4 Effective Ways to Market Your Business Online

 

All businesses, great and small, exist for one reason – to make money. Every decision or action that happens in the business is just one step on the way to the ultimate purpose of that business, that is, to make a sale. The difference between businesses that succeed and those that fail is the ability to sell.

 

As important as the processes of creating quality products and building organizational structures are, they do not form the bedrock of business success. The product is nothing if it does not win the attention of buyers. Unless people are willing to buy what you are selling, your entire effort in building the business is wasted.

 

That is why selling, along with everything that goes into making a sale, is the most important function in a business. As a matter of fact, every action the people in a business take will contribute to the business’ ability or inability to market its products or services successfully.

 

This is why successful businesses elevate the art of marketing to the level of strategy, says Funeral Home Media. Strategy is a systematic plan of action designed to increase the probability of success under conditions of uncertainty. Strategy makes your results more predictable in unpredictable circumstances.

 

How should you market your business?

In today’s world, most business is done on the internet. Even if the actual sale does not take place there, cyberspace is where your first contact with customers often happens. There are two things that need to happen to your marketing if your business is to consistently make its mark in the online space:

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• Firstly, there must opportunities for that initial contact between your business and users of the internet. If buyers cannot find you online, how can they buy from you?
• Secondly, people who encounter your business online must come away with a good impression of the business and the products or services it is offering.

 

The ability of your business to repeatedly do these two things well is the foundation for successful online marketing. What are some of the strategies you can use to reach more people online and also impress them with the quality of what your business has to offer?

 

4 tips for successfully marketing your business online

 

1.    Update your SEO game

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is where it all begins. This is what you do to define who you are on the internet. It is what makes it easier for people to find your business among the billions of businesses on the internet.

 

What is SEO? SEO is every step you take to improve the ranking of your business on search engine results pages (SERPs). A great SEO strategy ensures that when internet users enter a search phrase that relates to something your business does, your website or content will show at the top of the search result page. This is important because most internet users do not click past the first page of search results.

 

2.    Engage on social media

A vast amount of time people spend on the internet is dedicated to social media sites. Social media offers the most effective platform for reaching the greatest number of potential and existing customers within the shortest time. But to succeed on social media, you must honor the purpose of those sites and why people use them.

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The three reasons people come to social media are to be informed, inspired, and entertained. A social media strategy that values engaging with people above selling to them will be more successful in the long run. The goal of your social media strategy should be to build a community.

 

3.    Become an authority through content marketing

People hate to be sold something but still want their problems solved. How can you get people to buy something that will solve their problems if you cannot sell to them? The answer is through content marketing.

 

Content marketing is about providing useful information that addresses customers’ pain points without an overt attempt to sell to them. This is often done by creating insightful blog posts or video content that answer the customer’s questions.

 

This kind of valuable content helps to build trust because it positions your business as an authority in that area. When that internet user is eventually ready to buy, they are more likely to remember and buy from your business.

 

4.    Build an email list to foster conversations

Email is arguably the cheapest and most effective way to market online. When marketing on social media, the social media site plays the role of a mediator between you and the customer. Content marketing also depends on the ability of customers to find your content in SERPs.

 

With email, you have a direct communication line to the customer’s inbox. This kind of marketing is personal and people like it, especially if they signed up to receive your emails. But like content marketing and social media, email marketing is best used as a tool for engagement. With time people are more likely to buy from you if they have been sufficiently engaged.

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing

 

So you’ve been wanting to write—for your blog, for your company, for industry publications, or maybe just for fun. But you’re not sure where to get started. Or maybe you’ve never even considered writing (or never really liked it to begin with), but you’re quickly realizing that you’re going to have to do it (and do it well) for your career.

As with anything, writing is much less about being born with an innate “talent,” and much more about getting better with practice. So here are a few fun and simple ways to start incorporating writing into your everyday life—and get better at it in no time.

1. Look Around

Many writers cling tightly to the idea of a “muse,” a divine inspiration that hits when she fancies and provides you with the exalted insight for your most inspired piece.

