Do you ever tick boxes for things, despite them not sitting quite right with you? But because it is a common step and a universally acknowledged and sensible thing to do, you just run with something anyhow.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. It seems like today, more than ever before, people have less and less free time and more things demanding time and attention.
Having a Facebook business page was a box that we ticked for some time. We had a page, it had our credentials on it, contact information, you know the rest.
We know that it is deemed to be a crucial, essential presence for a business.
We know that Facebook is a powerhouse and owns many apps that we love and use, such as Instagram.
We know that Facebook folk may find out that we removed our neat, friendly little business from its community and give us a big digital thumbs down (read: limit our reach on other apps!).
We know that it can be a phenomenal online space and community for businesses, groups and people to communicate from all corners of the globe to drum up business and projects.
We know that one day we may have more reasons to have a page, than not to, and may start one up again. This decision is reversible.
Facebook can do AMAZING things for people and businesses, we get it. Perhaps just not for us…
We even tried Facebook’s advertising, with several targeted campaigns. But – it did jack for us in terms of reach and numbers.
And really, although this lovely business of ours is growing and we find ourselves just loving new opportunities and where they are taking us, we just weren’t feeling Facebook as being key. It just isn’t key to our growth or an enjoyable facet of our work, if we are being honest.
We often gain new clients in person, through word of mouth, or by random chances. Tanya does plenty of work for clients in far-off places, such as the U.S.A. and India. These clients didn’t pop up on our Facebook Page.
Instead, we felt as thought our page was impeding on our family and friend’s feeds.
When people put their feet up and scroll through their feed for some mental down time and a switch-off from the real world, we didn’t feel like they wanted to see our latest listings, or musings about life as a hired writer.
Our clients and industry colleagues didn’t really need to spend time on our page – we have plenty of other means of communication. So really, getting a ‘like’ from my Mum, as kind as it was, felt like an indication that we didn’t have the reach we wanted, or needed really.
As copywriters, we sell a service, not a product. What we were showcasing on our page, specifically our organic content, really wasn’t being seen by anyone and wasn’t going to change anyone’s lives. Seriously.
We love our work, we are good at what we do, but we weren’t being rewarded by our time on Facebook and it didn’t feel like it was an avenue worth continuing.
We live in a world where people are shuffling around the streets like zombies with their heads down, finding imaginary anime characters (another post in itself!). We daresay that people really don’t want to trawl through the business page of someone who isn’t offering them a service relevant to them, when they can be spending time doing things they enjoy in their free time.
Ciao for now, Facebook.
There are plenty of articles floating around that weigh up the pros and cons of businesses breaking up with Facebook. Some of them had some really resonating points, but there was no particular literature that cemented the decision for us.
It just felt like a box we had ticked, but that our heart wasn’t in.
So we made a business decision to say goodbye to it!
Because when you run a business yourself you make these decisions and wear the consequences or rewards yourself. And it feels damn good to be authentic to our own thoughts and experiences.
So, we work in advertising.
We are professional marketing content writers.
We do use Facebook, in terms of having personal pages. It can provide a really wonderful space to make loved ones on different continents not seem so far away and, of course, to share messages, ideals and raise awareness.
But –
You won’t find The Property Writers creeping into your feed on Facebook (for now, at least!).
So see you elsewhere, folks! (Some not so subtle links below.)
It doesn’t have to be an awkward conversation when you are asked what you do.
As copywriters, it’s safe to say that we’ve encountered that slightly puzzled look when we answer that question:
“What is it that you do?”
Which is completely fine, because we have been the ones who give that look, when occasionally encountering someone whose own profession is way over our own heads. But these conversations are fun to have.
I think the confusion is typically because the terms copywriter or copywriting can easily be mixed up with ‘copyright’.
To set the record straight; copyright is a form of intellectual property, so a way of publicly and legally safeguarding original creative works. Here is the wikipedia link for more clarification.
Copywriting – what we do – refers to the action itself of what our role is, but you just need to do a little switch-eroo with the wording. We write copy. And the ‘copy’ part refers to content. You’ll find the wikipedia link for copywriting here.
So… we write content!
Engaging words are SO important. (Image Copyright Gary Larson)
We tend to go on about how much we love what we do, because that’s the truth – we do love our job. We love how we each bring different strengths to our professional partnership and we love that we have a genuine 100%, authentic belief that what we do is valid, useful and value-adding for our clients.
