small business

Marketing, Business
6 Tips to Connect With Your Audience That Work (& ignore the gurus)
- October 21, 2022
- Comments Off on 6 Tips to Connect With Your Audience That Work (& ignore the gurus)
- by allwordsbypeta
Why I think authentic marketing is the best thing since sliced bread.

This is a picture of me on a bench. With Sobble – a Water-type starter Pokemon.

No, I’m not a Pokemon trading whizz. A few years ago the only small Japanese creature I could pick out of a lineup was Pikachu. And I couldn’t tell you anything about him other than he was yellow. But my 10-year-old son is obsessed with the game.

Sobble wasn’t the photoshoot companion my incredible photographer Karen was expecting. But it is impossible to go anywhere in my life and not be confronted by my children. Or some reminder of them

“So what, Peta?” (I can hear you rolling your eyes all the way from Berkshire!)

Well, firstly – rude!

And secondly – I have built a loyal and supportive audience by sharing all parts of my life (not just the #soblessed performance parenting bits, and not just the #girlboss entrepreneur stuff). You want me – you get stories of humus-covered webinar notes and answering client emails during the 2 am feed. And you get Pokemon, Minecraft, a far-too-deep understanding of the Napoleonic Wars (Ethan’s new obsession), and metaphors based around Hey Duggee.

To put it in marketing speak – I’ve built my business through authentic writing and authentic marketing. I connect with my audience by being me. All of me.

And that strategy is also how I take my clients’ brands from boring to boast-worthy. One of my copywriter friends, Sonali, calls the way I write “like a human being speaking to another human being”. Which, in the world of online marketing, is rarer than you’d think!

Why those guru-backed marketing strategies aren’t working for you

Trying to get people to buy things is an ancient practice. (Spoiler alert – we’ve been doing it long before Don Draper ever lit his cigarette). In the golden age of advertising, very clever marketers and psychologists learnt how to sell using manipulative copywriting tricks and hit-and-run marketing tactics plastered all over billboards and newspaper spreads. and now – Facebook ads are the new billboard ads, but accessible for those of us without buckets of wallpaper paste and a broom. So the same tactics have stuck around.

And they worked for a while. But now we have a few problems. Because I’d guess that ad spend isn’t working very well for you right now. And the social media algorithms aren’t currently your friends either.

It’s because these tactics weren’t made for you. They were developed for massive businesses. The Birds Eye’s, Mcdonald’s, and even Ben & Jerry’s of the world. You can’t beat their budgets.

And those 3 step programmes constantly being sold to you by coaches on LinkedIn, Instagram, and even TikTok? You know the ones – post 12 times a day and engage with at least 25 people in the comments whilst following 56 new people. Oh, and film Reels and Stories and start dancing while pointing at things. All while running your own business.

They work for these coaches, sure, but that’s because they have a team of 15 badly paid content creators doing it all for them. So they can focus on the important stuff. You can’t win the quantity race.

But what you can win – is the quality race.

How to connect with your audience

If you want to connect with your people – the ones who will buy your stuff, reply to your emails, and tell your friends how amazing you are – then you need quality connection.

You get that with authentic marketing, and here are my 6 tips for how to connect with your audience (and boost your business):

Get clear on who you’re speaking to.

You can’t make a connection with someone if you don’t know who they are. You need to put in the hard work on researching your ideal customer. Find out where they hang out, what they like doing, what other things are going on in their lives.

Listen to them.

Every authentic connection is built around dialogue. It’s all very well having something to say, but is it what they want to hear? The more time you spend listening to your ideal audience, the better you’re able to communicate with them. As people. Not just wallets on legs. You can find out more about listening here:

7 Voice of Customer Practices to Make Your Audience Feel Seen and Heard

Be a real person.

Your customers are real people. And they want to connect with a real person. You.

If you’re a smaller brand, then this is easier. Drop in some behind-the-scenes content (not overly curated “look at my artfully prepared Sunday lunch and my rosy-cheeked cherubs sitting around the table without throwing peas at each other”. But your early morning dog walk, how pleased you are that it’s warm enough to put the washing on the line, frustrations with HMRC – that kind of thing!).

If you’re a larger brand, then you can’t just be one person. But you are still made up of real people. Showcase them, Celebrate them, and sound like them – not like faceless customer service robots.

