When developing your website, you may have spent a lot of time making sure you covered all the necessary functions to make it  attractive and easy to navigate.  Color scheme? Check.  Tabs clearly visible? Check.  Photos of your business or product? Check. You then placed your “Open for Business” sign on all your online and printed marketing pieces to attract visitors to your site.

But, what happens when visitors get to your site?

Do they find merely words or are they greeted with a message that invites them to do business with you?  Having a website that visually looks good, but doesn’t read well, is like pairing a tuxedo with the grubby tennis shoes you wear to the gym.  It is important to complete the polished look from top to bottom to give a fully professional image.

If you are wondering if your site has polished copy, here are three questions to add to your website checklist:

1. Does your website have just words or a clear business message?

What is the most important message you want visitors to understand about your business?  Is that stated clearly on your home page?  If you find your site filled with paragraphs that ramble on with your most important message buried at the bottom, too little text that doesn’t tell enough about your business, or if your copy sounds like it was written for (and by) machines rather than human beings then, it is time for a rewrite.  Your copy needs to tell who you are, what you do, when you do it,  the features and the benefits of your product or service, why you are different from your competition and what you guarantee to assure your visitors they have made the right choice by working with you.   Check and double check for grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes.  You may have a quality product, but if your copy is a sloppy mess then your business will scream “unprofessional” to your prospects.

2. Does your copy include SEO rich keywords?

If you search for information on SEO (Search Engine Optimized) keywords, you will come across varied information ranging from companies who promise top page rankings if you go with their expensive service (be weary of those), do-it-yourself methods that can be time-consuming or techie talk that is confusing.  Let us simplify it for you.

Your copy should include specific words in your industry that are most commonly used when a person is searching for your type of business, service and product.  Why is this so important?  Websites that are crawled organically or naturally for keywords are ranked much higher than just adding tags or categories to your content. Recently, we were doing a website evaluation for a seafood restaurant.  In all of their copy, there was not one mention of the word “seafood.”  We saw the word on a photo of the restaurant, but the problem is that Google doesn’t crawl a jpg photo file (unless the photo is named using keywords when uploaded which in this case, it was not).  You will also want to use keywords when writing posts on social media. In our Social Media copywriting class, we explain in greater detail how important it is to include your keywords when posting on your Facebook page, tweeting on Twitter and posting on LinkedIn.

Be sure to also include local SEO keywords so people in your geographic area can find you, for example “New Jersey chiropractor.”   We recently spoke with a business who complained that they couldn’t get local people to hire them for their services.  When we looked at their website, they didn’t have their address anywhere on their site.  These two examples may seem silly, however, it is often the most obvious things that are overlooked.

3.  Is your copy in line with your business and marketing plan?

It is near impossible to write quality copy without consulting your business and marketing plan.  It is from your marketing plan that you can find the golden nuggets to check off the first and second points of your copywriting checklist.  The overall goals of your business need to be reflected in the messages you craft on your website and should be consistently carried across all your online channels.  For example, the same succinct summary that describes your business on your website should be repeated on your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn summary boxes.

What to do if researching and writing are not your strengths

Fortunately, there are professionals available to help.   A skilled copywriter will be knowledgeable on creating content for your entire website and social media pages that speaks to your target audience.  At Virtual Business Solutions, the most important element in our copywriting services is to make sure the copy we write sounds like you.  We pride ourselves on conducting extensive research on our clients’ business including learning industry trends, their competitive advantages and top industry specific keywords. We develop a comprehensive marketing plan that focuses on their business goals and ensures their entire online marketing presence is working hard to achieve the same end.   To see how your website copy ranks, contact us for a consultation and website evaluation.

For many years, I’ve been a strong advocate for health and well-being in my personal life.  I’ve helped friends and family on their way to healthy and healing through offering holistic approaches and  remedies for improving their life, as well as, personal recommendations for businesses that I know are serving to help people.  For the past 18 years, I’ve merged my passion for wellness with my professional expertise in business coaching and online marketing through helping numerous chiropractors, therapists, holistic retailers and other health and wellness professionals with their websites and social media channels.

