12 ways to make your website work better

If people visit your website and don’t ‘get it’ they disappear fast – often referred to as a high bounce rate.  This is bad news, so you need to know how to hang on to visitors long enough to persuade them to take action.

There are lots of reasons why people leave your website without doing anything – and only a few reasons why they stay.  You need to know what keeps them interested and avoid what sends them running to someone else’s site.

Let’s start with why people arrive on your website:

A:  You (or someone else) have given them your business card or contact info and they want to know more about what you do.

B:  Someone has recommended you as a potential supplier of products or services in response to something they’ve said in conversation (or maybe on social media).

C:  They’ve been actively searching for what you do and your site has come up in the search results.

Each of these has varying levels of initial interest from mild curiosity to a red hot lead.  If they don’t easily find what they’re looking for they’ll simply disappear like mist in the morning.

• It doesn’t matter how good your SEO is if people bounce off.
• It doesn’t matter how glowing a recommendation is if the visitor can’t find what they want easily.
• It doesn’t matter how interested they are, if the site confuses, irritates or becomes ‘hard work’ they’ll soon forget you.

Here are my strategies to ensure you keep people around long enough to impress them and get action.

1. The site must look up-to-date and professional – no matter how smart your SEO team are if people arrive on the site, take one look and judge it to be dated or amateurish, they’ll judge you to be the same and won’t hang around.  I’m not a big fan of the modern parallax sites, but they do look pretty.  The secret is to harness the design elements and make them work for you by ensuring that your key message is in the right place to grab your visitor’s attention.
2. You need a compelling headline that engages the visitor – so it needs to be something that they feel is relevant to them.  As search engines don’t only send people to your home page, this means a good headline on every page.  The page name (e.g. Services) is NOT a headline.  Headlines should be the biggest font size on the page – and there should only be ONE, not several.
3. Have an ethical bribe on offer.  This is something free and valuable, such as a checklist, a tips sheet, a ‘how to’ document or a 3 (or more) mistakes people make when ...  The idea is to persuade people to part with their name and email in exchange for this information.  This means you’ll need a means of capturing this information such as MailChimp, AWeber, ConstantContact, GetResponse, etc. to create the sign up form and collect the data automatically.
4. Make sure your navigation (menu) is idiot-proof.  No cryptic tab titles, no hidden sections and the order is in order of importance to the visitor from L-R (if you’re writing for an English speaking market).  This means Services comes before About, for instance; people want to know if you’ve got what they want BEFORE they want to know who you are.
5. Write short punchy copy that is reader-focused – i.e. it’s about what they get, NOT what you do.  Nobody reads much on a web page, they scan so short sentences and paragraphs make the content look ‘easier’; subheadings and bullet points re-engage people so be smart about how you use them.
6. Argue with your web designer if they try to persuade you that centred copy is ‘trendy’ or that justified paragraphs look ‘tidier’.  People find it much easier to read copy that is left-aligned i.e. each line starts in the same place, but finishes at a natural break between words.
7. Don’t be tempted to ask your web designer to create a ‘sexy’ black (or other dark colour) page.  A dark background with white writing may look ‘smart’, but it’s really hard to read.  Most people won’t make it past the first paragraph.
8. No matter how creative your web designer gets keep moving elements to a minimum – and avoid continuous movement.  Every time something on the page moves it draws the eye – that’s OK to get your headline some attention, but when people are trying to read the content it distracts them – and, eventually, irritates them.
9. Avoid fancy fonts altogether if possible.  If you have to have something a bit different then stick to headlines only, but it must be easy to read, not require squinting at to decipher!  In fact, on the screen the best fonts are simple sans serif fonts like Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet, Century Gothic, Calibri, etc.  Times New Roman can be too busy for the screen and reduce clarity.  You don’t want anything getting between your message and the reader.
10. Add images to give each page life and energy.  Nobody finds a big wodge of text attractive – people are 30 times more likely to read content with images so add at least one image.  However, make sure the image works to enhance and support the message, not just a random pretty picture to add a bit of candyfloss to the page.
11. Make sure hyperlinks to other pages or sites are easy to use.  Remember that, on a mobile phone, accurately hitting a text link can be quite challenging.  If it’s possible to create buttons that are finger-friendly then do that, otherwise big, fat, bold links.  As a footnote, it’s good practice to go through your site at least monthly and check that all the links still go where you want them to.  Whilst modern technology is pretty reliable it does sometimes manage to disconnect itself.  If a link is going to take people to another site make sure it opens in a new window, so when they close it they’re still on your website.
12. Know what you want the visitor to do on EVERY page – and then tell them what to do and make it easy for them to do it.  This means providing a link to the page (or pages) you want them to visit next – or providing a phone number in the text, don’t expect them to go searching for it.

Follow these strategies and your website will keep many more of your visitors and capture their interest long enough to persuade them to do what you want them to.

