copywriting Archives - Jane Rogers PR

Mailchimp is retiring Classic Automations

Jane Rogers — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 17:44:12 +0000

Mailchimp Classic Automations are going - here's what to do!

Do you use Mailchimp for your newsletters and email marketing?

If, like me, you do, you may have had an email from them in the last couple of days to say that Mailchimp Classic Automations are retiring as of 1 June 2025.

Have you had the email?

If you have, it means you have Classic Automations set up and will need to take action.

If you haven’t, don’t worry, it doesn’t apply to you and you can carry on as before!

What to do if you’ve had the email

Firstly, if you already have a paid account with Mailchimp, you can simply convert your existing Classic Automations to Customer Journeys.

It’s relatively simple to do and Mailchimp has created a guide to talk you through it:

If you are still using a free Mailchimp account, you will either need to:

Upgrade to a paid account, then convert your Mailchimp Classic Automations to Customer Journeys, or
Change from Mailchimp to a different email marketing provider.

The easiest option is to upgrade and then convert your automations. By upgrading, you will also get access to other functions within Mailchimp, such as being able to schedule emails. Depending on the age of your free account*, you will also be able to send more emails each month in a paid account.

See all features included in free and paid Mailchimp accounts here.

*If you’ve had your account since before May 2019, you may have a grandfathered account, which means you’ll have access to more features for free than newer free accounts.

Mailchimp alternatives

However, if upgrading Mailchimp is not for you, there are plenty of email marketing platform alternatives. Most of them offer a free starter plan but you will need to check whether this includes automated emails.

Bear in mind that free accounts on other platforms could change at any time, in the way Mailchimp is doing.

Here are three alternatives I can recommend:

Mailerlite

Currently, Mailerlite offers automations within its free account (but this could change in future). Their free account also allows up to 1,000 contacts, 12,000 monthly sends and 10 landing pages.

Brevo

Brevo allows limited automations for up to 2,000 contacts on its free plan. More info on all its plans here.

SendFox

While it doesn’t offer automations on its free plan, SendFox has a fantastic one-off payment option of $49 (currently about £38 at the time of writing). This lifetime access for a very reasonable one-off cost includes automations and lots of other features. For a $98 one-off fee, you can get even more features, so it’s worth considering.

There are other platforms available too, so it’s worth doing a comparison to check they offer the features you need at a price that’s right for you. If you’d like my help deciding on the best platform for you, book a free call with me.

Is Mailchimp the best platform for small businesses?

Personally, I think Mailchimp is a great platform for email marketing. But I would say, despite being a Mailchimp & Co member, that it’s not always the best for small business owners and start ups.

If you’re only going to send emails, have fewer than 500 people on your list, don’t want to schedule emails and don’t want any automations, then the free account is great.

A paid account starts at about £12 per month, depending on the features you want and the number of contacts you have. However, the platforms mentioned above all work out better value for paid accounts than Mailchimp does, when you’re starting out with smaller numbers.

Of course, when you have a large mailing list and other needs, such as selling online or digital products, you might want to look at a comprehensive all-in-one email marketing, sales funnels and CRM platform instead.

Help! I’m not sure what I need or what I should do now!

Don’t worry, I have years of experience with different email marketing platforms, so I can help you.

Whether you want to convert your existing Mailchimp automations, move to an alternative supplier or advice on which platform would work best, click here to book a free call with me.

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5 ways to woo your audience this Valentine’s

Jane Rogers — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:30:49 +0000

How to woo your audience with killer content this Valentine’s Day!

It might be Valentine’s Day but it’s not just about romantic love! Give your business marketing some love by creating content that will woo your audience. Just like a thoughtful gift or a romantic gesture, well-crafted content can capture the heart of your audience and build lasting relationships.

Great content is about building relationships, after all. Here are my five secrets to writing content (blogs, articles, emails, social captions etc.) that your readers will fall head over heels for:

1. Uncover their deepest desires

It’s not just about the demographics – where they are, how old they are, their gender etc. While these are important, delving deeper into what motivates your audience will help you to understand them better. And this in turn will help you tailor and target your content marketing, so that it resonates better with them.

