Image via Flickr by Roland Tanglao

You've got a business website up and running. Your inventory is stocked and you're advertising like crazy on social media. When you came up with the grand idea to start an online business, you just knew it was going to be a success.

In your mind you had every detail planned out. From utilizing free social media marketing to buying your products cheap and selling them for a 300% profit, there was no way your online company was going to fail. 

30 days later.

​You've been advertising the heck out of your store on social media and you've attracted... NADA! Not. one. single. lead!

How could this be? Your product rocks and you've established a very reasonable pricing point. You know people like your product because their liking the hell out of your postings on Facebook.

But no one's buying. Not even your closest friends and family who you thought would be your biggest fans. 

What are you doing wrong? 

It's simple. A great product at a great price means nothing if you're targeting the wrong audience.

Using social media marketing as your only advertising platform is going to limit the audience you reach. This is why regardless of the size of your business or the how long you've been up and running, content marketing, in all of its forms, should be a top priority.

You've heard time and time again that content marketing boosts brand awareness.

You can have all the brand awareness in the world, but if the right audience isn't aware of your brand, it isn't going to matter. This is why content marketing makes a difference.

​When implemented correctly, content marketing lands your content in front an audience that is in need of your product. 

Let's say your online company is in the business of selling coffee mugs. Three days a week you publish a blog posting that relates to coffee in some form or fashion.

Whether it be talking about sipping on a cup of coffee before you rush the kids to school or the best cleaning wipes to get a coffee stain out of your new shirt you bought to wear to the office, the content is directed toward people who drink coffee. 

When search engines use their magic and crawl your blog postings, they will identify naturally-incorporated long-tail keywords, like 'sipping on a cup of coffee before you rush the kids to school', or 'wipes to get a coffee stain out of your new shirt'.

By identifying these long-tail keywords, the search engines will have a better idea of who the content should be shown to on search engines results pages (SERPs).

Creating buyer personas for your brand means you're going to pinpoint who the people are who are most likely to purchase your product. 

How old are they? Where do they live? What lifestyle habits do they have? Do they have children? What level of income do they have? 

Knowing this information enables you to sprinkle relevant content throughout your marketing content to appeal to these people. 

Let's go back to the coffee mug example. If you're selling coffee mugs, then your targeted audience is quite broad, but only if you want to appeal to such a large audience. 

This is why it is good to pick a specific niche and focus your brand and marketing efforts on it. 

The Big Dream Moms site, for example, targets moms who love to drink coffee. This niche, however, is still broad enough to appeal to a large audience because it can target working moms and stay-at-home moms. It can even target children who want to buy their moms coffee mugs for Mother's Day, birthdays, and holidays. 

Statistics show developing buyer personas for your brand will boost lead generation and audience engagement as well as sales revenue. 

• Ads that are targeted based on your audiences' behaviors are twice as likely to be effective as non-targeted ads. HiP
• Targeted users find sites that are designed to appeal to buyer personas two to five times easier to use than sites that are not designed in this manner. HubSpot
• Emails personalized according to buyer personas drive 18 times more sales revenue than general emails that include no personalization. HubSpot
• If you personalize your marketing efforts to your buyer personas, they are 48% more likely to buy from you. ITSMA

Advertising on social media is an effective marketing tool to employ, but it isn't going to reach your targeted audience unless you're advertising to people who fall into your buyer persona categories. 

As you use your buyer personas to create blog postings and other forms of content, like videos, infographics, and whitepapers, you're going to find much more success in your content marketing strategy. 

Mainly, you're going to improve lead generation and consumer engagement by landing your content in front of people who actually have an interest in your product. 

Your online business isn't going to take off overnight. It's going to take time. Lots of time. In fact, you may not start seeing results within your content marketing agenda for three to six months. 

Sticking with producing frequent, quality content is key to making sure your efforts pay off. 

Are you a content marketing manager?  If so, your main responsibility (among a million others) is to create content that attracts consumers and converts them into repeat customers.  And not only is it your responsibility to attract customers, but also to get them coming back again and again to make future purchases.

How can you do this, though, especially when you have so many tasks to be taking care of?  Just when you get one task finished, it seems that another is calling your name.  Your employer is constantly hagging you for more content, but you only have so many hands (fingers).  If you had more hands, you could surely type up a higher amount of content, right?  