With real values

These days, people are overwhelmed with choice on how they spend their money. As wonderful as you are, they can probably buy almost an identical service or product from about 8 other businesses. They are looking for why they should spend their money with you. And we’re not talking about price.

One of the reasons the About Page is the 2nd most visited page on any site is your potential customers are checking to see if you’re principles match theirs. They want to know if you care about the same things they care about before they hand you money. They want to make sure their hard-earned cash is spent with companies who align with their values.

Which means you have to talk about your values. Decide what they are, and make them obvious in your messaging. For more on how to do this without turning Instagram into a soap box, here’s another post:

How to Talk About Politics Without Pissing People Off

Speak to their pains

So, you’ve acknowledged that the people you’re selling to are real people. But that means they have real lives, with real pains. The marketing mechanism of finding people’s pain points and speaking about them in your copy is true.

The difference with authentic marketing? You’re not using those pain points to try and make people feel bad so they’ll buy your stuff. You’re not poking at the pain points to convince them that, without your product, their life will be worthless and awful.

You’re making them feel heard. You’re saying “I know you’re struggling. And you’re not alone.”

That is authentic marketing GOLD.

Address those pains with empathy

And, once you’ve acknowledged those pain points. Once you’ve sat down on the park bench next to your potential customer and listened to their struggles. Then you can put your arm around their shoulder. You can address those pains with empathy. And show them how your offer could be the solution they’re looking for.

You can show them how you (someone close to you, or past customers) were in similar situations. That you understand how they feel. And that you’d like to help.
Because you care.

The key? You have to actually care.

And that I can’t help you with.

How I can help

Rather get this off your place so you can focus on the parts of your business that don’t feel overwhelming? That’s cool. This is where I come in. I’ll work with you to:
1. Develop a messaging strategy that sees your customers as real people
2. Create a website that feels like your authentic online home
3. Write content that your ideal customers can’t wait to devour
Sound good? Here’s what to do next:

Fill in my (very short, and not at all complicated) contact form, and I’ll set up a call where we work out the best way I can help you in your business.

Or, if you’re not quite there yet, then sign up to my weekly newsletter for more tips on authentic marketing, weaving your values through your messaging, and news on Hey Duggee.

Carry on reading
Business, Email, Marketing
5 Lead Nurturing Email Sequence Examples to Wow Subscribers
- August 2, 2022
- Comments Off on 5 Lead Nurturing Email Sequence Examples to Wow Subscribers
- by allwordsbypeta
Get your nurture sequence to do all the work for you, while you sip on your latte.

Let’s talk about first impressions…

I sign up to a lot of email lists.

Partly because I’m nosy.
I like to know what people are saying, and I like to see different lead nurturing email sequence examples.

But it’s also because I like to know a brand if I’m going to spend my money with them.
And what better way to do that than to sign up for their list, and devour the 4-5 emails they send me introducing their brand, their ethos, their origin story, their funny little foibles, and what their dog did in the office that one time…

Except that often doesn’t happen.

Why you need an email nurture sequence

When I discover a new brand and sign up to their email list, I’m not just after the discount/freebie/special offer. I’m motivated (excited even) to find out more. I’m ready to get to know them, to dive into the story, to become part of their tribe.

Which means I’m waiting to spend money with them (and tell my friends about this great new business I’ve found).

When there’s nothing…except for maybe a 2 line templated email saying: “Here’s your discount code”…then I’m left deflated. I want my email nurture sequence. I want more!

This was their opportunity to make the perfect first impression.
To pick me up in my excitement and plonk me in front of all they had to offer.
So that I’d jump in and become their newest customer.

Without it…if I’m honest…they end up in the graveyard that is my Promotions tab, only to be noticed if they send a particularly interesting subject line in a month’s time.

Which is why I’m so passionate about getting all the businesses I work with to create (and continuously one) their welcome sequence – those 4-5 emails that get sent out to new subscribers.

It’s your one chance at a first impression. An opportunity to develop the initial excitement of a new visitor and turn them into one of your tribe.

Increased sales, increased customer LTV, increased organic referrals, you name it: your welcome sequence can hand it to you.

How to write a good email sequence

You’re sat, staring at the blinking cursor, your discount code already entered into your Shopify backend.

How do you sum up years of mulling over your idea in your head, the late nights struggling with stock levels, or tying down your USP, the bookkeeping, hiring your first team member, the way your product or service has made people’s lives better, what you want every one of your customers to feel like when they hear from you…

What can you write that will make them feel like they know you, and want to be a part of your story?