What are their hopes, desires or aspirations? And what challenges wake them up at night?

The more you understand their motivations, the more effectively you can tailor your content. Go beyond basic demographics and create detailed ‘buyer personas’ or ‘avatars’ that represent your ideal readers. This will help you write with empathy and understanding, ensuring your message connects where it’s needed most.

2 Craft a captivating hook

You only have a few seconds to grab your audience’s attention. Your headline and opening paragraph are like your ‘first date’. Make them intriguing enough to pique their interest so that they want to keep reading.

Your headline (or email subject line) needs to promise value and make your audience want to read more:

Keep them short and sweet: be clear and concise
Include numbers or lists: people love numbered lists and “how-to” guides
Ask a question: engage the reader
Use emotional language: connect with the reader on an emotional level.

For example: “5 ways to…”, “The biggest XXX mistake you’re probably making”, “Are you making these XXX mistakes?”, “Want the secret to…”

Your first paragraph needs to follow through from your headline and continue the intrigue. The hook can be a question, a surprising statistic, a relatable anecdote or a bold statement. Don’t be afraid to try different ones to find what works best for your readers.

For example: “Have you ever…?”, “Did you know that X% of people…?”, “If you do this…”, “Are you struggling with…?”

Again, keep your opening paragraph (and indeed all of your content) concise. Consider how it will resonate with your target audience. And be sure to connect to the overall theme and use a consistent tone throughout.

3 Tell a story

We all resonate more with stories than we do with cold, hard facts. Stories make the world go around – and we remember them more easily. What’s more, stories are often more engaging and relatable.

The easiest way to include a story is to share an anecdote or personal experience. Set out the scene, say what happened and then explain the result (ideally that you helped with or learned). For example, here’s one of mine:

“I sometimes struggle with blank-page syndrome, despite writing for a living. Fortunately, I’ve learned some tools and techniques to help me overcome that. And so, I’m now sharing them to help you…”

You can also share a client transformation or a case study to illustrate how you help. Reading a client’s story that explains their situation or struggle and how you helped them will connect to your readers on an emotional level. They’ll recognise themselves in the story and then be more likely to contact you for help.

4 Offer genuine value

Ultimately, your content needs to offer genuine value to your audience. Give them something they can learn from, something that’s entertaining or something that inspires them.

Think about the problems your audience faces and how you can provide solutions. Offer practical tips, advice, insightful perspectives or even something funny. The more you can provide value, the more your audience is likely to stick around and come back for more.

5 Be your authentic self

Finally, and most importantly, be the real you and let your authentic voice shine. This is what sets you apart and helps people resonate with you. People buy from people, after all.

Don’t be afraid to inject your own style and perspective into your writing. Let your personality shine through. Embrace your individuality and be yourself. This is key to connecting with your audience on a human level.

So, now you can show your audience some love by creating content that resonates with them. By understanding their deepest desires, crafting compelling hooks, telling stories, offering value and being authentic, you can woo your audience and build lasting relationships that extend far beyond Valentine’s Day!

If you’d like some help planning or writing your content, so that it resonates with your audience, schedule a free call with me or book a Content Power Hour.

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Quarterly Content Workshops 2025

Carter Rogers — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 19:28:27 +0000

Four content workshops to get your 2025 marketing sorted!

Do you struggle with planning your content? Are you scratching your head overwhere to start? Or wondering how best to manage your time when creating and scheduling your content?

If you said yes to any of these, I’ve got you covered. I’ve teamed up with Helen Manchip of The Social Surgery again, to bring you another series of our Quarterly Content Workshops to help you get on top of your content marketing.

As last year, we’ve got four sessions in January, April, June and September, so you can keep on track throughout the year and monitor your progress.

What we’ll cover

In each session, we’ll cover various marketing topics so you can learn about the latest trends, as well as get plenty of ideas and tips for your own content.