It’s also demanding, often performed in a high-pressure environment and each day brings variety, as well as obstacles. But we take all of that in our stride.
Another question we are often asked is:
“How do I become a copywriter?”
The answer to this isn’t very straightforward, which is also encouraging for those who seek to get started in copywriting. That’s because there is no pre-requisite for commencing a copywriting role, at least not if you work for yourself.
It’s okay to have a fictitious mentor, right? Image Copyright Weiner Brothers/AMC Studios.
There are so very many areas in which copywriters are required, including medical and technical copywriting and specific, strategic SEO copywriting/consulting.
Essentially, copywriters can be “hired guns” on a permanent or freelance basis, or work on retainer or salary for companies across literally hundreds of industries.
As a copywriter, you can create a business or company, based on your own strengths or interests. This would allow you to provide a specific, unique service that caters to appropriate clients, who have a use for your service. Where there is a demand and value in what you do, there is work.
We have several university degrees between us, but neither of us went to university to study copywriting.
Our work today is the result of wonderful, sometimes random opportunities, that set us on a path in which we sculpted our work to suit the real estate industry.
We would however recommend that as a writer or prospective copywriter, you engage in and join a combination of communities and support networks. So, for example, you could join your local writer’s centre and (if you’re in Australia), the Australian Writer’s Guild.
And then, the information, opportunities and support you receive from these can be complimented further by joining your local Business Network, which in our case is Business S.A.
The combination of having access to information both as a creative writer and a business owner should set you on a course of (relatively) smooth sailing as you charter the waters of content writing.
And please hit us up for advice, any time you please!
This post is not sponsored or endorsed by affiliating membership bodies, it is simply based on our own experience and preferences for running a copywriting business in Australia.
Okay, hands up if you remember the song ‘Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen’.
Yes? No?
If you need a little reminder, or distraction, see the original music video below.
(Copyright lies with Baz Luhrmann and associated creators)
Poignant and direct, the lyrics most likely have something in there for everyone. It is a wonderfully engaging stream of advice, including being advised to floss, getting plenty of calcium, as well as remembering compliments that you receive.
One such piece of advice is
“Do one thing every day that scares you”.
This piece of wisdom was originally said by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Easier said than done, right?
But what is interesting about this, is that it can be a little more daunting applying this principle to your business and business practices.
Why is this? It’s not a rhetorical question, I really don’t know why this is!
Perhaps it is because our business or workplace and how we operate within our work can have a knock-on affect to plenty of others. Whether they are colleagues, clients or even future or prospective clients, drastic or ‘scary’ changes can cause ripples.
Whereas, making personal decisions, such as a change in hair colour or a choice in holiday destination, are less likely to offend, annoy, or upheave others.
Here at The Property Writers, we’ve had plenty of decisions to make along the way since our fruition and already in the span of a year have made changes to the way we work. Most of these changes have been overwhelmingly positive.
But have we really challenged ourselves to the extreme, or even scared ourselves? Nope, not really! The end of financial year is fast approaching and amid our meetings and talks on financials and processes and future goals, I’m going to be throwing into the mix the notion of mixing it up a bit and scaring ourselves.
This could be as simple as picking up the phone and phoning some targeted clients who have been on our wish list (so far, from afar!).
OR, utilising a social media app that has admittedly confounded us a bit until now *cough, cough*, Snapchat!
But we are going to mix it up a bit around here and scare ourselves.
After all, nothing ventured is nothing gained, right?
I have skydived before. Yes, I have jumped out of a plane, after only agreeing to do so around 4 or 5 hours beforehand. And I remember being strangely calm while doing so.
But I was reduced to a shivering, terrified mess recently in Bali. I was climbing the set of stairs, to go on a water-slide that most 12 years around me weren’t thinking twice about. This water-slide absolutely terrified me. I did go on it, after my initial almost tamper-tantrum stating that I wasn’t going to! But the prospect of jumping out of a plane from 15,000 feet was significantly less scary, for me anyway.
We all have have our ‘things’ and all have our levels of what we as individuals are comfortable with. We’re a diverse group, us human beings.
How about you? What are some things you can do within your business to scare yourselves?
Is it joining Snapchat like us? (Eek, we are so terrified!) Let us know on Instagram or Facebook!
We are almost certain that unless you have been living under a rock, you may be aware of a little occasion coming up called MOTHER’S DAY. With the lead-up to holidays these days more saturated than ever, we assume most people know that it is upon us.