Well, that’s it really – you need to give them a story to be part of.

What is the story of your brand?

Human beings love stories, and we share the good ones. We used to share them around campfires at the mouths of caves, then we traded them in return for food and shelter as we travelled to new towns and lands. We wrote them in books and wove them into songs and turned them into multi-movie franchises.

Now we click tiny arrows as we scroll through our phones, sharing the best stories with our friends and followers. And our reach is endless.

Story nurtures connection – and that is how you get customers that buy from you, stick around, tell their friends (and Insta followers), and take your brand off into the stratosphere.

What’s your story?

How an email nurture sequence is your dinner party opener

Sipping your warm glass of pinot grigio, you glance nervously around the room.
Couples and small groups are scattered across the space. Some are staring at the comfort of their phones, some checking their watches, some trying to work out the best place to sit.

School performances, college reunions, company parties…
Life is full of situations where we have to make artificial connections with people we just happen to be thrown together with.

And what is the first thing everyone asks?
“So, what do you do?”

Your stomach seems to have made its way towards your knees.
As an entrepreneur, you often don’t have the luxury of an easily explainable job title or field.
“I’m a doctor!” is easy. Everyone fills in the rest.
“Oh, I refurbish antique furniture and sell it to rich women at craft fairs” is understood.

“Well, I own a business that helps female entrepreneurs find their joy” is likely to elicit a confused furrow of the brows and a nervous sip of wine.
- What do you say to people who ask what you do?
- What are the important things you want people to know about your business?
- What do you wish you had written down when you were trying to work out the best place to put your name tag?
Those things are what your welcome sequence of emails should be made up of.

A primer for your business, how it helps people, and why they should care

How do you make a connection?

You can’t make a connection if you don’t know who you’re trying to connect with.

Imagine walking up to someone at a party, and launching into a heartfelt story about how Airfix models have been the thread that pulls your life together.
And expecting that to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship/romance/lifetime filled with the smell of glue and balsa wood.

I mean, there is a chance that they delight in opening a new model aeroplane too. But you’re taking a pretty big gamble. Surely a safer way would be to start a general conversation, and maybe ask if they had ever heard of Airfix models? Before you commit yourself to going all in!

Emails are the same.
When you’re getting ready to build that connection with your subscribers – the one that will bring you sales, greater customer LTV, and free advertising from all your loyal fans – you need to know who you’re writing to. Who is the “lead” for this lead nurturing email sequence? Yes, I know using the term “lead” is a little dehumanising. But you all knew what I meant!

Who is your audience?

Were they die-hard Friends devotees who’ll spot a Ross reference a mile off? PIVOT!!!
Did they burst into tears at the news that BTS are taking a hiatus?
Are they spending their weekends trying to work out how to stop the pigeons eating their tomato plants?
Or are they balancing caring for their aging mum who refuses to have outside carers, whilst supporting their teenagers through exams?

This is why so much of my job when I start work with a new client is research.
There are many ways to say who you are and what you do.

But it takes finding out about your audience to pick the one way that will resonate with them the most.

So, before you even start with your “Hi! I’m just popping into your inbox to say thank you for signing up! email…

Take some time to investigate who you’re talking to.
You might even get to talk about Airfix models.

The importance of providing value

For me, marketing will always be about the long game.

Your welcome emails, your nurture sequence – they’re what draw new people in. You give them a taste of who you are, and a story to dive into – be part of.

But then you need to get them to stay. And that’s where your ongoing emails come in.
I’ve been on too many email lists that shift from an endearing welcome email, straight to “BUY MY STUFF!” with a shedload of high res images and lots of “SALE!” banners.

Now, I know that I am a customer. A way of making money.
But I’m also a person. And I want to know that a company has thought about how they can serve me, as well as sell to me.
I want them to play the long game.

Keep your customers on board by sending them value. Articles you think they’ll find interesting, stories you think will make them laugh, tips from your industry that will make their day easier.

This works for other sequences too. If you’re trying to work out how to write a good email sequence for a product you’re launching, or a membership you’re advertising. In any of these cases, you need to mix your more salesy content with serving your subscribers.

Because, when you do this, they feel less like a cash cow, and more like a valued part of your business.

And then they’ll give you more cash.