There is nothing that has given me more personal and professional joy than to help those who are doing so much to help others have a better quality of life.  For this reason, my team at Virtual Business Solutions and I are offering exclusively to Health and Wellness professionals an opportunity to have their website and social media channels assessed for FREE.  There’s no catch – this service is 100% free.

My team and I are online marketing experts specializing in websites and social media. We do not offer complimentary assessments often so, be sure to sign up soon! We will review what you have online and provide feedback on how you can improve your web development, copywriting, brand identity and online marketing.

Sign Up for the Complimentary Assessment Call

Thursday, November 3rd at 7 pm EST

Businesses interested in having their website reviewed, will need to sign up by Tuesday, November 1st

I always tell my friends and colleagues in the wellness industry – “you keep doing what you do best and let me do what I do best!”  Don’t waste your valuable energy trying to figure all this out; use your energy toward helping other people.

We look forward to you joining us on November 3^rd at 7pm EST !

Blessings in Health and Happiness,
Laura Gonzalez

Laura Gonzalez is the founder of Virtual Business Solutions and a professional business advisor and online marketing consultant for Natural Health and Well Being Industry. She is passionate about natural, healthy living and has been learning about natural ways to improve health for the last 18 years.

I am the person who fills in the blanks.

Hand me a piece of white paper and I will color it with popping, striking, inspiring words.  Send me to your website and I will create the who-what-where content that tells the world about your unique company.  Log  me in to your social media pages and I will customize your profile then post to your followers on your behalf.  Ok, hold on a minute...

Can you do that?  Do I want you to do that?  Can you really be my voice?

Having been a ghostwriter for several clients, I can honestly answer yes and no.

Here’s the Thing…

Social media is about connections and genuine conversation. Savvy social media users can spot a poser from three news feeds away.  Outsourcing your social media content garners legitimate apprehensions especially if you don’t connect with a content writer who can capture your voice and doesn’t have social media or SEO (Search Engine Optimized) keyword experience.

The truth is you know your business and your customers better than anyone else.  Companies like Starbucks and Dell have full-time employees who monitor their social media sites, post content, engage with customers and have millions of  followers to show for it.

And, then…there are companies who do not have the luxury in their human resources budget to hire a full-time social media strategist or writer. For these folks, outsourcing provides real solutions.

Why Outsourcing Might Work for You

Your Staff is Stretched As It Is

Social media is not a magic wand, but merely a tool in your marketing plan and customer service outreach. You have to use it properly to see results.

So, who is going to be the tool-master in your company? Your choices might be the business owner because he/she knows the company better than anyone else.  But, chances are he/she is too busy dealing with the day-to-day demands of the company.  The Marketing Director  is another choice, but having worked for small businesses (and been a Marketing Director myself), that job is best described as wearing many hats and several – preferably, running – shoes.  Ok, so what about the intern who assures you he understands social media because he’s had a Facebook page since he was 13 years old? Hmmm.  Social media know-how, check. Marketing experience, not so much. Even if you have the best intern in the world, unless you plan to hire him after the internship then you will be right back in the same position in six months.

Outsourcing to a solid marketing company or copywriter will provide you with qualified and talented resources who understand the best practices of social media, how to use SEO keywords and will devote time to your online customers on a weekly or daily basis.

You Don’t Have Time To Learn Social Media (let alone keep up with the never-ending changes)

Ok, most social media platforms are  pretty easy to figure out…heck, even a 13 year old can do it.  However, it’s a different playing field when you use social media for your business than when you are making weekend plans with friends.  If you do not have time for the learning curve, bring on board an expert with client references, a proven track record and an actual – not virtual – background in marketing.  This person should possess a strong social media plan and strategy that is in line with your company’s mission and vision. Social media is not one size fits all.

Outsourcing Your Content Isn’t the Same as Outsourcing Your Voice

A copywriter’s primary job is understanding the facts then finding their client’s voice (or the voice they would like to represent their company) to tell their story.  Can it be done? Of course.  This is a good writer’s prize skill. In the same morning, I wrote website content speaking to high school football players for a recruiting company then switched gears and posted on Facebook about sipping a new blend of tea on behalf of an international tea company.

How do you choose the best content writer for your company?

1) Interview a writer the same way you would interview an employee.  View him or her as an extension of your team, not as a vendor providing a service.