Well, it doesn’t always work that way. While there’s no denying that great ideas can’t always be forced, the mood to write doesn’t always strike when it’s convenient. Instead, take advantage of the world around you for inspiration—your walk to the subway, the stories in your Facebook newsfeed, your interaction with the cashier at Starbucks in the morning (and the afternoon). As writer Henry Miller once said, “Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music—the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting people. Forget yourself.”

If you don’t think you have anything to write about, think again. There’s inspiration everywhere—you just have to be paying attention.

2. Find Your Space

How and where do you write best? For some people, it’s peace and quiet, while others need music or the chaotic hubbub of co-workers milling about. And most find that different places work for different types of writing: When you have to write for work, you may need to put in your headphones and listen to the crooning of Lana Del Rey, but when you’re blogging, you may prefer curling up on your couch with a glass of wine.

Instead of trying to force yourself to write at a specific location, try out a variety of different spaces until you find what works for you. Then, recreate that cozy, creative environment every time you need to write.

 

3. Write Now, Edit Later

Many times, your own worst critic—in writing and in life—is you. So, when you’re writing, it’s really important not to judge what you write down, at least at first. Even experienced writers don’t often crank out a perfect first draft, so setting your expectations too high from the outset is unrealistic (not to mention discouraging).

A good exercise in nonjudgmental writing is to set a timer for 10 minutes and just write. Write down what you know, what you feel, or whatever’s on your mind. Don’t try to write too carefully or too intelligently or too accurately. In fact, stop trying, period. Writing goes much better when you don’t work so hard at it or criticize your every word.

Even if you need to do some research for what you’re writing, start by just getting some thoughts on paper. Write down what you know, build a skeleton that you can add to, and then research the rest later. Don’t let a lack of immediate knowledge stop you.

 

4. Read it Out Loud

This tip is twofold. First, in most cases, you should write like you talk. Even if you tend to use a casual tone, that’s OK—it will help you sound more realistic and understandable to your readers. Try recording yourself talking for two minutes, then transcribing it. You can correct obvious mistakes later (and edit out the “likes” and “ums”!), but writing that reflects the way you speak often showcases the most authentic version of yourself.

Secondly, once you’ve written something down, actually read it out loud. As silly as you may feel, it’s the best way to make sure what you’ve written makes sense. Anything that doesn’t flow, is confusing, or is missing a word or two will quickly make itself apparent.

 

5. Just Write

If your goal is to truly improve, the more you do it, the better. There are so many ways to get words onto paper (or onto the screen)—so take advantage of these opportunities to hone your skills. Compose well-crafted emails and clever tweets, start a personal blog, or ask for more writing projects at work.

You can even make a game of it. At the beginning of every day, pick two or three words you want to use that day. Write them on post-it’s and stick them on the wall in front of you, and find a way to use them in your writing that day.

Today as much as ever, everyone needs to write—it’s an expected and actually quite useful form of communication. But being able to write well is a skill, and one that’s sought-after no matter what you do. The good news is you can get there. The first step is just getting started.

Culled from The Muse

How to Publish Your Book: Top 3 Options for New Writers

 

If you are reading this, there are three probabilities —

1. first, you have already written your first book and are looking for the right publishing option;

2. second, you are seriously considering writing and publishing your book;

3. third, you are still dreaming of writing a book.

In all of these cases, you need to be aware of different publishing options as there is no singularly best way to publish your book. The book publishing landscape may baffle you as this business has drastically changed over the past decade. You cannot depend on outdated and wrong advice.

Read on to know about various publishing models:

Traditional publishing

Before the year 2000, traditional publishing was the only way to get your book published. In this model, you finish your manuscript; find a literary agent (whose primary job is to sell your crude work) in the hope that they would take you on as a client.

Once your publisher approves your manuscript for publishing, he will pay you typically in the form of an upfront payment. If your book does well, further royalty payments will be given by the publisher. The publisher will handle the physical production of the book as well as the marketing part.

Self-publishing

The self-publishing model has empowered authors, especially new ones more than any other publishing mode.

