Sonja Jefferson

"A stale website communicates a stale business" warns marketing expert Ryan James. If your web content is out-of-date you may be damaging your company’s reputation without even knowing it.

{read more….}

If you’re thinking about designing or redesigning your company website, it’s tempting to concentrate on how it should look to impress your customers. Design is important, but if you focus on colour schemes before content you run the risk of creating a great looking site that customers either have no use for or cannot use.

{read more….}

Web user behaviour is changing. Today we spend more time on the web, we have shorter attention spans and are way more demanding of the websites we visit than ever before. We are no longer impressed by self-serving marketing spin or cool flash graphics. These days there is no time for dawdling; we want to reach a site quickly, complete our task and leave.  As web usability guru Jakob Nielsen states:

"People want sites to get to the point. They have very little patience. Give people what they want or watch as they abandon your site for the competition’s."

But what do users want from a B2B website? As professional service companies or business consultants, what information do we need to include?

{read more….}

LinkedIn has just hit the 1 million user mark here in the UK. With over 2000 business professionals signing up every day, it can no longer be discounted as a US phenomenon: LinkedIn is now a mainstream tool for business professionals here in the UK, and a highly useful one at that.

Most business people have heard of it, many have their profiles on it, but, as independent consultants or small professional businesses, how can we use LinkedIn to bring in work?

{read more….}

Great businesses have a clear purpose; something bigger than just revenue or profit; certainly something better than what was there before. For me this is one of the things that separates the great from the run-of-the-mill.

I’ve been lucky enough to work for a couple of these ’super companies’ recently (see examples below). I know when I’ve found one because my job as a content writer becomes so easy:

Their enthusiam and passion is contagious; I get totally caught up in the company’s proposition; I can’t wait to start writing their web content and, what is more, I rave about them to anyone who stands still long enough to listen. Their fight is my fight; I”ve signed up to their crusade.

This might sound like an unachievable ambition for all but the blessed few, but in my view, if you dig deep enough and ask the right questions, most businesses can uncover their hidden crusade. {read more….}

"SO, WHAT DO YOU DO?"

If a potential customer asks you to describe what you do, what do you say?

In my experience, the usual response is a literal one:

• "We’re IT developers. We build web-enabled retail systems."
• "I’m a builder. I renovate old houses."
• "We’re a recruitment company. We source contractors."

This is all very well; it’s part of the answer, but it’s not actually what your potential customer wanted to hear when he or she asked what you do. I think there’s a better way to get your message across - verbally and on your website. It’s a case of understanding where your customer is coming from and answering the right question. {read more….}

Want to be seen as an expert in your field? Traditionally, you had to either hammer down the door of a well-read industry magazine or tread the boards on the conference speaking circuit. Luckily for today’s consultants and professional companies, it is now far easier. If you want to take the first step on the ladder of thought leadership, start writing a business blog and reap the rewards.

{read more….}

I’m very excited…about some software. People who know me will be amazed (apart from my rather dubious attachment to Guitar Hero 3 for the Playstation, this has to be a first). I’ve just started building my website using the content management system Drupal and it’s the most fantastic tool for a content writer like me; in fact for anyone thinking of re-doing their company website. {read more….}

Selling professional services is tough. With no physical ‘product’ to demonstrate it is really hard to prove your unique expertise and set yourself ahead of the competition. Just saying you are ‘market-leading’, ‘cutting-edge’ or ‘quality-driven’ is not enough. There are hundreds of other companies in your field pushing the same empty buzzwords. How can you go further and impress your clients?

{read more….}