Content ideas for your next email marketing campaign

Coming up with content for your small business newsletter can be a breeze during those first few months. You have offers, you have news, you have historic content to share about your business, you’re still excited at the prospect of having a new means of engaging your audience, and the ideas flow organically, fantastic! But then a few months down the line your ideas well starts to dry up, you start to feel like a broken record and to top it all off your engagement is down.

It happens to the best of us and sometimes you just need a fresh pair of eyes, or, a handy little marketing blog post like this one to give you some ideas for your next campaign to hit the refresh button on your content.

1. Harness your hook and switch up your email subject to engage your audience The biggest change you can make to your email marketing strategy is switching up your subject line. It’s the first thing your subscribers will see when opening their emails and your first opportunity to hook them in and encourage them to open your email and engage with your content. Switch it up by including a sneak preview of the content that’s inside, leading with an offer or including their name in the email subject.
   
2. Spotlight your team and day to day operations While it can be tempting to keep your comms sales oriented and aligned with your operational goals and targets your subscribers will hit that unsubscribe button pretty fast if all you’re doing is selling. Let your customers get a peek behind the curtain and share updates from your business such as spotlights on your team members, a big win for your business that month or perhaps a story from the last month that shows off your personality.
   
3. Show don’t tell by sharing testimonials Share customer reviews and testimonials of your products and services, get into the habit of showing instead of telling, share results your prospective customers could reap by choosing to shop with your business.
   
4. Create infographics catered to your niche Demonstrate your industry expertise and create some infographics about your niche. If you’re a massage therapist for example create an infographic showcasing your knowledge on pressure points, show the holistic benefits of massage and how life changing massage can be in helping with your subscribers health and wellness. Once again show, don’t tell.
   
5. Offer a free digital download Is there something you can offer your customers to add value to their experience of shopping with your small business? For example I offer a free content planner as a digital download for my audience that would be a great hook and inclusion for a newsletter.
   
6. Collaborate with fellow small businesses in your niche Work with businesses within your niche that could add value to your newsletter, include their expert opinions, exclusive offers. An example could be a hairdresser collaborating with a make up artist or personal stylist.
   
7. Create opportunities for further engagement Make sure your strategy goes full circle, encourage your audience to follow you on social media, visit your website to check out the latest product updates, or link to blog articles you’ve created.

Need a little help writing or strategising? Drop me a line and let’s work on your email marketing technique!

Hannah, Heyday Digital Agency

What does a ghostwriter do?

Would you be shocked to learn that a ghostwriter isn’t a wee ghosty wandering around with a pen and some paper? Instead, it’s a wee ghosty sitting behind the scenes with a laptop taking on the voice of your brand or business!

In all seriousness, a ghostwriter is hired to write copy for books, reports, social media content, blogs, newsletters or even websites that will be authored under another name.

Hiring a ghostwriter can come with many benefits, for example freeing up your time and resources to focus on other areas of your business, giving your written voice a professional refresh without jarring your customers and will offer a level of consistency if you’re aim is to post more across your channels.

Here are some things to consider if you’re thinking of hiring a freelance ghostwriter for your next copywriting project:

1. How would you describe your tone of voice and your brand persona? You want to work with a ghostwriter who can seamlessly switch to your tone of voice and encapsulate your brand persona through copy. There is nothing worse to a reader than disjointed communications and copy and it can seriously harm your brand.
   
2. If you’re in a specialist field, consider working with a specialist ghostwriter in your subject area. Ghostwriters are professional writers, odds are if you hire a generalist you’re still going to get some great copy, however, if you’re in a specialist area your generalist writer may miss some key nuances your audience will appreciate. Take time and do your research into who is going to be the best fit for your business.
   
3. Get to know them and ask for some writing samples. Set some time aside to interview them and get to grips with their process, how they typically work, capacity and turnaround time and ask them for writing samples relevant to your project, whether that’s a newsletter they have worked on, blogs they have produced or social media content they’ve published.

Ghostwriting is a fantastic, time-saving and cost-effective solution to ensuring there is some consistency in approach to the copywriting and marketing practices of your business, so if you’d like to hire yourself a wee ghosty get in touch and let’s spook together!

Hannah, Heyday Digital Agency

50 blog post ideas for your small business

Struggling with writers’ block when it comes to your company blog? We’ve all been there! Here are 5o blog post ideas to steal fresh from Heyday.

