by Elle Ray | Mar 31, 2020 | Small Business Advice
How to Use Trending Topics to Your Advantage
The goal of search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing is to give the people what they want. The big daddy Google is so successful because it puts its users first:
“Google ranking systems are designed to … sort through hundreds of billions of web pages … to find the most relevant, useful results in a fraction of a second, and present them in a way that helps you find what you’re looking for.”
To make your blog and website relevant and useful to searchers, you must answer their questions. One of the most effective means is to tap into trending topics. Then you’ll know what questions to answer.
Follow the News
Water cooler fodder are those trending topics that people are talking about. For example, trending topics that most definitely are being searched today include:
- Breaking news like the 2020 stimulus package
- Ongoing events such as the coronavirus crisis
- Tips on how to stay sane during a quarantine
Put any one of those words or phrases in your headline and you’re sure to get clicks. Staying abreast of the changing attitudes and interests of your target market is one of the keys to effective search engine optimization (SEO). SEO helps consumers (i.e., your customers and potential customers) find you and your company online. SEO also helps you get picked for the first page of search engine results, which increases your visibility enormously.
Trending Topics and Your Content
It’s not enough, however, to put trending topics in your page or blog post titles. You must include appropriate and related content in the copy that follows. Search engine algorithms have been created to weed out potential cheaters long ago.
You can’t, for example, title your blog “Beat the Coronavirus” and follow it with an article about the value of bicycling. The search engines put a kibosh on the practice long ago. In fact, they now punish bloggers who even try to sneak in unrelated content into a blog post.
How to Find Trending Topics
Granted, not every day provides you with trending topics that everyone is following. Today, it’s easy: the entire world is talking about the pandemic, searching for news about that one subject. Normally, to get the most out of this tactic throughout the year, you have to know what interests your target audience.
If your market is retirees, sign up for AARP news alerts and follow senior news aggregates. If it’s new mothers you’re trying to reach, follow a similar tact and spend a little time each day on sites geared toward that market. It won’t take long to figure out what they’re most interested in on any given day in any given week.
Find the Key Words
Listen to your demographic. Then research the topics they’re interested in to see what pops up in the news, then use those few key words that they’re seeking throughout your writing. Of course, you can always use some complicated keyword trackers to see what’s trending, but there’s nothing better than going directly to the source.
Another alternative is to hire a public relations firm whose job it is to keep up with the news to find trending topics that impact your business. Content providers like Ray Access provide another good source for topic ideas that are sure to get you noticed. In fact, any time you contact the writers and editors of Ray Access, you’ll get an idea, which we’ll give to you free if you hire us to write the piece!
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business to succeed. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters, and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Elle Ray | Dec 30, 2019 | Small Business Advice
Opportunity Comes from Many Places; Listen for It!
Opportunity knocks more than once, contrary to the old adage. If you don’t grab an offer when it first appears, so the old saying goes, you’ll regret it because it will never come again. That’s just wrong. If you listen for opportunity and don’t grab it when it comes, you will have other chances as long as you keep listening.
Many people fear jumping at the first opportunity. It can lead to inertia and penalize you if you have any fears or doubts or lingering questions. But fear is a basic human instinct that allows us to survive. Doubts lead to more inspiration that provides even better opportunities. And questions give pause to answers.
Opportunity doesn’t knock just once in your life, but again and again. You just need to pay attention and closely listen for opportunity. And when you believe the time is right — take the leap, embrace the risk and reap the rewards.
Second Chances of 2019 Prove the Point
2019 was a year filled with second (and third and fourth) chances. Consider this short list of lost chances that led (or may lead) to greater success:
- Despite trade wars and a presidential impeachment, which many thought would tank the U.S. economy, the stock market fared better than it has since 1997. Your 401(k), IRA and total financial portfolio fared best if you let your money ride after the great recession and gave the market its second chance.
- Burger King has always carried a veggie burger that never really hit its stride for the company. But the fast food giant kept listening for opportunity and in 2019, launched the plant-based Impossible Whopper that proved a big win for the chain.
- New York City closed the door on Amazon’s HQ2 in 2019 and didn’t listen for opportunity, instead listening to the fear of potential obstacles. But Arlington, VA kept its mind open and now has a second chance of becoming an even bigger fulfillment hub for the online retail giant.
