Nine Things I've Learned in Nine Years as a Yorkshire Copywriter...

I can’t quite believe it either, but next year will be my tenth year in business.

TEN Whole Years as a Yorkshire Copywriter…Almost

As of mid-July though, I’ve been at it for nine years, which I think is achievement enough. When I set out as a copywriter in Yorkshire back in 2014, I didn’t expect to still be ticking along nicely. In fact, I’ve been more than ticking along*; I’ve worked for hundreds of clients - including household names like the NHS and Boots and more one-man bands and brands than I can count.

*Although I realise that sounds like bragging, I’m just glad to be doing what I love daily).

So, if you’re thinking of going freelance too, have a peek at nine things I’ve learned in nine years as a Yorkshire copywriter…

1. Ignoring the b*llocks about ‘getting up at 5am and going for a jog’ is the first step to success

Plenty of LinkedIn' ‘gurus’ will tell you this is the key to doing well as a business owner. The only thing I’ve ever gained from jogging is a stitch. Joking aside, I do like to swim - but I refuse to get up at 5am to do it; the pool’s open til 8pm-ish, so I’ll go after my tea, thank you very much.

2. Getting your tax return done early is always a good idea

Freelance copywriting life can get busy. I’ve left my tax return to the last minute a time or two and I’ve regretted it. Don’t do it too.

3. When you lovingly make a cake for your ‘workplace’, you can look forward to scoffing the lot yourself 

The only tip you need. Make that cake - and share it with yourself. You’re welcome.

4. ‘Friday Feeling’ isn’t really a thing when you’re a Yorkshire copywriter (or anyone else, for that matter), working from home and for yourself

That said, if you’re disciplined enough where your workload is concerned, you can treat yourself to a six-day weekend, if you fancy it. Swings and roundabouts and all that.

5. Freelance mates are as important to your sanity as tea and cake on tap

Cake coming out of your taps, you say? Brilliant!

The ‘Being Freelance’ community is well worth checking out if you’re thinking of working for yourself too.

6. Despite emailing your invoice to their accounts dept on time, filling out 6,456 forms and sending in your passport and a weft of your dead dog’s hair, you - and the payment you’re owed - will still slip through the net

Enough said. It’s annoying, but thankfully it doesn’t happen all that often.

7. If you’re fortunate enough to work with fellow freelancers, you can be sure they understand the importance of paying you on time

We’re the best. We really are.

8. Brew rounds don’t take nearly as long when you’re a ‘team’ of one

“Fancy a cuppa, Lauren?”

“Ah, go on then Lauren”

“Oh, and break out December’s mince pies while you’re at it, lass'“

9. Working for yourself is the best thing since sliced cake.

I learned that one in under a year, but it’s true. Come on in; the water’s lovely! 

I hope you enjoyed my tongue-in-cheek take on the world of self-employment. 

Looking for a Yorkshire-based copywriter? Get in touch!

Why Blogging Is a Great Idea for Your Business

Want an easy way to direct people to your website? Blog more often; where boosted sales and increased customer interest is concerned, it could be as simple as that.

What…blogging isn’t ‘simple’, you say. It is when you know what to blog about - and how often.

Here’s why blogging is a great idea for your business, from someone who (tries to, anyway) blogs regularly. Read on…

In Time, It Will Boost SEO

What’s ‘SEO’? It stands for search engine optimisation. Err, what’s that, then?!

Put simply, it’s the process of improving the quality of your website traffic (i.e. the number and quality of visitors to your site) via search engines.

By populating your content with the words and phrases your customers are typing into Google, in time, you’ll find that more people stumble upon your site. It can be a slow process but it’s definitely worth it - and as most of your website pages won’t change too much in terms of content, blog posts provide an easy way for you to update your site with fresh content, thereby keeping the site visitors trickling in.

It Keeps Customers Up To Date

New product or service? Blog about it. Then, while you’re at it, add a link to said blog post on your various social media accounts. A higher number of clicks on your blog post means a double whammy of benefits; since more clicks mean boosted SEO, you’ll be helping more people find your site in the long-un. More than that, though, you’ll be providing valuable content your target customer is looking for.

For example, as your target customer may have already purchased something from your site, they’re probably interested to learn you have a new, similar product or service for sale, too - or that an existing product has come down in price. If you don’t blog about it, though (and share your blog post on social media) they may never know.

It Shows Authority

Become an ‘authority’ on a particular subject - i.e. show Google and other search engines that you’re blogging regularly and, as a result, know what you’re doing and what you’re talking about. Not only will doing so give your SEO a boost again, it’ll show your customers that you’re an expert in your field.

For example, if your site sells gardening products, offer some valuable guides (in the form of long-ish blog posts) that amateur gardeners will be keen to read. ‘When to Plant for Spring Colour’, for example, or ‘How to Create an Indoor Herb Garden’. Basically, anything your target market might be looking for online anyway.

Let people know you’re an authority on your subject and they’re more likely to put their trust in you - and your products and/or services.

It Helps You Get Key Messages Across

Sometimes, a rushed Facebook or Twitter post doesn’t allow you to get your point across in the same way as ‘long-form content' might.

A blog post gives you much more scope to feed new and important messages to your customers, as you’ll generally have a larger wordcount to play with, and your content is more likely to be found on Google.

Don’t fancy blogging for your business? That’s where copywriters come in. Get in touch, then, if you want a professional to write the posts on your behalf.

Until next time…