My notes for this month say ‘write a blog post about blog posts’. So I was wondering what to write. I could start like this…
Imagine buying a new outfit for a special occasion. (Assuming we’re allowed to go to events, that is.) Let’s say you spend over £100 on a nice dress or a posh shirt. You might think that’s expensive. But then you get invited somewhere else you can wear it, and suddenly it’s half price. The more often you wear the garment, the cheaper it gets.
Or I could start like this…
You’re in the queue at McDonald’s. All you want is a small burger. All the time you’re in the queue you’re thinking: “I just want a small burger. I don’t want fries. I don’t want to go large.”
But then you get to the front of the queue and order your burger and the server asks: “Do you want fries with that?” Your brain might be saying: “No, no, no,” but the chances are your mouth will say: “Yes”.
As human beings, it’s harder for us to say: “No”. We’re wired to say: “Yes”.
For more on this, see This is why it’s so hard to say No (RealSimple magazine)
That’s why staff at McDonald’s are trained to do cross-selling – to offer you something else that goes well with whatever you’ve asked for.
Then the server will say: “Do you want to go large? It’s only an extra 19p*”. Again, your brain might be thinking, “No, no, no,” but chances are you’ll say: “Oh, go on then”. And you’ll come away with more food than you thought you wanted when you first joined the queue.
That’s because Maccy D’s staff are also trained to do upselling – to sell you more than you thought you wanted by positioning the extra as irresistible value.
What has this got to do with blogging?
Well, I often write blog posts that start with a story. Storytelling is a big part of our culture. We grew up with it. They’re compelling to read. They hook you in.
As you’re still reading, that’s evidence it’s true. And if it’s true for you, it might be true for your audience as well.
The lesson in the first story is that you might think paying a copywriter to write your blog posts is an extravagance. It’s not. Because you can reuse what we write, making each article cheaper than it first appears.
For example, you can send blog posts out in a newsletter, post them on LinkedIn, make them into videos… every time you reuse the same content, it reaches a different audience and the price you’ve paid becomes more worthwhile. (We can help with the repurposing too.)
The lesson in the second story is that copywriters cross-sell and upsell just like McDonald’s. By offering you irresistible value, you might come away with more than you originally thought you wanted.
When you ask for help with your web copy, we might suggest we interview your customers first, to write case studies and testimonials that you can use in all your marketing. The output will act as useful customer research and inform the web copy we produce.
This phase reveals what people really value in your brand, products and services, and the language they use to describe it. By reflecting that in the copy we write, it’s more likely to attract other prospects. We’re not basing it on guesswork, but on what your existing customers say.
We might also suggest writing blog posts as phase two (after the new website is live). These will help your site stay fresh for Google, can be keyword-rich to get you found on searches, and demonstrate your expertise to site visitors. And they can be reused as described above, which makes them cheaper than you think.
Lastly, we might suggest helping with your social media content strategy as phase three, to ensure all your digital marketing has a consistent look, feel, tone and core message.
What this means to you
If you want blog copy that starts with a story, that sells your business, that compels readers to take action, and that you can reuse to make it more affordable, get in touch.
*Prices may vary