So we thought it fitting to share some tips for other ‘mothers in business’. These may perhaps be of some use for those who may be starting out with the juggle of motherhood and working.
As a team, we certainly divulge our parenting woes, highs and lows to each other. Before forming our business we already had being mothers in common.
But we remain pretty tight-lipped with our clients and we keep things professional on that side of the fence. Our phones are filled with photos of our daughters (we each have two!) doing the cutest things, naturally. We would love to show everyone how beautiful they are, but we refrain. We know we are good mothers. We know we are good at our job. And we know we have the right to do both, it’s just our choice to keep things a little separate.
We are both mothers whose children are involved in plenty of activities – swimming, ballet, athletics, gymnastics, you name it, our littlies are probably involved. Chances are we have just locked off copy for an upcoming listing before launching a glittery bag of some sort into our front seat and hurrying off to an extra-curricular activity. But the world and our clients don’t know that!
We do our best week in, week out and some weeks are easier than others. We have gleaned a smidgen of wisdom from our years of freelancing and subsequent business-owning, whilst mothering.
Katharine’s tips for mothers who are in the process of starting up a business, or perhaps seeking a touch more balance:
Keep a calendar that everyone in your house can see.
It sounds obvious and yes, your children may not be able to read yet, but if you have plenty coming up in your working week, make sure it is visible alongside the other facets of your life. I’ve found that keeping a work calendar separately is handy (love my iCal). But just the same as we need to try to strike a balance with work and life, if you can SEE these appointments and commitments side-by-side, it can make it easy to allocate your time and see where you need support. That brings me to my next tip.
Support.
There is the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, in our fast-paced 2016 society, I find people, and yes, particularly women, really do put an immense amount of pressure on ourselves to be everything to everyone. There is also the saying about fitting your own oxygen masks before helping others. So true. I myself have really only become all too aware of this within the last twelve months or so. If you are in the throes of rolling out a business or keeping on top of a growing new enterprise, your commitment to your children doesn’t want to be something you feel is side-lined. Call on your support networks- partners, spouses (if you have them), family, friends and community groups. If you do rely on childcare and feel guilty, as obvious as it sounds, try to shake the guilt early and keep your eye on the prize. Your child/children can ultimately benefit from your own working dreams coming true. You may need to remind yourself of this every day, but try to go easy on yourself. And childcare of course has its own social and emotional positives for children too, it helps to bare that in mind.
Let your children see you working sometimes.
It goes without saying that they need to be at an age where it is safe for them to amuse themselves in the background – you don’t want your one-year old juggling knives while you’re tweaking marketing copy! But if and when you feel like you can complete a task, particularly if you work from home, or bring your children to your office/workplace/warehouse on the odd occasion, give it a go- in small increments at first. This, we know, is difficult when they are young. My eldest daughter can decipher the most complicated house floor plan. She recognises split-system air conditioning units, water closets and rainwater tanks! She has also essentially seen every single G-rated Disney film in existence and was able to begin to learn to read a little earlier than typical. And an upside is that working for myself has afforded me with flexible hours, so I have been able to visit incredible places with her through these early years. These outings are a reward for her for her patience during particularly busy days. And also a reward for me for my hard work and diligence. Her reading folder that was sent home from school advises parents to ‘let your children see you reading for leisure, so they learn early that it is an enjoyable activity’. I think the same can be said for working (in measured doses). If your child sees you working and achieving your goals, you are setting them up for a life of their own self-belief.
Set aside quiet, isolated hours each day, if you can.
Despite the above tip of letting your children see you work, I think it is also useful to put my hand up and admit that you can typically get a task completed in half the time if you aren’t tandem parenting/working. If you have peace, quiet and are not having to divide your attention between children (and their snacks, always with the fixing of snacks!) chances are these hours can be your most productive. These hours may be late at night. Which can be tough. But reaping the rewards of a flexible working life can tip the scale making burning the midnight oil worth it.
If you wish to keep on feeding, then keep on feeding!
Plenty of other people and women in business have addressed this and in a much more eloquent manner, but in a nutshell – if you have chosen to breastfeed and it has been going well and suiting both you and baby/babies, then be aware that you have every right to continue. Particularly, if you have returned to a workplace. An awareness of your rights to have pumping breaks and a space to use is certainly something you should have. I have fed and pumped in some seriously uncomfortable and sometimes down right bizarre places, with both of my daughters. As a working mother, who also happens to be providing essential nourishment for a growing human, know that you are already a super star. And hopefully knowing this encourages you to uphold your right to continue to do so.
