Scott McKelvey Copywriting & Marketing

7 Ways a Business Blog Generates Legit Business Leads

by Leave a Comment

I constantly talk about the value of a business blog, whether I’m meeting people at a networking event or discussing a project with a client. Yes, I make money by writing blog articles for companies that use their business blog as a strategic marketing tool. But I’m such a big believer in business blogging because of my own firsthand experiences. My blog is the reason I was able to take my business full-time and keep it going for the past five years or so. It’s my biggest revenue generator.

Read more...

Why It Helps to Go Back to Kindergarten Before Diving into a Marketing Strategy

by Leave a Comment

A few hours before I sat down to write this article, I watched my daughters board the bus for their first day of school. 8-year-old Caitlin is starting third grade, and 5-year-old Cassidy is off to conquer kindergarten. The drama leading up to the first day of school was relatively minor. Caitlin said she didn’t want to learn multiplication and division. Cassidy had more basic concerns, like knowing where to sit and how to get to the bathroom.

Read more...

How Asking Questions within Your Marketing Content Keeps Your Audience Engaged

by Leave a Comment

I’ve read a ton of articles about asking questions in the headline of a blog post, a page on a website or the cover of a brochure. But asking questions within marketing content can be a powerful technique that helps you build a stronger connection with your audience. We ask questions during everyday conversation all the time. We do it to show people we’re interested. To listen. To learn. To show we care about someone else’s viewpoints. To make the conversation less one-sided. To pique someone’s curiosity.

Read more...

How a Local Software Company Elevated the Quality of Its Blog Content

by Leave a Comment

Community Software Solutions (CSS) has been creating online software to support government and nonprofit community programs since 1991. One of their signature products is Eleo Donor Management Software, an affordable, easy-to-use system designed to help nonprofits improve fundraising and build donor relationships. When CSS was preparing to develop online content and ramp up the social media presence for Eleo, they didn’t take the cheap route. No Craigslist, no Fiverr, no discount freelancing sites. They partnered with a large marketing company and paid a premium price.

Read more...

The Secret to Winning with Conversational Content (It’s Not Just the Words)

by Leave a Comment

I often talk about the importance of writing conversationally. Like people talk, as David Ogilvy once said. When your marketing content sounds like how you talk in an actual conversation – not how everyone talks, but how you talk – your content will sound more authentic, become more believable and trustworthy, and knock down barriers to the sale. Nobody wants to read content that sounds more like a user manual, textbook or press release than a conversation.

Read more...

When You Say, “I’ll Take a Crack at Writing My Own Content,” How Much Is that Crack Costing You?

by Leave a Comment

It’s not uncommon for a potential client, flabbergasted that it actually costs money to hire a content writer, to ask what the cost would be if they write their own content and then have me edit. “Why don’t I take a crack at it?” they say. “Then you can clean it up, make it sound more natural, and suggest any improvements.” Well, I can do that. But that’s not the best use of my services.

Read more...

Marketing Observations from my Spring Vacation, Disney Edition

by Leave a Comment

I hadn’t been to Disney World since I was 6 years old. As a point of reference, there was no Epcot when I last went to Disney. My wife, Kelly, hadn’t been to Disney since she was 12. So when we planned our family vacation to Disney World, the experience was about as new for us as it was for our daughters, 7-year-old Caitlin and 4-year-old Cassidy.

Read more...

If You’re Not Writing Like People Talk, What Are You Writing Like?

by Leave a Comment

Before I took my business full-time, I was working as a communications consultant for a global company. I had ghostwritten an article for an executive that would appear in a major trade publication. Back then, my process was the same as it is today. Record the interview so I can listen, capture every word and ask follow-up questions instead of scrambling to take notes. After reviewing the audio and doing some research, I wrote the article. “The tone is far too casual for a senior executive,” I was told. “It needs to sound more professional and intellectual to appeal to other executives.”

Read more...

If Your Marketing Isn’t Working, Your Content Might Need an Empty Claim Audit

by Leave a Comment

Ever since the first newspaper ad was published in the early 1700s, advertising has been littered with empty claims. This awful trend continues to this day with print media and collateral, radio, TV, outdoor, and online platforms. Decades ago, you might have been able to get away with being vague. There wasn’t as much competition, and there wasn’t as much exposure to marketing. Beyond traditional ads and directories (remember the yellow pages?), consumers didn’t have a ton of choices. Today, the market is oversaturated with both brick-and-mortar and online businesses and services.

Read more...

Why Product Knowledge and Typing Ability Do Not a Content Writer Make

by Leave a Comment

I was talking to a graphic designer the other day about one of his clients. The client was having his logo and website professionally designed, so the graphic designer recommended hiring a writer to handle the website content. The client’s response? “I know my product better than anyone, so I’ll write the content.”

Read more...

Call or email for a consultation:
908-907-0031
info@ScottMcKelvey.com

Send this to friend