Getting this off your plate

If you think this all sounds great, but you don’t have the time or the inclination to do it yourself…

Then it’s time to bring in the big guns…

Me…

Head over to my email services page to find out about my packages. Or fill in my contact form and we’ll have a chat about the best way to introduce you to your people.

And, if you’d like more ideas on how to play the relationship marketing long game, then you probably want to sign up to my newsletter. It comes out on Friday mornings, and it’s packed full of value, funny stories, and things I think you’ll find interesting (see what I did there?).

You can sign up here

Carry on reading
Business, Marketing
How to keep up with politics without your head exploding
- August 1, 2022
- Comments Off on How to keep up with politics without your head exploding
- by allwordsbypeta
I talk a lot about UK politics.

I sit here sipping my Earl Grey tea and polishing my monocle, aware that my sphere of reference is ridiculously narrow. Even as I make a concerted effort to look beyond my borders.

The fact is, it’s impossible to stay up to date on every issue and event currently kicking off around the world. Unless it’s your full-time job. And as the internet makes our world smaller, it brings home just how interconnected we all are – for good and bad.

So, if you want to acknowledge in your messaging that you are a citizen of the world, affected by Roe V Wade, grain supply lines in Ukraine, and the melting Arctic ice…

How do you possibly stay in the loop?

1. Work out how much you can handle.

If you have the time and headspace to devour the entire Guardian website, and follow it up by listening to Radio 4 while you do your burpees then more power to you. But if (like me) both time and headspace are limited, decide the amount of content that will make you feel informed without feeling overwhelmed. And be OK with that.

Got 5 minutes, but still want to be informed? The Knowledge is a free daily email collated from across the media on all the issues of the day.

2. Take breaks.

I am a politics junkie. I will sit down at a party with someone I’ve only just met and spend 2 hours talking about how the PFI policies of the last Labour government paved the way for NHS privatisation. (And then regret it the morning after!). But even I need a break. Sometimes it all gets too much. When the world is tough, or your life is tough, or both – have the confidence to step away for a bit. We’ll catch you up when you get back.

3. Vary your sources.

Mainstream Media is not the balanced information Mecca that it used to be (well, if it ever was). And the Facebook algorithm does not provide a one-stop-shop for everything you really need to know. If you want to make sure you’re getting the whole story, and you want to be aware of what other groups are also thinking, then you need to triangulate your sources like a good little orienteerer! Mix it up, step out of your box, etc. etc.

Tortoise Media is another relatively unbiased place to find decent information. Especially on important issues that the mainstream media have moved on from.

4. Listen to people with lived experience.

Professional commentators are paid to have opinions on things. Journalists are paid to write interesting stories that make you buy their newspapers. The good ones do their research, and talk to the people actually affected by an issue. Those living it. But a lot don’t. If you want to know what it’s like being a poor single mum juggling childcare and DWP assessments, or a middle-aged mechanic who’s just been made redundant and is walking to the Job Centre every day, then seek them out.

Head to Twitter, find them. And LISTEN.

5. Don’t fall into the “what about the dolphins?” trap.

You’re a lovely person. You care about a LOT of things. And occasionally you might post about one of them. On your personal or business social media. Only for some plonker to come along and say “I can’t believe you’re talking about this! It obviously means you don’t care about these 3 other things!”

And of course, it doesn’t mean that you don’t care about those other things. Only that it’s impossible to talk about all the issues you DO care about all at once, within the character limit of your favourite social media platform.

It’s important that idiots like this don’t put you off voicing your opinion and advocating for important issues. You can talk about the importance of good sex education in schools, while also caring about the plight of bumble bees but not talking about it today.

And it’s important to remember that we can’t all campaign for all the things all the time. Share the load. Don’t feel you have to jump on every campaign that comes along. It doesn’t make you a terrible person if you don’t go on the dolphin march.

“But I’m so adorable!”

So, there you have it.

5 steps towards staying informed, and using that information to speak out about the issues that matter to you. Take this knowledge and use it wisely!
And if you really want to get started, but you have no idea how you can fit this into your business, then we need to talk.

Start with my “How to talk about politics without pissing people off” Framework.

And then, let’s chat about how you can make your brand speak for your politics, as well as make you money!

Book a call

Carry on reading
Uncategorized
How to show up authentically online without oversharing!
- October 22, 2021
- Comments Off on How to show up authentically online without oversharing!
- by allwordsbypeta
This is my preferred selfie!

Authenticity is the big buzzword in the world of small businesses right now. Especially how do you show up authentically online?