Tips for a Content Marketing Manager

I have a solution to your problem.  I can provide you with more hands (fingers).  In fact, I have access to thousands of writers who have been heavily screened according to their writing skills and capabilities.  Each of these writers can produce for you the type of content that you are in need of.  

You say, "but Whitney, my employer operates in an industry that you've never worked in!"  That's no problem.  I know people who have worked in the industry that you need content for.  Whether it be the LED lighting industry, the dental industry or even the inflatable balloon industry, I know people who can create high-quality content for you.  

What's so special about outsourcing content through me?  First of all, you get the main advantage of me creating content for you.  I have many years of experience in creating content.  From feature articles to managed content to white papers, my expertise extends into many areas.  I mostly enjoy writing about topics related to addiction, the health care and legal industries, how to earn a degree, and business financing. 
 
Even if I can't create the content you are in need of, I can outsource it to a highly-experienced writer who can.  After doing so, I'll make sure to edit and proofread the content, as well as add highly-valuable sources to it.  

Gone are your days of editing.  With the content that I provide you, you can simply accept, pay and publish.  It's as easy as that.  Does it get any simpler?  Absolutely not!  

I can't stress enough how advantageous it is to outsource your content marketing needs through me.  And to top everything off, you don't have to pay me until you are completely satisfied with the content that you are in need of.  That's right!  Check out my Fee Schedule to learn more about my pricing and kill fees.  

If you aren't satisfied with the work I provide, you don't have to pay me at all.  If, however, you send me a project and choose to kill it before the project is complete, a 50 percent (of the original price quote) surcharge will be applied, and you will be expected to pay.  This means if you send me a project for which I quote a $50 fee and you choose to kill it before the project is completed, you will still owe me $25.  

I'm a trustworthy person, and I trust you to pay me for the content you order, or in the very least, I expect you to pay me a kill fee.  If, however, you aren't satisfied at all, then I'm the one who loses and you're the one who gets to keep your money, but please remember that you won't own any rights to the content that I provide you in regards to a particular project that you fail to pay me for.  

All in all, I like things simple, and I know you do too.  So, here's a major tip for you as a content manager, let's keep things simple and get your content created!  In the end, it will be a win-win situation for the both of us.  

There's always been the never-ending debate on how to properly hang a roll of toilet paper on a toilet paper holder.  Some people prefer for their toilet paper to be front-facing, meaning "over the roll," while others prefer it to be back-facing, aka "under the roll."  And then there are always those of us who could really care less and we simply sit the roll of toilet paper on the back of the toilet.  Point is, everyone has their own preference on how to use or hang a roll of toilet paper . 

Everyone also has a preference for decent-quality toilet paper.  If you're anything like me, I don't have to have the fanciest toilet paper, but it definitely needs to be at least 2-ply, preferably 3-ply, and it needs to get the job done right the first time around.  

Why am I writing about toilet paper?  Well, mostly it's because it's something that we all use.  And for those of us who buy our own toilet paper (moms, single dudes), we usually skip past the generic brands and opt for decent toilet paper.  The exact same should be applied to content creation.  

When it comes to getting your hands on a good writer, you need to skip past the fluff-filled content wrote by an amateur writer who knows nothing about "good" content.  This isn't to say this person can't learn how to write good content, but it's going to take time, and you don't need to be the one who suffers while this person is learning.  Instead, you need a writer in your corner who can consistently produce good content.  

So, this brings us to two different questions.

How to choose good toilet paper?

First of all, to choose toilet paper that will meet your needs, you must first determine what your needs are.  

Do you need paper that can be flushed?  Are you hard on toilet paper, meaning you need a type that won't tear easily?  How many squares do you tend to use?  You should always be striving to use fewer squares.  

Most importantly, you have to determine what your hygiene needs are.  Sure, everyone wants to feel clean after wiping, but if you require "harder" wipes, you're most definitely going to need an ultra-durable brand of toilet paper.  And although such toilet paper may be more expensive, if it gets the job done the way you like it, the extra money will be well spent.  