In this model, you retain ownership of your book, but at the same place, you are the one responsible for managing and controlling the entire process. Self-publishing has shot up in many different forms, but at its core, the publishing work is managed by the author.

Self-publishing has given a platform to millions of authors for getting their books published and reaching millions of readers. Also referred to as independent publishers, multiple independent editors, illustrators, book publishers for new authors, book designers and marketing professionals take part in this model. With the self-publishing option, you choose the professional services you are ready to pay for. When it comes to distribution, you make money whenever someone orders your book. The distributor gets a cut only when the sales go through.

Today, there are many platforms, like The Write Place, offering a new-age destination for authors to arrive with a raw manuscript and fulfill their dreams of getting published.

Hybrid publishing

Similar to its name, hybrid publishing shares some elements of traditional as well as independent publishing. By the year 2000, some traditional publishers started stepping into the game of hybrid publishing.

In this model, you submit copies of your manuscript, similar to a traditional model. If the publisher accepts your manuscript, the traditional publisher invests in the hybrid arm of the parent publishing company and takes all financial risks involved. However, the author can also take some financial risk and contribute some money.

A hybrid publisher usually takes on expenses, like production, marketing, and distribution, while the author pays a set fee. The royalties earned from the sale of the book are split between the publisher as well as the author. Under the best scenario of the hybrid model, your publisher will work in collaboration before and after the book is published to ensure the quality of your book as well as investment.

The journey of becoming an author is exciting. With the publishing industry evolving with time, it is handing over great control and power in the hands of authors than ever before. A few years ago, an author used to wait for the publisher, and in many cases, even some bestseller books underwent several rounds of rejection before they were published. But now, you can self-publish a bestseller (Anangsha Alammyan)and this model of publishing has enabled authors to get published proudly and enjoy their fair share of popularity as well as money.

Culled from The Writing Cooperative

Six Signs You are Meant to Be a Writer

It is possible for you to have a flair for writing but because of some criticism of your work, you feel you are not meant to be a writer. In spite of those doubts you might have, here are some indicators that you are meant to be a writer:

1. You have a childhood passion for writing

There is a tendency that if as a child you loved to use pen and paper mostly to write (and not to draw), then you are probably meant to be a writer. Children mostly know what they love and are meant to do, even if they cannot express it.

2. You daydream about writing

When you find yourself frequently mulling over an unwritten story in your mind especially when you are not in an environment that would permit you to write, you are probably meant to be a writer.

3. You don’t mind writing for free

Do you readily accept or even search for opportunities to write without getting paid for it? That could be another sign that you are meant to be a writer.

4. Your excuse for not hanging out with people is that you want to write

This is quite straightforward; that is, if you would rather stay indoors and write than hang out with your friends, it’s clear you love writing and you are probably meant to be a writer.

5. You have great admiration for writers

When the people you admire most are authors like Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, Chimamanda Adichie and John Grisham, then you are probably meant to be one too. Also, if you also have a natural talent for using elevated language and you tend to use it in your writing and speech, then that is probably another indicator that you are meant to be a writer.

6. You feel empty on the inside unless you write

Do you sometimes get bothered or feel somewhat incomplete because you haven’t written for a long time? That is a sign that you are meant to be a writer.

Now, if you found yourself nodding in agreement as you read this piece, don’t quit writing yet; you are probably meant to be a writer. You just have to keep writing so that you can get better at it.

 

At The Ready Writers Consult, we have seasoned writers who will take you from thoughts to print. Ready to start working on your book? Contact us now.

How to Maximise Your Website

There are myriads of websites popping up daily on Google or other search engines. The world, already a global village, can get access to lots of content just by typing up words in a search bar. There is, however, one thing that helps some people’s websites to rank more than others. It is called web optimization.

Go over to your Google app right now, and type in ‘content writing’. On the first page, you are probably going to see articles written by Backlinko and SEMrush. Why? Because they have properly optimized their website to make sure that their articles pop up first on Google.

 

What is Web Optimization?

