Business

Why You Should Start Your Holiday Digital Strategy Now

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christmas giftsI know, I know; why I am talking about the Christmas marketing season in June.  Most major companies have already started planning their strategies in January!  Small business should also start thinking about how they will attract coveted holiday sales. Creating a strategy now gives you time to think about what you want to do instead of rushing to put a strategy together in November.  My staff at Global Wire Associate created this quick checklist of a few important things that you need to know and do now if you want to pursue online holiday selling:

  1. Review Your Previous Holiday Marketing Plans (if you had any): Take a look at what worked and what didn’t last year, and strategize what you will do this year. Did you run out of stock early? Did your costs overrun? Did your website crash?  How did your shipping and handling work out last year? Did your social media strategy help you make sales?
  2. Advertising, Marketing, and PR: How do you plan to advertise your company? Social media? Email newsletters? Are there reporters or bloggers you could contact to get holiday coverage. Are there keywords you can use in your website for better SEO?
  3. Plan Out Your Holiday Content Strategy: Now is a good time to put together a special editorial calendar for holiday-themed content.  This includes blog posts, videos, social media content to showcase any sales, discounts, and promotions.  
  4. Create a Clear Payment & Return Policy: Make it clear on your website, preferably in the Terms of Services page, what your payment and return policies are so that customers understand what to expect.
  5. Create A Sign-Up Form On Your Website: During the holidays, your website will have a higher than the average number of visitors.  No, email marketing is not dead.  In fact, customers are more likely to see your emails than your posts on Facebook!  Strategically place a sign-up form on your website to capture email opt-ins.   
  6. Make It Easier For Your Customers: Holiday shoppers are busy and will not spend a lot of time interacting with your content if they don’t find what they want.  Creating recommended or wish lists (along with special discounts) makes it easier for users to identify your products and services.  Even if they don’t actually purchase anything during the holiday season, they will remember your lists and might come back to make a purchase after the holidays.
  7. Three-Click Rule: Again, holiday shoppers are busy, so don’t have users go on a scavenger hunt on your website.  Reorganize your website so that users can find anything in three clicks or less.
  8. Shipping and Handling: It is a good idea to have an online fulfillment plan, especially if you are working with third-party vendors, to make sure deliveries are made on time.
  9. Costs: You are doing online selling because you want to make money, not lose it?  With that said, how much will all the above objectives cost your business? Do you need to hire temporary bloggers or a web designer to support your online strategy?  Calculate your budget before embarking on such a strategy.
  10. Plan B: When all else fails, what do you do?  You need to think about the worst-case scenarios like if your website’s server goes down, run out of stock early or social media gets hacked.  It is better to start thinking about these now then when it actually happens.

These are just a few steps.  If you need more help with your online holiday strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Happy Selling!

Things To Do Before Hiring a Ghostwriter

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Ghostwriting is a unique way to get your voice out there to your customers without actually using your voice, per se. With that being said, it is important to make sure you make the right hire. Here are some tips we have learned over the years from our own ghostwriting projects.

1. Type of work: It is a great idea to specify what type of ghostwriting you are looking to do. Most ghostwriters specialize in one or more types of writing. If you are looking for someone to write blog posts, e-newsletters or social media, you need to hire a ghostwriter who specializes in online content writing, with an emphasis on search engine optimization (SEO). The same is true if you want to hire ghostwriters to work on books, reports, technical manuals, white papers, articles, and other written content.

2. The length of time: Make sure you and your hired ghostwriter understand and agree upon the length of time it will take to complete a project. If it is a finite project, make sure to set a deadline, requirements, and expectations in the contract.

3. Budget: Be upfront about what you can afford so you can find the best possible match in a ghostwriter that fits your budget.

4. Samples and References: Of course, you should read samples of the potential hire’s work and get references. Because of the confidential nature of the ghostwriting business, you might have to sign a non-disclosure agreement before seeing the samples or talk to references.

5. Voice, Style, and Tone: It is important to find a ghostwriter you have a good working relationship with, especially regarding the style and tone of the writing. When reviewing samples from potential hires, make sure their writing style and voice matches yours.

We do a lot of ghostwriting over at Global Wire Associates.  Please contact us at info@globalwireonline.org for more information.

