Tales Consulting

17/05/2022

Don’t fall into this common content trap 👇👇

Data in, garbage out.

Even if your posts are based on solid data or research (data in), you need to provide relevant context to avoid a "garbage out" situation.

That means:

👉 Telling a compelling backstory
👉 Putting it in the context of your audiences' needs
👉 Adding your unique perspectives and insights
👉 Being clear on why it matters

A good way to do this is using a content strategy that helps you identify:

✅ What to say
✅ To whom
✅ Why
✅ When

So you can speak to your audiences' needs based on their stage of awareness and where they're at in their customer journey.

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TL;DR Give your audience a reason to care about the data by 1) turning it into insights, and 2) making it relevant to them and their needs.

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09/05/2022

Is your website fit for the (post)COVID-19 world?

A lot has changed in these last few years, including how we do business.

Here are some of the key changes that you might want to consider when you next update your web content:

😷 The problems & needs of your audience have changed
😷 So have their internet behaviour & habits
😷 And they're searching for different stuff

(Plus, your organisational processes & business goals might have also shifted, requiring a new strategy)

How your website can respond:

💥 Use your brand’s tone of voice to showcase values
💥 Ensure you’re tackling your audience’s current needs
💥 Demonstrate innovation & leadership by providing value
💥 Humanise your content through storytelling & by demonstrating humanity
💥 Stay agile & responsive with your messaging & SEO keywords

How are you responding to the rapidly changing online world? Have you noticed any differences to "before"?

08/05/2022

Imagine you’ve been invited for a job interview for your dream job offer.

But when you sit down in the interview room, you’re blindfolded.

You also realise that you don’t know the company’s name, you have no idea what line of work they’re in, or what kind of projects they work on.

In fact, you know nothing about them.

What are you going to say?

At best, you’ll be able to deliver a very generic description of yourself and your skills, but you won’t be able to relate any of it back to the company’s needs.

The result? Much of what you say will be irrelevant and boring for them.

It’s the same for your website! If you don’t know who you’re talking to, how on earth do you know what to say? (Cue company-centric blah blah.)

The better you know your customers, the more you can tie your messages back to their needs. This leads to more interest, engagement, and connection, and, ultimately, more conversions.

So here are a few tips to get to know your customers:

💥 Research their needs and pain points
💥 Speak to salespeople
💥 Analyse the websites of successful competitors
💥 Do keyword research to discover their search trends
💥 Use surveys and interview data
💥 Read product/service reviews of similar brands

This should give you a better understanding of who your customer is and how you need to talk to them.

Are there other strategies that I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments what works for you.

05/05/2022

Do you consider search intent when designing your SEO keyword strategy?

Here’s why you should:

Understanding the intent behind your visitors’ searches helps you design and create content that perfectly supports your customer’s journey.

By delivering just the right content at just the right time you attract more leads at the top of your funnel and increase your conversions at the bottom of the funnel.

But what are the types of search intent and how do you use them effectively?

Essentially, all searches can be classed into 4 categories:

👉 Informational searches
👉 Considerational searches
👉 Transactional searches
👉 Location-based searches

These categories are the types of search intent (because they reflect different audience intentions).

For example, informational searches are when people are looking for information. They typically search for phrases beginning with “how to ###” or “when was ###.”

The next category is considerational searches. These include searches like “Top 10 ###” or “Best way to ###.” These folks are considering their options, so you can talk about the pros and cons of different options and position your product or service in the mix.

Next come transactional searches. These guys are ready to buy (solution aware), so it’s your job to funnel their attention to your product or service. This is a good place to highlight benefits and offer some sort of guarantee or social proof to mitigate perceived risk.

And, finally, there are locational searches. These are most relevant for shops and localised service providers, as it reflects people who are looking for things in a certain location. A search phrase here might be “Best Italian restaurant in Melbourne.”

Writing content that covers the different types of search intent ensures that you’re helping your clients every step of the customer journey.

How are you using search intent in your SEO strategy? 💡👇

04/05/2022

One of the most frustrating aspects of being a copywriter is that clients often underestimate the data and research that goes into their copy.

Many conflate copywriting with creative writing and assume that the copy works because it “sounds nice”.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth!

Let’s take a moment to tease the two apart...

The purpose of creative writing is to entertain and be creative.

The purpose of copywriting is to sell stuff and be helpful.

But you don’t sell stuff and help people by being creative.