HubSpot’s Anna Fitzgerald calls web optimization “a set of actions that can help you improve user experience, traffic, and conversions on your site.” It helps people easily locate your website. Google and other search engines handle millions of searches every month, and with this number increasing per year, there is a need for you to up your game and boost your content visibility – there is a need for you to properly maximize your website.

 

Why is it Important to Maximize Your Website?

Let us imagine this: You love to write and you finally decided to have a blog. You start it up and come up with different blog posts, yet just 10 people in the world read your posts. And only because you posted the link up on your social media handles and they decided to check it out.

There are millions of people out there waiting for you to write. This is one major reason why you need to maximize your website – to reach those millions of audiences and create personalized experiences that will help your customers convert faster. The points below are simpler reasons for you to remember why you should maximize your website:

1. To improve your brand awareness
2. To build trust and loyalty with your target audience
3. To generate targeted traffic from interested buyers, and to increase the sales you generate from paid and organic traffic.

How Do I Properly Maximize My Website?

Now to the main question, how do I properly maximize my website?

To maximize your website properly, you will need to go with a holistic approach. This will involve using the following:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
2. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
3. Copywriting
4. Analytics
5. UX Design (the frontend of your website)
6. Web Development (the backend of your website)

 

To properly maximise your website, you need to figure out what your target customers are searching on Google, how to align your content to their searches, and what you need to do to rank pages in search results.

1. Source out your target keywords

Sourcing out keywords that align with your target market is very important. In recent times, there has been improved AI-driven analysis that helps Google to extrapolate user intent based on the search inquiry. This will bring out relevant results and make it easy for you to meet the needs of your target audience. It makes it easy for site owners to think like users rather than marketers when they are creating and optimizing content.

The best way to account for your user content is by typing your keyword into the search engine and then noting the relevant results that come up. This will help you to align your content to your user, especially if it is not your article that pops up first. Read through their content. That will give you an idea of how to optimize your content. However, while you can Google each of your keywords manually, it is not an appropriate approach; instead use third-party SEO tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs, and Moz.

2. Optimize your content

For any blog post, video, or digital resource to be relevant, it has to focus on the target market. Yet, while you know your target, it is critical for you to optimize your content for optimization, to increase your ranking, and traffic to your website. This is not a difficult task to do. All that is required is for you to follow by example. To do this:

1. Integrate relevant keywords
2. Add useful images
3. Add keyword-based page titles
4. Manage your keyword density
5. Add internal and external links
6. Create meta-tags that highlight key concepts

 

3. Improve your page speed and experience using UX

For your content to rank, you need to improve your “dwell time”. This is a very important SEO ranking factor. It measures the number of seconds or minutes a user spends on your site. If a user clicks your content and it takes a lot of time for it to load, chances are that he/she will return and click on another content. And if this occurs for a lot of users, Google will rank your content as irrelevant and your position will drop. This can however be prevented. If you own content and you should test the speed right now, using Pingdom Tools, WebPage Test, Pagespeed Insights, or GTMetrix. Type in the URL, select a server location, and click ‘start test’. Once the search is over, fix the issues and scroll through to see the problems a bit of advice here. You might have to keep fixing these issues until you get a score of 90 and above.

If you also have content that is hard for your readers to understand, it will negatively impact the amount of time they will spend on your site. So, always ensure that your user’s experience is on point and give them an experience they will never forget.

 

4. Get more sites to share your content through backlinks

Networking is a growth strategy. And to rank, it is also important that you get a backlink, or link from another domain to your website. This signals to Google that your content is relevant. To get this done, note these two important steps:

1. Let your content be superb so they are worth linking to.
2. Search and contact people with relevant sites who are likely to share your content.

 

Conclusion

As mentioned above, there are several ways you can properly maximize your web. The question for you is – are you willing to go through the process of giving your target audience the best or do you just want to post online?

 

Ifemide Omolawal

Why Publishers And Literary Agents Will Reject Your Manuscript

Why would publishers reject your manuscript?