You need to be showing up as your “authentic self” on your social media channels (cue “hilarious” reels of me pointing at invisible words on the screen trying to game the algorithm. Not really, I’m never doing that.).

Maybe it’s because of my naturally cynical British brain (yeah, it’s probably that).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that we’re slowly moving away (at least in some corners of the internet) from the performative posts online where we show off the tidy side of our perfectly arranged “home office” whilst ignoring the bit behind us where we’ve hidden all of the kid’s drawings, empty water bottles, crayons, and crumbs that are usually on the table.

But I’m always wary of just swinging the pendulum from one side to the other, where I feel a little like I’m letting down the sisterhood when I post a picture of my kitchen in the rare moments it’s actually clean. Or when I find an image of my kids in which they’re not trying to sit on each other’s heads.

And the thing is, buzzwords usually start off as great ideas with logic and analysis behind them. As a business owner or entrepreneur (pick the title that feels more “authentically you”!) being authentic online is good for engagement. Your potential customers see themselves in you, they relate. And this makes them more likely to buy from you and work with you.

As well as that, the drive for more authenticity was meant to make it easier for people to show up in the online space. You didn’t have to fit into a certain box, follow a certain formula, speak in a certain way, or build your website with a certain tool. You could be yourself.

But it turns out being yourself authentically online is still bloody hard.

Which “self” are you going to be?

How much of your life/principles/ethos/beliefs/personal vocabulary/mad earrings are you going to put out into the public domain for your potential customers to see?

When you’ve put yourself out there – the honest, real-life you – how do you cope when some people don’t like it? Now they’re not just rejecting your product, it feels a lot more personal.

And then, along with that, comes a whole heap of self-image issues that we like to think we’ve parked because we’ve “done the work” (read: liked the Instagram posts). Do I have to be in my photos? I can’t possibly do a reel right now because I didn’t wash my hair this morning. What if my kid walks into the background of my Story and pulls a funny face?

As messy as it gets!

Ways to show up authentically without making everyone within 5 feet roll their eyes:

If all that is running around your head then grab a cup of tea, and keep reading. Because it’s going to be ok…really.

Think about your audience: this can be pretty basic customer research, or you can geek out over it. But coming up with a customer avatar (ok, sorry, marketing speak: an image in your head of your ideal customer…excellent, the rash has gone now) can help you think about the sort of photos, captions, emails, and adverts that they would relate to.

Think about your style: If you’re a put-together person then a full face of makeup might make sense for your photos and videos, but if you can bring yourself to be a little less coiffed then you can own that and make it work.

If you’re pretty straight-laced (hey, no judgement, if everyone was punk we’d run out of safety pins) then coming out all guns blazing in your emails and marketing material is going to feel a bit weird, and be pretty hard to sustain.

Your authentic voice needs to contain some of you.

But don’t feel like you have to include it all: You might be really into Japanese anime or building bug hotels in your spare time. You might run a business making hand-pressed floral soaps but listen to thrash metal while you do it.

If you’re comfortable showing that side of you to your customers then that’s great! But if you’d rather not then that’s fine too. Your online “authentic self” doesn’t mean handing all elements of your life and personality over to the Facebook police. Pick what you want to share, and stick with that.

Look for the trends: Nope, not what everyone is dancing to on TikTok. Start noticing the patterns in how you speak when you’re comfortable and “in your flow”. That’s your brand/business voice. So if you can write and talk in that way, then your message will be that much more relatable.

People love consistency. They want to know what they’re going to get when they scroll your feed, or visit your website. No one likes surprises when it comes to their digital diet.

Get some help: writing about yourself is hard. You’re not being rubbish – it’s psychologically proven to be difficult for us to get our brains around. Our brains find it harder to recall things we’ve done well and much easier to flood us with all the things we’ve sucked at.

As well as this, when you sit down to write about your brand or business you’re doing it from the perspective of the expert and it’s difficult to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. So you end up with a whole page of text that makes sense to you. But your audience has no idea why they should care.

Finding a copywriter and strategist who can give you that sense of perspective, help you relate to your audience, and pick out all the things that are actually awesome about you and your brand, is golden (I know, I would say that, but my clients say it too, so I have actual proof!).

So, if you’d like some help to work out what your “authentic” brand voice is (or you know a fellow entrepreneur who’s struggling), then I can help you with that!

Let’s chat.