How to write copy that persuades

I’ve been reading On Writing Well by William Zinsser and have been delighted by some of his descriptions of convoluted use of English.  A classic example is the announcement that ‘We are presently anticipating experiencing considerable precipitation’ really means ‘it may rain’!

The copywriter should be invisible – the words should not trip up the reader or lead them to wonder what that really means.  A good writer will create clean copy, simple and easy to read.

The problem is that some so-called commercial copywriters write for the client and not for the reader.  The result is copy peppered with ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’; a megaphone that delivers the message ‘we’re wonderful – and we know it’.  Where is the reader – their potential customer – in the equation?  What do they want to read about?

I once attended a seminar delivered by an American literary agent and she surprised a room full of aspiring authors with the information that few people get past chapter 3 in non-fiction books.

How many books do you have on your bookshelf that you still haven’t finished?

With non-fiction it’s easier to disengage at the end of (or sometimes even part way through) a chapter because, unlike fiction, there’s no story carrying you on. 

That doesn’t mean that all fiction writers are good writers, I recently read a book where I really struggled with the first 20-30 pages.  It was so repetitive and, as it was written in the first person, constituted a bit of a rant.  It was only as there were some clever hooks in the story that led me to persevere to find out what happened to the heroine.

The urge to say the same thing in several different ways when you have very little to say is strong.  More copy constitutes more value – doesn’t it?

No!  We’re all busy and if we can get the message over quickly and succinctly then all the better.  Your reader will appreciate that you’re not labouring the point and wasting their time.

Having said that, there is much that a commercial copywriter can learn from a good fiction author.  The most important of these is that we all love stories.  When I go out to promote the charity I volunteer for people want to hear the stories of the people we’ve helped.  Whilst they’re mildly interested in the facts and figures, the stories reach their hearts.

This is why people fill their websites and marketing material with testimonials – effectively stories about people who have experienced their services or bought their products.  Often they’re not used as well as they could be, I think a short case study that sets the scene and explains what the customer’s problem was, how it was sorted out and then add the quote from the customer to round it off, creates a very effective story and is more likely to engage the reader than just the quote.

To get back to where we started – always write with your reader in mind, keep asking yourself what they would really want to know.  When you’ve written your piece go back and edit it ruthlessly, trim every excess word out.  If the word doesn’t earn its place delete, delete, delete.

The result should be a short piece of compelling copy that will engage the reader and get them to take action.

How to build on online reputation

Marketing is a vast subject – and impacts on every area in your organisation no matter how big or small.  Reputation marketing is a small part of it.

So what is reputation marketing exactly?

It’s taking control of your online profile (and equally your offline profile, but that’s another blog) so you build the reputation you want.

It’s a process of educating people on your area of expertise – sharing your knowledge in a way that creates belief in your status as an authority in your industry.

It’s about making sure that your message is consistent and frequent so you are highly visible to the people that you most want to reach.

It’s offering value, quality and support freely to build your reputation as a generous expert.

What’s the best way to do this?

Identify your ideal clients – know what’s important to them and what they want and target the benefits they can experience in relation to those things.  If you know who you can help and how you can help them you can offer them something of real value.

Make sure your message is clear, consistent and easy to understand – and this applies to your website, your blog, social media, newsletters and marketing material.

Think benefits; how does what you do help your clients?  In other words ‘what’s in it for me?’  People aren’t interested in what you do, they’re interested in what they get and buy on emotional triggers, not on ‘nice to have’.

Don’t try to be all things to all people, be a specialist for your target market.  If you have several different services think how they can be brought under a single heading as a package.  It’s tempting to be drawn into the ‘We could do that for other types of business’ mindset, but you’ll get a lot more higher paying business if you’re positioned as a niche expert.

Use short cuts

This doesn’t mean short-changing the client – but it does mean that one piece of marketing material can be repurposed to save reinventing the wheel. 

The people who read your blog are not the same people as those on your newsletter list, or those who you’re connected up to on social media.  Even if they do see the same information in more than one place it’s likely that they will see it as consistency and be pleased that they’re one step ahead of the rest by having read it already!

A blog can become a newsletter and also broken up into social media posts – linked back to your website, of course.

Several blogs on a subject can become a report or free giveaway document – or a chapter of your first ebook!

It’s all about working smarter, not harder.  Create a strategy, put the plan in place and get that great reputation that people RAVE about.

Does your website make these 3 big mistakes?

When you're in charge of writing the copy for your own website there are some pitfalls that should be avoided - but they're difficult to see when you're inside the business.

Let's be honest, if you're a business owner you are likely to be excited about what you do (if you're not, maybe you should rethink what your business should be about).  The challenge is that when given the chance to tell other people about your business it's a bit like turning on a tap - all that stuff that you're passionate about comes flooding out - and here lies a problem.

These are the three biggest mistakes that you can make when creating the copy to persuade people to buy your services or products:

Mistake number one

Writing about yourself and your business

Hang on a minute - isn't that what the website is for?

Well, yes - and no.