1. Our small business story
2. Our best-selling products
3. Interviews or case studies with the team
4. Our small business in the press
5. Industry facts, statistics and insights about your business
6. Expertise and opinion blog posts on your industry
7. Interviews with a fellow industry professional or small business
8. How to product or service guide
9. Frequently asked questions
10. New products/features
11. A day in the life
12. A week in the life
13. Photo/video diary blog posts
14. Digital downloads/guides to add value for your audience
15. Share user-generated content from social media
16. Guest posts from customers/local social media influencers
17. Run a giveaway or competition via your blog
18. Upcoming products, services or releases, sneak peek for blog readers
19. Run a series of guides
20. A myth busting post about your industry
21. What to look for in an X
22. The benefits of choosing to shop with your small business
23. Unique selling points of your small business
24. Small business or shop tour using photographs or video
25. Top trends for 2023 and beyond
26. Weigh in on a trend or current piece of news
27. Celebrity trends relating to your small business
28. Industry predictions for the year ahead
29. Quality comparison
30. Ask your team to share their favourite products/services
31. Feature a year in review and share highlights and wins
32. A roundup of your most popular blog posts
33. Embrace national awareness days and holidays for posts
34. Share team building days and activities
35. Customer journey demystified
36. Promote newsletter sign-ups and discounts
37. The history of your industry
38. Interview with our CEO
39. Interview with some of our producers or manufacturers
40. Create a challenge for customers to take part in
41. Share recent product reviews
42. What charities or organisations do you support?
43. Where do you see your business going in 5 years?
44. Survey your customers and share the results
45. Behind the scenes
46. Share something that made you smile
47. What have you learned since starting your small business?
48. Top 10 tips to X
49. Fun ways to use our product
50. Create a downloadable checklist for your audience to help ease their shopping experience

And there you have it, 50 blog post ideas to steal fresh from the Heyday vault.

Hannah, Heyday Digital Agency

Questions to ask your freelance copywriter

You’ve decided to hire a freelance copywriter to help you create content that will engage your audience, inspire action and elevate your brand. Amazing! But now the question is, where to start and how do you know which copywriter is right for your business?

We’ve put together some questions to help you make your next freelance copywriting hire and feel confident you’ve secured the right fit for your brand.

1. What sort of projects have you worked on in the past? There’s a difference between crafting copy for a brochure or flyer and writing for websites and social channels so it’s best to make that distinction early and figure out what sort of skillset your project will require. Request writing samples and portfolio pieces from them if you feel they fit your project brief.
2. Do you have experience writing for my sector? Similarly to the medium, you’ll want to get a sense of the sort of sectors they have worked in previously, at the very least whether their experience is with B2C or B2B or a mix of both.
3. What is your typical turnaround time? Be upfront and clear with your own deadlines and find this out early on, perhaps discussing project milestones would also be beneficial to both parties.

Professional copywriters will always be happy to discuss your project and answer any questions you may have prior to undertaking work and there’s no harm in doing a bit of market research before making a commitment.

Speaking of copywriters….feel free to reach out with any of your questions and upcoming copywriting projects and needs.

Hannah, Heyday Digital Agency

How to craft copy to inspire action

Sometimes when we’re writing copy, whether it’s a social media post, a blog article or new website page it can be easy to get swept up in providing as much information as you can without really questioning why.

Why should your existing customer base care enough to read the full article? Why would this inspire potential customers to purchase or sign up for your service? Why would this piece of copy inspire action and engagement?

Before getting all philosophical today I’d like to share my secrets to crafting compelling copy that will engage and inspire action in your target audience every time.

1. Become your own customer

While it may seem obvious to some, many business owners I’ve spoken with are so focused on their own ‘why’ and ‘how’ that they forget to put themselves in the shoes of their target audience. Take some time and consider who your demographic is, where do they hang out digitally, what motivates them and what problem is your product or service helping them with? Answer these questions before sitting down to write and craft copy that will help add value to your customers’ experience.

2. No waffle Tempting as it may be to lay it all out there don’t waffle in your copy. Question whether that additional sentence was really necessary or whether there’s a better way to explore your message, does it add value to the narrative or does it simply add more words?

3. Clear and concise actions Want your customer to subscribe to your newsletter? Check out a new specific product with improved capabilities? Or simply follow you on Instagram? Make your actions clear to follow and make it as simple as possible for your reader to do so, nobody wants to hunt for a link or have to navigate away, log in and then take action.

Still feeling stuck? Drop me a line and let’s chat all things copy for help crafting your next compelling feature. hello@heydaydigitalagency.co.uk.

Hannah, Heyday Digital Agency