Once you have determined your needs, you will now need to do a bit of research.  Fortunately, the Internet makes things super easy when researching toilet paper.  You can visit review sites where people give their own testimonies about different types of toilet paper, and more importantly, you can visit actual toilet paper websites to identify the ins-and-outs of each brand. For example, by visiting Charmin.com, you can compare this company's different types of toilet paper, including how thick each type is, how durable it is and much more.  

After you have conducted thorough research, you'll be able to find peace of mind in the toilet paper decision that you make.  You won't have to worry about purchasing toilet paper that can't be flushed because you will have already learned this.  And you won't have to worry about making the mistake of buying toilet paper that everyone hates because you will have already visited review sites.

See, buying toilet paper isn't all that hard is it?  I prefer White Cloud 3-Ply Ultra Bathroom Tissue.  It's inexpensive--about a quarter for 100 sheets--it's durable, and most importantly, it gets the job done according to my needs and preferences.  

How to choose a good writer?

As you can imagine, I'm going to equate the steps in choosing a good writer to those followed when choosing good toilet paper.  

At first, you need to determine your needs.  Does the writer need to provide content on a consistent basis (daily, weekly, monthly)?  Does the writer need to enter into some type of employment agreement with you?  Or can the writer be hired on a freelance basis?  What type of content do you need (blog posting, press release, white paper, etc...)?  What is your budget for a writer?  Can the writer produce content in a short amount of time (believe it or not, most can't, or won't)?   

Just the same as determining your needs for toilet paper, once you have identified your needs and wants in a writer, you can then start doing research for this type of content creator.  If the person needs to live in Kentucky, you could do a quick Google search for content creators in Kentucky. You'll immediately be provided with a long list of writers who meet this criteria.  You can also research according to the type of content you need.  For example, a search for "press release writer" will provide you with thousands of people who can write a press release for you.  

How are you to choose the best writer though?  Well, in all honesty, it's your choice, just the same as it's your choice on the type of toilet paper that you buy.  My advice is to find two to three writers that you're interested in, and then give each writer a small assignment, such as producing a 300-word blog posting.  Whichever writer does completes your order according to YOUR needs is your go to content creator.  

You'll also want to take into consideration the fee schedules of the writers.  There are writers out there who will create a 300-word blog posting for under $3, but this content most likely won't be good (maybe not even understandable).  And then you have writers who charge $200 for a 300-word blog posting (Boo!).  Unless there are 10 hours of research that need to be conducted, there's no reason to pay a writer $200 for a 300-word blog posting.  Lastly, you have writers like me.  For a 300-word blog posting, I charge right at $17, and yes, the content that I produce is good.  

The Take Away

Any good toilet paper that's worth spending money on will come with a refund policy, meaning if you don't like it, you can get your money back.  A good content writer will have the same type of policy.  If you don't like the content and you don't want to buy the copyrights to it, then so be it.  You can keep your money and the writer can keep the content.  

All in all, the main point of this posting is that choosing good toilet paper is a lot like choosing a good writer.  Who would have ever thought the two were similar to one another?  Crazy!

Let's face it.  You've been looking for ways to better meet the needs of your customers and clients.  Aren't we all?  

Even as a content creation specialist in Kentucky, I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to please my customers to my utmost ability. 

Fortunately, by following five simple tips, I've noticed extreme improvement in customer satisfaction.  You should follow these tips too!

1) Implement software

Whether you realize it or not, technology is booming and it's here to stay. You need to take advantage of all that technology has to offer, including the implementation of a CRM software program. With a program that is customized to fit your business's needs, you'll be well on your way to improving your CRM management.

2) Ask your clients for feedback

Managing your customers effectively means asking them for their feedback. More importantly, it means documenting this feedback and using it to your advantage, which in the end will result in happier customers. And you know what this leads to--an increase in your sales revenue.

3) Segment your customers

You need to carry out marketing campaigns that are based on segmentation, and in order to do this, you'll need an easy way to keep track of your customer segments.  CRM software is your go to solution in being able to divide customers according to specifics, which makes it easy to market to select groups based on the promotions that you have to offer.

4) Use a cloud-based CRM system

If you want to effectively manage your customers, you must be able to keep track of their data in real time, which means you'll need a cloud-based system that can be used both in and out of the office.  

