A Manifesto About Why You Need a Manifesto

Nobody cares about you

Until you care about who you are

Nobody even knows you until you take the time to know who you are

You can string together a bunch of cliches about why you matter

But it won’t really matter

Because you will blend in with the rest of the unknown.

Instead,

Polish your wins, warts and all for people to see

Don’t be scared to show it all

Give the people something original that they can identify with.

Because how else will people know you

If you don’t even trust or know or believe in who you are.

Do I Need a Small Business Copywriter?

Does your small business really need a copywriter?

Maybe. 

Maybe not. 

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First of all, who is a copywriter and what do they do?

It depends on who you ask; but basically, copywriters…write. Copywriters write about almost everything and anything; can create worlds out of words, and even influence human behavior with the right words. The last part is what we want to focus on. 

Copywriters mostly write clear and concise copy (fancy name for ‘words’) for advertising, marketing materials, websites, content, and more for virtually any audience, any industry, and on any topic. Depending on the subject of your business, a copywriter creates written content that helps you reach out to new customers, communicate better with them, and even build long-lasting relationships for your business. 

So, as a budding entrepreneur, why should you care?

Remember all the essays, letters, research papers, and endless writing you had to do in school? Unfortunately, none of it prepared you for how to write to get customers into your doors, buy your products, and hang around a little longer. You know your product better than anyone else on the planet, your mum thinks they’re the best thing ever, and your friends support you till the end of time (or till when you stop giving them discounts); and yet, perfect strangers don’t care who you are or what you’re selling. Why should they?

This is where a copywriter can help your small business. 

Being an entrepreneur is tough enough, but realizing you need a copywriter is even tougher. You’ve worked very hard to get to where you are and it can be unmotivating when things aren’t moving as they should. Adding ‘Marketing Manager’ to your Entrepreneur title makes the crown you wear a little heavier. Making your products visually appealing is one-half of the battle; but you can win with words that communicate your products and services effectively to your consumers: potential and existing. 

When you work with a copywriter, you can create a variety of content, communication materials, and brand assets to reach your customers at any and every touchpoint whenever they come in contact with your product, service, or brand. These creations can include, for instance, brochures, taglines, blog posts, social media content, email templates, brand tone-of-voice, fact sheets, brand or product guides, website content, and more. As you work closely with your copywriter, you slowly develop a relationship where they understand your brand’s voice, know the best way to use it with your customers, and bonus points if they work with you for a long time and even grow with you!

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As you grow your business, acquire contacts, make sales, and celebrate every little step of the way, don’t forget that your voice matters. Over time, you will appreciate the value of having a professional copywriter craft and amplify your voice in a busy world that never tends to shut up!

So, instead of asking yourself if your business ‘really’ needs a copywriter, how about asking why you don’t have one already?!

Is the Art of the Newsletter Dead?

When was the last time you got a newsletter and you were genuinely interested or excited? 

Every day, I get e-newsletters from brands and services that I have willingly subscribed to; and every day, I delete up to 90% of them, mostly because they don’t interest me at the moment, don’t meet a certain need, or aren’t relevant to me. I can imagine an email marketer reading this and feeling like someone has stabbed them in the chest. However, the reality is that most people don’t read newsletters or emails from brands unless they’re relevant or sporadically interesting. 

So, what does this mean for your business?

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Out of the hundreds of newsletters I receive daily, there is a tiny amount that makes it through and I call them ‘The Peculiars’. For me, it’s not hard to understand why these emails don’t quickly end up in my bin. I realized these newsletters have visually-appealing and engaging content that makes me think: “Hmmm…tell me more!”. Even though the news may be unusual or can’t meet any of my current needs, the point is…I clicked on it and engaged with the newsletter. 

So, what can spare a newsletter from the dreaded ‘Delete’ button, before it is even opened?

First of all, you should realize that if a person subscribes to you at all, that means they probably have a genuine interest in your brand, product, or service; and they want to hear from you (as less annoyingly often as possible). But there’s a catch: you have to make your news about your customers, not about what you’re offering. 

As humans, most of us love being at the center of attention, and we should apply this thinking to creating newsletters too. A lot of brands send out emails about their latest releases, brand updates, new upgrades, improved services, etc., but fail to show the consumer what it means to them. This means when the customer receives your email, they may think: ‘Oh, that’s nice! But what’s in it for me?’. The point is: make your offering revolve around your consumer; for instance, if you have a new collection of clothes, how will this impact their next get-together? Or imagine you have a new restaurant location, what does that mean for the customers close to that neighborhood? Depending on what you’re offering your consumer, you can make every email an opportunity to connect with them on not just an emotional, but also a rational level. 

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Email marketing doesn’t have to stop at just newsletters. It could also be welcome emails, loyalty-rewarding emails, case study emails, informational emails, and more. Remember, it’s a nice way to stay in touch with your consumers; but don’t forget to give your customer some space after every communication because too much contact can be seen as annoying or worse: an excuse to click the unsubscribe button. So, try to keep it cool, and don’t forget to make your next newsletter about your consumer.