2) Ask to see a full portfolio of their work. This will give you a flavor for their writing style, as well as, show how adaptable they can be with a myriad of industries and topics.

3) Ask them to write sample posts for your company.  This is how I work with my clients.  I submit 30 posts a month in advance and they give feedback.  This gives the client security knowing what will be on social media and gives me  ownership to post content that is timely for their audience without having to get daily approval. Of course, there is flexiblity in this as unforeseen events arise that the company can respond to on social media.

The qualities of a good writer

Now, this is just a matter of my opinion and what has made the difference for me when I’ve successfully posted for clients.  As a writer, it is important to:

• Be A Good Listener – Hear what your client is saying on several levels about their company.  What is the feeling/attitude/viewpoint of the company? Listening is the crucial step in picking up a client’s tone and voice.
• Be Well-Researched – I spend a significant amount of time  researching a company, their industry, their competition and their target audience’s needs and wants.  You have to know what you are talking about before you can write a single word.
• Be Authentic -  Write from the heart. Be excited for your client and the product or service they are providing.  Take it on as if it’s your own business.

Help Them To Help You

Whatever your goals may be for your company’s social media campaign – gain more exposure, expand your market, launch a new product or all of the above – be very clear with your marketing company or content writer about what you want and don’t want posted on social media.  An outsourced content writer will bomb  if they do not have knowledge of the company’s overall marketing plan, upcoming promotions or more than one company contact person to correspond with on a regular basis.

The content writer is not like the shoemaker’s elf who works on their own during the night.  To succeed and help you grow your business, they will need to feel and be viewed as a part of your team.

Marketing is changing and it’s changing fast. Social media sites may be ruling the popularity roost, but content is still King.

Whether it’s copy for your website, email newsletter marketing, blogging, social media sites or multimedia content development such as podcasts and viral video, you need quality content to drive business.  It is important for two major reasons: assuring a profession image and feeding search engines.

Business owners, such as yourself, can have such a hard time creating the copy you need because writing is not your area of expertise. You may know your product or service inside out and upside down, but crafting a message about your business that will connect to your target market is a wholly separate skillset. When budgeting marketing dollars for your business, it is imperative to set aside money for an experienced copywriter to create a compelling message that speaks to your customers.

Quality content is also crucial for your social media accounts.  If you think just setting up a Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn account is enough, think again.  Don’t rely on your customers to keep the conversation going about your business. You need to complete your entire info section and explain your business with clear and concise words that highlight your business strengths. You also need to also write short copy for your posts and tweets.  That sounds easy enough because it’s only a few lines of text…or is it? Are you engaging your audience on your wall on Facebook?  If not, it may be the short copy you are posting.

Additionally, nothing drives  traffic to your website or social media pages more than powerful content.  You need to have a keen knowledge of Search Engine Optimized (SEO) keywords. SEO copywriting is an art which combines the power of the written word with the technological knowledge needed to guide the search engines to your website.

If you are wondering if you need a professional copywriter to clean up your Website and Social Media pages, answer these questions:

• When you tweet, are you using keyword rich words that will help your Twitter search engine ranking when people are searching your business subject?
• When you produce your newsletter, e-new or e-blasts, how many people visit and buy from your website?
• Are you providing relevant and timely information to engage your audience? Does your content establish you as an expert in your industry?
• Is your copy connecting the communication lines of ALL your online marketing?

If you answered “no” to all of these questions, then it’s time to consider copywriting solutions that will bring your online marketing the crowning glory it deserves.

1. Using Twitter to Tweet and Share: Perhaps the fastest and most effective way to share a great blog post is through Twitter (). Sharing or retweeting a link in Twitter can spread like wildfire. Use a URL shortener such as tinyurl or bit.ly to shorten links to fit within 140 characters.

2. Posting to Facebook: Sharing a blog post on the world’s largest social network is as simple as going to the Facebook () homepage and posting a link.

3. Digg it: Not only will you help bring that blog post one step closer to reaching the front page of the news site Digg () (which will spread it even further), but all of your Digg friends will see it as well.

4. Post on MySpace Profile: Don’t forget about the world’s second largest social network when sharing your favorite articles. Post the link to your MySpace () profile so your friends can enjoy it too.