- Big retailers that previously made fortunes selling guns leapt at their second chance to make America safer by taking many of the most dangerous guns off their shelves.
- Boeing tried to listen for opportunity by relying on their tech teams to manufacture new software for their 737 MAX and lost. By the end of the year, they are supremely positioned to make it right and go for a second chance with new leadership.
- And big tech, from Google to Facebook, faced enormous challenges in 2019 that cost them dearly. Learning from their gaffs, they all now have a second chance to get their privacy measures up to snuff, and they’re already making changes.
And though it may not have been so groundbreaking, consider your own failures and how you succeeded in 2019. When you listen for opportunity again and again, you may have found that you:
- Signed more clients despite the losses you sustained
- Boosted your staff and raised pay to keep talented employees
- Created marketing strategies that finally paid off
- Invented new ways to deliver your goods and services
- Encouraged innovation in the goods and services you offer
- Continued to keep your doors open
Listen for Opportunities in 2020
Gamblers often say that if you leave the casino with the same amount of cash that you started with, you’re a winner. In the world of tech and small business, if you stayed in business through 2019, you’re a winner. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 30 percent of startups fail during their first two years of operation. 50 percent last five years and 66 percent go down before they reach the 10-year mark.
So you have plenty of reason to be optimistic if you’re still open for business! Watch trends, listen for opportunity from places that may have made you uncomfortable in the past and expect success. Attitude, after all, still plays a huge role in the success of your second (and third and fourth) tries. A few trends to watch in 2020 as you listen for opportunity to grow your business include:
- Big business will continue to spend on IT, with outsourcing reaching record highs.
- Tech trends that will continue to climb, especially in the areas of mobile computing, artificial intelligence, automation, social media, customer reviews, remote working, managed IT to resist an onslaught of hacking and user-friendly content that speaks the language of your customers.
- With more bargaining power, expect the call for personalized customer service from clients who refuse to be put on hold and listen to AI for answers.
- The short story will evolve as the king of marketing, bowing to the shortened attention spans of customers who want to understand your product or service, enjoy the story-telling aspect of a pitch and want all that in a flash.
- More and more workers will join the gig economy and offer services on an as-needed basis. You can listen for opportunity and join the gig nation or look for exceptional talent in that population instead of hiring full or part-time employees.
- With unemployment expected to remain low for the foreseeable future in 2020, expect workers to look for more perks and reasons to be happy with their employers. You’re going to have to meet those expectations or continue to experience worker shortages.
- Video and voice will be bigger than ever as 5G emerges worldwide in 2020. Talk to your customers more as you listen for opportunity. They’ll tell you what they want if you listen!
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business to succeed. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters, and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Mark Bloom | Nov 26, 2019 | Small Business Advice
The Gift of Laughter Keeps Giving and Giving
You know that feeling you get when things are going well? The skies seem brighter and the weather warmer. No ill words can harm you. You actually feel lighter as you bounce through the day on the balls of your feet. A smile lingers at the corners of your mouth no matter what you’re working on or dealing with.
The medical term for this condition is “euphoria.” It’s a state of utter contentment, enjoyment and happiness. You can also attain this state of being by laughing. Yes, euphoria is one of the rewards of laughter, and it’s available to anyone, anywhere, at any time, simply by embracing an attitude of mirth.
Mirth Matters
By now, you’re asking yourself why the writers at Ray Access are sharing this common knowledge — and why we’re sharing it now. We actually have two valid and vital points to make:
- At Thanksgiving, we all tend to overeat, but laughter aids your digestion, according to multiple sources. By laughing during and after your huge meal, you help your body digest! So this Thanksgiving, avoid talking about politics around the family table. Tell jokes instead.
- Laughter puts everyone in a better mood. You can employ this strategy at work, too. Lighten up your office environment, and you can expect more dedicated employees and an increase in productivity as your reward. A lighthearted office may also help you attract better candidates.
It is that easy and that difficult — it all depends on you. But if you want to reap the rewards of laughter, the first step is to get people laughing. People like being happy. Comedy movies remain popular. Stand-up comics thrive for a reason, and that reason has nothing to do with heckling. People love to laugh. Sometimes, all they need — all we all need — is a little encouragement.