The website is there to persuade potential clients to take action and either buy something or at least get in touch with you.  People aren't interested in you - or in what you do; they're interested in what they get.  This means that your copy needs to be focused on the reader so not:

We do this

But

You can have that.

It's a subtle difference, but a powerful one.  Remember what it's like on the other end of this - when you meet someone and politely ask 'So what do you do?' you really don't want to know exactly what they do - you want to know how what they do might help you in some way.  When you hear the word 'we' or 'our' or 'us' you may have a polite (but probably lukewarm) interest; but the minute someone says 'you' your ears prick up and you start imagining yourself in the situation they're describing.

This is called 'engagement'.  That's what you're aiming for on your website.  So banish the word 'we' and replace it with 'you'.

Mistake number two

Information overload

When someone arrives on your website they want to know if you've got what they're looking for.  They don't need to know how you do it, the manufacturing process, the technical jargon and so on.  This means that you need to cut what you write down to the bare bones - and these bones should be focused on the benefits that the reader will experience, the problems that will disappear and the positive changes they'll experience by choosing to work with your business.

We're back to keeping your passion in check.  It's easy to start explaining everything in detail, but it's worth asking a few of your existing customers what kind of information they would be looking for if they were just starting to look for your services or products.  Asking existing clients is a good way to get them involved and remind them how customer-focused you are!

Web pages should be no longer than 250 words, ideally just under 200.  If your SEO company suggests writing much longer page, my suggestion is to write 200 words, put your call to action, then an image and then the remaining copy - which, in most instances, will only be read by the search engines.

Mistake number three

No reader guides

Eh?  What's a reader guide?

OK - when you arrive on a web page and there are four paragraphs of copy, no headlines, no subheaders, no bullet points, nothing that stands out - how likely are you to get started?

No?  Very few people really want to read online.  They do want to find information though so it makes life easier if your message has guides.  This means that, if people are scanning over the page quickly there are bits of text that they'll pick up on and will tell them if this is something they need to stop at and read more carefully.  For instance:

The headline - not the page name; but something that captures the attention of the reader at the beginning

Sub headings - these break up the text and stop the eye as it's scanning down the copy.  Even short pieces of copy benefit from these to re-engage the reader at key points.

Bullet-point lists - people like reading lists so if you've got a few key pieces of information, turning them into a list is a smart way to get people to pay a bit more attention.

Words or phrases in bold - really clever copywriters can pick a number of key phrases out of the page, turn they into bold text and, if the reader only  reads those words they still get the message.  Bold text, even within a paragraph just makes things stand out.

Images - a page full of text with no images looks really lifeless. Add relevant images to give the page more energy.  However, do remember that people read from left to right and position your image to the right of the copy so people read into it, not away from it.

Your assignment, if you choose to accept it ...

Review your website to see if you've managed to avoid these pitfalls.  It's worth looking at any other material that you hand out to clients or customers too - don't put obstacles between your message and your audience.

7 Steps to Social Media Success

Social media is a powerful tool – for both social and business use.  It’s like being in a massive networking event where you can seek out exactly who you want to talk to and get into conversation.

If you’re in business this is excellent news – and most business people understand that social networks offer huge opportunities.  The surprising thing is that many of these people don’t know how to make the most of their presence on the various platforms.

These are my 7 tips for creating an online profile that starts building relationships.

1. It’s a business tool – so it only works if you use it properly.  Get educated about which platform(s) will work best for your business.  If you’re selling business to business then LinkedIn is a good place to start; if you’re selling direct to consumers Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram (or all three) are likely to work well for you.  This means you do need to know your audience and where they hang out.
2. Complete your profile – if there’s no information people tend to assume you’re not active on the platform and don’t waste their time trying to engage you.  This is particularly important on LinkedIn where there is quite a lot of material to complete.
3. No picture?  What are you hiding?  A professional headshot is worth its weight in gold – it carries lots of subliminal messages about you.  Make sure you look friendly and approachable, are smiling at the camera and are either on a blank background (preferable) or in a professional environment.
4. Get involved, get into conversations, join groups, take action and help others.  If you are simply in the numbers game counting connections/friends, people will quickly forget you.  If you’re a ‘lurker’ it won’t build your relationships with the people you want to get to know.
5. Join groups where your target audience – or possibly their suppliers - hang out.  Being in a peer group with other people who do the same as you isn’t the best place to find new business!
6. Share your knowledge, add value and help people – this will get you a reputation as an expert and an authority in your core area of expertise.  The more visible you are the more people will remember you first when they need your kind of help.
7. Have a plan of action – assign time to your social media posts and activity and stick to it.  Put it into your diary – it doesn’t have to be hours, a regular 15-20 minutes maybe 3 times a week is better than an hour once a month; and you’re more likely to get into the habit if it’s a regular occurrence.  Be aware of the distraction factor too – if you’re on Facebook for business learn not to get drawn into your personal account home feed!

These steps will get you ahead of most of your competitors who dabble!

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If you need help with your strategy for online marketing – give me a call on 01245 473296.

Does your marketing pass the readability test?