Enforce a ‘phones down’ time-slot in your home and try to stick to it.
If you’re a working mother/business owner, you know better than anyone that that phone of yours is often buzzing whilst your children are in need of attention. Whether you sell products or services, there will always be the need for people to contact you. As long as you have indicated clear guidelines to clients or customers for turnaround times or response times, know that you can put your phone down and focus on your family and pick up where you left off later. This shouldn’t put clients off either – if you are doing a stellar job anyhow, no one should have any qualms with your abilities. You can put that phone down or mute notifications for a few hours every afternoon or evening and be able to do family dinner, bed-times and stories, if you are able. The world will keep turning! (Something else that took me a while to learn too.)
To be sure, it is a juggling act and anyone who tells you otherwise likely hasn’t played such major roles at the same time. But it’s doable, it’s rewarding and I know that my own daughters are my motivation for success.
This weekend we are going to break our self-enforced social media rule of limited personal/family shots and post some photos of the joy we get from motherhood. A very Happy Mother’s Day to our own mothers and we will also be thinking of those who have lost their mothers, or whose mothers have failing health. If anyone else has tips for this balancing act, we would love to hear them on Instagram.
A lot of agents focus on getting the listing.After that, you sell the house, and you move on.Home buyers aren’t very good repeat clients compared to, say, technology consumers. By the end of 2013 the average Australian home owner held onto their house for 10.1 years (or 8.4 years for a unit), so once the contract is signed and the commission collected, that’s the last you’ll have to do with that customer, right?
A dissatisfied customer will typically tell 9-15 people about their bad experience, with one in six telling 20 people or more.A satisfied customer, by contrast, will mention it to only five;
For every customer complaint you know about, there are another 26 dissatisfied customers who have remained silent.25 of those will leave and not return to your business; and lastly
It costs six to seven times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one.
Your vendor might not sell again for a decade, but their family and friends probably will. And if they’ve raved about you, that’s new business that you haven’t had to spend a dollar to attract.If they felt that you were dismissive, only focused on the money or outright trying to rip them off, however (and remember, the perception of real estate agents is pretty low to start with), they’re likely to tell everyone they know.That’s a lot of potential business down the drain.
So given all of that, why do businesses continue to ignore the importance of a consumer-centric approach?
Consumer-centrism is the idea that customer service is central to a successful business model.They don’t just aim their marketing at getting customers to buy their product; they find out what the customers want and tailor the product to those needs. They focus on retaining customers and gaining repeat business, often by initiating user surveys and interacting with customers on an ongoing basis.As contrasted with customer focused businesses, who take a short term approach to gaining and providing for customers, consumer-centrism looks to the long term. These businesses interact with their customers before, during and after the sales event.They don’t wait to receive feedback; they go out and solicit it.And if it’s negative, they set up the pathways to be able to fix it, and they let the customer know that they’re changing their approach.Customers dealing with consumer-centric businesses feel heard.
While these are examples of retailers, not service providers, it’s useful to compare and contrast two big retailers in this arena:
Bunnings, a huge DIY/trades warehouse, doesn’t just concentrate on great customer service and decent prices. They offer DIY workshops which empower people to use the products they’re buying, they hire people with knowledge of and passion for their trade, and they keep people coming back.By doing those things, they create an ongoing demand for their product, and they establish themselves as an authority in their field.Contrast that with Harvey Norman:with a huge advertising spend, regular discount cycles and a floor stocked with products and staff, the company puts a lot of effort into attracting customers and persuading them to buy.What they don’t do is generate ongoing custom.
What’s the result?In 2012 Choice published a report on customer service.Bunnings was a stand out performer, while Harvey Norman trailed at the bottom of the pack.Not surprisingly, that year Harvey Norman posted a huge 39.2% loss over the previous year.
Remember those statistics we started with?It’s easier and cheaper to retain existing customers than attract new ones.If you aren’t consumer-centric, you will spend more money on marketing and experience a higher turnover of customers compared to the companies who have a solid, loyal customer base and can concentrate on what they do best; running a business.
Next week we’ll look at some practical tips on how to create a consumer-centric business model.Until then, remember that your relationship with your clients should be a conversation, not a broadcast.