The Biological Benefits of Laughter
The more you laugh, the healthier you become. In addition to helping you digest a big meal, other benefits from laughing include:
- Laughter, like exercise, is good for your circulatory system, dilating your veins so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard.
- Laughing strengthens your immune system, making it easier to fight off infections, colds, even the flu.
- Laughter fights depression as well as stress. A deep, rich laugh makes you feel good.
According to the U.S. Government, specifically the U.S. Navy: “Laughter research (yes, there is someone out there researching this) has shown that humor and especially laughter can help keep our bodies strong and disease resistant.” There’s a growing body of research to support the claim that laughing helps you live longer.
The Rewards of Laughter in Business
Too many business owners ignore the power of laughter in day-to-day operations. Sure, everyone has to take their role seriously, but allowing people to be comfortably themselves encourages them to do their jobs better. When your employees like coming into work, they may become a company ambassador, singing your praises even when they aren’t on the job. Clients too may relax around you because they appreciate your down-to-earth approach.
Adding a bit of levity in the workplace can be a magic ingredient, so take advantage of it. Other rewards of laughter at work include:
- More laughter leads to fewer sick days.
- Being silly frees up the imagination for successful brainstorming.
- Permission to laugh at work releases your employees from rigid thinking, which opens the door to creative solutions.
- Laughing together builds strong bonds within a team.
Don’t go yucking it up just because you can. Create a plan for introducing humor into your workplace. Create a company culture where “fun” isn’t frowned upon, where everyone — including your clients — feels heard and appreciated. It’s a fact that laughter dispels stress. It’s one of the rewards of laughter.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business to succeed. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters, and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Elle Ray | Sep 10, 2019 | Small Business Advice
Use a Newsletter to Build Loyalty & Give Back
By now, you know that email newsletters are indeed a 21st century thing, and they make a great marketing tool. Chances are, you have one in your inbox right now.
The next step involves understanding how to use a newsletter effectively so that it entices readers to visit your website, gives them something to chew on throughout the week, and keeps your brand top-of-mind. Just like blog writing, you can’t just throw up an ad, or copy-and-paste what another business already wrote and expect readers to continue clicking to open your newsletter when it arrives.
It Begins with Knowing Your Readers
Newsletters are an ideal way to reach clients and potential customers without having to rely on chance. When you use a newsletter as an effective marketing tool, you must know who your readers are. Everything that goes into your newsletter should align with your business plan and engage your target market.
If you don’t have a clear picture of your audience, then learning how to use a newsletter is a waste of your time. If your email list is disparate and disorganized, your newsletter may end up being nothing more than a deleted annoyance that readers eventually unsubscribe from. So clean up your email list while continuing to add valuable contacts.
Prove You Care
Now that you’ve identified your ideal targets and created an email list of those desirables, you have to capture their attention. In his book How to Make Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie famously wrote:
“You can make more friends in two months
by becoming interested in other people
than you can in two years
by trying to get other people interested in you.”
A newsletter, much like the pages on your website and your blog posts, shouldn’t be about you. Sure, it’s great you hit a new milestone, had your best year ever or landed a big new contract. But readers are always asking: “What’s in it for me?”
Too many newsletters do little more than brag. Your mission statement or company values may preach that you care about serving your customers, but when your marketing message is all about you, it appears that what you really care most about is — you. Rule #1: Remember, when you use a newsletter to communicate — IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU.
Ads Are Ads
Advertising certainly plays a role in the marketing plan of any business. You want to let customers know when you have a big sale, a special offer or a new line. But these kinds of pronouncements, when viewed month after month in the form of a newsletter, leave readers feeling tricked and used. If your newsletter goes out monthly, which is the most common timeline to use a newsletter appropriately, a good rule of thumb is to never make it about a special sale more than once a year.
In fact, an annual special, created just for your loyal newsletter readers is a great way to reward them for not unsubscribing. When you use a newsletter to make that offer, lead off with a headline that says something like: “As a thank you for remaining a loyal newsletter reader, we’re offering a one-time special created just for you.” Of course, you’ll also want to add the many benefits your customer receives by taking advantage of the offer. The most effective ads are those that provide value to your customers.
