Category Archives: Outsourcing

Is SEO Still An Important Concept?

  By admin | June 24, 2016 - 9:00 am | , , , , ,
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glasses-1421589In 2014, in a LinkedIn article about the most talked about skills for the best jobs available, number 5 was said to be the knowledge of how to use SEO and paid search (based on recruiter searches).  Why are there so many articles that negatively discuss whether SEO is dead or alive?  While we all know the phrase “Content is King,” that doesn’t mean that SEO is dead or even in a coma.  Plenty of uses still exist for SEO and opportunities abound where SEO can be quite an advantage.

SEO – ALIVE FOREVER!

Well, at least for the foreseeable future.  Why?  Because what companies and businesses care about most – driving oodles of traffic to their web site and then converting those travelers to loyal and devoted customers for life – can be greatly enhanced by utilizing SEO.  While shifts have occurred to the strategies and tactics of SEO with regard to how search engines see those efforts and apply them to the analysis of page ranking, the skills of writing with SEO remain necessary and desired.

GET CONTENT SEEN

With more writers and written text in the form of blogs, articles, web pages, landing pages, etc., how in the world are you going to get your little blog and, thereby, your company noticed?  You need to think up more creative and constructive ways to get your content seen.  What do you need to do that?  A terrific writer who knows how to address the philosophy of your company’s product line or service.  SEO knowledge incorporated into a text, whether it is organic or paid, is still the best way to get your business noticed.

SEO AND GREAT CONTENT

Your business needs great content; that’s a fact.  When you combine naturally flowing and authentic content with the dynamics of SEO optimization, you have a vibrant end result that will do everything within its power to get your business noticed, traffic driven to your web site, and sales conversions almost a given.

Employ high quality content and SEO techniques to get your business and web site acknowledged through waterfall of noise that is your competition.  Drive your targeted audience right where you want them.

 

 

Hiring a Ghost Blogger Can Benefit Your Business

  By admin | May 20, 2016 - 8:53 am | , , ,
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at-night-1194917Can your business benefit from hiring a ghost blogger to help write content for your web site?  Many experts on the subject agree that ghost blogging can be very complementary to a business, as long as the writer maintains the company’s philosophies and engages consumers with the voice that suits the business.  Ghost bloggers generally have a way of writing that can often enhance the company’s words. Often those who work directly for the company may overlook factors that someone with a new set of eyes can see more clearly.

Why Hire a Ghost Blogger?

Time, time, and time are really good reasons (even though that’s only one reason, it’s really worth three mentions).  It takes a huge amount of time to tackle writing a blog well, especially if you’re not a writer by trade.  A ghost blogger can also bring a fresh perspective to a business matter that a company insider may be too close to see clearly.  As well, the blogger must remember their audience.  In some industries, too many technical terms can turn prospective clients off.  A ghost blogger will seek to inform, enlighten, and entertain a reader with just the right amount of technicality – not too much, not too little.  That’s the job of a really good ghost blogger.

What Does It Take to Write a Blog Well?

Time (which we have already mentioned) and plenty of it to devote to constructing a well-written, well-meaning, and well-purposed amount of text aimed at evoking a sense or action.  Writing has been called a blend of both art and science.  A ghost blogger needs to know proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.  A blog that is not well-written will likely not be well-received.  Typically, writers have a passion for their craft and that passion will show through to what they write for/about your business.  A blog has been called “an ongoing conversation” between your business and your clients.  Make it count; make it matter.

A ghost blogger can save you time and bring a fresh perspective to content that’s main purpose is to enhance the credibility and viability of your business.  Don’t lose out on obtaining this aid to helping your business grow.

 

 

Self-Publishing? Why You Need A Professional Editor Now

  By admin | April 14, 2014 - 10:00 am | , ,
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see-the-world-1-928425-mAuthors who intend to self-publish their own work absolutely need to hire a professional editor; it just makes good sense.  Why?  What you DON’T want to do is be responsible for publishing your masterpiece full of spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors, etc.  It will not reflect well to your audience, regardless if you have the best idea ever presented to mankind or not.  Mistakes and errors stick in the minds of avid readers, much more so than your message will if not delivered in a professional manner.

ANOTHER SET OF EYES (OR MORE!)

It never, ever hurts to have your work reviewed by colleagues, friends, or otherwise interested professionals before publication.  Doing so, you get other views and perspectives.  Who knows what might come from another interested party’s questions or comments?  It can only serve to make your manuscript better.  Likewise, before you submit your final material for the publication process, a professional editor should be consulted to ensure you don’t have any glaring errors that will come back to haunt you. Professionals are trained to spot these common mistakes and correct them before the finished work is complete.

A PROFESSIONAL EDITOR SAVES TIME AND FRUSTRATION

Hiring a professional editor can also save you time and endless frustration.  A writer writes; an editor edits.  After your initial ideas and thoughts have been formed and saved to a file, and after you’ve read and re-read your work countless times to adjust the words and phrasing, you are not the best person to then edit your manuscript as well.  You need a fresh set of eyes.  Writers are interested primarily in the content, in telling the story. However, spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules must be followed as well or story will get lost.  A professional editor can help ensure these rules are interpreted correctly and adhered to.