5. Posting to LinkedIn: Some blog posts are worthy of being shared by your business network on LinkedIn. Post a link to the Network Updates area in the homepage.

6. Stumbling on StumbleUpon Stumble the post! StumbleUpon () is a favorite network for discovering fun websites and useful information, so make sure that you give the post a thumbs up. The StumbleUpon Toolbar is the easiest way to Stumble.

7. Bookmarking to Delicious: Delicious is great for not only sharing posts, but for helping categorize blog posts for others to find. In addition, you can import your delicious bookmarks to Facebook, FriendFeed (), and other social media websites.

8. Sharing on FriendFeed: The social media aggregator FriendFeed has a vibrant community who love to share videos, links, and pictures. Use the FriendFeed bookmarklet to quickly share a good blog post to FriendFeed.

9. Adding to Reddit: Reddit () is another great social media site for sharing and voting on articles. It’s quick and easy to submit a link

10. Reblogging Great Posts: Blogging about a great article is one of the best ways to engage with the topics being discussed. Post a link, write some commentary, and share it with all of your readers. And don’t forget to share your own blog post as well!

11. Sharing via Google Reader: Google Reader () has a great feature for sharing blog posts. If you use Google Reader as your news reader of choice, all you have to do is click the “share” button at the bottom of blog posts to share it with all of your Google () friends. You can also add notes and comment as well.

12. Posting on Tumblr or Posterous: If you want to share something via a blog, but don’t want to write a full blog post about it, there are great options for that as well, primarily Tumblr () and Posterous (). They are the quick and easy versions of full-fledged blogs, ideal for posting about pictures and blog posts.

13. TwitThat: TwitThat is one of the quickest and easiest tools for sharing blog posts. It will post to your Twitter quickly and easily. Just add the bookmarklet to your browser toolbar and click it whenever you come across a great post.

14. Shareaholic Firefox Extension: There are a lot of great social networks where you can share a great post, but who wants to visit Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn to share a post? If you are a Firefox () user, then install Shareaholic, an extension that goes on your toolbar. It provides quick links for sharing to all of the major social networks.

15. Ping.fm: If you’re a busy person, you might not have time to share on all of these social media websites. Isn’t there an easy way to share a blog post everywhere, all at once? Ping.fm links to all of your social networks and sends your updates to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, to any other website you wish to link to it. You can even update from your instant messenger. It’s the perfect solution for those who like to share content all over the web.

16. Emailing: Email has always been a good way to share articles, especially with close friends and family. Although it may not reach as many people as Twitter, it will definitely reach anyone who isn’t as deep into social media as you are.

17. Texting: Did you know you that many blogs, including Mashable (), support sharing an article via text message? Look out for the ShareThis button (three green dots connected by lines) under blog posts and select the “text” option. iPhones and mobile browsers have made it easy to read links sent by texts.

18. Changing IM Statuses: You probably have dozens, if not hundreds of IM contacts. Share great posts with all of them by changing your IM status to a great post you just read or wrote.

19. IMing a friend: If changing an IM status seems too impersonal, then just IM your friends the link. You can then have a fun chat about the blog post.

20. Talking to Friends: If you don’t have a computer handy, then don’t forget about the analog approach – call a friend or tell him or her over coffee about a great blog post you read. You can always send the link later if necessary.

How To Create Your Facebook Page

I was on a How To Seminar today from Commercial Creation Center and we were talking about ways to post video to different sites in two steps. We got on the subject about Facebook. I mentioned that you need to create a page in order to post articles from your blog, videos etc. The reaction was, ” well I have a page my facebook home page”. Well to clear this issue up I decided to write this blog post so that others will not be confused as well.

Mari Smith is the Pied Piper of Facebook so some of the information below came from her blog.

Facebook’s Terms of Use stipulate you can only have ONE account and it must be in your own REAL name. Not your business name, a fake name, pen name, etc. Nor can you have duplicate accounts.

However, good news! Facebook does provide a place for you to represent your business, and that is Facebook Pages.

Here’s the #1 reason to have your own Facebook Page (as well as your own Profile):

More people can find out about your business because your Page gets indexed and is searchable inside and outside of Facebook.