If you're creating marketing material then you really need to get the message targeted - and most marketers know about that.  They do lots of research into what attracts their ideal client's attention.  However, few marketers know HOW people process information - and there lies a massive sink hole!

Combining what people read with how they read will improve the pull of all your marketing material.  So what do you need to know?

• People handle different types of flyer in different ways.  So if you give them an A4 single sheet they'll read it differently to the same A4 sheet folded into a trifold.  If it's on card they'll look at it differently to a paper document - you need to watch how people handle different flyers; where they're looking most is where your key message needs to go.

• The core message needs to be focused on what your reader wants - but it also needs to be in the place their eyes go first.  The first thing they read needs to be a compelling headline that encourages people to want to find out more - and it needs to be in the right place.  If you understand where this is you'll have a much better return on your marketing investment.

• When it comes to the copy part of the document - remember that nobody HAS to read your material.  If you make it look hard going, they'll simply file it in the bin!  Long paragraphs put people off - they like 'easy' short paragraphs, with lots of white space.  The same applies to sentences - keep them short and to the point, when you get to an 'and' or 'but' see if you can break the sentence into two shorter ones.  This will encourage your reader to keep going.

• Write at basic English level - don't use your marketing copy to show off your command of the English language (or any other language, come to that).  Stick to simple language, words in common usage - the KISS technique - Keep It Simple and Short.  If people don't understand they stop reading.  People with a larger vocabulary won't notice that there aren't any long words - and the secret is to make it all effortless to take on board.

• There's a great deal of controversy about the number of spaces that are needed after a full stop.  There's an argument that this was an invention created when typewriters had comparative spacing.  However, there's more to it than that.  While you may not consciously register how big the space is that slightly bigger space creates a 'brain break' and allows the reader to digest the previous thought before moving on.  It really has got nothing to do with typewriters!

• People like lists!  We are usually more willing to read a list than a paragraph so, where possible, break up your paragraph into a bulleted list - people will read more of your message.

These are just a few things that will improve your marketing messages' readability - and they are things your competitors almost certainly don't know!

How do you get recommended?

Recommendations from other people are the lifeblood of most businesses.  It's what is known as 'third party validation' and the reason most business owners actively seek testimonials and feature a testimonial page on their website.  It's saying 'It's not just us that think we're good - other people like what we do too!'

Online companies like Amazon and Trip Advisor ask people to write reviews of the purchases they've made and holidays they've had - and that 5 star rating system is everywhere.  But what do 5 stars really mean?  Does 1 star indicate bad or just not great?  The implication of stars is that ANY stars are a positive indication, but most people read one or two stars as a bad review and yet one Michelin star is highly prized by restaurant owners!

Every recommendation is an addition to your reputation - so what you really need are lots of fans who RAVE about you and can provide evidence of your fantastic services (or products).  If you give your clients 5 star service they will almost certainly do this anyway, but are your clients the only people who will recommend you?

Getting recommended happens for all kinds of reasons:

• A delighted customer wants to share their experience with others
• Someone who reads your blog regularly rates you as knowledgeable in your core area
• People who have heard you do a short presentation at a networking meeting think you're good
• People who follow you on social media like what you post
• Someone who you've met a few times, maybe networking, likes YOU

As you can see there are varying levels of experience and knowledge in the mix here.  Someone who likes you as a person doesn't have the same weight as a delighted customer - but when someone gives you a recommendation how carefully do you check their actual experience of the service they're recommending?

I've been recommended for all the above reasons - and they have all resulted in work!  However, if you're on the receiving end of a recommendation it's wise to check what has led the recommender to suggest this particular person.

In all the cases where I've been recommended I always have a preliminary discussion with the potential client first, produce a proposal based on their needs and have a process that allows for development of the work in line with what they want.  Not all businesses can do this, so it's quite important to ensure recommendations are robust and you should always do your due diligence.  However, I do believe that creating high value content in the form of blogs, articles and tips is an excellent way to help people who are not clients to see your expertise.

Obviously, existing or past customers are the best kind of recommendation to get, but that doesn't mean the others have no worth.

I regularly read blogs by a selection of people who I rate as knowledgeable - over time I've learned from them and would not hesitate to recommend them to other people (and often do so) as experts in their field. I probably wouldn't recommend them on the basis of a single post, but cumulatively the consistency of high quality information gives me the confidence to recommend them.

Even a 10 minute presentation will tell you quite a lot about someone:

• How well-prepared they are shows how 'bothered' they are about delivering high quality in every situation
• How well-focused the material is for the group shows how customer-centric they're likely to be
• Providing take-away material indicates the level of attention to detail they are likely to apply

There is an argument that not everyone is a natural (or trained) presenter - and that's true, some people are stricken with nerves standing up in front of a group.  Even so they should have invested some time in the content of their presentation so you should be able to get an idea of their value.