So, you’ve chosen to pursue traditional publication. Maybe you’ve already had success with self-publishing and are looking to tackle the mainstream, or maybe your brand of literary fiction isn’t especially suited to the cutthroat Amazon marketplace – whatever the reason, you’re now in an unenviable position: facing the stern gatekeepers of the literary establishment.

The next step is to decide whether you’re going to try for a small press or a large publishing house. If the latter, you’ll need a literary agent, as there are very few big publishers who still accept manuscript submissions directly from authors. This adds a new step in the process, but thankfully submitting to a literary agent is much like submitting straight to a publisher – you still need to wow them.

As I’m sure you’re aware, getting published is far from easy. Publishers will reject your manuscript and not think twice about it. Many writers amass dozens or even hundreds of rejections before their book is eventually accepted, and while many factors influencing acceptance or rejection will be out of the author’s control, it’s important to know why manuscripts are rejected. Armed with this information, you’ll stand the best possible chance.

What are the reasons why publishers reject your manuscript?

Reason 1: Timing

Often, the reason why a publisher or agent will reject your manuscript has nothing to do with the quality of your writing – rather, it’s simply a case of bad timing. This can be especially frustrating, since your submission isn’t to blame and, short of infiltrating the publishing house, there’s nothing you could have done.

That said, being aware of how important timing is in the publishing journey can help you avoid (or at least understand) these most impersonal of rejections.

Market dips and cash crunches

Put simply, the publisher may reject your manuscript because they don’t have the cash to throw around at the moment. Maybe the market’s in a bad place, maybe they’ve not met targets this year, maybe they’re laying off staff – publishers are businesses, remember, and operations are just as cutthroat at Lil’ Red Pine Books as they are at your archetypal American Psycho corporation.

Often, the editor rejecting your book might not even know the reason for the slump – they’ll simply have been told not to take on any new books by the powers that be.

Sales departments and distributors

Two more frustrating obstacles between you and sweet publication are publishing house sales departments and distributors. A note from either of these entities to a commissioning editor – about how, for example, vampire YA just hasn’t been selling this quarter, or how sales of cookbooks are inexplicably way down in the Midwest – can pop your balloon before the editor’s even finished reading your query letter.

Inventory glut

It may simply be that, when you submit, the publisher already has a backlog of your particular genre to work through. Maybe your dark fantasy epic is great, but if the commissioning editor’s list already has three dark fantasy epics, they’re not going to have any space for you. Try again in a year or two.

Reason 2: Genre issues

Sometimes, publishers will reject your manuscript due to the genre. This could be due to the issues of timing I’ve already discussed, but it could also be that the publisher or agent you’ve chosen doesn’t work in that genre or can’t see a big enough return in its current audience.

Submit to the right people

Before you send off any query letters or manuscript samples, make sure the publishing house or literary agent you’re approaching actually deals in your genre. There’s no sense submitting your sci-fi odyssey to an agent who deals only in literary fiction, and you’re wasting your time submitting a graphic novel to a publisher who’s never touched one before. This information will be easy to find on the agent/publisher’s website.

Profit versus loss

No matter how good your novel is, if its genre is so specific that it’s only likely to appeal to a small group of readers, publishing houses simply won’t be able to turn a profit. And if they suspect so, then obviously they’ll reject your manuscript. Bear this in mind before pitching your book as a literary werewolf murder mystery written in verse and set in ancient Greece. It might be fantastic, but if only two people are going to read (and love!) it, publishers won’t be interested.

Reason 3: Manuscript and craft flaws

Now we get to the most obvious decider of your manuscript’s fate: craft. By this, I mean how good your book is – how well-written, how engaging, how relevant, etc. Now, craft is a multi-faceted thing, so I’ll limit myself to the big issues.

Authority

Authority is a difficult thing to put your finger on. In her excellent article on rejection, Constance Renfrow defined authority as ‘absolute control over the language: every word is exactly right, placed just where it belongs, creating a narrative voice that says, “You can trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”’

This ineffable quality is difficult to introduce and maintain, but if your text doesn’t have it, they’re going to pass.