Helen will delve into social media topics and I will cover other marketing channels, such as email marketing, blogs, newsletters and articles.

You can also join our dedicated WhatsApp group to get accountability, hands-on ideas and motivation from the group in between sessions.

In each workshop, you will have the opportunity to:

Review your existing marketing and social media content
Assess what’s going well and what isn’t
Plan and set realistic goals for each quarter of 2025
Create compelling content to appeal to your ideal clients
Spend time working ON your business, rather than just in it
Get motivated with your marketing and celebrate your successes!

Importantly, in each session, we take the time to celebrate our individual successes from the last quarter. As business owners, we often forget to do that, so these sessions give you the space to acknowledge and celebrate success.

New for this year:

In 2025, each workshop will be 3 hours long. This gives you the time to learn, discuss and then plan out your ideas for the next quarter. We tried a three-hour session at the end of 2024 and participants all said they preferred it.

We’ve also got a choice of two locations this year. The workshops are running in both Bromley and Sevenoaks*.

Locations and dates

Newman Flexible Workspace, Bromley, all 10am-1pm

15 January
2 April
11 June
17 September

Limetree Workshop, Sevenoaks*

16 January – 10am-12pm
3 April – 10am-12pm
16 June – 10.30am-12.30pm
15 September – 12.30pm-2.30pm

*The third hour for the Sevenoaks workshops will be held separately online – we’ll arrange a time with participants.

What does it cost?

Each session is just £55.00, including handouts, plus light refreshments (water, tea, coffee and biscuits). BONUS: book all remaining sessions together and save!

Looking for something else?

If you’re interested in something more bespoke see my one-to-one training or coaching sessions, or if you would like me to put some bespoke workshops together for your business or organisation, contact me.

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Most Dedicated Content Writer – SME News UK Enterprise Awards

Carter Rogers — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 17:00:27 +0000

Most Dedicated Content Writer 2024

Jane Rogers PR has been awarded Most Dedicated Content Writer 2024 at the SME News UK Enterprise Awards.

Organised by SME News earlier this year, The UK Enterprise Awards celebrate the outstanding excellence of businesses right across the UK. Now in their eighth year, the awards once again received an incredible number of nominations from businesses that prioritise respect, innovation and excellence.

Among this year’s winners, Jane Rogers was chosen as Most Dedicated Content Writer of 2024.

Speaking about her award, Jane said:

“I was beyond excited to hear I’d won this award! To be recognised as the most dedicated content writer in 2024 is a fantastic achievement for both me personally and for my business. I’m thrilled I was nominated and even more delighted when I heard I’d won! A big thank you to the judges for chosing me as this year’s winner in this category.

“I love writing sparkling content for my clients, as well as sharing my expertise through workshops, talks and training sessions. To have my dedication formally acknowledged is the greatest form of appreciation. And being able to say I’m an award winner is a brilliant accolade for my business and my clients.

“Now, I’m excited to continue providing my content writing services and developing my workshops, coaching, training and talks to help even more small business owners with their content marketing in future.”

About SME News

SME News is dedicated to helping promote and grow small businesses with audiences all over the world. Their goal is to provide useful insights and advice to entrepreneurs and start-ups by providing a reliable platform to gain vital support.

Want to get on top of your own content writing? Book a planning session with Jane or buy her content planner. You’ll also find her monthly newsletter packed with marketing tips useful. Sign up to her mailing list so you don’t miss out.

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Content ideas – 6 tips to keep your content engaging

Carter Rogers — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:19:01 +0000

Content ideas to help your marketing

Do you often wonder what content to create for your marketing? Don’t worry, you’re not alone!

If you’re scratching your head because you’re not sure what to write about in your blogs, newsletters, social media posts or videos, read on for my six essential content ideas to help you come up with topics to write about.

Firstly, why do you need regular content?

To put it simply, without content, your ideal customers will not know about you and therefore your business will plateau. You need to create content regularly for continuous engagement and growth.