5) Be honest

If you're not honest with your customers, you lose the ability to effectively control them because they will no longer trust you. Customer loyalty should be your top priority, and although a CRM management system can go a long way in helping you meet the needs of your customers, you must still be genuine and honest with them. 

The Take Away

Now that you know a few tips for improving customer service, you still need to be well aware that providing them with top-notch content is key in making them happy.  Your customers want to know that the products and services you have to offer them will be of great use, and there is no better way to do this than by providing them with great content on your blog.  Contact me today and we can talk more about providing your customers with great content. 

So, here's the thing.  I'm so sick and tired of not being able to afford the highest-quality of everything.  That's right!  I want high-quality products, and I can't afford them.  

Take for example the new outdoor furniture that I've recently been looking at.  Man, a new outdoor sectional that my husband and I could layout on while our son dips and splashes in our 15' inflatable pool (lol) sounds awesome, right?  Yeah, that's what I thought.  

I hope you can tell that I'm not being superficial.  I'm being sarcastic, and more importantly, I'm completely grateful for all the things that God has blessed me with, including my wonderful family (and our 15' wide, 4 1/2' deep inflatable pool).  

But, when you get down to it, outdoor furniture is expensive.  I would love to blow my savings on a great outdoor sectional, but I know that's not the smartest move for  me to make.  

Thankfully, though, there are many high-quality services and products in life that you can buy without having to empty your bank account.  

In fact, if you're in need of high-quality content development, you can rest assured that I'm here to provide it to you without an expensive price tag.  If you don't like the content that I produce, you can even choose to pay me absolutely NOTHING!  If you do like it, you'll get to purchase it at a pre-determined, reasonable rate.  

Does it get any better than that?  Absolutely not!  

If you're in need of content, take a look at my writing samples and contact me today.

Man, I really wish buying high-quality outdoor furniture was that simple :-) 

Is it really that hard to write good content?  I mean, come on.  Most copywriters make anywhere from $29,000 to $72,000 a year.  Even on the low-end, this means a copywriter is making at least $500 a week.  That's pretty dang good!  

So, back to the question at hand: is it really that hard to write good content?  Yes, it is.  That's one of the main reasons copywriters like myself make such good money.  The content that we produce is hard to come by.  

You might think that it's simple to write good content, but in all actuality, most people can't write very well.  It's not so much that they can't write, but it has more to do with perseverance.  Penning good content takes time.  

On average, depending on the exact type of content that I'm creating, I can produce a 500-word article in about 20 to 45 minutes.  For many other people, though, 500 words takes them several hours to produce.  

Now that we know why copywriters tend to make such good money, let's take a look at the importance of their jobs.

Creating Content is Important

Content is perhaps the most important part of the written text that appears on the web. Keywords are important as they help a reader find a site, but the actual content on a web page is what holds the attention of readers.  Fancy titles are nice as well, but they have a very limited job.

What's in a Title?

In a list of SERPs for the same keyword, a good title might get the reader to click on a certain piece of content.  But, if the content that they find on the other side of the click isn't well written, or it's chaotic in how it's arranged, then the reader will likely be lost. 

The entire purpose of content is to keep the reader on the site long enough for them to become engaged in what it is that's being offered, sold, promoted, etc...
And the only way to accomplish this goal is by providing good content. 

Why Content Matters

The human eye can assess a photograph in a single blink, but it takes time to read content. That is why content must be well written and contain value for the reader. 

Content must entertain the reader and be very informative, but creating this type of text is often very difficult.  Even for the most experienced copywriters, we often find ourselves slaving away over a piece of content for hours on end because we can't seem to find the right words to say to fully engage and entertain the reader.  At least this is what a good copywriter will do.  

And when this happens, we have to dig deeper and further study the audience of the content we are creating. What are they looking for? Why are they searching for certain keywords? 

No matter the way you look at it, good content is important, and whether you realize it or not, creating good content is more difficult than you think.  If it was easy, you wouldn't need to outsource content creation to a copywriter.  But you do.  

And that's why it's imperative that you outsource it to a copywriter who has much experience in creating top-notch content on a consistent basis.  With a quick look at my writing samples, you'll quickly see that I have the experience and knowledge it takes to create the content you're in need of.  

Contact me today to learn more about content creation!