Carry on reading
Uncategorized
8 Tips for Entrepreneur Parenting
- October 8, 2021
- Comments Off on 8 Tips for Entrepreneur Parenting
- by allwordsbypeta
Me and my gang!

You might have heard (if you follow me on social media, subscribe to my email list, or read this blog – yeah, I’ve banged on about it a lot, sorry), that I was on the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast this week.

I talked with Nikki and Kate about how I started my copywriting business from scratch with a tiny baby and a homeschooling 8-year-old. We also chatted about how most time management tips seem to forget the responsibilities of those of us who are caring for children full time.

You can catch the episode here, or watch it on YouTube here to see my smiling face (and yes, I am in a van. We were at a summer festival in the UK and it was the quietest place I could find!).

As with all great conversations, there’s always more to say. So I wanted to collect my best practical tips and mindset hacks here. Some we covered on the episode, and some we didn’t get to. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and not all of the ideas will apply to everyone’s circumstances. But I hope you find them helpful whether you have children to keep alive or you’re balancing other responsibilities.

Be realistic about your time

Don’t feel as if you have to do all the things. Yes, your Facebook groups and copywriting communities have Facebook Lives, and Study Hall hours. There are summits and live coaching and it’s all great, but be realistic about how much you can be involved in an online community. And don’t be tempted to feel as if you’re a 2nd-class online citizen because you literally don’t have time. Also, catching up afterwards (if you can) is just as beneficial.

Communicate clearly

Working part-time is ok, as long as you communicate clearly and realistically, with your clients and with your family. When it comes to your family, managing expectations is really important. You might not be able to read every bedtime story, and you might have to work the occasional weekend. But making sure everyone knows this is happening can stop frustrations

With your clients, communicating boundaries and turnaround times in advance as clearly as possible keeps everyone happy. If you can’t get a sales page written until Friday then tell them that. It doesn’t matter that you’ll be spending time watching your child play football and ferrying them to dentists appointments, rather than ploughing through a project for another client. Your clients don’t have the right to a 24-hour turnaround (unless you can do it and they pay you accordingly!). They’re here for your writing, not your attention 24/7.

Make the most of podcasts and audiobooks

You’re not going to have time to sit down and devour all the juicy marketing books everyone posts on social media. But you can listen to some brilliant experts while on the school run, cooking dinner, feeding the baby, and sorting the washing. There are so many great podcasts out there that, whatever your sphere of interest, you’ll find something you can learn from. Earbuds are a must though unless you want your baby’s first word to be “metrics”.

Realize your superpowers

Yes, you might be up through the night, but this means you are able to check and reply to messages from those in other time zones. When 2 am is a regular reality for you, why not embrace it and nab those jobs everyone else is sleeping through?

Also, as a parent (or someone with other caring responsibilities) you will have incredible powers of listening and understanding. You’ll be able to have a conversation and discern exactly what is actually going on behind it. Sure, your son might be talking about how he hates maths because the teacher is too strict. But he might actually mean that he’s struggling to understand and is embarrassed to say anything.

You can use these powers of discernment to get to the root of your client’s problems. Sure, they might be talking about how their sales page doesn’t convert, but they might actually need help developing a brand voice that sounds more like them.

Get a voice recorder on your phone

With a button right on the home screen. That way, if you have a great idea, or you remember something, you can note it down without having to move the baby and get to a piece of paper. I write some of my best copy via this app. You can also use transcription software like Otter to get it onto the page afterwards.

Ditch comparisonitis

Some people have entire afternoons to work through training modules or write 25 pitches in one go. You don’t. And that’s fine. There is enough work out there for everyone, and you bring things to the table that no one else can. Your journey may take a little longer, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.

Also, you’re often comparing your everyday reality to someone else’s highlight reel. You have no idea what sacrifices they had to make to get to where they are, or what help they had along the way.

Someone else’s success isn’t your failure – it’s just more success.

Be more open and honest about your reality

This is just as important with clients as it is with your fellow freelancers. I’m not talking about sharing stories of exploding nappies (there is still such a thing as TMI), but the more people stand up and say “I’m running my business while feeding my baby”, the more parents sitting at home will realize that it is an option for them too.

And the more clients will realise that the image of a professional freelancer/business person, is more varied than it used to be.