People who are social media connections aren't exactly strong recommendations - but if they have been following your posts and maybe reading some of your articles on LinkedIn they could have quite a good idea of your abilities and expertise.  Having said that I was once recommended by someone I know from networking and has seen the work I've done for a client to a random agency in Canada.  We had a Skype chat and I was able to fulfil their needs.  You really never know!  It's probably more effective than simply choosing someone from the yellow pages or any other directory.

People who like you are definitely good to have around - we all want to be liked - but are they a good recommendation?  If you've met networking a few times, they've probably heard your minute-pitch and almost certainly have had a chat with you.  It's always worth having a 1-2-1 with people you get on with at networking - you get to know each other better and what each is capable of - then recommendations have more weight.

The secret of getting recommended is to be a good recommender!  People tell others when they've been recommended - often by whom - and your reputation gains another star as a result.

So you've written a book ...

If you’ve read the previous blogs:

Will becoming an author improve your credibility?

How to write a book

How to get a book published 

You just have one very important step to complete now: Marketing!

Whether you publish your book through a conventional publishing house or you go down the self-publishing route, your book will not succeed if you don’t make any sales. Even with an established publishing house on board, don’t expect them to do lots of marketing for your book, unless you are an established author with a good track record. They will probably promote the foreign rights for you and send out notifications that the book has been released to book reviewers, but that’s probably about all you can count on.

If you have written a book that you don’t think has a market then you’re probably treating the book-writing process more as personal therapy than as a commercial activity. Ideally, you were writing with a specific market in mind and now’s the time to get your book in front of them.

So, back at the beginning, who did you think would find your book useful and interesting? This might be more than one group of people.

Where do those people hang out and how can you reach them to let them know that your book is available? This might be online as well as offline. If you’re writing for people who are professional speakers, which online forums are full of people who are speakers and trainers? Are there websites that provide services to this group? Do they meet as a group anywhere?

This is where your network comes in – ask them who they know in your target audience and ask if they will let them know about your book. If you provide the right words many people will include your announcement in their newsletter or put a link on their websites.

If your publisher hasn’t done so, get your book on Amazon – ideally in hard copy, Kindle and as an ebook.

Tell all your clients and your extended network about it – not once, but regularly, to keep it in their awareness. That doesn’t mean spamming them, but ensuring a series of messages with ‘teaser’ content in is posted in all the places you think they’ll be looking – Twitter, Facebook, relevant groups that you belong to (and allow promotional content), etc. Don’t just do one hit and wonder why your sales aren’t ongoing. Keep the messages going over the next weeks and months to keep awareness high.

Run a competition with the book as a prize.

Get other people to give you material you can include in a winning ‘bundle’ for everyone who buys the book in a specified time frame. That might include reports, ebooks, teleseminars, coaching, access to a Q&A session on a related subject; be creative!

Give away a summary of the book as a thank you for people who complete a survey (make sure the survey gives you useful material to feature in your next book!)

If you are training or speaking anywhere add a copy of the book for a specified number of delegates. For example, if you’re speaking to an audience of 100, then offer 20 books free; the organisers will probably want to give every delegate a book and may buy additional copies.

Get on local radio and digital radio stations to talk about your book.

Don’t forget to let your local press know you’ve published it – they like stories of local people who have achieved things.

Swap copies of your book with other people who have written books in a similar subject area and offer your market a wider choice (on the proviso that they do the same, of course).

Don’t do this for the few weeks after your book is published – but keep doing it as long as your book is in print and, over time, it will develop visibility. If you don’t do anything, your book sales will look very slim!

How to get a book published

If you’ve done your planning (Will becoming an author improve your credibility?) and started writing your book (How to write a book), you’ll need to think about publishing. There are a number of options:

1. Get a publishing house interested and get a contract
2. Self-publish
3. Publish it as an ebook and sell it online

There are pros and cons to all these. Let’s take a look at the realities of these publishing methods.

Finding a publisher
This is most writers’ dream. Get a publishing contract and then sit back and wait for the royalties to roll in! Most people have heard of rejection slips and although there are things you can do to improve your chances of success, book contracts are still not easy to come by and require the hide of a rhino and buckets of persistence.

The first step is to know what a potential publisher will want to see in your submission. Most don’t want your entire manuscript – just a couple of chapters – but they will want you to have a clear idea of who your competition are and what your book offers that is new or different. Anything that is totally unique is unlikely to hit the target as the market has not been proven and book publishers are cagey about breaking new ground!

Find out which publishers publish books in the genre you’re writing in – Mills and Boon won’t be interested in a Horror story or a self-help book. Take a look at the publisher’s current catalogue and approach those who publish your genre, but haven’t published anything close to your niche subject in the last year or so. They are more likely to be interested if it fits their profile and they’re not competing with their own existing titles.

Advances are not unheard of, but less common with so many people writing books, so don’t count on it. A publisher will edit the book for you and do the cover design and layout. However, the marketing effort they put in is minimal for all but established authors or celebrities.

This means that if you want to become a best seller you'll need to get stuck into a marketing campaign and make as much effort as you would if you self-publish

What will you make from each book sold? Between 7.5% and 10% of net sales. In other words, not very much.