But regular content does not mean posting every random thought that comes to mind! It’s far better and easier to have a plan and to create content consistently.

To start off, you need to:

Know your target demographic – who are your ideal customers?
Keep a consistent theme regardless of the different topics you might write about.
Know what you have and haven’t explored.

So, let’s take a look at some content ideas you could include.

Tip 1 – Share news on your sector or industry

Sharing industry news can be great content; it allows your readers to gain a sense of community with you and get to “know” you on a more personal level. But, you still have to make it relevant to your readers.

Types of industry news you may wish to share:

New legislation or regulations that may affect your audience
Results of industry research or report findings
New products or services being developed
Emerging technologies that could benefit your audience
Industry events
Movers and shakers of note to your readers

Wouldn’t you agree that it feels great to know your clients are looking at your content for insightful news directly affecting them?

Tip 2 – Problem solving

Sharing tips to show how you solve people’s problems helps your audience and builds trust between you and them. It demonstrates that you understand their needs. This could become a regular series for you.

Here’s how to create yours:

Think about a problem you help your clients solve
Break the solution down into manageable, bite-sized chunks
Each ‘chunk’ becomes a different tip in your series
Consider how you will publish your tips on social media. E.g. blog, video, newsletter
Think about how you can repurpose your tips. E.g. an Instagram post can become a blog and a blog can become a video.

Remember, you don’t have to give away your trade secrets! You’re simply pointing your clients in the right direction for an easier life.

Tip 3 – Find useful data and trends

Is there any data that your audience would find useful?

Sharing data or trends with your audience is an easy way to demonstrate your expertise.This in turn will deepen the trust between you and your audience. It shows that you are switched on and can advise your clients on things that might affect them.

Things you can share:

Up and coming trends – how things are changing in your industry, helping your audience to stay competitive
Stats about people’s behaviour – show how things are changing or what people are reacting to
Infographics – an eye-catching way to make complicated ideas easier to understand
Trivia and ‘did you know’ posts – sharing a simple fact helps to grab attention.

Remember to keep it simple, educational and fact-based.

Tip 4 – Go behind the scenes

Have you ever shared behind the scenes content with your audience?

This is particularly useful for social media. In fact, you’ve probably seen lots of accounts you follow doing it. Things you could share:

What a typical day looks like
About you – bring out your personality. You could do a ‘Get Ready With Me’ (GRWM) post or video
Introduce your team members
Projects you’re working on (GRWM and tease them)
Some ‘in action’ images or videos, showing what you do
Fun facts about you and your team.

It’s a great way for people to see what you do and get to know, like and trust you.

Tip 5 – Client testimonials

How many client testimonials or reviews do you have?

Client testimonials are honest endorsements of your product or service. They should come directly from your customers who have benefited from or experienced success as a result of your product or services.

Testimonials are highly beneficial because they allow the trust you have built with your clients to expand to potential new audience members. Reassurance from your current clients that you are trustworthy and great at what you do is crucial to helping you succeed and grow.

How can you ask for a testimonial?

Be personal – ask them nicely!
Make it easy – give them a link to take them straight to your review site
Use a review system such as your Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Facebook page, or a review site for local businesses in your area (e.g. Bromley Business Hub). Some industries have specific review sites, such as Checkatrade or Tripadvisor You can also ask them via a customer satisfaction survey or feedback form.
If they are struggling to know what to write, ask them to answer a question, such as ‘How did I help you?’ or ‘What did you like about my products / services’?

NOTE: Be sure to ASK their permission before you share their review!

Encourage them to share their review on their socials – people love to see user-generated social content.

Tip 6 – Business milestones

Sharing your business milestones can create a deeper sense of community with your clients. It can make long standing customers feel special and those who’ve just come across you will see you are trusted and that you’ve been around a while.

Milestones you could share:

Followers increase. E.g. 200, 500, 1000, 5000 etc.
Video views. E.g. 100 views, 200 views, 5000 views, 1000 views etc.
Team expansion. E.g. starting off as a one-man-band to having a team of employees
Business birthdays. How long the business has been alive and thriving

What milestones have you accomplished that you would like to share with your audience?