It's Friday and you have a content project that is due by the first of next week.  Whether you're in need of a white paper, blog posting, press release, etc..., the main point is that you need content and you simply don't have time to create it this weekend.  

What should you do?  There's only one logical choice.  You need to hire a content creator/writer who can create the content for you.  

It's OK to Outsource Content Creation

Have you ever thought about the benefits gained from outsourcing content creation?  If not, let's take a quick look at a few of them.

First of all, outsourcing your content means that you very well may be able to deliver content that far exceeds what you can create, especially if you're in a hurry.  We all know that great content comes from someone who is focused.  This makes for the perfect reason to outsource content to someone who can concentrate on it during the weekend.  

Secondly, outsourcing content can make you an enormous amount of money.  

Wait a minute, you say.  You mean to tell me that by paying someone to do my work for me that I can make money?  Absolutely!  

If you have a project due on Monday that you simply can't get finished, it's better to outsource it to someone who can.  In doing this, you're able to meet a strict deadline and save yourself from the embarrassment of not turning in your project.  

Lastly, outsourcing content means that you get to network with writers who can possibly complete work for you in the near future.  Wow!  That's something to get excited about.  

Wouldn't it be nice to know that you have a highly-experienced writer in your corner to create content for you on the spot?  Well, that's what you get when hiring me.  Best of all, you don't have to pay me a salary.  All you have to do is send me a quick email when you're in need of content, and in less than 24 hours, I'll have the content that you are in need of.  It doesn't get any better than that!

So, go ahead.  Enjoy your weekend!  Even though it's Friday and you have a huge project due on Monday, you can rest assured that you have a content creation specialist in your corner to finish your content-related project(s) for you.  

I'm here to help with all of your content creation needs.   

If you happen to have a content project that I don't have direct experience in creating, I have thousands of connections (seriously...thousands)  with some of today's top content creators who can create for you the exact type of content that you're in need of.  

Contact me today!  And while you're at it, enjoy your weekend and quit stressing about the huge project you have due on Monday.  I'm here to do it for you!

So, I had one of those "aha" moments today.  It was purely genius really.  Then again, when I look back on it and I'm completely honest with myself, it was nothing more and nothing less than pure common sense.  

I've been trying to think of ways to boost my brand awareness and attract new clients.  To do this, though, I have to think about who it is that my customers are.  As a content creator, I have to think to myself "who is that needs my content?"  Duh, it's marketing managers.  

Marketing managers are responsible for what?  Marketing the businesses that they work for.  

What is my job as a content creator?  To create content that attracts the attention of readers.  

Put these two together, and you get a marketing manager who is looking for a content creator who can attract the attention of consumers.  

To put it simply, the clients that I'm trying to reach are marketing managers.  And the content that I create is for marketing managers.  

Now, how do I persuade them that they need me to create content for them?  Well, the only reasonable answer that I can come up with is that I need to tell them how important content creation is.  If I tell them about the importance of content creation, maybe then they will consider me to create it for them.  So, let's get to it.  Let's take a quick look at the importance of good content. 

Importance of Good Content

With so many people using the Internet these days, it makes perfect sense that good content is imperative to attracting consumers to a certain brand, product, service, etc...  And that's about it folks!  It's as simple as that!  Good content equals an increase in customer count. 

Wait a minute, you say?  That's all you have to tell me about good content?  Well, I'm just being honest with you.  The importance of good content is that it increases your customer count.   

Exactly how does good content increase customer counts, though?  Well, this is pretty self-explanatory too, but I'll go ahead and explain it.  

Showcases Your Thought Leadership

First of all, good content showcases thought leadership.  It proves to a consumer that your business is well-versed and knowledgeable in the products/services it is selling.  Consumers want to purchase a product or service that comes from a business that knows the ins-and-outs of the industry it is operating in.  

Would you want to buy lollipops for your 5-year old from a plumber who only has experience in cleaning and unclogging toilets?  Of course not.  You would want to purchase the candy from a company that has plenty of experience in purchasing and distributing candy that comes from a reputable candy manufacturer.  

When your business is able to showcase thought leadership, it's able to increase its customer count. 

Explains Benefits and Advantages

Good content is useful.  It doesn't simply explain the specifics of a product or service.  It paints a clear picture of how the product or service can be of use.  