Other reasons include:

• Because the number of Fans you can have is unlimited (whereas the Friend limit is 5,000).
• Activity on your Page helps increase what I call “viral visibility” on Facebook.
• You can establish your brand even further.

To create your Page scroll to the foot of any Facebook web page and click on Advertising, then click the button to Create Facebook Page. NOTE: Carefully choose the title of your page, ideally including your key words or phrases for SEO purposes. Your title is the ONLY feature you cannot change (just like Groups and Events).

Unlike with Profiles, Facebook allows you to create multiple Pages – ideal for various ventures, products, brands or divisions of your business. And, keep in mind every Facebook Page will go to work for you in terms of SEO! (Search engine optimization.)

One of the primary reasons I recommend getting started with a Facebook Page is you’ll enjoy high Google ranking!

Facebook used to create Page URL’s with your Page ID#. Now, they include the keywords from the title of your business. Good or good?

Watch this overview video that Mari Smith has created, then follow the instructions above to get going with your Facebook and create your PAGE.

Tip #2
Add Applications

Some of this information below cam from Mari Smith the PIed Piper of Facebook. I am compiling several tips to help you master Facebook and use it for your business. Hope some of these tips help.

Just as you can add apps to your Profile, you can add many of the apps to your Page. Recommended apps inculde:

• Static FBML (Facebook Markup Language) – allows you to include any of your own HTML.
• Flash Player – upload your own Flash files for advanced customization.
• YouTube Box – import videos you’ve already loaded to YouTube.
• Kyte – create your own TV channel.
• Simply RSS – import your various feeds. (See also Notes below).

Facebook default apps;

• Notes – import your primary blog post.

1. On the Notes page, select the “Import a blog” link on the right side of the page.
2. Enter the URL (web address) of your blog into the text box, and check the box underneath that states that you agree to our Terms of Use.
3. To complete the process, click on “Save Settings”. Once you do this, your past posts will be in notes and any new posts you make will automatically display.

• Photos – load and tag pics. (Note – you can’t pull pics over from your personal Profile. You have to upload pics from afresh as Facebook doesn’t make the connection that your Profile and your Page are the same person!)
• Videos -load your videos on Facebook even if they’re also on YouTube, Viddler, etc. for added exposure.
• Posted Items – share links with useful resources for your fans.

Some of this information below came from Mari Smith the Pied Piper of Facebook and some information came from my thoughts.

My thoughts are this if I can share with you a few tips to help you master Facebook and use it for your business that is my goal here.

Many people who join Facebook for business and professional reasons often seem completely stumped by the overwhelming number of invitations to install applications. And, the more friends you have the greater the number of invites you’ll receive.

TIP #1

(1) Ignore All.

The ignore all button is your friend! I use this button every single day as my policy is to ignore about 99% of application invitations. Absolutely no disrespect intended for all the amazing app developers out there or the kind friends who want to include me in the fun.

My strategy is to utilize apps that (a) have a particular business use, (b) save me time, (c) help me be more productive, and/or (d) help increase my visibility and presence in a tasteful and diplomatic way. (Actually, my fave way to find out about an app is to read a blog post or Note from a friend providing his/her experience with a certain app).

To apply the Ignore All feature, on your Home Page (the very first page you come to when you log in to Facebook; it shows your News Feed) click on ANY of the Requests over on the right column at the top. This takes you to your master Requests list page and you’ll see the ignore all link at the top right.

NOTE: I recommend reviewing your friend requests first, confirm/ignore, skim through all other requests, then click the ignore all button. A window pops up giving you a choice of which type of requests you want to ignore.

(2) Ignore All From Certain Friends

I use this link from time to time. Basically, if you’d like to keep someone as a Facebook friend and simply prefer not to receive app invites from them, use this link (appears under each invite).

(3) Block the App

If you keep getting requests to install certain apps from many friends and really don’t care for the app, just go ahead and block the app altogether and you won’t receive any more invites.

Here’s how: with incoming app invites, use the “Block This Application” link (as shown in the screenshot above to the left of the red box). Or, search for the app using the master Search Bar in the top left of any screen inside Facebook. Click “View Application” then you should see the link for “Block Application” on the right column towards the top: