Hints, tips, news, views and general musings in the Word Salon blog....
How to brief your copywriter, and why it’s so important
Going back quite a number of years, I was an account manager in a recruitment advertising agency; responsible for taking client briefs, then writing them up and passing them onto the creative team. Our client base was predominantly public sector. Within that, mainly...
Is your script letting down your campaign?
The success of a radio or TV advert, presentation, corporate, promotional or online video, starts with the script. There, I said it. The voice, of course, is incredibly important, as is the production and quality of the imagery. But with a poor script, even with the...
Meta-descriptions: What they are, why they are important and how to write them
Before you hastily move on (meta descriptions, shmeta descriptions, I’ve got real things to worry about); note this. If you have a website; you have meta-descriptions. If you manage your own content, you manage your meta-descriptions. There, so now we’ve established...
Four years on, and I think a thank you is in order
Apparently, according to LinkedIn, it’s Word Salon’s four year anniversary today (thank you to those who have sent me a congrats). I don’t usually write posts about me however it does seemly timely to have a brief reflection. Four years of Word Salon...
Five things that successful small-business owners have in common
In my role as the owner of a professional writing business, I come across small-business owners and sole traders all the time. In fact, my client base is exclusively made up of this demographic. These small and micro-businesses span an enormous spectrum of industries....
Why professional social networking should be about showcasing, not showboating
Thanks to social media, business owners can post pretty much what they like, when they like, as often as they like. Which is great. In some ways it means that PR, promotion and advertising has never been so accessible, cheap or even free. But there’s a downside. The...
Five top tips on overcoming loneliness as a Sole Trader
Being a sole trader, or a freelancer, can be a lonely old place. Most of us work from home. Many of us will largely rely on resources like LinkedIn for our networking. And the majority of our interactions with others will take place over email. Contrast that with my...
Confessions of a write-aholic and top tips for blank page syndrome
You know when sometimes things get a bit much. Everything’s whirling round your head. You just need some time to think, some space, some relief. When my best friend feels like this, she goes for a long run. Some people will reach for a glass of wine (ok I...
7 tips on writing a top blog
It comes to something, doesn’t it, when someone who actually writes for a living and LOVES writing blogs is being nagged by clients and colleagues for not writing enough blogs. But like builders who never finish their own homes, and gardeners who never maintain their...
Why loving what you do is the strongest sell
Before we get started, I know. I really do. This doesn’t, and can’t, apply to everyone. We’ve all done work we didn’t love and it’s simply not always possible. But for most of my clients; sole traders, small business owners and entrepreneurs, passion and drive for...
Five reasons why five reasons is better than ten
Blogging. Everyone’s opportunity to share their top tips. To comment. To excite, inform and illuminate. It’s virtually essential these days that websites include a blog page, that marketing strategies incorporate regular blogging and that customers and clients receive...
It’s your baby: top tips on how to nurture your new business
The anticipation as the embryo grows…the pain and sweat of hard labour…the sheer joy of seeing that first smile… There’s nothing quite like the birth of a business and that first piece of positive customer feedback. This analogy isn’t entirely...
Why your homepage may be losing you business
Be honest. Does your company homepage; A: excite and entice potential customers with lively and engaging copy, impressive descriptions of your products and services and a promise of how your buyers will benefit from bringing their business to you B: provide adequate...
Why your business proposition must speak louder than words.
So, we’ve established that the wordsmith side of me believes in the indisputable power of words to attract business. However, let’s take one step back. The words that we read, that you use, that I write, are based on something. And if that ‘something’ is weak, then...
Building a new website? How to make sure it’s a solution, not a headache.
Imagine going to a shop to buy something you need, or for a mooch round with a view to buying later. The first thing you see is unclear, uninteresting signage. The shop window is piled up with an assortment of products. You walk into the shop to find a mess, products...