From a marketing manager's standpoint, it's important to realize good content can be used on social media sites, blog posting, websites, etc...  All of these online avenues attract the attention of consumers, and when displaying top-notch content, a business is able to persuade a customer to actually make a purchase; thus increasing its customer count.

It's Shareable

Lastly, good content is shareable.  Sure, all content is shareable, but it's only the content that is worth sharing that actually gets shared.  This is why marketing managers must ensure they are publishing good content.  

When a reader is finished reading a piece of content that truly strikes him or her as 'good,' it is then that the Google+, Facebook and Twitter share buttons get pressed.  

Seriously, how many times have you shared something that you didn't think was worth reading?  Probably none.  

The main point I'm wanting to convey is good content gets shared, and when it's shared, a business has a much higher chance of increasing its brand awareness, and this is what increases customer count.  

The Take Away

So, there you have it.  I'm a copywriter living in Kentucky who is extremely interested in expanding my client base.  I can create top-notch content, and if you're a marketing manager, I know that your primary responsibility is to increase your employer's brand awareness and customer count.  I can help you achieve this goal.  I can create "good" content for you that clearly shows consumers what it is that you're selling and how it can be of benefit to them.  

Best of all, you don't have to live in Kentucky to take advantage of my services.  In fact, you can live on the other side of the world.  

Contact me today if you're a marketing manager in need of content.  Actually, regardless of your title, if you need good content, I'm the person to create it for you, so please contact me today.  And to be quite honest, I've had more than a few clients tell me that my content wasn't good: they've told me that my content has "exceeded their expectations."  In other words, the content that I tend to produce is as Tony the Tiger would say "IT'S GREAT!"

As a self-employed freelance writer in Kentucky, I don't have to actually deal with co-workers. My office is comprised of me, myself and I. On the other hand, I do have companies that I find clients through, and it's through these companies that I have been able to network with other freelance writers.  

Some of these fellow freelance writing co-workers have been extremely helpful in boosting my writing career, while others have reminded me time and time again why I choose to work from home and not some cubicle farm where office politics dictate my future.

To put it simply, many of these other freelance writers, several of whom I consider my co-workers, are absolutely rude and immature. In fact, I was quite blown away with how inconsiderate some of fellow writers are. They will do everything they can to knock down the other writers, to cut them deep, and make them feel like they should completely give up with their goal of being a successful freelance writer. I’ve seen it time and time again and it’s always so sad. And it’s not just a one-time occurrence. It’s the same annoying coworkers who spend day and night on the forums ripping other people apart.

What I'm getting at here, is even as a freelance writer who works from home, I deal with annoying co-workers just like anyone else. Because of this, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss a few tips relating to dealing with these types of people.

Tip #1: Ignore Them

As a freelance writer in Kentucky, the only way that I tend to come in contact with my co-workers is via online forum posts. I have recently discovered that the best way to avoid those arrogant, backstabbing co-workers is by avoiding these forums. Sure, these forums can be valuable when it comes to learning the ropes of a new writing platform, but in all actuality, any questions that need to be answered can be addressed by the Help Desk. If a platform doesn't offer a Help Desk, it probably isn't worth writing for anyway.  

Tip #2: Never direct any work toward annoying co-workers

In the freelance business, I have several niches that I consider myself to be an expert in. When a client needs my services, if I don't feel that I'm adequately qualified to complete the work, I will outsource it to someone who is qualified. But I also make sure to never direct or outsource any of my work to an annoying co-worker. Although the annoying co-worker may not realize it, he or she is missing out on a ton of work and money simply because of his or her sour personality and inability to be respectful toward me and other fellow writers. I think it’s hilarious how some of these annoying writers fail to understand there are numerous writers who have both a contractor/client account with the platforms we work on. We see everyone from both sides of the fence, and we get to decide which writers are worth working with.  

Tip #3: Understand that annoying co-workers are everywhere

It doesn't matter the industry you're working in; there will always be at least one annoying co-worker. Just make sure this co-worker doesn't affect your ability to provide high levels of productivity.  After all, if you outshine your annoying co-worker, you very well may find yourself landing that promotion you've been seeking, and this will burn deep under the skin of the co-worker who has been burning deep under your's.  ​