Sonja Jefferson

I’m often asked to evaluate a business website before we get down to rewriting the content.

As an independent outsider it’s easier to give a fresh perspective, without being mired down in the detail.

I try my hardest to think like a customer and review the site from their point of view.

Here are the four crucial elements that customers have come to expect from a company website, and some ideas on how to fulfil them.

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"The well-written white paper is a super weapon in your marketing arsenal*."

Despite its many benefits, the white paper is still an underused promotional resource for professional businesses here in the UK. This article should throw some light on how to use this powerful form of content to connect with your customers and bring in business. {read more….}

I missed an event last week. Seth Godin, described by many as one of the most intuitive marketers of the day, led a talk at Westminster Abbey of all places on the art of marketing and spreading ideas in the digital age.

I’ve read many reviews of the session, and watched clips on You Tube and I wish I’d known about it in advance. His message is a crucial one for anyone selling professional services today.

Seth is the best selling author of several seminal books on ‘new marketing’, including The Dip, Purple Cow, Permission Marketing and Small is the New Big (I’ve got the lot, and recommend them highly). He holds an MBA from Stanford University and his blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com) is one of the most popular business blogs in the world.  He’s been described as ‘the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age’ by Business Week.

If you’re one of those people who doesn’t get time to read many books, here’s a quick summary of what he has to say: {read more….}

I first set up a Twitter account in October last year, but to be honest I was fairly sceptical about its worth. I’d seen the cutesy Twitter logo on many of the blogs that I follow; I’d read about it in the Sunday papers; I’d heard Stephen Fry rave about in on radio 5. I was curious to know what the fuss was all about, but I was pretty sniffy about its value as a business tool. Our working days are busy enough. Do we really need yet another ego-massaging, time wasting social networking site?

Having said all this, I don’t like missing out on a party, even a bad one, so I thought I’d give it a go. {read more….}

Article writing is a very powerful lead generation tool for any consultancy businesses. An incisive, well-written article will help to get your clients’ attention and position your company as a trusted resource in a competitive world. 

62% of buyers of professional services claimed they would be “Very” or “Somewhat” likely to initially identify and learn more about a potential service provider through an industry website article or story (How Clients Buy: The Benchmark Report On Professional Services Marketing And Selling From The Client Perspective - see: www.raintoday.com).

But article writing is not just a great marketing device: it can be used to close sales too. If you write an article in response to a specific client question or problem, you can influence the sales process in your favour and help them to come to a decision more quickly. {read more….}

There are thousands of books on marketing out there. Most focus on how to market products sold by large corporations, not the services of small professional businesses.

But marketing is not just for the big guys; it’s something that all businesses, whatever their size, should and can do - and it works. Here are 4 books I’ve read this year that show you how:

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: by David Meerman Scott

This is a massively positive and inspiring book for small businesses: the manual for anyone looking for new, cost effective ways to get the word out there and bring in leads.

David Meerman Scott smashes up the old rules: big budget advertising, ‘interruption’ marketing, flashy design, branding and spin - they no longer hold sway in our internet-driven world. In this book he paves the way for a new approach based on thought-leadership, education, two-way conversations and useful content - all targeted at solving customer problems.

This is great news for small businesses: a real opportunity to prove your worth and build your fan base by positioning your company as a trusted resource, and without a huge budget too. In this new world, authentic content is king. Ditch the spin and learn how to use a variety of tools to drive sales including content-rich websites, white papers, articles, e-books and blogs.

(Check out his blog too for regular articles - www.webinknow.com.)

The following 2 books tell you how to use some of the new tools that David Meerman Scott refers to: {read more….}