can lift heavier than me) ended up sitting out the third session because “he felt a bit how you going”.

So I began to wonder: if being in good physical state made a difference here, what difference does it make in the daily running of our business? Am I claiming I’ve found “the secret” here?

No, there’s always more work that can be done, and obviously diet matters as well. But what I want to do here is give an insight into a typical weeks’ fitness regime for me and the side-effects I’ve noticed over time:

#1: Gym

Like I said, I train at a local gym 4 times a week. It’s a 1st class facility and has accommodated several NRL teams in the time I’ve been there. To give you some perspective, I am 6″1 and weigh between 81-83kgs on average. I don’t generally do leg exercises (and I’ll get to that soon enough) but on alternate days I either do floor related exercises or lifting/ squats. On the days where I’m on the floor and use the weight machines, I focus on my chest, back and bicep muscles. I aim to ad as much weight as I can manage and do two sets with 8 reps each. I use equipment like the dumbbells, chest press machines, the vertical lift machine and the seated row. On alternate days I do 3 sets of 8 reps squatting, using the bar and then I do 2 sets of 8 reps as I lift then do vertical dips- as many as I can manage until it feels like my shoulders are going to give out! I finish every session with 10 minutes abdominal exercises, ensuring that I get the full upper-body workout. In addition I drink a protein supplement when I get home.

Benefits:

Besides (obviously) gaining muscle mass and strength, my day always has a “complete” feel to it after I finish a session at the gym. Call it the endorphins or whatever you want, but even if I’ve had a workday that didn’t go completely to my satisfaction, there’s that sense of “at least I had a good workout”. Added to that is just the subtle confidence you get. Taking photos from when you start training and then (over the months/ years) taking new photos of yourself for comparison is great motivation. It’s a physical representation of how much we’re able to transform ourselves, and a reminder that the body is just one area. If we adopt the same attitude to our business, to our thinking- we can similarly go beyond what we expect. To see a photo of me where I don’t recognise myself- in a good way- is an awesome feeling!

#2: Martial Arts Training

I also train goju-kai (literally “hard soft”) karate. This form of karate utilises both open and closed hand techniques and I’ve been training on and off for the last 6 years. When I still lived in Brisbane I was part of a great dojo over at Camp Hill and I trained there 2 nights a week. More recently here on the coast, I could only manage to go along to one of the two weekly training sessions, but it’s just been announced that another night has been added, so watch this space. Besides (obviously) practising punches, blocks and kicks, we also do a lot of work on stances and breathing exercises.

Benefits:

Besides the obvious benefit of learning self-defence, martial arts training is also great for improving your reflexes. To co-ordinate a set pattern of techniques (known as a kata) you need to master not just your stances and your positioning, but also your timing. Combined, all of this serves as a further boost to your inner confidence. Then of course there’s the people you meet along the way!

#3: Walking

I know a lot of people like to go for a walk of, say, 30 minutes or so and with this in mind I might as well preface this: I like long walks. I’m talking walks of two hours or more. Looking at my phone’s health app, that usually means anything between 20-30,000 steps in an afternoon. You don’t need to go for crazy long walks like that (and even if you wanted to, I get that you might not have the time) but if you are able to manage it? I can’t recommend it highly enough from both a physical and mental perspective. Like putting in a solid session at the gym, the feeling when you get back through the door after an afternoon’s hike is both weary and satisfying. When deciding on a walk, I like to find a route that takes me past attractive scenery and (if I can manage) puts me amongst people for at least part of the journey. When you’re in the work scenario that I am, you can spend your day solo, typing out articles like this one with little personal interaction whatsoever. So on my walk I like to get amongst it at some point or another, wherever I might be. If you live near a beach or a major river, there’s a great destination for you. Likewise, if you live within reasonable walking distance or your city or town centre, you can get amongst it here, or even find a great park nearby for a stroll. I don’t go for one of these long walks every week, but it’s something I do at least once a month.

Benefits:

First of all is the strength in your legs and thighs that you build up. Especially so if the route you walk incorporates some uphill sections along the way. Added to this is the physical stamina you develop- you’re able to walk a steadier pace for longer and this develops your endurance. I remember once I ventured off the usual track and I chose to explore a steep grass hill before me. I’d already been walking for an hour, so making it up this grass hill was a slow, steady affair. But then when I reached the top I found myself on a road along a ridge and looking out was the most wonderful view across the ocean.

It occurred to me: if you want to enjoy the view, you’ve got to make the climb first.

And this is the other thing these long walks do: it’s a great workout mentally. Because as you’re walking along, you find yourself thinking of different things- it could be a present problem or a potential scenario that may come to pass. Yet as you toy with it in your mind while getting physical exercise, your mind goes to work, exploring ideas you might not have previously considered. If you love brainstorming new ideas or have problems that you haven’t been able to find a solution for until now, take a hike. And of course, if you’re more of a cyclist, this works just as well- plus you can cover more distance. I know it myself from all the times over the years I’ve taken my mountain bike out for hours and come back weary, but happy- and brimming with revelations previously untouched.

Conclusion:

Here I’ve shared what works for me. But maybe for you, it’s something else- maybe you enjoy kayaking, horse riding, jogging or spending hours out in the surf? Of course, if you have a dog (especially one of the bigger breeds) then they need regular walking too. You find that this doesn’t just have a positive impact on your fitness, but in other areas too- like your ability to come up with new ideas and to think positively.

Walking away from the go-kart track on Saturday afternoon, my arms were heavy, my legs were taut and there were red marks on my knees where they’d banged against the steering wheel. There was a well-earned beer or two somewhere with my name on it. Yet it occurred to me that (without even realising) I’d been regularly training to do what I’d just done: drive at 10/10ths consistently for a total of 56 laps in less than two hours, without losing speed due to fatigue or making myself physically ill. In the same way many of the (seemingly) irrelevant exercises I did while boxing training were preparing us to step in the ring and fight to the end, my usual exercise routine had unwittingly prepared me to drive fast- and do it consistently:

Regular weight training had developed the strength in my arms and shoulders required to control the steering wheel and physically guide a speeding, jolting kart over the bumps and through the corners of the 800 metre circuit, lap after lap…

Karate training had sharpened my reflexes so I could make short, sharp adjustments to correct a slide that would otherwise scrub off speed, or pounce on a gap where I could sneak past another driver without costing me seconds of my lap time…

And those long walks had developed the muscles in my legs and physical stamina, which (ultimately) gave me the ability to drive fast and do it consistently with minimal fatigue, which would not just have a negative impact physically, but also on my ability to focus and make split-second judgements.

To neglect our physical health is to take great risks with our mental well-being and (therefore) our ability to make good decisions that directly impact our business. Like I said, you don’t have to follow what I do to a tee, but I strongly advise you get your own regular fitness routine in place- and start enjoying the benefits- even in those unexpected places!

Remember: quality of health = quality of life AND quality of business.

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