And finally, a bonus tip: be flexible and adaptable!

These are just six ways you can come up with content ideas. There are plenty more! What other ideas do you have?

If you’d like more suggestions, why not buy my content planner and start adding your own ideas and research straight away! If you’d like help with planning your content, you can also book a content planning session with me.

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Mid-year marketing review celebrations

Jane Rogers — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:35:47 +0000

At my mid-year marketing review workshop

At my recent mid-year marketing review workshop in June, I held a productive session for a small group of local business owners. We each reviewed our marketing achievements so far for the year. Then we celebrated our successes!

Celebrating your successes is so important, don’t you think? How often do you go from one thing to the next without stopping and taking stock?

That’s why I wanted to run a mid-year marketing review workshop, so that it gave everyone who attended the opportunity to think about what they’ve been doing. I recently wrote about the importance of reviewing your content goals, so this workshop was the next step in actually doing so.

We started by looking at what had worked and what hadn’t. Then we gave ourselves a pat on the back for everything we’d done.

Even when things haven’t gone so well, it’s still worth noting it down. Then you can work out why it didn’t go so well. Perhaps it was lack of time on your part? Or maybe you didn’t have the right tools or knowledge.

What have you achieved lately? Write it down and then celebrate it.

Goal setting for the next half of the year

After the celebrations, we each set a marketing goal for the remaining half of the year.

From posting more on Tiktok to creating a lead magnet, setting up email marketing or building a website, we each came up with a SMART goal. That’s a goal which is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound.

Then, I gave everyone the time to work out the steps they needed to achieve their goal. They each came up with a list and shared it with the group.

Being accountable for mid-year marketing goals

Sometimes we all need a nudge to get things done. So, I held everyone accountable for the first step they said they would take towards achieving their goal. And then I contacted them a couple of weeks later to see how they were getting on!

I’m pleased to report that everyone was working well towards their goal and that they’d all mostly achieved their first step:

2 have already done their ‘one thing’
2 are working through it and have achieved part of it
1 is in progress

Don’t worry, I shall be keeping up with each of them to see how much further they get!

What people said about the mid-year marketing review workshop

"It was really good to have Jane's prompts and the time and other people's input to help me focus."

"It was wonderful to network with other business owners. Very useful to reflect on current goals and motivational to step further."

"Very knowledgeable trainer who helps you act on your ideas / thoughts that you've had for months!"

"Jane's expertise is second-to-none and the course enabled me to explore new ideas and concepts. I positively loved being held accountable!"

Want to come to my next review workshop?

I’ll be holding another workshop in September (date to be confirmed), in which we’ll review your marketing activity up to that point. And we’ll look forwards to 2024 and plan your marketing for the Christmas and New Year period.

Join my mailing list to be the first to know when my workshop date is confirmed:

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5 tips for creating content your clients will love

Jane Rogers — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 12:53:30 +0000

How do you create content your clients will love?

Follow my 5 top tips to help you create the best content to keep them coming back for more.

1. Get to know your audience

Remember, you do not sell to everyone! If you haven’t already worked out who your audience is, or if you haven’t reviewed it for a while, spend some time on this now! I can’t emphasise how important it is to know your target audience. Be specific – the more detail you capture and the more you know your audience, the easier it will be to attract them.

Things to consider include their:

Age
Gender (if relevant for your products/services)
Location
Interests
Goals they have / what they want to achieve
Pain points – what problems or issues are they facing that you can resolve? See tip 2 below.

By gathering this information, it helps you to build a picture of them. That way, it’s so much easier to know exactly who you’re trying to reach with your content marketing. And you can then create content that will appeal to them specifically.

You will probably have more than one audience type, so do this exercise for each one. If you buy my Comprehensive Content Planner, one of the templates in it will help you work out your audience types.