You do it by:

💥 Collecting and analysing a ton of data
💥 Conducting in-depth research
💥 Using proven, repeatable frameworks
💥 Telling stories

Every word is intentional. Every element of formatting is intentional. Every story is intentional. There is no guesswork.

☝️ This is why it works.

03/05/2022

Have you ever bought from a brand because you felt like they “get you”?

🎉 Their website talks about the stuff you care about (messaging is on point)
🎉 Questions are answered before you have the chance to ask them
🎉 The right information is offered at just the right time
🎉 You could read up on the product or service until you were fully satisfied
🎉 There’s a clear path for you to follow with helpful cross links and CTAs

Compare this 👆👆 customer journey to the following...

☹️ You’re looking for more info on a product or service, but the website isn’t helpful
☹️ The messaging is generic and weak and you’re not sure what the value proposition is
☹️ There’s nowhere you can go to get more in-depth info (e.g., blog, case study, whitepaper)
☹️The website is forcing you into a dead end and you’re not sure what your next move should be

Which brand are you more likely to buy from?

I’m guessing the first one.

Because the customer journey is on point.

So how do you nail the customer journey on your own website? Here are a few tips:

💥 Map out the different paths clients can take through your website based on their goals

💥 Ensure that each path takes them through one stage of awareness at a time (avoid gaps in your messaging)

💥 Guide them along the paths with logical cross-links and calls to action

💥 Optimise the keywords for each page based on the stage of awareness the page is designed for (that way, your prospects will land on the page that’s best suited to where they are at)

💥 Think about what comes before and after your website in the customer journey so you can position your website in context of the entire journey (e.g., blog articles as a first touch point and a discovery call as the final step to conversion)

As always, research and planning are the keys to success.

Which aspects did you consider when designing your customer journey? Let me know in the comments.

02/05/2022

The no. 1 most requested tone of voice (and why it’s a problem!)

Drumroll please...

“Friendly, yet professional” (Yes, in those exact words).

You’re probably thinking, “yeah, that’s great, isn’t it...?”

But it’s NOT great, and here’s why:

“Friendly” and “professional” are personality traits, but they aren’t a tone of voice.

Think about your LinkedIn network (after all, this is the place for “friendly professionals”).

On average, LinkedIn users have around 1000 connections. Of those connections, I’d assume that around 80% are “friendly yet professional”. (You can forget about the 20% who are rude and pushy).

That’s 800 friendly professionals. In your network alone.

(Or 640,000 friendly professionals in your extended network.)

But do they all talk the same? Of course not!

Because personality traits ≠ voice.

(Personality = what you say, voice = how you say it.)

Your voice is made up of three characteristics: Your vocabulary (words), tone (emotions), and cadence (sentence length).

All three of these elements can be measured. And you can adjust these three any way you want to match, mirror, or evolve your voice in any direction (depending on how you want to come across).

For example, if you want your brand voice to have more authority, you’d opt for a higher vocabulary and longer cadence. Whereas, if you want your brand to have a “friend at the bar” type voice, you’d opt for a lower vocabulary and shorter cadence.

Both of these voice types can still be “Friendly, yet professional.”

TL;DR: Your brand personality impacts what you say, but your tone of voice dictates how you say it.

Have you ever thought of brand voice in this way? Lemme know 👇👇

01/05/2022

“Oops, looks like something got left behind.” 😨

“Oh, don’t worry, that’s just those pesky SEO keywords that nobody needs anymore, right?”

“RIGHT??” [*channelling For the Better, Right? Meme*]

Wrong! SEO ain’t dead my friend, but the way we use it in 2022 has evolved.

Once upon a time (before Google’s Panda update), you could hit the top of search results simply by using your keyword A LOOOTTT…

Does this ring a bell?

“Our map tools are the best map tools so if you’re looking for map tools, consider our map tools”

(ok, ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration but you get my drift.)

Naturally, this kind of content made for a terrible user experience so, as Google got smarter, it raised the bar on content quality.

Fast forward to 2022 (and a few updates later), and the SEO game has shifted:

👉 High quality content is rewarded
👉 Strong focus on search intent
👉 Favours natural and conversational language
👉 Considers expertise, authority & trust
👉 Strong emphasis on user experience

But where does that leave SEO keywords?

Keywords are still incredibly relevant, but we need to be more intentional with how we employ them.