Time To Spring Clean Your Content Strategy

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Starting today, Global Wire Associates is giving ten percent discount on our suite of communication services through 31 March 2019.  Now is a great time to clean up and refresh content strategy.

Check out our offerings and let us help you with your next communication project.  Contact us today.

Brand Development

Having a clear brand strategy is very important for every individual and organization today, but are you clearly delivering your message? Whether you are looking to motivate your customers or supporters, establish credibility or grow your organization, it is vital to spend time researching and building your brand with a solid content development strategy. We can help you develop a brand strategy that serves your content marketing purposes.

Content Strategy

It really doesn’t matter how fabulous your website looks or how many social media tools you use. If you don’t have great content on your sites, most people will not only not care about your web presence, but they will also not care to learn more about you or your organization. Having high-quality content on your web presence is a top priority for establishing both your credibility and your brand. Global Wire Associates can write and edit persuasive copy, as well as provide suggestions on how to best use digital photos, graphics, and video for marketing your cause, service or product.

Copywriting

You might already have a content strategy in place and are just looking for someone to write copy for your blog, website or other marketing collateral. We can also provide ghostwriting services for confidential purposes. Our staff is made up of experienced writers, journalists, graphic and web designers and other multimedia content producers ready to serve you.

Media Development

Global Wire Associates was started by journalists guided by the principles of freedom of expression and diversity in journalism. We provide technical training for journalists around the world who support democratic dialogue through a free, independent media.

Media For Development

Media for development is a term referring to the use of mass media to convey messages about current international development issues. We work with individuals and organizations in developing countries on constructing content strategies and message development.

Advice on Craft Business Selling

As many of you know, in addition to all the work I do in journalism and digital marketing, I also find time to run a bespoke handbag business called Vanguard Design.  It started out as a passion project for bag making many years ago and evolved into a part-time business.  While I get most of my business through online sales, I do sometimes appear at craft fairs, as well as handbag trade shows with my collection.  I get asked questions sometimes about what makes for a successful show table display.  I am no expert, but I have done this enough times that I can share common mistakes I see with display tables.

  1. The number of products – I see this more at craft fairs, which attract hobbyists who want to sell their handmade items.  Some people go over the top with the number of things they sell, which can hurt the bottom line.  I went to a craft fair in New York City last summer, and I saw this woman who had a table with 20 different knitted products on it – mittens, hats, scarves, bags, beer covers, rugs, baby clothes, sweaters, blankets, coasters, etc.  It was literally the Wal-Mart of knitted everything.  What made it worse was that everything looked mediocre; like she didn’t even hide the tails on some of the items and she used mediocre yarn.  I get the urge to try to sell a wide variety, but you can’t be all things to all people.  It would be better to sell two or three products that you can make really well then to sell 20 items that are subpar.  For example, my friend Cynthia only makes scarves and shawls, and she always sells out of them.  All of her products look fabulous because she has mastered making them and uses the finest yarn.  With that said…
  2. Developing Your Niche – When you are selling too many products, it gives the impression that you lack an identity for your craft and business.  You can’t be a jack of all trades. Instead, you should focus on developing your niche craft that you are passionate about doing.  Again, referring to my friend Cynthia, some of the best craft sellers know who they are and have a defined product for a specific audience.
  3. Unique Selling Point (USP) – If you are going into the craft selling business, you must find your competitive advantage.  I make crochet, structured fabric, and leather bags because not many people sell those things at fairs.  When you sell something unique, people will also remember you.
  4. Price Variety – Don’t price everything on your table at $100!  Most people can’t and won’t spend that type of money, especially if they have never purchased anything from you before.  When you are just entering the craft selling business, you are developing a relationship with potential customers.  New customers will likely buy lower-priced items first, and then if they like your work, will spend more in the future.  It is a good idea to have a price range.  I would much rather make $100 off of items costing $5 or $10 than not to sell that one for $100 item!
  5. Presentation is everything – I hate to go to craft fairs to see beautiful handicrafts presented so poorly on a display table.  You have to think about what would attract customers to your table, such as how the items are presented, using props, having price tags on everything, making use of attractive colors and designs, etc.  Think of it this way, would you go to a department store that has its products thrown all over the place or no color and style coordination? No! So, put some thought into your table.  Don’t forget to have proper signage and business cards so people will remember you after the craft fair.
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