2. Work out their pain points

I think this is the most important aspect to work out for your potential clients. Knowing the answer will help you frame your services or products as a solution to their problems. Put yourself in their shoes and consider:

What do they most struggle with?
What makes them scratch their heads?
How do you solve their problems specifically?

Focus your content writing on what they need and talk directly to them. If they can see you’re addressing their challenges, they’re more likely to read on and be tempted to buy from you.

3. Plan & create informative content

Now, this is the juicy bit! It’s where you can get creative and come up with useful content that engages them.

Your content might teach them something, show them your expertise or explain how you address their pain points. You could include things like:

Tips
Advice
News
Industry info or data that’s relevant to them
Case studies or testimonials to show how you’ve helped people like them.

By addressing each pain point that you can help with, you’ll make them feel like they’ve learned something of value. This can inspire them to consider using your services, as you’re showing them you know your stuff.

4. Keep your content simple

This is soooo important! You need to make it easy for people! Don’t over-complicate it or confuse them. Here’s how:

Keep your sentences short
Stick to one idea per piece of content
Break your content down into smaller chunks – such as tips or bullet points
Use simple language and active voice, e.g. “Here’s how I can help you” rather than “You will be helped by…”

Above all, think “Will an intelligent 10-year-old understand what I’m talking about?” If not, change it so they do!

5. Put your client front & centre

And last but not least, remember it’s not about you; it’s all about your client!

Talk directly to them
Write as if you’re only talking to one person
Use ‘you’ rather than ‘we’
Make them feel loved and included.

Not only is this friendlier but it’s also easier for them to understand. It’s like you’re having a conversation just with them. It will help them value your content and keep coming back for more.

How else can you create more love for your clients in your content? If you’d like my help, buy my Comprehensive Content Planner or book a Content Power Hour with me.

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Mailchimp certified to help with your marketing

Jane Rogers — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 19:34:29 +0000

I’m excited to announce that I am Mailchimp certified!

This means I have an official ‘certified’ badge from the marketing platform Mailchimp to show I understand how to use it.

Mailchimp’s certification means I can use the system effectively to help you with your email marketing and marketing automations. And this will help me to help you grow your brand.

What is Mailchimp?

While it started out as an email marketing platform, Mailchimp is now an all -in-one marketing platform. It helps you manage and talk to your clients, customers, and other interested parties.

Why am I Mailchimp certified?

I have been using Mailchimp for years to help people like you with their online marketing. And it feels fantastic to finally have a badge in recognition of my knowledge and skills.

Mailchimp launched its agency and freelancer community, Mailchimp & Co in October 2020. They created it to help businesses like me who use its platform to help our clients. I joined straight away and have access to resources and training, which includes certification.

What did I do to become certified?

To become Mailchimp certified, I had to work through a number of online training resources covering all aspects of Mailchimp. Then I took an assessment to check my knowledge and skills. And I passed with flying colours – 90% to be exact!

Next, I will work my way through the advanced certifications and also work towards Partner status with Mailchimp.

How can I help you with Mailchimp?

If you want to use Mailchimp to help with your marketing, there are a number of different ways I can help you, including:

Setting Mailchimp up for you
Creating templates for your emails
Creating emails, newsletters and campaigns for you
Building landing pages to help you grow your list. These are simple web pages that make it easy for people to sign up or buy from you.
Creating automations (or auto-responders) so you can send email automatically when people take certain actions, like signing up or buying from you
Writing or editing your email or newsletter content
Advise on topics to write about or content to include

Occasionally, I also run online workshops or webinars on Mailchimp, so you can learn how to do it yourself. I will soon have some recordings available to buy from past workshops that I ran with Anne Barrett Business Support. And watch this space for details of our future workshops!

So, if you need help or advice with your email marketing, newsletters or other aspects of marketing your business, get in touch!

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Content planning tips: 6 tips to keep your content flowing

Jane Rogers — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:06:22 +0000

Content planning tips to help your marketing

For those who follow me on social media, you’ll know I post content planning tips to help you plan for your business.