Get help where and when you can

If you have the option of childcare, even if it’s just a family member taking the baby out for a walk for an hour, then take it. Any opportunity you can find for uninterrupted writing time is worth its weight in gold. Also, bite the arm off anyone who offers to help with cooking, cleaning and laundry until you are doing well enough in your business to pay someone to do them!

And if you’re tempted to feel guilty for delegating, remember that your time has value. If you can earn more by working that you pay someone to do your ironing, or go through your accounts, then it’s worth it.

So, these are my top tips for how to run a business while keeping a baby alive.

I’d love to know yours…

Carry on reading
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When you can’t see the wood for the trees
- September 21, 2021
- Comments Off on When you can’t see the wood for the trees
- by allwordsbypeta
Today’s blog is a little different. I’m sharing a little bit about how I work with my clients, and what I bring to the table.

I’ve just wrapped a fun project with a UK-based client (which makes zoom call scheduling a lot easier, I’m not going to lie!).

When you get to see your work in real life (or on a screen) there’s this little shiver of excitement. A lot of what I do as a copywriter feels abstract and amorphous most of the time like I’m drawing in the air. The moment when all my hard work coalesces and appears in front of me on a snazzy webpage with a funky design still gives me butterflies. It’s also quite nice to have something to show to my father-in-law to help explain to him what a copywriter actually does!

One of the reasons that this project was so much fun was the big picture thinking I was able to do.

Some clients just need you to write words.

They need a description of a product or a blog about why mums should buy their baby bottles. These things are important, don’t get me wrong, and they take skill.

But, while jobs like that do involve a lot of Listening, Empathising, and Directing (you can find out more about these 3 Youth Worker superpowers of mine on my blog), the client has probably already sorted out who they are, what they do, and how to communicate this. I’m just helping them speak more effectively to their ideal customer.

But occasionally I get to work with clients on a higher level, and it’s hands-down my favourite thing about my job.

This client was an established stationery company who was relaunching, with a new website and messaging. This gave them an opportunity to rebrand and be clearer on their marketing message.

But they were lost.

They’d spent hours and hours trying to come up with one strapline that explained everything they did. But they sold loads of stuff, so this didn’t seem possible.

They needed another way to stand out and get people to stay on their home page, rather than wandering off because it was all a bit vague.

So, what did I bring?

How could I help when they’d already been struggling for so long?

Well, a few things:

An outsider’s perspective:

You know when you’re doing a massive jigsaw and you’ve been looking for one particular piece for AGES? And then your partner/child/mother comes along and immediately picks it up from the pile of loose pieces? Annoying, isn’t it? But they looked at the problem from a different angle.

We’ve all been there. Stuck staring at a blank page for so long that you can no longer see any possible solution. Going around and around in circles. The issue? You’re too close to the problem. Grab an outsider (preferably one with some understanding of your field or business, don’t draft your dog walker in to look at your sales page unless they’re your target audience!) and explain the issue. They can help you find solutions you hadn’t even thought of, because their perspective is slightly different.

I helped the client look at his webpage from a different angle. We looked at how you could use it to take the reader on a journey that fit with their needs, rather than just focus on showcasing products.

A strategic overview:

Was finding this one phrase really the most important thing? Perhaps focusing on the feeling that you wanted to create on the page could draw people in more effectively than making sure that a reader instantly knew everything you did after reading the headline of your home page.

Strategically, this client operated in a fairly crowded marketplace. It made more sense to find a different way to engage their customer. So we settled on creating the feeling of a tribe, finding people like you and products that fit with that feeling.

That way, the company stands out, there’s no need to try and fit hundreds of different product lines into a single magic sentence, and you end up with intrigued visitors who turn into loyal customers.

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So, I’ve ended up with a very happy client, and they’ve ended up with web pages that will bring them more traffic and more sales.

Fancy some help with your bigger picture?

If you’re a business owner and you’d like to work with me then fill in my contact page here.

Or, why not send me an email and tell me what your business is struggling with right now. I’d love to lend you my outsider’s perspective!

Carry on reading
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How to Direct – and get more sales!
- August 19, 2021
- Comments Off on How to Direct – and get more sales!
- by petaobrien
You‘ve been with me for the last few weeks as I’ve explored how my youth work superpowers can boost your business (in what we’re definitely NOT calling my copywriting philosophy).

We started with how making your audience feel listened to can build loyalty.

Then we moved on to the power of empathy in building a connection with your customers.

Now we’re at number 3 on my list: directing.

Now, fair warning, this one is the hardest to get right and the easiest to get terribly wrong (both in youth work and in marketing).