The Best Newsletter Topics
Now comes the most difficult task for many small business owners — and even for larger companies that have a marketing staff. Coming up with new topics each and every month that keep readers coming back and serve as the ultimate marketing tool isn’t always easy. Avoiding clichés is another difficult task for many newsletter writers.
For example, a majority of newsletters start out with “Now that winter is here and it’s cold outside…” Does that kind of lead-in inspire you to read on? Instead, shoot for relevance and originality right from the first sentence. Capture the reader with topics that provoke an emotional response and lead the reader to forward it to all their friends and contacts. Choose topics that:
- Inform
- Entertain
- Inspire
- Educate
- Wow
Use a newsletter to provide valuable information that your readers can actually use. Take the opportunity to share about the latest trends to help them make more informed decisions or that give them something to talk about before a meeting starts or at a social gathering — fresh, new information that makes your readers look smart. Make them laugh out loud. Open their minds to fresh ideas. Give them appetizing bits so that when they do chew on them, they enjoy the taste.
A Few More Newsletter Tips
Sometimes, when you use a newsletter to bulk up your marketing efforts, advice like what you’re reading in this blog seems easier said than done. Here are seven specific tips to help you get your monthly newsletter noticed, read and passed around:
- Keep it short. A good target is 350 to 400 words.
- Provide clickable links to your website instead of rehashing what’s readily available
- Add links to relevant blogs you’ve posted before
- Create a quarterly or annual calendar of topics that comes from a brainstorming session with your staff, partners or creatives you know
- Send out your newsletter on the same day every month, week or quarter
- Include at least one relevant graphic
- Get at least one other person to read it before you send it
If your business doesn’t use a newsletter to bump up your marketing efforts and keep your name in front of people, start one now. It’s never too late. In addition to your blog, it’s one of the most inexpensive marketing moves you can make. And even if you hire a professional newsletter writing team, the small investment should come back to you in new orders and new customers. But you not only create new business, you build goodwill — and that’s priceless.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Mark Bloom | Sep 3, 2019 | Small Business Advice
If You Want to Know How We Learn an Industry
Ray Access employs generalists who can write on almost any topic. In that sense, we don’t specialize in any particular topic; we specialize in quality. So how is it possible for generalists to write anything meaningful about a specific business — especially without a face-to-face meeting or a tour?
This question extends into the universe of all content writers. How content writing is done by professionals seems like a mystery to many business owners. After all, the writers initially know very little about a client business. Since the client knows her business and its audience best, shouldn’t she write the content for a new website or blog? It only makes sense.
Why Hire Professional Content Writers?
The truth is that business owners are busy people. For small businesses, the owners have to wear many hats and prioritize their work. There’s no such thing as downtime. And their employees, if they have any, have many things to do too. There’s usually no one at the business sitting around waiting to write website copy. Additionally, no one at the business knows how content writing is done. What you end up with may be unusable.
That’s the advantage of hiring professional content writers. Not only do we know how content writing is done, but we know what website visitors look for and expect. Professionals write to the visitors and for the visitors. It’s the visitors they must please, not the business owners. That background and philosophy in how content writing is done separates an OK website from one that shines a light into the darkness of the internet.
So How Does It Work?
The content writers at Ray Access — as well as other content writing companies — know how to research. And thanks to the internet, there is a veritable encyclopedia at their fingertips. Unlike an encyclopedia, though, the internet isn’t comprised entirely of reputable sources of information. In that sense, the internet’s like a gossip columnist: not all of it is trustworthy.
But when you know where and how to look, you can find the most authoritative information available, up to the latest minute, if that’s what you need. It’s not fake news or amateur journalism. We find the facts about an industry from highly respected sources, and then we use that information to craft compelling website content. That’s how good content writing is done.
Tips for How Content Writing Is Done
When you hire Ray Access, we don’t have to know everything about your business to put together compelling website content. The information we need includes:
- Your goals for the website
- What your company sells — your products or services
- What makes your business special, your competitive advantages
- Whom you’re targeting and where they are: either in one geographic location or one industry niche, for example
- A list of the website pages you want
- What keywords you’re targeting
- The page length you’re considering — the longer the page, the more search engines love it
- A little bit of your background and passion — what you bring to your business
But we don’t have to know everything — or anywhere near as much as you know — about your business to write your website. Remember that we’re not writing for you, but for your audience. The information we don’t need includes:
- Your manufacturing process, unless it’s part of what sets you apart
- Whether you work from home
- What your profit margins are
- Your complete bio
- Your age, religion, gender, sexual preference, political leanings or the plans for your vacation
Ray Access Writes about Almost Anything!