If you want to dig deeper into these tips, keep reading for my essential six content planning tips to keep your content flowing.

Firstly, people often ask why you need a content plan

Quite simply, without a plan, your ideal customers might not know how to find you. Equally, your content might not be organised or you might struggle to publish consistently.

But, if you invest some time in content planning, you will:

Know what you want to publish, when and where
Organise your time more efficiently
Know what’s coming up and what to create next.

So, let’s take a look at how to build a strong content plan.

Tip 1: Decide who you’re talking to

As with the rest of your content marketing, knowing who you’re targeting your content to is the most important first step. Don’t assume that you’re selling to everyone. This is a common mistake and can lead to your approach feeling too broad.

Consider these factors to help you work out your audience:

Age and gender
Location
Their interests
The industry they work in or the job they do
Their income or economic status
Their challenges or pain points
Their goals
What’s likely to make them buy from you?

Building up a picture of your key audience will help you focus your content planning on what you’re trying to say and how best to say it.

Tip 2: where does your audience hang out?

This isn’t the same as ‘location’ or where they’re based. It’s a step is helping you understand where your audience get their information.

For example, if you’re targeting young people, who currently favour TikTok and Snapchat, creating content on Facebook is not going to get you significant results.

On the other hand, if your audience is much older, are they on social media? Are they even online?

If your audience is other businesses or a specific sector, you might need to target industry press or specialist blogs instead.

Here are content platforms to consider:

Social media – which platforms are relevant?
Blogs – writing your own or guest blogging
Print media – trade/industry, local or national
Broadcast media – radio or TV
Videos – your own or as a guest
Podcasts – your own or as a guest
Guest speaker opportunities / interviews
Workshops or training courses

Do an audit of all the places your audience might consume content. And then work out the most popular platforms to target.

Tip 3: Focus your energies

So, now you know where your audience are consuming their content, begin by focusing your energy on 1-2 content platforms to begin with.

Pick the platforms where most of your audience hang out and also those you find easier to use. Naturally, you will gravitate towards your own preferences, so make things easy on yourself.

By focusing your attention in this way, you will:

Become comfortable and knowledgeable on the platforms you choose
Not spread yourself too thinly or dilute your messages
Avoid overwhelm – especially if you’re just starting out
Work smarter and reach your audience where they are
Make it easy for your audience to find you – and help yourself at the same time!

Tip 4: Research relevant content topics

Now you have decided on the content platforms you’re going to use, it’s time to decide what to create content about!

There are lots of different things you could do, so here are just a few ideas:

Tips to help them solve a problem
Advice on topics you can help them with
News or information about your sector / industry
Useful data or trends
Behind the scenes about your business
About you – things they may not know
‘Meet the team’ if you have staff
Client testimonials or case studies
Business milestones – birthdays, awards etc.
Inspirational quotes

There are lots more, of course! You may have some of your own ideas to add. Look out soon for my blog on content inspiration and ideas.

Tip 5: Tailor your content for each platform

Now you have decided on the platforms you’re going to use and the topics to write about, think about how to tailor your content for each platform. After all, they’re all different and have their own rules and requirements.

For example, if you’re creating content for Instagram, you need images or video, along with hashtags and a caption. For a blog, you’re not limited to number of words, but you might want to consider whether it’s easy to read and well laid out.

For each content topic you want to write about, consider:

What information do you want to include?
What message do you want to get across per topic?
What research or data do you need to gather?
Are you going to create a video or audio version or just written?
Do you need different sized images for different platforms?
What length of text do you need for each platform?
Which hashtags will you use (where relevant)?
What call to action do you want people to take?

Remember, not all of these points will apply. For now, you’re just looking at 1-2 platforms as your starting point.

Also think about repurposing your content. This simply means taking a piece of content for one platform and making it suitable for another.

For example, how might you turn a blog post into a video or vice versa? Can a series of social media posts become a blog (as it the case with this blog!) or a podcast? The possibilities are endless!