That means:

💥 Using different keywords for each page depending on the stage of audience awareness
💥 Using more long-tail keywords for “top of the funnel” content like blogs
💥 Integrating keywords naturally and using keyword “themes” rather than exact matches
💥 Understand how voice search impacts keywords and phrases

Doing SEO well in 2022 is basically about taking an audience-centred approach. Make life easy for your audience and Google will make life easy for you.

What are your thoughts on SEO keywords in 2022? Have you changed the way you research and use keywords?

28/04/2022

What’s more important, traffic or conversions?

You’re probably thinking “Well duh, you need both Helena.”

And you’d be right.

But one has a far greater direct impact on your bottom line, and that’s your conversion rate.

And here’s why:

Let’s assume your website gets 5000 visits a month and your conversion rate is 2%.

Your website traffic comes from a number of sources:

👉 SEO
👉 Paid ads
👉 Content marketing
👉 Influencer marketing
👉 Social media engagement
👉 … (and more)

Your conversion rate depends on one thing only: How well your website is optimised for conversion.

Now say you want to double the revenue from your website.

You have two options: 1. double your traffic, or 2. double your conversion rate.

To double your traffic, you’d have to double several of your ongoing costs:

💰 Double the PPC ad spend
💰 Double the cost of influencer marketing
💰 Spend more on SEO
💰 Spend more time (money) on content and social media

Doubling your conversion rate on the other hand is a once-off cost: Engage a conversion copywriter, run some A/B tests, and aim to improve each of the following elements by a few percent: Tagline, headline, intro text, offer, guarantee, picture, readability, usability, navigation, testimonials, and return policy.

The cumulative effect of slightly improving these elements can drastically improve conversions!

Once your conversion rate is higher, you can allocate more marketing budget to getting more traffic (paid ads, paid social, etc) because you know it will bring you a high predictable return.

TL;DR: For most companies, optimising their conversion rate should come before spending more on traffic.

What do you focus on more in your business - traffic or conversions?

28/04/2022

Picture this: You’re walking down the street and a random stranger comes up to you.

They stop you in your path, pop down on one knee, and romantically exclaim, “Will you marry me?”

What do you do? (I’d run for the hills!)

It’s an absurd thought, right? Yet this is exactly how many brands approach their customer journey.

They hit their clients over the head with a sales pitch, without building a relationship first.

In this week’s blog, we break down the customer journey and show you how to connect and build trust with your clients one step at a time: From the very first date, till the day of the wedding.

You can check it out here 👇👇http://ow.ly/HNp550ITJpB

And let me know your thoughts in the comments!

A compelling customer journey is key to engagement & conversion. Follow this easy 5-step system to guide users from acquisition to conversion

27/04/2022

6 crucial pieces of information you can steal (ahem, *learn*) from your competitors to set your blog up for greater success.

Blog content is usually “top of the funnel” stuff, which means that it’s aimed at customers who are early in their customer journey.

At this stage, most customers don’t have their heart set on a specific product or even brand, so it’s an ideal place to focus on if you want to increase your market share.

But to direct more ideal clients into your funnel (rather than you competitors’), your content needs to work harder than theirs.

So it’s a good idea to do a bit of a stocktake and find out what similar brands are doing with their content so that you can do it better.

Here are the top 6 things to consider:

💥 1. What’s their strategy?

Are they publishing random articles, or a well-engineered series of articles that support their customers’ journey?

💥 2. How are they using brand voice?

Do they sound dull and boring, or do they have a distinct tone of voice?

💥 3. What SEO keywords are they targeting?

Are they using keywords that relate to the different stages of buyer awareness?

💥 4. How well is their content linked?

Are their blog articles seemingly stand-alone, or are they part of an identifiable customer journey?

💥 5. How are they positioning their brand?

Are their brand values clear? What’s their value proposition, and their USP?

💥 6. How are they using storytelling

Which stories are they telling in their content? Are their stories captivating and engaging or dull and boring?

Once you know what those around you are doing, you can make your posts more valuable by going into more depth, target more specific SEO keywords and use them more consistently, design a better customer journey, and set yourself apart with clear messaging and a unique voice.

26/04/2022

Let’s chat about conversion rate optimisation for a minute.

Do you know what the most under-utilised conversion tool is on most websites?

The contact page.

(Even now you’re probably thinking “huh, the contact page, a conversion tool?? But how?”)

Let me explain...

Most contact pages don’t support conversion.

They merely exist and leave it entirely up to the website user whether they hit the “Enquire” button or not.

But this approach can dramatically impact your conversion rate. Especially if your customer journey is designed to get people enquiring.