Self-publishing
There are dozens of self-publishing houses, AuthorHouse, Shaking Tent, iUniverse, Trafford, Summertime, and many more. They all offer different packages and deals and you need to investigate what’s on offer before you make your choice.

Many self-publishing services are digital and offer print on demand (POD), which means you can have one book or 1,000 (or any other amount). You pay the same per copy regardless of the quantity as each book is published digitally. This is great if you don’t have a garage or spare bedroom to keep large quantities of books in, but, if you are planning on selling a lot of books it’s not the most cost effective way to print. Once you are printing more than 500 you probably need to look into offset litho printing. It’s much more cost effective.

They usually provide an ISBN number for your book so it can be listed. If you want the high street bookshops to stock it you’ll need to find out if your chosen self-publishing house offers distribution through the big book wholesalers (Gardners and Bertrams in the UK).

Just because you are self-publishing, doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be professional. If you want to build a good reputation you’ll need to invest a good editor. Typically, self-publishing houses don’t offer editing services, they will publish anything you give them.

Don’t fall into the trap of getting a friend to edit your book – there’s a lot more to editing than simply proof reading for spelling, punctuation and grammar.

A good editor will charge anything between £15-£100 per 1000 words, depending on the quality of the raw material and the expertise of the editor. Most books go through at least two edits and a final proof read so, if your book is a modest 50,000 words you’ll be looking at somewhere in the region of £2,500 to get it edited.

Your revenue per copy vary depending on the self-publishing house you choose – but it’s likely to be much more than 12.5% and you have control.

Ebooks
In today’s digital world you can get your book converted to e-format, either as a pdf document or in Kindle format.  You can sell pdf books on Amazon (they invented the Kindle) as well as on your own website.  There are other websites that specialise in ebooks too.

The challenge is for those people who like to have a ‘real’ book in their hands. You are much less likely to sell to them in digital format, but more and more people are getting to grips with the advantages of reading on an electronic device.

Just because it’s an ebook, doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be professional. Everything that applies to self-publishing applies to ebooks – you need a budget for editing, the graphics and maybe a template for your page layout.

What’s your return on this investment? If you sell it on your own website you get to keep all the revenue. If you sell it on Amazon, they get to keep a chunk, but you get the advantage of having readers leaving you testimonials and being on a site where a lot of readers visit.  Amazon have a publishing package for both paperback and ebook formats - read all their terms and conditions before deciding to to take the plunge.

With a good marketing campaign you can make considerably more than you would with the same amount of effort when you have a book contract with a publisher.

How to write a book

If you've read the last post, Will becoming an author improve your credibility?, you should know where to start so you deliver a book that actually has a market, how do you go about putting it together?

If you’re a professional writer it shouldn’t be a problem, however, I’ve met a few people who have no problem writing business material, but, when faced with a blank screen and a book to write, get that well known ailment ‘writer’s block’.

Being a systems freak I long ago worked out how to eliminate this – and it’s not just because I’ve got that kind of mind. It is a process that ensures you have all your ducks lined up before you begin.

Step one: Get a piece of paper and draw a mindmap showing your chapters, give them a name relating to the subject matter (you can always change the name later, but it helps you to focus). 

Around each chapter heading add the subheadings that you think should be in that section of the book. If you’re writing fiction you can use this to create your synopsis for a potential publisher.

Step two: Take a fresh piece of paper and mindmap each chapter in the same way. If you’re writing non-fiction include anecdotes, case studies, examples, things to do (if it’s that kind of book), books you want to refer to and any other bits of information that contribute. If you’re writing fiction you’ll need to plot out the events and introduction of characters.

Step three: Create your chapter ‘recipe’. This is the structure that will underpin each chapter so that your reader feels comfortable as they move from chapter to chapter. If you’re going to start with a quote or a story, then do that for every chapter. Have a style and structure that you can maintain throughout the book. This is less of an issue with fiction, but don’t ignore this step, it’s a good discipline to consider how to put your story together – do you end each chapter on a cliffhanger or tie up the ends for that part of the story?

Step four: Do any reading or research you need to do for your chapters and add the information you’ve gathered to your chapter maps. For fiction writers this will include developing your characters and researching locations you plan to use.

Step five: Take each chapter content page from step two and fit it into the recipe you’ve created in step three. You should end up with an ordered list of headings for each chapter.

Step six: Take a chapter list and start writing following the order of subjects and writing about each one as you come to it. If you’re writing a fiction book, you probably need to start at the beginning. If you’re writing non-fiction you can start with whichever chapter you feel most comfortable about.

If you follow these steps you will find that your book progresses without the anguish of ‘I can’t think what comes next!’ It doesn’t mean you can’t move things about later on, but at least all the information will flow well and give you a great first draft to work on.

Will becoming an author improve your credibility?

They say we all have a book in us somewhere, but how many people actually get that book out and use it to help them establish their reputation for being an expert in their field?