Tip 6: Put it all in a calendar

So, finally it’s time to gather all your research and ideas and put them into a calendar or planning tool. This will help you see at-a-glance what you need to create and when.

You can also add any awareness days and key dates alongside other content ideas you want to share. So, you’ll have no nasty surprises, and all your content is planned out!

Whether you prefer a paper diary or calendar, or want to use online tools, there are plenty of content planning options available to you.

So there are my 6 content planning tips! Why not buy my digital content planner and start adding your own ideas and research straight away! If you’d like help with planning your content, you can also book a content planning session with me.

The post Content planning tips: 6 tips to keep your content flowing appeared first on Jane Rogers PR.

Mailchimp is changing

Jane Rogers — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:32:22 +0000

Major changes announced to Mailchimp accounts

Here’s what you need to know for free accounts

Mailchimp recently announced some major changes to the way it operates. No longer simply an email marketing tool, the platform now offers an all-in-one Marketing Platform, as it calls it. This includes the ability to create landing pages, Facebook and Google ads and postcards directly within the platform.

However, this transformation means Mailchimp is now also changing the way it charges you for its services. If you’ve got a free account, you will notice the biggest impact.

The free account still exists and you can still have up to 2,000 contacts in it. BUT, the way Mailchimp categorises your contacts is changing. So, if you’re close to the 2,000-mark, you’ll want to take note, to avoid getting charged unnecessarily.

If you are already using some of the features that are being removed from free accounts, most of these will be ‘grandfathered’ in – you will still have access to them where set up but you won’t be able to add new ones.

As many of my clients are using free Mailchimp accounts, here are the main changes you need to know:

The way contacts are categorised

This is the biggest change to Mailchimp and will have an impact on both free and paid accounts. Up until now, the system only counted your subscribers in your contact count. From 15 June 2019, subscribers, unsubscribes and non-subscribes (those whose info you might have for non-email purposes such as postcards) count towards your total.

What this means: you’re more likely to reach the 2,000 contact limit quicker. To avoid getting caught out, go through your contacts and get rid of any you don’t need. If you have lots of unsubscribes, you can now archive these, so they don’t count towards your total.

Archiving is better than deleting because it will still keep the data so you can’t accidentally send to someone who has chosen to unsubscribe from your list. And you can un-archive contacts at a later date if you need them back in your active contacts.

No more unlimited templates

When the changes come into effect later this month, you will only be able to choose from the five basic templates in a free account. This will be fine for most people, as you can still customise the templates with your branding, colours, images etc.

What this means: any existing templates that you’ve been using, including custom HTML templates, which are not from the basic range will still be available to you. But you will only be able to create new ones from the basic range going forward, unless you upgrade your account.

Only one user

Up to now, you have been able to add multiple users to your free account (did you realise this?). Any users you already have will remain but you won’t be able to add new ones unless you upgrade your plan.

However, if you have a PR or marketing person like me, an agency or virtual assistant helping you with your Mailchimp, you can still add them as a user providing they have an agency account. Here’s how they can turn on agency status if they don’t already have it.

Only one audience

As with users, you have been able to add as many lists (audiences) as you wanted. But now free accounts are limited to one list. Any lists you have already will remain but you won’t be able to create new lists going forward.

Single automations

Automation for free accounts was only introduced a short while ago, so many of you may not be using them anyway. If you are using them, your existing automations will remain but you can only create single-step automations going forward.

What this means: you can automate one email sequence to go out, such as a thank you or welcome email when someone signs up to your list or downloads your lead magnet or free giveaway. It is possible to create more complex automations with workarounds. See Robin Adams’ Mailchimp Answers blog for more information on this.

These are the main changes affecting free Mailchimp accounts. If you have a paid for account, there will be less impact to you, especially as the pricing structure is now simplified.

For more information on the changes to paid accounts and how these might affect you, see Robin Adams’ Mailchimp Answers blog or join his Mailchimp Answers Facebook Group.

If you would like help managing your Mailchimp account, writing or sending newsletters or email marketing, drop me a line.

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