To turn your contact page into a conversion tool, you need to consider where it sits in your funnel.

What came just before it?

What will happen after people submit their request?

Answering these questions helps you understand exactly where your customer is on their journey – what they know, what they don’t know, and what they need to know to move forward.

Then you can write targeted contact-page copy that:

👉 Makes it clear what happens after your customer says “Yes”

👉 Helps customers envisage the post order experience to make them think beyond the sale

👉 Pre-emptively answers the questions the visitors are asking themselves “If I order this product or service, what will happen next? What will be the process I follow?”

👉 Allows visitors to mentally rehearse the process of using the product or service, visualising it as being part of their lives (this increases desire)

👉 Outlines the post-sale process with a flowchart or a video

This allows you to meet your audience right where they’re at and help them take the next step.

Is your contact page optimised for conversion?

25/04/2022

One of the most common objections I hear about writing a blog is that it “doesn’t work”.

And in many cases, that’s true.

In fact, I’d argue that around 95% of blogs fail.

It’s a depressing statistic, but let’s focus on what the 5% who are successful do differently...

👉 They have clear goals and a plan for how to reach them.

Instead of publishing random content at random intervals, they have a strategy for what to publish, when, and why.

Following a content strategy is the biggest key to success in the content game, as it ensures that you’re putting the right info in front of the right person at the right time

👉 They leverage long-tail keywords effectively

Instead of targeting the same few top-level keywords on every page, they leverage various long-tail keywords to attract clients in different stages of awareness.

👉 They have a distinct brand voice

Let’s face it, every market is saturated with brands upon brands who sound nearly identical. Many are not only pushing the same message (with no clear USP), but also in the same “voiceless tone”. This makes it incredibly hard to stand out.

The companies that are most successful in the content game are the ones with a distinct brand voice.

👉 They tell the best stories

Brand storytelling is one of the best ways to engage your audience and build a deeper connection.

The brands who understand the different types of storytelling and how/when to use them in their content find it easier to start conversations with their audience and engage on a deeper level.

Which strategies are you using for your blog? Let me know if you can think of something to add to the list!

24/04/2022

Myth: clever writing trumps all

Reality: storytelling trumps clever writing every time

Let me tell you a story why...

When I was 14 years old, I read the Davinci Code and was absolutely spellbound from the very first page.

I had never been much of a reader, so finding myself deeply immersed in this novel was a new experience for me.

I thought I had finally cracked the code to becoming a “reader.”

So, when I finished the book, I rushed to the library and took out a new novel.

To my shock, this one put me right back to my “I’m not a reader” days.

Even though my eyes were reading the words, my mind was drifting off. And a few chapters in, I still didn’t know (nor care) what was going on.

Yet again, I decided reading novels just wasn't for me.

Fast forward two decades, and I find myself reading a book about brand storytelling.

To my shock, this book quotes author Philip Pullman in referring to the Davinci Code as being written in a way that’s “flat, stunted and ugly” with “two-dimensional characters”.

But if the writing is so terrible, then why is this book so popular?

It comes down to great storytelling.

From the very first page of the Davinci Code, readers are dying to know what happens next. There’s a sense of urgency that keeps the reader hooked from the very first sentence and that’s what matters most in great storytelling.

Fancy prose, elaborate characters, vivid language, and great dialogue are all secondary to writing a great story.

So next time you’re thinking about brand storytelling, don’t get too caught up in the notion of “good writing”. Focus on creating an engaging story where the reader can quickly identify…

👉 Who its about
👉 What’s going on
👉 What’s at stake

Do this well, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

TL;DR: To make people care, you need to tell a great story. Great writing is not synonymous with great storytelling. And of the two, great writing is secondary.

22/04/2022

What Lord of the Rings can teach us about teamwork…

This week, I watched the LOTR trilogy (yes, extended edition) for the I-don’t-know-how-manyeth time, and I couldn’t help but ponder the fellowship’s teamwork and what we can learn from it.

I realised that there are 3 distinct project phases in the LOTR trilogy:

1. Off to a good start, but “it’s a dangerous business, going out your door”

😊 Everything starts off well, the fellowship is entrusted with an important mission (the project).

😇 Most of the noble crew (team members) hadn’t worked together before.

🧝 Some even held grudges that has spanned the ages.

🏹 But this also led to some healthy competition.

🥰 Bonds form and they complete a few important project tasks together.