This is the first instalment of a guide to getting your book from an idea in your head to a finished production in your hand.

OK – let’s start at the beginning, but it might not be the beginning you had in mind!

Before you start to think about writing you need to know your marketplace. Who are you writing for? How do you know they will buy your book? How will you ensure your book gets in front of them? If you don’t know who you’re writing for, then you’ll struggle to sell your finished product.

MYTH #1: If you get a contract with a publishing house they’ll market your book for you.

A few do some marketing, but conventional publishing companies will usually send a letter (not your book) to all the reviewers stating that it’s been published, a thumbnail of the content and a one line biog of the author, suggesting that a copy is requested to review. They might also sell the foreign rights – eventually. If you’re a first time author or unknown, be prepared to do your own marketing.

MYTH #2: If you find a publisher who hasn’t published a book like yours they might be interested to add to their catalogue.

On the contrary – if a publisher hasn’t published a book like yours, they have probably made a decision to stick to the genres in which they’re already successful. If you decide to pursue the publishing contract route you need to approach publishers that do publish books like yours, but haven’t published anything similar in the last year or so. Do your research.

MYTH #3: Getting a contract with a publishing house will ensure you earn more money from the book.

Nope! A first time book will usually get 7.5%- 10% of gross. You have to sell a lot of books to make much. Remember that a book can be rated a best seller with just 3000 copies sold.

The upside is that you don’t pay for editing, layout, cover design and publication, which you would have to do if you self-publish, but you keep much more of the money the book makes when you publish the book yourself.

When you arrive at the writing stage you’ll need to ensure you are writing for your target marketing, answering the questions they have and delivering information they will find valuable. More about that in the next instalment.

Is your head above the parapet?

In business everyone has competition, so to get ahead of the pack you really have to stand out - and that can be difficult.  There are lots of ways you can stand out:

• Dye your hair green
• Drive around in really noticeable car
• Always wear the same colour - ideally something bright
• Turn up to meetings on a motorbike
• Get tattooed

I've done variations on all of these - and it's got me noticed - but doesn't demonstrate that I'm any good at what I do!  It definitely ensured I stood out from the crowd and may have got me talked about a bit, but not in relation to my expertise.

So now I've just made the challenge even harder.  Standing out from the crowd has to tick all the RAVE boxes - Reputation, Authority, Visibility and Expertise.  That means whatever you do to get your head above the parapet (like the palm tree in the picture) you need to be:

• Building your reputation with positive information
• Getting to be the 'go to' person for your area of expertise
• Staying visible so people don't forget you
• Showing off your expertise so people know how good you are

There are all kinds of ways to do these things and some work well to tick more than one of the RAVE boxes.

Social media posts and updates:

What did we do without it?! It's a fantastic way to stay visible with daily posts that deliver value, either as a stand alone tip or as a link to a longer piece like a blog or article that demonstrates your expertise.  Over time you'll have a substantial bank of material that show your specialism off as posts and articles on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.  Don't overlook the value of an image - post on Instagram and Pinterest too (like the one above here).  R A V E

Blogs and articles:

Writing blogs regularly will help you to show off your knowledge and expertise so people get a good idea of what you do and how you help people.  You can write on your own blog, either on your website or on a separate blog - or both.  You can also write articles and post them on your LinkedIn profile to gain visibility.  R A V E

Online networking:

Having a profile on various social media platforms is not networking - to do that you need to take action.  Open conversations with people you think would be good contacts - either as clients or as advocates.  Don't try to sell at them, just be interested in them and their business.  Offer help in LinkedIn and Facebook groups and on Facebook Pages and you'll soon find your reputation growing as someone who knows stuff!  R A V E

Offline networking:

Some people like to get out and about and meet people - others hate face-to-face networking.  I think you need to pick your groups, but if I stop doing it I definitely notice my business slipping down the curve after about 3 months.  It's not a quick hit, but a slow burn.  However, regular networking gives you plenty of opportunities to tick the RAVE boxes.  Firstly, if you do a 1 minute (or 40 secs or 2 minutes) presentation include a tip.  I always talk about something I've helped clients with - subtly giving tips and also showing my expertise off.  Secondly, if there's an opportunity to do a 10 minute (or longer) presentation, take it.  Don't do your history - it may help people to get to know you better, but doesn't do much for your business, I use it as an educational slot and give the group a short training session on something.  Give them information takeaways and they'll certainly get a good idea of what you can do.  R A V E

Give aways:

Have a high value giveaway on your website that has really good stuff inside - either a Tips document, a How to ... or a Checklist that walks people through essential processes, or even a 3 things to avoid or 5 mistakes people make.  This also gets people onto your marketing list and sets you up as an expert.  R A V E

Email marketing:

As all the internet marketers say 'the money is in the list'!  People sign up for your give away and then they're on your list and have, effectively, given you permission to contact them.  If you now spam them with sales pitches every day they're likely to unsubscribe fast.  Firstly, mix your messages so that they get at least four value-based messages to each sales related item.  Secondly, don't bombard them with messages (even with good value content) - people stop reading them and just delete them ... or unsubscribe.  However, it is a powerful way to build the relationship and show them how good you are at what you do.  R A V E

I could go on and on - but at least the key elements are here - we haven't even started on Radio station interviews, press releases, or getting articles published in relevant journals, magazines or newspapers.  I'm sure you get the message though - get people to RAVE about you by being the person that stands out from your competitors.