LANGUAGE USE HELPS PERFECT THE WRITTEN WORD

Many times, a professional editor is also able to improve language use, style, and even tone; therefore, it might be possible to communicate your ideas and thoughts even more effectively than your initial efforts.  There can be many concerns related to language use, as well as style usage.  Professional editors can help prevent common mistakes and also, at times, improve word choices.

An experienced author realizes he/she can use all the help available.  You want the best publication possible, right? You want it to be not only rich in content, but professional in language use, style, and tone as well.  A professional editor is a must; even if you consider yourself to be a good editor, one typically should not edit one’s own work.

 

Who Has Time for Time Management?

  By admin | December 16, 2013 - 1:41 pm |
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time-1428951-m

It’s our busy season. Lots of clients are trying to spend those 2013 marketing dollars and frankly, all of us are ready for a few moments to breathe with our families as the holidays approach. Many small businesses hit crunch time at some point during the year, and the age old wisdom of simply managing your time better doesn’t always work well. It’s what makes this Forbes post by Paul Brown so incredibly attractive.

 . . .the problem I have with time management systems is that they assume everything is predictable and that you are going to know how your day is going to go from the moment you walk into the office until you turn off the lights at night.  The business world of an entrepreneur is never predictable.

Now, this doesn’t mean you respond immediately to every new thing that comes across your desk, or drop everything every time the phone rings. You always need to stay focused on what the most important things are you need to accomplish. You can’t let the urgent overwhelm the important. Otherwise you will just lurch from crisis to crisis.

I completely understand why people do, however.  In a funny way, it is simply easier. Someone is yelling about a minor crisis that they think needs to be resolved immediately; you deal with it, and once you have you think you have accomplished something. But, you really haven’t. You are simply back to where you started, before you knew the problem existed.

It is just another example of confusing activity with accomplishment, much like the constant meetings some organizations have. There’s the monthly staff meeting; the weekly department meeting and the daily “check in” with your immediate reports.  These things sure do fill up your calendar; but no creativity comes out of them. There are, to keep with our theme, a waste of time.

But I don’t have a lot of meetings.  And I can tell the different between something that is urgent and something truly important. I don’t believe I need any more rules than that.

Instead of following hard and fast rules, I would prefer to stay alert to possibilities that I can grab quickly to help my business grow.

And by making that decision, I have freed up a lot of time,

If you’re having trouble with your own time management, we might be able to help. It’s not a hard and fast rule that you can outsource everything filling up your plate, but we can at least handle your blogging and social media management for you. Give us a call or drop us a line if you’d like a little help this holiday season or beyond.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

  By admin | December 2, 2013 - 10:03 pm | , ,
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consistencyWondering about the single best thing you can do for your marketing plan in the upcoming year? Stay consistent. People thrive on consistency, and if they can’t get it from your company, you can bet they’re going to find it somewhere else. Planning to post your blog every Monday and Wednesday? Great. Post every Monday and Wednesday. Planning to update your social media feeds every morning? Great. Do it.

What About Trying Something New?

As you analyze what’s working and what isn’t with regard to social media marketing, content marketing, or anything else, there’s nothing wrong with trying something new. The key, though, is that you don’t simply try it and abandon it without taking a solid look at the analytics. If, for instance, not a single person is opening the newsletters you send, adjust your strategy. Maybe a newsletter isn’t right for your company. What you can’t do, however, is walk away because you haven’t put the time and effort into that part of your marketing plan.

It’s tough to market your own company when you’re so caught up in providing services and products to other people, particularly when you’re a fairly small operation. The reality, though, is that it’s a must. You need new customers to survive, and marketing is a good way to get them.

There may come a point when you just need to automate your marketing so it actually gets accomplished. When you hit that point, we’ll be there with the writing services and social media management help you need. Give us a call when that happens. We’ll be happy to help.

Marketing Fire

  By admin | November 15, 2013 - 9:28 am | ,
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calendar-1072482-mI’m a day late with today’s post. This really isn’t a surprise. I often struggle to get my own blog updated. When I have a seemingly endless list of client projects to complete on my plate, my own blog posts and social media updates are often forcefully smashed toward the back of the line in favor of taking care of my clients first.

That’s great news for my clients – it means they get their texts, blogs, and updates on time. For my own company, though, that often means moving forward with plans to grab new clients takes a back seat to a focus on the clients we already have.

Sticking to a Marketing Plan

I’m really not that much different than every other small business owner I meet. We all have so many things to do, so much to accomplish. Marketing often has to take a back seat to the needs of our existing client list. You’ve probably read the same studies I have, though. A consistent marketing plan is what your current and potential clients really want. How do you balance it all?

Often, it means asking for help, something small business owners tend to be reluctant to do. We either think no one can handle it quite as well as we can or that our budgets simply won’t allow us to hire more help. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day, and you can’t be at your desk or on the sales floor for all of them.

Having trouble formulating your marketing plan? Having trouble sticking with it? Let us help. With writing, marketing, and social media services that will take a lot off of your plate, we really are here to make your life easier (even if it means pushing our own marketing plans to the back burner again).