How to write an eBook

By Jacqui-Hogan1 Comment
Who’s got a book they’d like to write, has an idea for a book or has even written some of it down? At every networking event I go to, I meet at least 2 or 3 people who have. So what’s stopping you? For some it’s uncertainty of what’s involved, for others it’s lack of time and for some it’s because they aren’t sure what to say. Here are some tips from my own experience of writing four books, with 2 more in the pipeline. An eBook is easier than a paper book no complicated layout needed, no page numbers etc. royalties are much better (up to 70% with Amazon!) Amazon in particular, will allow you to upload a plain old ordinary Word document An eBook doesn’t have to be very long My most successful book was only 16 pages! The most successful ebooks are quite short Start with Amazon Kindle Amazon makes it easy You can make a paper book later using their create space app Amazon will show what your book looks...
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Copywriting brief – here is a checklist

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
If you want to improve the quality of your 'marketing words', a  written copywriting brief will clarify your thinking. It will help you to produce better results – whether you are doing the writing or whether someone else is. Within the brief: *  State your objectives clearly. *  What business challenge will the writing solve? *  What are we selling? *  What does the product / service do? *  What is the identity of the product / service? *  How does it work? *  Key features? *  What are the benefits? (Create a Benefits List). *  How is our product / service better than the competition? *  What market segment are we communicating with? *  Describe a typical member of the market segment. *  What needs do they have (which we can help them with)? *  What are our key messages – for this segment? *  What else can we talk about? *  What proof can we offer? (Testimonials; research; statistics; surveys). *  How will we include our contact details? *   What sort of call to action will...
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Content marketing and search engine rankings

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
In a digital economy, much of what you know can probably be found for free on the internet. On this basis, you may as well share a reasonable proportion of your knowledge on the web. Google will love you and so will prospective customers. For many years, it has been said that 'content is king'. This is now more true than ever - due to changes in search engine algorithms.  Content marketing and search engine rankings walk hand in hand. Therefore, the more you write, the more you sell....
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How to write – top five tips for small businesses

By Nigel Temple5 Comments
Writing is a skill; it takes experience, passion for language, insight into the subject, and fearlessness in expressing what you feel needs to be expressed. It (the piece of writing) also needs a clear sense of who the audience is. If you struggle with writing, and have to write because of your job, here are five tips (not listed in order of importance) that will help you develop your writing. 1) Know your audience Before you start writing you need to have a clear idea of who will be reading your writing. Your audience will directly affect your style of writing. It might sound obvious, but if you are writing a blog for teenagers, you should write as though you, yourself, are a teenager. In other words, write in 'teen' language. There are plenty of TV shows out there that can teach you to speak 'teen'. Listen and learn. The best writing moves people. Nobody was ever moved by being lectured at. Make sure...
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Marketing activity levels – how much time should I spend on marketing?

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
A client emailed me to say that he felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of marketing tasks that he had to do. The question was: when it comes to marketing activity levels - how much time should I spend on marketing? Here is my response: I think that you are currently 'in the battle' and not 'on the high ground'. Interestingly (for a man), I am good at multi-tasking. During a typical day, I am active within the social media (i.e. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook for business, Google+ and Pinterest); working on a new blog entry, talking to prospective clients on the phone, managing a team of three within our small family business and thinking about new marketing ideas. Oh, and of course working with clients at the same time (consultancy and public speaking). I recognise that marketing can often feel overwhelming. For 25 years, I have been swimming in the marketing sea. I am used to continual change, constant deadlines and a never ending...
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The marketing commitments – a 7 point checklist

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
It order to attract new customers, you are going to have to either spend money or time, or a combination of both. When I ask my seminar audiences to choose, they overwhelmingly opt for spending their time. So the question is: where should you spend your time, when it comes to marketing your small business? Here is 'The marketing commitments' a 7 point checklist, which may help you to decide: 1. Start with your marketing plan   Otherwise you are shooting in the dark. If you don't have one, spend half a day (i.e. a Saturday morning) writing one. Refer to your marketing plan once a week, preferably on a Friday for 20 minutes - so that you can plan activities for the following week. (See Navigator membership of The Marketing Compass). 2. Spend at least half an hour every morning writing   Believe me, if you do this, you will get better and faster. I recommend that you write a blog every day * gasp...
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How to write for the web

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
Writing for the web is part art and part science. 'Art' includes the ability to make your words flow and to make them sufficiently compelling to keep the readers' attention. 'Science' refers to your ability to get the reader to follow the journey from awareness through to purchase (or a key action, such as a request for a meeting). It is widely accepted that website visitors scan web pages. As they typically see many website pages in a day, they are hunting for useful, relevant content. They do this by scanning 'signposts' on the page, including headlines and subheads. I have taught internet marketing since 2000. During my seminars, presentations and consultancy sessions I am often surprised at how confusing web pages can be. With regards to the text on the page - start by getting the headline right. Write effective headlines The headline = the signpost for your page content (or newsletter story, blog entry etc). It is critical that it is...
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The benefits of business blogging

By Nigel Temple4 Comments
Regular blogging brings numerous benefits. To begin with, the act of writing puts your ideas in order. Whatever your reason for blogging, you will find that writing a few hundred words in a coherent fashion makes you think. Which is no bad thing, in a busy world. Blogging may lead to a book Many novelists began by blogging. As their ideas take shape within their daily blog, an idea for a book may be born. A book is a great promotional device for a business. The challenge for many of us is getting started, as writing 20,000+ words for a book is daunting. The largest project can be broken down into small tasks. Writing a couple of hundred words is easy. It's surprising how those words can quickly add up. The SEO benefits of blogging For independent professionals, business owners and marketers, a blog can attract the search engines. I am often asked, during my internet marketing seminars, if it is OK to have...
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Write some marketing copy every day

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Here's a tip: don't start your day by checking your emails. Write some marketing copy every day instead. Within The Marketing Compass, some of our members love to write, whilst others find it a challenge. Both groups are busy! It is all too easy to let the writing slip. Remember that 'content is king' for your website. Regular blogs will attract Google, whilst Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, amongst others, require a regular supply of words. When it comes to writing, 'little and often' beats 'big and infrequent'. In January 2011, I started writing The Marketing Compass Manual. This has been a busy year, however, I have managed to write over 48,000 words using this principle. Feedback, anyone? By the way, 'copy' = 'marketing words', as in 'advertising copy' or 'web copy (i.e. website words). I trained as a copywriter from 1983 - 1986 and I spent three years writing advertisements, brochures, leaflets, press releases, case studies and technical articles. I used to sit...
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Can you write your way to riches?

By Nigel Temple2 Comments
Do you love to write or would you rather pay a visit to the dentist? You probably didn't launch your business because of your love of writing, did you? Can you write your way to riches? Writing is a central part of marketing. With the arrival of websites, e-newsletters, blogs, online PR and social networking, the requirement to write regularly (and well) has never been stronger. Is it all worth it, I hear you ask. Well, for a start, writing makes you think. If you write about your products / services, your customers and your business, new ideas will come to you. These ideas may be real money spinners. Capture them in lists and start to write business / marketing plans for the best ideas. Write early in the morning, before you open your emails, use the phone or go into your first meeting. Alternatively, the evening may suit you better - it really doesn't matter as long as you write something every day. With...
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