It's all about having a good system and sticking to it - most of your competitors won't sustain their activities.

Are you seeing your business clearly?

Be honest - when you're planning to promote one of your products or services where is your focus:

• On the product/service?
• On the customer?
• On getting it all to the printer/publishing online 'in time'?

If the answer is any of these your marketing probably needs a sight test!

What do I mean by this?  Well, it means that your marketing is a bit (or a lot) out of focus.

Do any of these sound familiar?

You've had a brilliant idea for a new (or repackaged) product or service and are sure that there is a really strong market for it.  It may even be something that you wish you'd had at some stage in growing your business.

You've been working hard at your business and your existing clients love what you do, so you want to attract more clients who might find what you do useful too.

Someone suggested that you need to write press releases regularly to get your business in the spotlight and more awareness of what you do.

You know how good your service is and want to tell people that so you think that a marketing flyer will be a good idea to distribute at networking events - and maybe do some drops in local business areas.

You've heard that social media is very effective so you thought a bit of Facebook activity and maybe a couple of ads would be good - after all, you can really target the right people with Facebook ads.

They are all things that most small business owners have done or considered at some point - but they are missing a key ingredient - focus.  It's a bit like looking at that eye chart without the glasses you really need.  If you have specs you'll be familiar with the 'er, N, no it might be M, Q - or is it O - or it might be D ...'  scenario.  Using any of the above approaches is exactly the same.

Focusing your vision

To really get your marketing on target - you need to be able to see your target very, very clearly. That means knowing exactly who you want to reach - not just 'small business owners', but men who own a small business that specialises in logistics, who are 45, very entrepreneurial, love schmoozing with clients, see marketing as a necessary evil and are very busy.  And are called Darren!'  OK, I put that last bit in to tease, but the more detail you have the better.

Once you've got this you're armed with some of the information you need to focus better - but there's more.

What bugs this chap?  What irritates him and frustrates him?  What keeps him awake at night?

What could your product or service do to fix these things?

Now you have the information you need to get the message right on target, but that alone is not enough.

Finding Darren's hang outs

Having a great message is no good at all if you don't put it where your ideal clients are looking.  So now you need to explore where to find lots of 'Darrens' in one place.  What does Darren read?  Where does he spend time - online and offline?  Who are his influencers?

If your message is where Darren is looking he's much more likely to get it.  It's no good getting featured in the local weekly newspaper if Darren only reads the Telegraph - or doesn't read newspapers at all.  It's no good trying to talk to him on Facebook if, when he's on Facebook, he's more interested in what his sister in Australia has been up to or what happened after he left the Rugby Club do last weekend.

This means that you need to be getting your press coverage where he's likely to read it and be on the social platforms he visits when he's in business head-space.

The right presription

A little time invested in these exercises will result in much, much more effective PR and marketing activities.  It's like when the optician puts the right lens in front of your eye and suddenly you can see clearly!

Choose your social platforms carefully

When you are using online marketing to promote your business or products you'll certainly need to use social media to connect with your audience.  The mistake many people make is to launch their efforts on every social media platform they can find.  These are the same people who, some time later, will tell you 'social media doesn't work.'

Some people will tell you that you MUST be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn ... and possibly YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+, but that's a huge assumption that your ideal customers are:

a) active on these platforms
b) in the right frame of mind to receive your information

This means that you need to know your target audience really well and also know where they are most receptive.

For instance, you may see some of your clients on Facebook, but if you're selling B2B are they in the right head space when you're talking to them on Facebook?  If they're more interesting in making sarcastic remarks about their mates photos or sharing cat pictures they may not be listening to your brilliant tips about how to improve their profit margins on gimbletons.

However, if you're selling B2C you could find Facebook is a mine of eager customers ready to flex their credit cards and satisfy their need for shoes, baby clobber, quirky jewellery, holistic treatments and therapies and much more.

On the other hand your business customers on LinkedIn are in a completely different mindset and are ready to listen to experts who can help them solve their business problems.

If you're selling highly visual products then image based platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are great ways to let people see them, and also other people using them, but your LinkedIn audience won't be quite so impressed.

Facebook like pictures (that's why it bought Instagram), LinkedIn members like learning and information. YouTube viewers want entertaining.  The Twitterati are looking for quick soundbites and hidden treasure in the form of interesting blogs, events, facts and other 'shiny' morsels - I think the Twitter bird should look more like a magpie or jackdaw!

So what is the point of all this?  Simple - you need to know where your customers are and what mind-set they're in on different platforms and tailor your messages and activities accordingly.