In other words, we need some information about your particular business, but we can (and do) the research on your industry to get the broader picture. Every industry, from accounting to ziplining, has authoritative sources of information online. That’s where we go to learn. That’s what we use to inform your readers about your business.
As a result of this process, Ray Access has completed websites for many different industries, and this isn’t even a complete list. Click the link to be taken to an example:
When you want to know how content writing is done, ask the experts at Ray Access. We can write your website for affordable rates and within a finite timeline. Don’t draw out or delay your project because of the content. Hire the professionals who know how to get it done!
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Elle Ray | Aug 27, 2019 | Small Business Advice
Remaking Your Business to Work for You!
People go through it all the time. Perhaps even you came to a crossroads before, when you felt like it was time for an overhaul of your life — physically, mentally, politically or spiritually.
Sometimes, a change of location does the trick. At other times, you may need to change up your exercise routine. Reinvention, rejuvenation, regeneration … whatever you call it, an overhaul often gives us the impetus to accomplish even greater things.
Businesses too, in many aspects, can benefit when it comes time for an overhaul. A new look, an infusion of energy and off you go. Whether your need for change came from a loss of the passionate excitement you first felt for your company or from trends that have changed, you need to make time for an overhaul to keep up.
Where to Start
The first step to rejuvenating your company, as with any reinvention, is to take stock of what you’ve got. Ask yourself what’s working and what’s not. Taking a thorough inventory is a good idea for any business — whether you have widgets to count or not. Measure your success and effectiveness by asking some hard questions of yourself, your partners and your staff:
- Are your products and services still relevant? Have you missed any big trends?
- What’s the competition doing?
- Are you meeting sales goals?
- Is your pricing on point?
- Are you happy and still excited about going to work every day?
If you don’t know the answers to some of the questions, dig a little deeper and get the answers. If you respond with a “No” to any of these queries, continue to the next step. You’re on your way.
Making Changes: The Hard Part
As much as many entrepreneurs say they love the challenge of starting over, in fact, most people don’t willingly and enthusiastically embrace change. Some just scrap one business, chalking it up to experience, and move on to the next. Instead, consider what you might be able to do to restore the excitement in your current undertaking. As you make time for an overhaul, consider how you can fix what seems to be broken.
Look for solutions. Sometimes, just a little tweaking of your pricing can get you back on the financial track you first projected. Perhaps your messaging needs an update. Websites, for example, should be revamped every three to five years so you don’t look dated and out of touch — or even out of business! Maybe you’ve spread your offerings too thin and need to get back into the niche that set you on the entrepreneurial path in the first place.
Implementing Change: The Harder Part
After you’ve done the research and focused on solutions to your doldrums, it’s time to take action. Don’t hesitate. Consider William Shakespeare’s words:
“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”
Or better yet, from Albert Einstein:
“Even if you have to go through hell — go without hesitation.”
Waiting for “just the right time,” or “when I have this or that in place,” too often leaves you with nothing to show. Once you’ve identified that it’s time for an overhaul and set some goals, make like Nike and “Just Do It.”
Accept right up front that you may make some mistakes. Recall when you first started out. You certainly had a number of missteps, as everyone does, but they never stopped you then — you were so full of passion for your project that nothing was going to stand in your way. Let a little of that naiveté reenter your psyche. It’s OK to make mistakes; what’s important is that you push through them to the success that awaits.
Dance All the Way to the Bank!
If anyone tells you that taking time for an overhaul and implementing change is going to be easy, they’re lying to you. Expect a few sleepless nights, when fear most often lays bare its fangs. And don’t expect smooth skating through the whole process.
You’re going to have to shift some of your thought processes and perhaps even toss a few ideas that actually were working out well, but just weren’t giving you that kick you need from running a business. So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to reap the rewards of your continued efforts. And remember: if the boss ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