2. Misfortune strikes and “the quest stands upon the edge of a knife”

🧙 The leader they had all looked to for guidance got pulled off the team to work on another project (well, he had to kill the Balrog, but we can view that as another project)

🤔 The team continues on, but something has changed.

🤨 They begin mistrusting each other and eventually disband into 3 separate teams (well, one of the teams was kidnapped and carried away against their will by orcs)

💥 The now-three teams each pursue different sub-tasks of the overall project.

3. Happy ending after “courage is found in unlikely places”

🌟 Eventually, they complete their mission (project), not together, but by each contributing something critical to the overall success.

🤩 And why did it work out at the end, despite the fact that the team did not stick together?

💡 Because they shared the same vision, mission, and values!

So, when a team that shares the same vision and values, it will always find a way to overcome the odds to achieve the mission (project).

21/04/2022

Are you blogging in a vacuum (and hurting your conversions)?

The answer is probably “YES” if…

☹️ You’re not following a content strategy

☹️ Your content isn’t strategically aligned with your general marketing strategy

☹️ You’re not tracking KPIs for your content or measuring if or how your content is supporting your business goals

☹️ Your content is stiff and doesn’t seem to attract, engage, or convert your ideal clients

If this sounds familiar, I have some good news for you: It’s never too late to put a content strategy in place.

With a solid content strategy, you’ll know exactly which pieces of content to write, how each piece contributes to the bigger picture of your marketing plan, who you’re writing to, which SEO keywords to target, and which KPIs to track to ensure you’re hitting your content marketing goals.

When you approach content creation in this way, it helps you…

✔️ Build authority
✔️ Engage your readers
✔️ Boost your SEO efforts
✔️ Build relationships

So how do you create a content strategy?

There’s a lot to consider, so I’ve put together a checklist for you 👇 👇

Let me know if it’s helpful!

21/04/2022

Can you spot the differences? (Hint… there are 5)

Francesca, the woman on the left…

She’s had a long day working flat-out to get all her projects completed before Christmas.

She’s just got home, grabbed some snacks, put her feet up and is now watching TV.

She is:

💤 Lying down, not alert
💤 Relaxing, not task-oriented
💤 Not focussed on a particular outcome
💤 Not paying much attention
💤 Not under time pressure

The ads come on and she just keeps watching… there’s a dancing monkey talking about some new brand of sweet and colourful breakfast cereal, the tune is catchy, and the information is probably saved somewhere in her subconscious only to resurface next time she is in the supermarket.

This is essentially how TV advertising works – it addresses the lowest common denominator to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

Lisa, the woman on the right…

She’s researching skincare products for her daughter, who suffers from acne.

She has a very specific problem and is looking for a very specific solution. She’s on her lunch break from work, so her time is limited.

She is:

💥 Sitting upright and alert
💥 Task-oriented
💥 Outcome-focussed
💥 Engaged
💥 Under time pressure

When you’re writing online, whether its your website or content, you’re writing for Lisa.

So, it’s important that you:

✔️ Get to the point quickly – don’t waste their time
✔️ Make your content relevant to them – establish a clear connection between their needs and your offer
✔️ Meet them at their current stage of awareness and guide them on their journey of understanding their problem and potential solutions

Next time you’re writing for your online audience, think about Lisa.

Put yourself in her shoes and read your content from her perspective.

You might be surprised how this small shift in perspective can influence your writing and, ultimately, the success of your online marketing.

20/04/2022

The no. 1 mistake 99% of About pages make (and how to avoid it)

[Brand name], Our, We, [Humblebrag], We… (yadda, yadda) 👈 an accurate representation of sentence starters on most about pages.

I think we’ve all heard the phrase “write for your customers”, but many don’t heed this advice when it comes to their about page. Which can be detrimental for your conversion rate, considering that the “About” page is usually the second most visited page after the home page.

You can check how your “About” page stacks up by looking at how you begin each sentence. Do most sentences start with “I”, “We”, “Our”, or your brand name? If so, take note 👇 👇

Even though it’s called “About”, it’s not really about you at all. It’s about how you can help your customer.

When you’re writing your about page, put your customer at the centre of the equation.

For every word, every sentence, you write, ask yourself “so what”? from your customers’ perspective. This will help you put your skills, experience, and expertise into a customer-centric context, which makes it more interesting and more engaging for your audience.

When you’ve done this, you can reframe your writing and lead with the customer benefits (i.e., start your sentences with “You”).