While the first 2 superpowers involve putting your target audience in the driving seat, you’re in charge of the wheel for this last one. So, strap in, check your mirrors, and pay attention to your blind spot. Let’s go!

What is a Critical Friend?

In my youth work training, one of the most interesting things I learnt about (aside from the fact that a teenager’s brain is literally rewiring itself while they deal with Math and English lessons) was the concept of the critical friend.

A lot of youth workers want to be friends with the young people they work with. We want to be seen as cool, hip, with it, accepted. Sometimes that stems from not being accepted as a teen themselves, and sometimes it stems from a well-meaning wish to make life lovely for everyone.

The thing is, young people have enough friends. And they’d rather hang out with someone their own age and talk about video games/politics/how annoying Mr Stevens is than listen to you try and make a conversation about Fortnite as if you’re one of them.

The one thing young people are short on, however, is someone to fill the middle ground between their friends and their parents. They don’t want someone to tell them what to do, and they sometimes need more than a mate who will just agree with them.

A critical friend is someone who cares about the person, and asks provocative questions or introduces new information to help them see things from a slightly different perspective.

Let me give you an example:

Owen is trying to decide which A Levels he wants to do next year.

His parents want him to be a doctor – respectable, honest, well-paid profession. So: physics, chemistry, biology, maybe maths. He thinks that he might be really good at developing video games. So: graphic design, art, IT. Home is currently full of massive arguments over ambition and “wasting your life” and “you don’t understand me”.

As a youth worker, it’s not my job to tell Owen that he should listen to his parents because they know what’s best for him (as much as his parents would like me to!). It’s also not my job to go “sure, whatever you want”. My job is to help him look at the situation from a different perspective, and to make sure he has all the information. Has he researched game developer career paths, why is he sure this is the job for him? Has he discounted medicine just because it’s what his parents want? I can help him research all these things, and maybe point him in the direction of game developers and doctors so he can make his own decision.

How to be a critical friend to your customers

As business owners, sometimes it can be too easy to focus on trying to get everyone to like you (literally when it comes to social media engagement) or on constantly selling your stuff. But if you only use social media to try and sell (or for “behind the scenes” photos of your dog) then you’re missing a trick.

Teenagers don’t want to be told what to do. It makes them instantly feel like doing the opposite. They can’t help it, it’s wired into their brains. But they are open to learning from someone else’s perspective.

Your customers are the same. They don’t want the hard sell, but they are open to being convinced that what you sell can improve their lives. They want to be directed, to be shown a different path.

You do this by gently leading them to helpful sources of information or a different perspective. This can make all the difference in the world between being a business that is just trying to get their money, and a brand they connect with.

Blog posts and emails play a big part in authentic directing. Use them to tell your audience about you and your brand, sure. But also use the opportunity to widen their perspective on relevant issues, to expand their knowledge on topics related to your product or service, and to introduce them to interesting people.

Hazards on the road

(It would appear that I’m sticking with the driving metaphor…which is weird, considering I could have gone the whole orchestra conductor route…but here we are, I’m not rewriting it all now, I have a baby to put to bed!)

As great as “telling people what to do” might sound to you (“you need to buy this…”) it’s important to remember what directing is NOT:
- Bullying your audience. Just because you’ve positioned yourself as an expert, doesn’t mean you get to harangue them.
- Using your influence over your audience to manipulate them (the “friend” part is important: you should care about their wellbeing).
- Making your audience feel “less than” if they don’t buy from you (all these new subscriber pop-ups that say “Subscribe” vs “I don’t want to hear about cool stuff” are not kind, and will not build a community. They’ll just piss people off.
It’s a journey

There’s a reason that directing is superpower number 3. It has to come on the back of superpowers 1 and 2. In order to direct in a way that is authentic, empowering, and ethical, you need to have listened to your customers and spent time empathising with their situations. When you’re directing you’re showing them how their lives could be better in some way if they worked with you. But you won’t know if that is true unless you’ve done the first 2 things.

If you want to build a deeper relationship with your customers, to increase their loyalty to your brand, and to make them your biggest advocates (walking Facebook ads that you don’t have to pay for), then you need every step in the process.

And if you’re struggling then I’d love to help, because I want more authentic businesses out there, connecting with their audiences and enriching their lives.

Why not come and chat over on Instagram – I have kitten photos!

Carry on reading