Language and style

A good editor will be able to tell from the first paragraph whether a manuscript is ready or not purely by the author’s style and use of language. A classic example is writers who submit what they call a ‘fiction novel’. If an editor sees this phrase, they don’t even need to read the sample.

Other red flags include overly flowery language, excessive use of clichés, flat writing, bad grammar and spelling, etc. These days, staff editors don’t have time to perform miracles on messy manuscripts, and will pass on books that might otherwise have a lot of potential if the text isn’t up to scratch. This is a common problem; often a book will have a great concept but will be let down by poor execution. Long story short: if your prose isn’t up to scratch, that manuscript’s going no further.

Tone

Problems of tone are as common as problems of language and style, particularly among certain genres. Sometimes, a writer will try to be as shocking and controversial and obscene as possible, all at the expense of decent content. This trick fools nobody – it is glaringly obvious that the writer simply has nothing to say. Alternatively, maybe the manuscript is excessively didactic, preachy, and moralistic; instead of posing interesting questions, it’s telling the reader what to think. That might be satisfying for the author, but readers aren’t browsing bookshelves looking for a lecture, which means publishers aren’t trying to sell them.

As with problems of language and style, a commissioning editor or literary agent will pick up on problems of tone straight away, so make sure you’re walking the fine line.

Content

While style, tone, and language are all of vital importance, they shouldn’t eclipse content. After all, your text can be as pretty and tonally appropriate as can be but, if nothing actually happens, your manuscript won’t make it far. Problems of content are particularly common in literary fiction, where writers feel they don’t have to worry as much about story. But, as any editor will tell you, there’s nothing more off-putting than text that, while stylistically problem-free, is deathly boring. This means creating an interesting setting, filling it with interesting characters, and having an engaging plot.

Reason 4: Submission errors

Of course, even if your timing is good, you’ve been savvy about genre, and your manuscript is top-notch, if your submission is poorly put together, you won’t get anywhere. There are lots of Dos and Don’ts when it comes to communicating with literary agents and publishing houses, some better known than others, but the most important thing to remember is that agents and publishers are looking for reasons to reject you – their slush piles are huge and their time is limited. To avoid falling at the first hurdle, be aware of these common reasons for rejection.

Attitude

While I’m sure this would never apply to our lovely readers, every literary agent and commissioning editor has dozens of stories of writers who’re inexplicably rude (or downright offensive) in their query letters or email correspondence. Obviously – obviously – being unpleasant in your communications is not going to get your manuscript accepted. Be more than professional: be nice.

Quality of query

Editors and literary agents are busy people, and they go through hundreds of query letters a month. You have maybe fifteen seconds in which to seize their attention, so your query letter had better be engaging right from the start. Utilize a good hook and summarize your book’s plot, its readership, and its genre. If you’ve already got a following or publication history, mention that, as well as any awards you might have won. Be professional and concise, and don’t waste your readers’ time with convoluted introductions. Oh, and avoid flattery and – needless to say (or so you’d think) – bribery.

Misrepresentative samples

This one’s simple: if the submission process involves you having to send a sample of your manuscript, make sure it’s a sample that’s representative of your whole book. Don’t send a prologue – prologues are more like framing devices than they are actual stories – and don’t send the weird flashback chapter where your romance novel briefly transforms into a horror story.

Failing to follow instructions

Follow every instruction your recipient gives to the letter, even if it’s given on some obscure page of their website. Remember: agents and editors are looking for excuses to reject you. If they specifically ask you to mail in your manuscript and you send it as an email attachment, they’re not even going to read it.

Submit!

If the above hasn’t dissuaded you from trying, you’re probably made of stern enough stuff to face the long road to traditional publication. Don’t expect a quick or easy journey, but don’t let rejections put you off – gather them like trophies! With each new submission, try to be conscious of and avoid pitfalls of timing, genre, craft, and submission. You can’t force an acceptance letter, but you can make sending it a whole lot easier.

Culled from Stand Out Books